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CNN Saturday Morning News

Paul Ryan Campaigns in Florida; Conflicting Reports of Syria V.P. Defecting; Afghan Forces Turn Weapons on U.S. Troops; Jackson Jr. Has "Deep Depression"; Police: Handcuffed Man Killed Himself

Aired August 18, 2012 - 11:00   ET

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

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It is Saturday, August 18th. Good morning, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye.

The man who could be vice president is in Florida right now. Paul Ryan talks to seniors and at least one of them is guaranteed to love anything he says.

Brand new police video surrounding the case of the reported suicide of a handcuffed man. What the dash cam shows after the gun went off.

And Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder, can't go outside or British police will nab him. So how will he get to the one nation that is offering asylum?

Much of America heard the name Paul Ryan for the first time one week ago today. Almost as quickly as people learned his name, they learned about his numbers. That is, the Ryan budget plan, and how it aims to privatize Medicare.

Now, for this first time since he became Mitt Romney's vice presidential pick, Ryan is in Florida, which has the most senior citizens of any state, 17.3 percent of the population there. And the reception in the town called The Villages has been as warm as Florida's weather.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PAUL RYAN (R-WI), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My grandma moved in with us, with my mom and me, when I was in high school. She had advanced Alzheimer's. My mom and I were her two primary caregivers.

And you learn a lot about life. You learn a lot about your -- your elderly seniors in your family. You learn a lot about Alzheimer's. Medicare was there for our family, for my grandma, when we needed it then, and Medicare is there for my mom while she needs it now, and we have to keep that guarantee.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: CNN's political editor Paul Steinhauser is live at the event for us this morning. Paul, good morning. So, for those who know Florida, no surprise that Ryan got such a friendly welcome there in The Villages. PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Oh, no surprise whatsoever. You know what? Paul Ryan is still here right now. You can see behind me he is signing autographs and talking to people in the crowd. He spoke for about 15 or 20 minutes here. This is the largest retirement community in the United States and it's a very Republican area, no doubt about that. Let's be honest Sarah Palin spoke here four years ago when her and John McCain were on the GOP ticket.

And Randi you're right, Ryan talked about his mom throughout the speech. He introduced his mom, Betty, who lives part of the year here in Florida and part of the year back in Janesville, Wisconsin.

He introduced her right off the bat and he talked about her and when he was making some points on Medicare and also when he was making his points on the President's economic policies and he went after the President for the "you didn't build that" comment that the Ryan and Romney campaign has been using for quite some time.

But again, Medicare was the big issue here and it's such an important issue, of course, in Florida which is the biggest of all the battleground state. I spoke to some supporters here prior to Ryan speaking. Here's what they said about Medicare.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes Medicare is very important to all the seniors and I -- I would like Romney and Ryan to really do their job and I know they're going to do a wonderful job.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney really have a handle on the Medicare issue and if people listen to him very closely, he'll spell it out in minute detail, and I think that's the way to go.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's important but I'm all for Ryan and Romney's plan. Down with Obama.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEINHAUSER: Well, the Romney/Ryan argument and you've heard it nonstop for a week now since Ryan was named as the running mate. And Ryan talked about it today, again, is that President Obama is taking $716 billion out of Medicare, a popular program, they say to pay for the President's health care plan, which Americans are divided on. That's their talking point and they've been hammering it over and over and over again Randi for the last week.

KAYE: Well, the Obama campaign certainly hears them, but they are pushing back, aren't they?

STEINHAUSER: Well, they are, immediately. They began pushing back against Ryan and Romney right off the bat a week ago and they are saying that these charges that the President is taking $716 billion out of Medicare, not true. In fact, this morning they went up with a brand-new television commercial that's running in a bunch of battleground states to make that point. Randi, again, Medicare is becoming such an important topic here. Then, of course, seniors vote in big numbers and in big numbers in some important states like Florida where I am -- Randi.

KAYE: Paul Steinhauser for us; thank you very much, Paul.

Ryan released his tax returns for the last two years. His most recent return shows that he and his wife made more than $323,000 in 2011 and paid close to $65,000 in taxes. That would be 20 percent of his income. That 20 percent is a higher percentage than his running mate, Mitt Romney, paid in 2011. Romney paid 14.5 percent of his income in taxes that year.

And what about 2010? Ryan also paid a higher percentage of his income in taxes, 16 percent to Romney's 14.5 percent.

President Obama is campaigning in New Hampshire today. He holds two events -- one in Wyndham and a second in the town of Rochester. Obama won New Hampshire in 2008, but the state is up for grabs come November.

Now to Louisiana, where four men and three women have been arrested in connection to a shooting that left two sheriff's deputies dead and two others wounded. The shootings happened 25 miles outside New Orleans on Thursday. The suspects first attacked a deputy while he was directing traffic, then took off for their trailer park. Later, more deputies came to investigate and the suspects opened fire.

Turning to international news, a bus packed with tourists crashed in Mexico. We're told it veered off the road and crashed into a deep ravine in Mexico's northern state of Durango. At least 12 are dead, 22 others injured, according to state-run media. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

Now to some major developments in Syria. Rebels are saying the Syrian vice president has defected but may still be in the country. But Syrian state TV released a statement, saying quote, "Farouk Shara didn't think for one second to leave the homeland."

Nic Robertson is live following all this in Abu Dhabi for us this morning. Nic do we know which report is correct? Who has it right? Has the vice president defected or has he not?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, it's still not clear, Randi. And the government on one hand trying to give the impression that Farouk is still at his desk doing his job, having him comment on issues relating to the current conflict that's going on and at the same time, rebels saying there are military commanders on the ground who are trying to get Farouk across border to Jordan.

They're out -- they've just lost contact with those commanders, they don't know where he is, but they do say that they are worried that perhaps his family has been caught by the regime and that will force him to surrender, but we're not seeing him being shown by either side.

So, it's just unclear at the moment -- Randi. KAYE: And U.N. monitors are due to leave Damascus very soon, but a new U.N. Arab League special envoy has been appointed. Does that mean that plans have possibly changed?

ROBERTSON: They're changing. They're changing because they have to change. The exception -- the acceptance is that the U.N. that the current -- the last peace plan if you will is sort of dead in the water, Kofi Annan's peace plan. He resigned because he couldn't get agreement at the U.N. Security Council between China, the Russia, United States, Britain and France couldn't agree.

So Lakdhar Brahimi, the new U.N. envoy he is very experienced, very well respected, many years working for the Arab League. The U.N. point person in Afghanistan both before and after the Taliban, U.N. point person in Iraq.

But he hasn't put forward a new plan on the way he's going to approach this. So we don't know what he's going to come up with. It's a tough one for him.

KAYE: Yes. We certainly have been following the plight of the refugees. What does the situation look like there? Do we have any numbers on how many are actually fleeing across the border?

ROBERTSON: It's getting worse. 3,500 in the last few days have crossed the northern border into Turkey because a lot of the fighting is in the north part. About 170,000 have fled to Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon -- all the bordering countries around Syria right now.

It is only getting worse. Wherever the fighting is, people flee. That 3,500 crossing into Turkey in a few days, that's a large increase. There's a lot of money being put into helping them, but the people are riding into tented camps and often there's very little actually that's really been prepared for them -- Randi.

KAYE: Yes, a terrible situation, no matter how you look at it. Nic Robertson for us. Nic, thank you.

Massive, new security measures for coalition troops in Afghanistan after a number of attacks by Afghans wearing security uniforms. We'll tell you what exactly is being done.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back.

A U.S. drone strike in the North Waziristan district of Pakistan. At least five militants were killed in the hit on a suspected militant compound. This is the 28th U.S. drone strike in Pakistan this year.

In Afghanistan, a British soldier has been killed. The British Ministry of Defense says the soldier was killed quote, "by enemy action Friday while on sentry duty in Helmand province in the south." Three British soldiers have now been killed in Helmand this month.

The uptick in attacks by Afghan Security Forces against coalition troops has hit home. Now all troops at NATO headquarters in Kabul and all bases across Afghanistan have been ordered to carry loaded weapons around the clock.

CNN's Barbara Starr reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): -- for American troops in Afghanistan attacked and killed by Afghan forces this year. The top commander, General John Allen, is ordering massive, new security measures.

Starting with his own headquarters in Kabul, Allen has ordered all troops to carry their weapons loaded at all times.

It's a headquarters visited by defense secretaries, diplomats and journalists. Until now, it's only been protected by security forces ready for instant combat as they were in September of last year when insurgents attacked from outside the base.

But now, across the country, Afghan forces are turning their weapons on NATO and U.S. troops.

LEON PANETTA, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Our enemies have attempted to undermine the trust between the coalition and Afghan forces and in particular, they have tried to take credit for a number of so-called green-on-blue or insider attacks that have taken place this fighting season.

STARR: Since 2007, 69 Americans have been killed by Afghan forces, according to the Pentagon. The military already is using so-called Guardian Angels, a service member designated to stand watch over others while they eat and sleep, anywhere they might come into contact with Afghan forces.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is calling once again for better intelligence and better screening of new Afghan recruits, but the Pentagon is emphasizing, the attacks are still relatively small in numbers.

PANETTA: I want to stress that these incidents, which have now involved 31 Afghans, do not reflect the pride and dedication of the 350,000 soldiers and police of the Afghan National Security Forces.

STARR (on camera): Small numbers or not, the attacks are taking their toll. One U.S. military official in Afghanistan who is now carrying his weapon around the clock told me everyone is watching everyone else, just in case.

Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: We get an update on the mental condition of Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. from a long-time friend who's battled the same disorder, former Congressman Patrick Kennedy. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: We are learning more about the condition of Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. from his long-time friend, former Congressman Patrick Kennedy. Kennedy visited the Illinois Democrat this week at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota where Jackson is being treated for bipolar depression.

Kennedy told CNN Jackson is suffering from quote, "deep, deep depression". The son of the late senator, Ted Kennedy, has also battled with bipolar disorder and says he understands why Jackson didn't immediately talk publicly about his condition.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATRICK KENNEDY, FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE: Our brain, like every other organ in the body, sometimes gets sick, but because it's our brain, we stigmatize the illnesses because the symptoms of these illnesses are behavioral.

If he was there for cancer, you wouldn't be doing this show tonight. Most Americans wouldn't care because they'd say, well, Jesse, go get the help. If you have cancer, get treated.

But because Jesse has a mental illness, as I do myself, and is fighting for his recovery, it somehow sparks this prurient interest because we have a fascination with mental illness because it's something we don't understand very much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Jackson is the 47-year-old son of the Reverend Jesse Jackson.

Health officials are warning people to be aware of a deadly salmonella outbreak linked to cantaloupes. Two people have died and more than 140 others have gotten sick across 20 states. The tainted melons are from a farm in southwestern Indiana. Health officials are telling consumers to throw out any cantaloupes from that region.

In Arkansas, police say Chavis Carter shot himself while in the back of their squad car cuffed behind his back, and some are wondering how is that physically possible? So, police set out to prove it. You'll also hear what they say happened leading up to the shooting.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Jonesboro, Arkansas police say this man, 21-year-old Chavis Carter, shot himself in the head while in a squad car, handcuffed behind his back. Police just released a new dash cam recording of the officers explaining their version of the events shortly after the shooting. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I patted him down. I don't know where he had it hidden. We were talking, about to get back into the car -- we thought we hear a funny noise -- we heard a pop we got in, smelled of his own powder and he was leaned over.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was he handcuffed or he was just sitting --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The handcuff is behind him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Some people remain skeptical about a person's physical ability to do what police say Chavis Carter did.

So Jonesboro Police released a video to prove how easy they say it actually is.

Apparently the same height and build as Carter. While handcuffed, you can clearly see this man re-enact shooting himself in the head as the video continues there.

CNN legal contributor, Paul Callan joins me now to talk about all of this. So Paul, good morning to you.

PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning Randi.

KAYE: We've talked about this case before. Missing from both dash cam recordings that police released is the moment that police say Chavis Carter shot himself. And that's because the squad cars were parked trunk to trunk and the dash cams weren't actually facing the backseat where Carter was.

But what are the police trying to do by releasing these videos do you think? And do the dash cam tapes even prove anything?

CALLAN: Well, I think they're obviously trying to push public opinion in favor of the Jonesboro Police Department. But frankly, I think it's an amateur hour operation here. Any law enforcement agency that's trying to objectively and fairly investigate an incident shouldn't be partially releasing pieces of evidence that they think exonerates their own police officers.

They should be waiting until autopsy results are in, until GSR, gunshot residue tests are in, if gunshot residue swabs were done on the other officers and on the suspect.

A lot of things should be done before you do a re-enactment. So I'm a little shocked that they would take this tact. People are going to have a hard time accepting any conclusion that they reach in the end --

(CROSSTALK)

KAYE: Yes.

CALLAN: -- because they're prematurely releasing evidence.

KAYE: It is awfully strange. And the FBI is watching this whole case, so that makes it even more bizarre. But on the dash cam video, Paul, you can hear the officers talking about their plans to take Carter to the county jail, even when his aunt comes by the scene. You can hear the officer actually telling her she can get him from jail, maybe in the next day or so.

Do you think that helps the officer's case and maybe speaks to their intention a bit?

CALLAN: Well you know, I have to say overall, and I've looked at a lot of the releases so far, most of it would seem to exonerate the officers. I mean as bizarre as this fact pattern is with a man in handcuffs allegedly self-inflicting this wound, you have to say, what would be the motivation of these cops?

And frankly, you know, the tone of the audio, when you hear the cops talking to the suspects and everybody else, they're sort of speaking in a calm, measured way. It's not anger or high emotion -- the kind of thing that you might expect if they're about to kill a suspect who's handcuffed in the back of the police car.

So I think the overall tone and tenor would support the claims being made by the Jonesboro Police that this is a bizarre, maybe accident that happened, maybe an accidental discharge of the gun. I don't know what they're going to say, ultimately suicide by the suspect. Hard to say what they're ultimately going to claim.

But -- that's my preliminary take on the audio and video that I've seen.

KAYE: Yes, there are also some interviews of witnesses that police released more information. Now we don't know, of course, if these witnesses were hand-picked by police or how many others they might have spoken with. But listen to what one witness told a detective about where the officers were when she heard what she thought sounded like a gunshot.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They put him in the backseat of the police car.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ok.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And then about 10 or 15 minutes after that we heard a loud pop. I'm like, what is going on?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You heard a pop?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It sounded like a gun going off.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So where were the police officers when you heard this?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They were standing on the outside of the car.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you heard the pop, the doors were open? On the police car? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The one he had in the back seat wasn't open.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They were closed?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, sir.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: That's pretty important stuff right there. What do you make of that? I mean, she puts the police officers outside the car when she heard that shot.

CALLAN: It really exonerates them in terms of having fired the fatal shot. I mean obviously if the doors to the squad car are closed, no evidence of damage to the window, nobody else inside except the suspect, so this has to be a shot from the interior of the vehicle. And she exonerates the police officers.

KAYE: Yes.

CALLAN: Now, she won't exonerate them from the big thing if they obviously botched a search of the suspect, if he was carrying a gun. And he somehow struggled and it went off, causing this injury. But she certainly would exonerate the police officers as murderers in this case.

KAYE: Yes.

CALLAN: And that's a really important piece of evidence.

KAYE: Well, we will continue to watch this case, Paul Callan, along with you a lot of folks have some really strong opinions about it.

Everybody is tweeting me this morning. You can continue to do that. You can find me on Twitter @randikayeCNN.

Paul Callan, thank you very much.

Could WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange escape from the Ecuadorian embassy in London? We'll look at all the possible scenarios.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Checking some top stories this hour.

In Syria, there are conflicting reports over whether the Syrian vice president has defected. Rebels say he has, but Syrian state TV said in a statement that Farouk al-Shara didn't think for one second to leave the homeland. Meanwhile, an Algerian diplomat has been appointed the U.N. Arab League special envoy to Syria.

North Korea leader, Kim Jong-un is telling his troops to be prepared for a "sacred war" during upcoming training exercises between South Korea and the U.S. State media says Kim ordered his forces to deal a deadly blow to the enemy if a single shell is dropped on North Korean territory. Military exercises involving tens of thousands of U.S. and South Korea troops start Monday and last until the end of the month.

Tropical Storm Helene is moving towards Mexico this hour and is expected to make landfall later today. The storm has sustained winds of 40 miles per hour and could dump as much as eight inches of rain on parts of the state of Veracruz.

Julian Assange may have been granted asylum by Ecuador, but the WikiLeaks founder is still a virtual prisoner inside that country's embassy in London. So will he try to escape? That's the big question.

CNN's Brian Todd takes a look at all the challenges involved with getting out of the embassy without getting caught.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Randi, Julian Assange might want to find some good books to read, maybe subscribe to a great cable TV package. His changes for using some sleight of hand to escape the vaunted British police are slim and dwindling.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice-over): He's reported to be tense and going a bit stir crazy, WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange holed up inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London. He's been there for about two months. Now that Ecuador has granted him asylum and Britain has refused to honor it, a classic standoff is underway. If Assange takes one step outside the embassy -

JOHN NEGROPONTE, CHAIRMAN, THE COUNCIL OF THE AMERICAS: My understanding is that the British would arrest him and extradite him to Sweden.

TODD: That's where Assange is wanted for questioning over sexual assault claims. With the fugitive inside in what's at the moment considered Ecuadoran territory, and with British police outside ready to pounce, scenarios are being debated over a possible Assange escape. Is this an option, getting smuggled out in the trunk of a diplomat car? A former British diplomat says the car would be considered Ecuadoran domain. British police he says could stop it, but not search it, couldn't necessarily Assange out, but there's a hitch in that plan.

The hitch? Apparently there's no garage available to the Ecuadoran embassy. We're told there's only one entrance to the embassy right here, and obviously that's not an option. The building is completely surrounded by British police. They're in the streets, the alleys, the side streets. If anyone was going to try to take Assange from the building to a waiting car the police would get him.

The police are also reported to be monitoring the so-called communal areas of the building, the hallways and the elevators, preventing Assange from taking an elevator up to the roof where a helicopter could pick him up.

Police can monitor the hallways and elevators because the Ecuadoran embassy occupies only one floor, the first floor, and not even all of that. It's here right where this window is. And Assange can barely step into a hallway without risking apprehension. If he did somehow get to a car there are airports, large and small in every direction, but experts say once he got to one of those he could easily be captured. He could actually be smuggled out in a crate or a large bag. If it's labeled a diplomatic parcel the British police can't open it, but -

OLIVER MILES, FORMER BRITISH AMBASSADOR TO LIBYA: I think they could delay it. I think they could hold it. I think they could keep it in a very cold, or very hot place or something like that.

TODD: But former British Ambassador Oliver Miles doesn't see that happening. One thing that could happen he says, Assange could simply take refuge inside the Ecuadoran embassy, as he has been, but he could do it indefinitely.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: It's happened before. In 1956 when the Soviet Union invaded Hungary Cardinal Jozsef Mindszenty, a top Catholic official there, took refuge inside the American embassy in Budapest. He was granted asylum and lived in the American embassy for 15 years. Randi, I'd love to see the look on Julian Assange's face when someone tells him he may have to live in the Ecuadoran embassy for 15 years.

KAYE: Me too as well, Brian. Thank you very much. A bizarre murder mystery at a California mansion, police say this boy's death was an accident, but his mother says she has proof that it was not.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: This week we're taking a look at a murder mystery in California. Police say the case is closed, but my next guest is pleading with officials to reopen the investigation into her son's death. His name is Max and he would have turned seven last month. Here he is with his mom in 2009.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DINA SHAKNAI, MAX'S MOTHER: You always have me in your heart, remember? And where else?

MAX: In your thinking thoughts.

SHAKNAI: Yes.

MAX: And your mind and thoughts.

SHAKNAI: And in your where your - ?

MAX: Pardon?

SHAKNAI: In your mind.

MAX: In my mind zero.

(END VIDEO CLIP) KAYE: Last July Max fell over a staircase at his father's California mansion and went into a coma. Three days later emergency crews were called back to the home. That's when they found the lifeless body of 32-year-old Rebecca Zahau, the girlfriend of Max's father who was home with Max the day that he fell.

She was found naked and hanging from the second story balcony, her hands and feet bound. Max died from his injuries a couple of days after that, two tragedies at one mansion in less than a single week. Was Max murdered? Was Max Rebecca? Police say no, ruling his death an accident and Rebecca's a suicide. Max's mother, Dina, joins me now with her attorney, Angela Hallier.

Thank you both for joining us.

Dina, I'm so sorry for the loss of your son.

SHAKNAI: Thank you.

KAYE: Just it's heartbreaking to see the two of you together in that video as well. You've conducted a private investigation into Max's death and want the case reopened and investigated as a homicide. Tell me first about your investigation and what you've found.

SHAKNAI: Well nine months ago I hired Dr. Melenik (ph) from San Francisco and Dr. Rahbo (ph) from Exponent (ph). And maybe, Angie, you could speak to the findings of the experts.

ANGELA HALLIER, ATTORNEY: The most significant findings from our experts that show this was not an accident and in fact was an assault scenario was that Max fell on the top, the vertex of his head, not his front forehead. The back injuries were not the result of an impact. They were the result of scraping, pushing against the railing.

His center of gravity would not have allowed him to go over the banister the way the accidental scenario said it would. There were no dicing abrasions on his hands from having grabbed at a chandelier. And importantly, the multiple planes of injuries on his body, including in recessed body areas like the inside of your eye, and the nose and the neck, would not have happened from an accidental fall.

KAYE: Now had you suspected that this might be a homicide before these findings, Dina?

SHAKNAI: I was perplexed with the finding of the San Diego Sheriff's Department and Coronado Police Department. When I was given the debriefing really all I saw was the diagram they presented to me. And it really didn't even look like the Max. The figure looked much taller and I didn't receive the report from their expert until three weeks later.

And their report summed it up saying it was a dog, a ball or a scooter. And it wasn't really clear. So it didn't make sense. It didn't add up and I didn't know what happened. And I was hoping that the Coronado Police Department would have gone further than they did at the time. KAYE: Tell me just a bit about your son.

SHAKNAI: Thanks for asking. He was an amazing treasure for me. I was so lucky to have him and I told him that every single day. And so when I saw him in the morning I would look at him and with his great big smile, and I would tell him and think to myself I won the lottery because he was such a joy. He loved to play soccer. He played since he was two and he played up, so he was a five year old playing against six and seven year olds on his Blackhawks club. He had a sweetie for two years. He was loyal and generous.

And one of the things I think is notable about him was as in life he was very generous in death. And when he died he saved three other people through his organ donation of one, his liver, and saved an 11 month old, and then with his kidneys two adults. So he was an amazing boy. He lived an amazing life and he loved life. And he loved his friends and family. And we miss him very, very much.

KAYE: Thank you both, Angela and Dina, appreciate your time. And do keep us up to date what's happening next in this case.

HALLIER: Thank you.

KAYE: In parts of the Pacific Northwest this was what a drive on the highway looked like this week, flames chasing your tires. Look at that video. See how victims are coping from a massive wildfire burning since Monday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: The worst wildfire season in ten years, and it's taking its toll in Washington State. Firefighters there are battling a fire near that's been burning for nearly a week, destroying 60 homes and charred more than 23,000 acres.

CNN's Rob Marciano has been talking to families who have been running from those flames.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): Military Chinook helicopters continue to attack the Taylor Bridge fire near Cle Elum, Washington, a battle some residents have already lost, and several days in are still shell shocked.

LARRY PUTNAM, FIRE VICTIM: It still hasn't registered that we don't have a home.

MARCIANO: An explosive fire combining lots of dry fuel and strong wind quickly engulfed homes and over 35 square miles of land. We're on the northeast edge of where the fire came through earlier in the week. You can see the blackened hillside still smoking and smoldering.

The fire itself came up this ridge and the winds were so fierce it actually jumped over this highway, continued burning up underneath those wind turbines. Obviously this is an area that gets a lot of wind usually. They take advantage of it. This time it hurt them.

PUTNAM: All of sudden a wall of flames came up over the ridge. It just came up over the ridge and like 100 foot high.

MARCIANO (on camera): Wow.

PUTNAM: So then I said, okay, well let's don't panic, but I think we'd better hurry.

MARCIANO (voice-over): Larry Putman and his family made it, but their home did not, only pictures to remind them of what their dream home once was. Larry's a contractor so he's taking refuge in a senior center he actually built. This week it's a Red Cross shelter for victims of the fire just like him.

PUTNAM: We built it in 2000 and since then it has just become the crown, the jewel in the crown of this community as you can see. And then a couple of years ago it burned down.

MARCIANO: So he built it again. Now some evacuees are just using the parking lot. Eugene and MARY LOU Smith sleep in their travel trailer and are in no rush to leave.

MARY LOU SMITH, WASHINGTON FIRE VICTIM: They've been so good to us, the Red Cross and the senior center we laugh. We say we're going to stay here. They feed us, no dishes, no cooking. Why would I want to go home to a yucky old place?

MARCIANO (on camera): Like a resort.

EUGENE SMITH, WASHINGTON FIRE VICTIM: Yes. It's like a nursing home, only you're free to go.

MARY LOU SMITH: We've made the best of a lousy situation and all of our houses are stable. We thank God for this, but we feel for the ones that have lost their homes.

MARCIANO (voice-over): For Larry Putnam it means rebuilding on land he's lived on for 20 years.

PUTNAM: It's just hard to comprehend when you lose your home and where you've lived. That's our dream place. I'm going to buried up there.

MARCIANO: Rob Marciano, CNN, Cle Elum, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: Now to Colorado where a 29-year-old hiker is expected to face animal cruelty charges after he left his German Shepherd stranded on a snowcapped mountain. Anthony Ortolani says that he left the dog after a storm rolled in and he was worried for his safety and the dog's feet were injured. A group of volunteer hikers went back up the mountain and rescued the dog, but not until days later. Investigators say Ortolani didn't make any attempt to go back and get the dog and assumed it was dead. The Curiosity Rover has only been on Mars a few days and it's already getting a new upgrade. That process should take about four days. Meanwhile we're getting a new look at the surface of the Red Planet. The 360 degree color image was created by from smaller pictures taken by the mass (ph) camera on the Rover.

While crops around the country are wilting in the heat, wineries seem to be benefiting from the dry weather. We'll explain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back. The drought this year is affecting farmers across the country, but there is one sector that is benefitting from the hot, dry summer.

Athena Jones explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Months with little or no rain and July the hottest month on record means struggling corn and soy crops across much of the United States, but one sector that could benefit from the dry weather, the wine industry.

While California still grows most U.S. wine, there are vineyards in all 50 states according to trade group WineAmerica.

JENNIFER MONTGOMERY, WINEAMERICA: Particular in the Midwest, the hardest areas in terms of the drought, there are folks that are thinking that the grapes are going to be a better quality this year because the berries are smaller and the sugar is more concentrated.

JONES: The folks at Breaux Vineyards in Loudoun Country, Virginia are optimistic about the wine these 105 acres will produce.

CHRIS BLOSSER, BREAUX VINEYARDS: It's been dry for the most part, haven't had the typical long periods of rain that we would expect to see here and there. July was very dry. Overall, the grapes are really happy and we're looking forward to what will hopefully be a really good harvest this year.

JONES: Blosser shows us what will happen as this young cluster develops and the sugar content rises.

BLOSSER: What's going to happen is they're going to start to blow up like a balloon. And then but we don't want it to blow up so much that because of the rain that it will fill up with water. We want a nice balance with the fruit and the juice inside the skins of the juice inside that grape.

JONES: Too much rain can dilute the flavor and lead to problems with mildew and disease. You said some of these can get to be the size of a newborn baby.

BLOSSER: Yes, yes, a small newborn maybe, but -

JONES: So this is what you're talking about?

BLOSSER: - a baby nonetheless.

JONES: There is a downside, however, to hot, dry conditions like potential long-term damage to young vines and smaller harvests.

BLOSSER: If we continue with this dry weather you're going to end up with less water inside that berry, so in terms of the wine output you're going to have less quantity, higher quality.

JONES: So while farmers brace for more bad news, vendors like Breaux are hoping to reap mostly benefits from this drier than normal growing season,

Athena Jones, CNN, Purcellville, Virginia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: "CNN NEWSROOM" starts at the top of the hour. Fredricka's here.

Tell us what you have in store for us.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right, good to see you as usual, and starting noon Eastern Time our brilliant minds, the legal guys will be along with us, Richard Avery, and here to talk about how everyone's very accustomed to fees when you go flying, right? You've got gas fees. You've got airlines fees.

Well, how about passenger usage fees? Well some passengers are suing, yes, Spirit Airlines saying, yes what? What is that? What is a passenger usage fee? Do we have to pay it?

KAYE: Isn't that what a ticket is?

WHITFIELD: Yes. That's a good point. Maybe you could join in that class action suit. They want answers and they want compensation. Our legal guys will be jumping in on that one. And then Sidratha Reddy (ph) will be along to give us an idea as to why baby boomers are being urged to get hepatitis C testing. What's at issue there?

And then it's the weekend so why not go to the movies, but before you go you want to hear from Vera Drake of Rottentomatoes.com. She will bring her effervescence into the house here. She'll be in Atlanta and she's also going to show us this behind-the-scenes video what the Rottentomatoes.com team is up against. How do they review their movies? How do they determine whether something is fresh or rotten? And then she'll also be reviewing "Sparkle."

KAYE: Oh, the Whitney Houston movie.

WHITFIELD: Does Whitney Houston's last movie have it? Does it have that sparkle? It was expected to get some pretty good reviews apparently.

KAYE: Yes.

WHITFIELD: But there is a lot of competition out there.

KAYE: That's right.

WHITFIELD: So you'll have to tune in throughout the day.

KAYE: And, Fredricka, have to stay.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thank you very much.

KAYE: All right. That looks like a fun segment, Fred. Thank you very much, see you in just a moment. The Obama campaign says it will stop talking about Mitt Romney's tax returns, but only if it gets something from the Republican presidential candidate.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: The Obama campaign is keeping up pressure on Mitt Romney to release more of his tax returns. Here's CNN's White House Correspondent, Dan Lothian.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Randi, Democrats say they want to know more about Mitt Romney's personal finances. They've been hitting him on news shows and in political ads. Now the Obama campaign says they'll stop asking questions if Mitt Romney releases three more years of tax returns.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LOTHIAN (voice-over): It's the political version of "Let's Make a Deal." If Mitt Romney releases more tax returns the Obama campaign promises to back off and stop running ads like this one.

UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Did Romney pay ten percent in taxes, five percent to zero? We don't know.

LOTHIAN: The offer came in a letter from Obama reelection campaign manager, Jim Messina, to Governor Mitt Romney's campaign manager, Matt Rhoades. Governor Romney apparently fears that the more he offers the more our campaign will demand that he provide, the letter reads. So I am prepared to provide assurances on just that point. If the governor will release five years of returns I commit in turn that we will not criticize him for not releasing more.

Governor Romney has been under pressure from Democrats to be more transparent on his taxes after he insisted on releasing only two years of returns. Even some Republicans have urged him to do more to make this issue go away, but Mr. Romney counters that his personal taxes are not what voters care about.

MITT ROMNEY, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Given the challenges that America faces, 23 million out of work, Iran about to become nuclear, one out of six Americans in poverty, the fascination with taxes I paid I find to be very small minded compared -

LOTHIAN: He did reveal that he's paid no less than 13 percent of his income in taxes over the past decade, but even Ann Romney admits that making more returns public is a bad political move.

ANN ROMNEY, WIFE OF REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE MITT ROMNEY: The more we release the more we get attacked.

LOTHIAN: Which brings us back to this offer, which was quickly dismissed in a letter from Governor Romney's campaign manager, who wrote it's clear that President Obama wants nothing more than to talk about Governor Romney's tax returns instead of the issues that matter to voters. He signs off with see you in Denver, the site of the first presidential debate. Principle Deputy White House Spokesman Josh Earnest was asked to defend this ongoing line of attack.

JOSH EARNEST, DEPUTY WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN: The fact is Governor Romney has it within his capacity to put all these questions to rest before the end of the day today. And I do anticipate - I do think that the voters do have an expectation about transparency. That is important.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LOTHIAN: Republicans point out that here you have the White House talking about transparency when they charge the White House has not been transparent about issues such as fast and furious or on employees using personal e-mail accounts for official business. And they say you won't find a poll out there that shows Americans care more about this than they do about jobs in the overall economy -- Randi.

KAYE: Dan, thank you very much. "CNN NEWSROOM" continues with Fredrick Whitfield right now.

WHITFIELD: All right, straight ahead, good to see you.

KAYE: Good to see you too. Have a great day.

WHITFIELD: All right, see you back here bright and early.

KAYE: Bright and early tomorrow morning.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks, Randi.