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CNN Saturday Morning News
City Leaders Speak Out on Ohio Rape Case; Spotlight on Steubenville; Supreme Court Hears Baby Veronica Case; American Journey in a Slow Economy
Aired January 05, 2013 - 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, January 5th. Good morning everyone, I'm Randi Kaye.
City leaders in a small Ohio town addressing the public this hour about a disturbing case of alleged rape. And the lawyer of one of the suspects speaking out about the accusations.
If you're about to have surgery, be careful. There are some common surgical mistakes you need to know.
Also, some experts saying there is a very simple way to solve the U.S. debt crisis. It has to do with a magical coin. We have all that and much more this hour.
We begin with new details about the disturbing rape case in one small town of Steubenville, Ohio. City leaders talking to the public this hour about a Web site that they've set up with information about the case. Two 16-year-old boys, Malik Richmond and Trent Mays, are accused of raping an underage girl while she was allegedly drunk or unconscious. Their trial starts February 13th.
National correspondent Susan Candiotti joins me live from Steubenville this morning. So Susan, what is happening there this hour?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well you know, as this whole set of events has really turned this town upside down. They don't know what to make of that. They're very concerned about what the outside world thinks of them.
There is a news conference scheduled about to begin at which as we understand it the city is announcing that it is starting, as you indicated, a Web site that people can go to that will summarize the amount of information about this alleged rape case that they are allowed and permitted to reveal at this time. As much information, possibly a timeline, that if people have questions about they can go there and refer to it. That is at least part of what we understand they'll be talking about at this press conference.
And then in about an hour from now, directly behind me, maybe you can see some people already gathering, there is a protest scheduled to begin. This involves people who believe that investigators are not doing enough to get to the bottom of this. Some people are even saying that there is a cover-up. That's been denied by the city. They say that they maintain that they've been as open as possible about the entire investigation -- Randi.
KAYE: And you also have some information, exclusive new details on this alleged text message that was sent from the 16-year-old girl, the victim, alleged victim in this case, to Trent Mays, one of the accused rapists. What did that text say?
CANDIOTTI: Right. And apparently this was allegedly sent about two days after police say this 16-year-old girl was raped. It says, quote, "I know you didn't rape me." Now we are told that it was sent, this is according to the defense attorney for 16-year-old Trent Mays, one of the accused. He says it was sent August 14th and sent by the alleged victim to Trent Mays.
Now remember Randi, we have not seen this text message. We don't know whether there were messages before it, after it, what the tone was. And so this is all we know at this time.
However, here's a time line we can give you. Let's remind everyone that the alleged rape happened according to police on, August 11th of last year in the overnight hours into the 12th.
On August 14th, a lawyer says that's when the text message was sent. On that same day, August 14th, at 1:40 in the morning, police say that is when the mother of the alleged victim in this case went to police armed with all kinds of copies of text messages that had been sent by this time and images that have been put over the Internet.
But Randi, we asked the victim's attorney what he makes of this text message.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB FITZSIMMONS, ATTORNEY FOR ALLEGED OHIO RAPE VICTIM (via telephone): This young girl was unconscious so she wouldn't have the ability to know whether she was raped or not on the day after or two days after, three, whatever the timing of that was. We also don't know and we don't know whether the defendants were texting, trying to coerce or talk people into to making statements and trying to -- to build up a defense for themselves after they started realizing.
This thing kind of unfolded --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: Remember Randi at some preliminary probable cause hearings back in October, there were several witnesses who testified that this girl was drunk most of the night. Some people say she was unconscious for different times during the night or semiconscious. That's why her lawyer is saying that.
KAYE: All right. Susan Candiotti, I appreciate that. Thank you very much.
In India, the men accused of gang raping and killing a woman will be in court Monday to hear the charges against them. They are being charged with murder, rape and kidnapping and will be tried in what they call a fast track court where cases are tried very quickly. The brutal crime has prompted protests all over the country.
Meanwhile, the woman's friend who was also beaten during the alleged attack spoke out for the first time about their ordeal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From where we boarded the bus, they took us around for two, two and a half hours, across overpasses through all of Delhi. Then they dropped us below an overpass. Then they tried to run over us. We had no clothes. We waited there hoping someone would help us. I tried to flag down vehicles. Three-wheeler taxis would slow down, take a look at us, and move on. We got no help for nearly 20 or 25 minutes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: The police are refuting the friend's claim that there was a delay, a long delay in help arriving.
Lance Armstrong's attorney is denying his client is talking with the U.S. or World Anti-Doping Agencies. He's about publicly admitting using illegal performance enhancing drugs. His lawyer did not address claims in "The New York Times" that the cyclist was considering the confession as a way to restore his athletic eligibility. Armstrong has been stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned from cycling for life.
But Armstrong has always denied using banned performance enhancing drugs. I asked Peter Flax, editor-in-chief of "Bicycling" magazine if this admission is all part of a bigger negotiation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETER FLAX, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, "BICYCLING" MAGAZINE: My sources also indicate that Armstrong and some of his representatives have been reaching out to people at U.S. Anti-Doping Agency at the U.S. justice department and some of the individuals that might have financial claims against him, and he's really seeing if he can negotiate a situation where he could make a confession.
And if that happened even though I've known the accusations to be true for a couple of years at least there would be a shocking thing to finally see him come out and make that admission.
KAYE: So but I guess the question is he's had so much time over the years to do this. Why now do you think?
FLAX: Well, I think in the last six months he's really seen just how bad his situation could get, that he's been forced to step down from his leadership role with his -- his charity Livestrong he's been banned from competing as a triathlete. And I think he realizes now that the best path forward is to just admit what he did. And start taking steps to rehabilitating his -- his legacy.
KAYE: What would this mean for his titles? I mean those titles were taken away. I'm assuming that he will not get those back. FLAX: Yes, I would be really shocked if somehow this ended up with him you know returned the seven-time Tour de France champion. But I think in the past the anti-doping agencies have offered more lenient penalties for people who offer a full confession. So I could imagine that he could negotiate on being able to return as an elite triathlete and have some of his early results held up. So it -- you know, it depends on what he negotiates and exactly what he confesses to.
KAYE: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Once again, that was Peter Flax, editor-in-chief of "Bicycling" magazine. And we'll continue to watch that story and see if Lance Armstrong does come forward.
As details of rape allegations against two Ohio teens unfold, we'll talk with our legal contributor about the implications of that case.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Ten minutes past the hour now.
More on the disturbing story of two high school football players accused of raping a 16-year-old girl at several parties in Steubenville, Ohio. What makes this case stand out is the explosion of chatter on social media, photos and even an online video showing some teens joking and laughing about this.
Earlier I asked CNN legal contributor Paul Callan how damaging all this might be for the defense.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR: The whole landscape's been changed by the cell phones and the availability of video in cell phones. A crime like this in the past -- and this is and we only know that there are allegations that the girl was drunk, maybe unconscious when people -- these two boys or maybe others were involved in sexual activity with her.
Normally, she may never have known about this. She may never have known who engaged in the sexual activity. But now we have video of it because we have the availability of this technology. So the answer is yes, this crime can be proven through that technology in a way that never could have happened before. People got away with this in the past. They're not going to get away with it in the future.
KAYE: Yes CNN spoke exclusively, Paul, with one of the defense attorneys who says that his client, Trenton Mays, received a text from the alleged victim saying "I know you didn't rape me." And now CNN I want to point out we haven't seen the text nor do we know what else she might have texted in the message. But could that affect the case and how so?
CALLAN: Well it could affect the case. Because this is a case that's going to be proven or disproven with social media. If she send him a text saying, "I know you did not rape me," a jury will be looking at that at some point in time and saying, you know, it -- does that help disprove the prosecution's case. And it would sound like strong evidence. But we'd have to see the tape and the text.
And you know something Randi, a lot more is coming out the more we hear about this story. How many phones were there, how many high school -- drunken high school kids were close by and in a position to observe? This -- we're going to find out more about this story as the weeks go on.
KAYE: And I do want to mention this Internet hacker group called "Anonymous". They are the ones who posted the picture showing the girl whose face is blurred being carried by her hands and feet by the two males. Now the defense attorney for one of the accused, Malik Richmond confirms to CNN that his client is in the photo but said the photo is out of context.
Certainly we can't tell from the photo whether the girl is conscious or not. Her lawyer told CNN that she was somewhat conscious. But what could the defense attorney mean by quote, "taken out of context"? Does this help or hurt the defense team?
CALLAN: Well the defense attorney is obviously saying just because two boys are moving an apparently drunken girl it doesn't mean anybody engaged in sexual activity with the girl. So his context of course is going to be very different from the context that prosecutors talk about. But I think you know the thing Randi, that interests me in this context argument is that these kids, watching sexual activity like this and maybe a rape go on normally would not be guilty of any crime.
People are shocked to know a group of boys can stand around and watch a crime, it is not a crime to do that. However, if they recorded the crime on their cell phones and deleted what they recorded, they could be guilty of obstruction of justice and could be drawn into this conspiracy and this crime in a way that never was possible in the past before social media and this kind of technology.
(CROSSTALK)
KAYE: So even if they weren't participating, you're saying, if they were there and recorded it?
CALLAN: Yes. Yes. They'll be involved in the cover-up of the crime by destroying evidence. So technology really is going to increase the liability of these kids, and you know, watching drunken high school football players talk about an incident like this is very, very disturbing. Usually we don't get to see it, fortunately. But you know, with this new media, we do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: My conversation there with Paul Callan.
She's a little girl and her case is headed to the highest court in the land. At issue, who gets to have Baby Veronica. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: A custody battle over a 3-year-old girl known as Baby Veronica has been brewing for years. In all that time I've been right there covering this complicated case.
It all began back in 2009 before Veronica was even born. Her biological mother decided to put her up for adoption and that's when the Capobiancos stepped in to adopt her. Just four months after they brought Veronica, home her biological father Dustin Brown filed for custody after he legally waived his parental rights.
Now, a little known federal law from 1978 called the Indian Child Welfare Act allowed him to do so. That's because Brown is part Cherokee and a member of the Cherokee Nation, which means little girl Veronica is part Cherokee, too. The law is designed to keep Indian children with Indian family members and protect the interests of those children.
And just this week the U.S. Supreme Court decided to step in and hear the adoptive parents' appeal.
Matt and Melanie Capobianco are joining me on the phone now to talk about the high court's decision.
Good morning to both of you.
What a rollercoaster this has been. You had Veronica for a couple of years and then the Supreme Court there in South Carolina where you are, decided to have her be handed over to her biological father based on this law.
First of all, your reaction to the news that the U.S. Supreme Court is going to hear your case. What did you think when you got that news yesterday?
MELANIE CAPOBIANCO, FIGHTING FOR CUSTODY OF VERONICA (via telephone): It was just unbelievable. We weren't sure what to expect. It was a low chance and we just feel really extremely happy that they decided to hear it.
KAYE: Matt, did you get any sleep last night?
MATT CAPOBIANCO, FIGHTING FOR CUSTODY OF VERONICA (via telephone): Not too much, no. I kept looking at the clock and realizing it was later than I needed to be up. But just really excited, you know, restored some hope and a little bit of faith in the judicial system.
KAYE: Yes. Certainly too early to know exactly what is going to happen but why do you think this case deserves to be heard? I mean, why do you believe it doesn't really fit under the umbrella of the Indian Child Welfare Act which was designed in 1978 to try and keep the Indian children in Indian homes, Melanie?
MELANIE CAPOBIANCO: Well, I mean, Veronica was always a part of our home from birth and we just felt like she was in a happy place and that those kinds of needs could have been met through us. I just don't think that was what Congress was thinking about when that act was passed and so many American and Native children were being removed from their homes just like Veronica was being removed from our home.
KAYE: Matt, she wasn't removed from an Indian home, correct?
MATT CAPOBIANCO: No, she wasn't. And we certainly would have never deprived her knowing anything about, you know, her Indian heritage. Or we never would have deprived her knowing that side of her family if they had ever asked to know her.
But, you know, we wouldn't deprive her knowing her --
KAYE: Right.
MATT CAPOBIANCO: -- Mexican heritage either or, you know, any part of her heritage. She is multiracial. And she is just a beautiful little girl and she's our daughter and we love her.
KAYE: She is beautiful no doubt about that. In this case as I mentioned it was a non-Indian mother who initiated the adoption and she may not have been fully forthcoming with social services and the adoption agency that the girl's father was Cherokee. But she also had sole custody, right, of the little girl because Dustin Brown had signed away his rights.
So, how important is that detail do you think, Melanie, to the outcome in this case?
MELANIE CAPOBIANCO: I think it is very important but we just got accepted and I think the lawyers are going to hash that out. We just, you know, know that we feel like it was misused in this case. I mean, regardless of the -- of that particular issue, I mean, she was happy and loved and under state law, she would have stayed with us.
MATT CAPOBIANCO: Yes, absolutely.
KAYE: Yes, I know the hearing is supposed to take place. The court is supposed to take this up in April, mid-April, and then you may not have a decision until June. So what will the next six months or so be like for the two of you as you wait to know if you're going to get your little girl back?
MELANIE CAPOBIANCO: Well --
MATT CAPOBIANCO: We'll be biting our nails.
MELANIE CAPOBIANCO: I mean, just the last year has been so hard and at least now we have some hope and it's going to probably -- it's been a rollercoaster and I'm sure it'll continue to be a rollercoaster.
KAYE: I know you have only had a chance to speak with her once. Any hope, Matt, that you'll have another phone call with Veronica?
MATT CAPOBIANCO: There's always hope. I don't expect it.
MELANIE CAPOBIANCO: We would love that.
MATT CAPOBIANCO: Yes, we would love that. But, you know, Me and Melanie, we're just -- we've been really strong together and been a united front and we're just going to have to remain that way and do what's best for our little girl.
KAYE: I know when I was at your home you have all her toys and things still laid out. So, I know you're hoping that she'll be able to come home to them and we'll continue to watch this and check in with you as well.
Matt and Melanie Capobianco, thank you both so much and best of luck.
MATT CAPOBIANCO: Thank you, Randi.
MELANIE CAPOBIANCO: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: And now let's look at the new jobs number. It showed little change actually in December. The economy added 155,000 more jobs but that wasn't enough to affect the unemployment rate. It remains the same at 7.8 percent, exactly what it was in November. The U.S. economy added just over 1.8 million jobs for the entire year.
Some career counselors are urging their clients to do all they can to strengthen their standing at their current jobs as they prepare for the possibility of better opportunities in the future. Tom Foreman has today's "American Journey".
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Roughly 12 million Americans are without work, nearly five million for a half year or more. So, career counselors across the country are starting 2013 with a clear message -- keep hanging on.
ROSEMARY HAEFNER, CAREERBUILDER: It's a lot slower than we would all like, but it's incredibly competitive right now whether you're working or not working. And I think that individuals who have that advantage of having employment right now should make sure they're taking full advantage of that
FOREMAN: That, they say, means three things -- first, ask for opportunity. Build your professional network inside and outside of your office. Workers who go unnoticed are often the first to go out the door.
TRACEY WILEN-DAUGENTI, APOLLO RESEARCH INSTITUTE: They don't raise their hand. They don't raise their hand for the difficult project. They don't ask for lateral moves. They don't ask for more responsibilities. They don't join teams. These are things that companies look for, for people for the longer haul.
FOREMAN: She works for the Apollo Research Institute which promotes further education, and that's what many job advisers say is the second key, take advantage of every training opportunity.
HAEFNER: Good times - or tough times, you should always be looking at how you're going to be developed in growing your skills whether for your current employer or your current position or perhaps something on, you know, down the road.
FOREMAN: and lastly -- unlike the unhappy guys in the movie "Office Space" embrace all sorts of technology.
WILEN-DAUGENTI: By the year 2020, over 75 percent of jobs will have a technology component and I think that's very important for people to understand for longevity and for employment in the future.
FOREMAN (on camera): Staying employed this year will be easier in some fields than in others, of course. For example, jobs in health care and business services like sales are expected to be plentiful.
(voice-over): And as 2013 goes on, the job market is predicted to pick up steam setting the stage for better days in the next new year.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: A new study says medical mistakes are much more common than you might think. Find out what questions you need to ask to protect yourself.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back, everyone. A new study shows medical mistakes are much more common than you think. CNN's senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen has a special airing tonight on 25 shocking medical mistakes and she joins me now. Good morning.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
KAYE: So when you hear that, I'm a little unnerved already.
COHEN: It is unnerving. The reason why we did this special is I know so many people this has happened to, just personally. I said I've got to do a special that helps protect people because you don't hear about these things, right? You don't hear about them.
KAYE: No.
COHEN: So, interestingly enough a study has come out that looks at surgical mistakes and shows how often they happen. And these numbers -- I'm glad you're sitting down because they are really pretty horrifying.
KAYE: Oh, no. Brace myself? OK. COHEN: Yes. They're pretty horrifying. I'm glad you're not having surgery any time soon.
So what this -- there's a study out of Johns Hopkins. And what they found is that -- they looked at surgical tools being left inside patients. That happens 39 patients a week had surgical tools left inside -- 39 patients a week. 20 patients a week have an operation on the wrong body part. So they were supposed to have their tonsils out and instead they did something else.
KAYE: The wrong leg or wrong eye or whatever it might be.
COHEN: Exactly. And 20 patients a week have the entirely wrong procedure. They go in to have, again, have their tonsils out and instead they -- they mix it up with the record for someone else and end up having knee surgery or something crazy like that.
(CROSSTALK)
KAYE: There has to be a better way --
COHEN: There are supposed to be, but the ORs are, you know, they're going -- doing a lot of work. And every so often, mistakes are going to happen. Look, mistakes happen here where we work, right?
KAYE: Right. Sure, yes. Not too many.
COHEN: Not too many but mistakes happen. Think about anybody's workplace, mistakes happen. The difference in an operating room is that you can really do some serious damage.
KAYE: Yes. Your life is on the line.
COHEN: Yes, your life is on the line especially.
KAYE: So in your special tonight, you're going to actually reveal how they happen.
COHEN: Right. Because people think like how in the world does, let's say, a sponge get left inside someone -- a surgical sponge. So take a look at this. This is from our special tonight.
KAYE: OK.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. PETER PRONOVOST: There's often blood, there's tissue, it's very difficult to see, and sometimes sponges are tucked under an organ inside you that, they're not in clear view, but they're soaking up some fluid or blood.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN: All right. So given that these mistakes happen so often, in our show tonight we give tips on what to do to try to avoid them. So first of all, go over with your surgeon before the surgery -- and I mean as close to the surgery as possible -- what is supposed to happen. So ask -- say, "I want to talk to the doctor."
You say, "Dr. Smith, we're doing a knee replacement on my left knee. Get really specific."
The second thing you want to do is for the whole time you're in the hospital, ask the staff to wash their hands. That's so important, especially after you've had surgery; you've got an open wound probably, they're likely -- do something. Tell them to wash their hands.
And thirdly, if you have a fever after surgery and it persists and they can't figure out what's going on, actually say to the doctor, "Hey, is it possible that an instrument was left inside me?" Because they may not think of it.
KAYE: The fact that you have to think of that -- and I guess it's always good to have someone with you, too, maybe looking over your shoulder, checking the charts.
COHEN: That is an excellent point because you're there because you're sick, right? And so you're not at your best. Have someone be vigilant. It saves lives.
KAYE: All right. Sounds like it's going to be a great show and could be a lifesaver for a lot of people.
Elizabeth, thank you.
And you can watch Elizabeth's special tonight, 8:00 pm Eastern right here on CNN, "The Empowered Patient: 25 Shocking Medical Mistakes."
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: It's 34 minutes past the hour now. Sources telling CNN that President Obama is expected to tap former Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel as the next Defense Secretary. His nomination could come as early as next week. But Hagel's confirmation could be rough. He's likely to face questions about his opposition at one time to sanctions against Iran. Hagel also opposed the 2007 troop surge in Iraq.
A new poll shows neither Republicans nor Democrats in Congress came out of the fiscal cliff debate looking very good. The nationwide poll taken Thursday shows that only a quarter of those surveyed approved of how congressional Republicans handled the talks.
That compares with 34 percent approval for Democrats. As for the party's top leaders, well, 46 percent of people said President Obama handled the budget talks well. Only 31 percent said the same about House Speaker John Boehner.
The debt ceiling is one of several issues landing in the lap of a deeply divided Congress. I spoke last hour with veteran Republican Congressman John Campbell of southern California. He said he voted against the fiscal cliff deal brokered by Speaker John Boehner in part because of its implications for the deficit. He also weighed in a possible partial government shutdown. Take a listen here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN CAMPBELL (R), CALIF.: When all you do is spend more money and do a lot more special interest tax breaks and different things like that, everybody wins except the deficit. And the deficit is what loses.
And that's why we -- we've done this for years now, almost arguably decades. And this is what's creating this gigantic deficit and this gigantic debt. And eventually this is going to explode on us and we have to stop doing it. It's the popular thing to do, what was done last week. But it's not the right thing to do.
KAYE: Yes. But even with your criticism of Speaker Boehner, you still supported him, right, to remain Speaker?
CAMPBELL: Yes, I did and, you know --
(CROSSTALK)
KAYE: Why is that?
CAMPBELL: -- my wife doesn't agree -- my wife doesn't agree, Randi, with everything that I do, but we've been married for 33 years. And so I didn't agree with what the Speaker did on this particular decision and on this agreement, but he's our Speaker. I've agreed with a lot of what he's done, and we have a -- as you mentioned coming into this, we have a big challenge ahead of us in the next 60 days.
KAYE: Yes. And in talking about the debt ceiling, the Speaker has said he's not going to be doing any of the negotiating with the president anymore. But with the cliff now behind us and the debt ceiling ahead of us and the sequester, do Republicans really have any bargaining power left, do you think?
CAMPBELL: Oh, sure, because we have this debt limit. And right now, I mean the president's bargaining power in the last few months has been that all we cared about was, quote, "protecting tax cuts" for, quote, "the rich."
Well, that issue is off the table now. And so what we're now trying to do is reduce the deficit. Stop the spending, reform the entitlements in order to reduce their costs but also to save them. Only one-third of Medicare is paid for by Medicare taxes. The rest is borrowed every single day. And this can't go on.
And it's not speculation that it can't go on. The only three countries that have a greater debt-to-GDP ratio than we do are Greece, Spain and Japan. And what's happened in all three of those countries, the outcome is bad, and the outcome for us will be bad. I'm not sure when and how it will manifest itself, but it will be bad. We have to get this under control and we have to get it under control now. And I think -- I think that's an argument that most of the American people understands and support us.
KAYE: Let me ask you about a comment made by Republican Senator John Cornyn. He says the next step for Republicans may actually be partially shutting down the government.
Is that really the way that Republicans are thinking?
CAMPBELL: We don't want to do that, but I can tell you from the perspective of this Republican, if that's what we have to do in order to get the savings that we need to save this country from the debt crisis that absolutely will come in the future, then this Republican is willing to do that.
I'm willing to go over that limit and suffer that consequence, which will be of a time of our choosing and totally controllable by us. Then let this situation go on for a much worse and greater crisis sometime down the road.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Of course we will be following that story very, very closely.
Up next, we'll have some of my earlier conversation with Texas Congressman Marc Veasey. He's new to Congress but still had plenty to say about the fiscal cliff deal and much more.
There are nearly 100 new members in the 113th Congress, and we'll talk with one of them about the fiscal cliff and what needs to get done.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: There are lots of new faces in the 113th Congress, nearly 100 in all. One of them is Texas Congressman Marc Veasey. And earlier he told me that he would have voted for the fiscal cliff deal but he doesn't agree with waiting until the last minute to pass it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MARC VEASEY (D), TEXAS: The fact that we could have gone into a fiscal cliff -- and we came that close, I thought, was unfortunate. But it's my hope that the Congress will hear from the American public; people will go back to their districts this -- for this next week while we're off.
And people's constituents will tell them, hey, we sent you guys up there to do the right thing. Stop all the partisan bickering and let's get to work for the country.
KAYE: If you had been in the 112th Congress, how would you have voted on the bill to avoid the fiscal cliff? VEASEY: I would have absolutely voted yes. I would have been unhesitant to vote yes. It was, again, the right thing to do. You look at the jobs report that came out today, that showed that construction jobs for the first time is showing an uptick.
You look at the real estate market and what's going on with existing home sales. The economy is going in the right direction. The president has done a great job to get things back on track, but we need to keep moving forward in that direction. And so I would have voted yes.
KAYE: Well, you're going to be a busy man in a busy Congress, certainly; a lot of big issues ahead of you. You've got the federal deficit, the spending cuts, the debt ceiling. If the last Congress had so many challenges producing a bill to avoid that fiscal cliff, do you think that this Congress will be more productive, and if so, why?
VEASEY: You know, I think that that remains to be seen. I think that, again, that congressmen need to hear from their constituents and people need to know that, hey, we sent you guys up there to get to work. We mean business. Stop all of the partisan bickering.
Of course, Republicans and Democrats are always going to have differences on issues, but things of this nature that could cause economic catastrophe, those sorts of things, we should be able to work a lot easier on.
And that's why I'm up here. I want to work with my Republican colleagues. I've reached out to all of my Republican colleagues in the north Texas area to let them know that I want to work with them, and I will continue to reach across the aisle, all across the Congress with -- working with Republicans because I know that it is very important that we do a better job of working together.
KAYE: I want to ask you something about a comment that was made by the number two Senate Republican, Senator John Cornyn of Texas. He faulted the president, of course, for the fiscal brinksmanship as he calls it. But he also suggested that it may be necessary to shut down the government, in fact, in order to secure this long-term fiscal well- being. What are your thoughts on that?
VEASEY: Oh, I think that that would be a disaster, particularly for our state of Texas, where our economy continues to do a little bit better than maybe the rest of the country.
And I don't think that the average Texan would want that. And I think that that would be terrible for the country. And so I hope that Mr. Cornyn -- or Senator Cornyn would definitely, you know, think -- rethink that. But I think that that's the sort of thing that we need to, you know, get away from in Washington, D.C.
KAYE: Yes. Certainly this new Congress has more diversity that we've ever seen before, record number of Latinos in the House, record number of women in the Senate. What does this tell you about where we are in the country? And do you think it'll make a difference in whether the president will be able to get his agenda done? VEASEY: Yes. Absolutely. The new Congress is absolutely amazing when you look at the number of Latinos, you look at the number of women. I believe that New Hampshire, the entire congressional delegation in New Hampshire consists of women.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Congressman Veasey says that he applauds diversity but Washington's number one job, in his words, is "to get the economy back on track."
Well, we've been talking for weeks about the, quote, "fiscal cliff," but there were many, many more metaphors tossed around during the debate over tax hikes and spending cuts. And we've got it for you.
Well, when traveling to other cities and countries, the best way to get a real taste of the place is through local food. A CNN iReport has teamed up with "Travel and Leisure" magazine to create a global list of 100 places to eat like a local. Here's CNN's Jim Spellman with a sample from Denver.
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(MUSIC PLAYING)
JIM SPELLMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a damp, chilly morning in Denver, Colorado. We're going to try to warm up at the Denver Biscuit Company.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
SPELLMAN: You know, just a few years ago, this was really just a bar. People came here to drink at nighttime. And now there's highchairs; kids are here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. It was a big question of whether people would come into a drinking place to eat breakfast. And I think that's a testament to our food.
SPELLMAN: Should we head to the kitchen?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure, absolutely.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
SPELLMAN: Dude, that is a serious rolling pin.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stainless steel.
SPELLMAN: Can I check it out?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, absolutely.
SPELLMAN: All right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's all right. SPELLMAN: You're better at this.
OK. We must pause for the obligatory photo.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For sure.
SPELLMAN: All right. I'm going to start with the Franklin. You start with one of those, and then we'll switch.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Definitely.
SPELLMAN: Oh, my God. It's so good. It's ridiculous.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
SPELLMAN: The biscuits at the Denver Biscuit Company are seriously amazing. They're so good we've got to take a box of them with us. Thanks so much. Take it easy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Well, iReporters, here's your chance to help us create a food lover's map of the world. All you have to do, it's really easy -- go to ireport.com/100places. Send us a photo of your favorite restaurant and dish, why it's special, how you discovered it. And the definitive list of 100 places to eat like a local will be revealed in March. And some iReporters will be on that list. So stay tuned. You could be one of them.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: The details of spending cuts and tax hikes that Congress fought over for weeks could have filled a book. So we all adopted the shorthand and called it the fiscal cliff.
But that was hardly the only metaphor that got thrown around in the debate. Our Christine Romans has this look at the language of the fiscal cliff.
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CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Well, just like the yodeler in that cliffhanger's game on "The Price is Right," we did fall off a cliff -- a metaphor cliff.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Fiscal cliff.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The fiscal cliff.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Over the cliff.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The so-called fiscal cliff.
ROMANS (voice-over): Or maybe not. (MUSIC PLAYING, "THE SOUND OF MUSIC")
ROMANS (voice-over): Cue Julie Andrews in "The Sound of Music."
DANA BASH, SR. U.S. CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is more of a slope.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN HOST: It's not a cliff. It's a slope.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's really kind of a slope.
ROMANS (voice-over): Hill, cliff, slope, be honest. It felt more like this.
REP. DENNIS KUCINICH (D), OHIO: This place is starting to have the feel of the movie "Groundhogs (sic) Day."
BILL MURRAY, "PHIL": This is pitiful.
ROMANS (voice-over): At least the movie made you laugh. This was more like "The Hurt Locker."
(VIDEO CLIP, "THE HURT LOCKER")
JOHN AVLON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Congress set this time bomb, now they're scrambling to defuse it.
ROMANS (voice-over): In the end, the cliff, slope, bomb, Groundhog Day, call it what you will, it became a bill and a new metaphor.
PATRICK MURPHY (D), FLA. CONGRESS-ELECT: Kick the can down the road.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's just kicking the can down the road.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kicking that can.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kicking the can.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are done with kicking this can down the road. We grabbed that can, and that can is called spending cuts --
ROMANS (voice-over): But hey, we're not blameless.
ROMANS: That's Congressional malpractice.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Economic storm of our own making.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: We are in detox from our fiscal cliff addiction.
(CROSSTALK)
ROMANS (voice-over): But the masters reside in the halls of Congress.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like a bull in a china closet. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're like sales people who tell their customer they can have a $30,000 car.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We should look at those who have lit the candle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like an airplane, did we climb over it? No.
ROMANS (voice-over): So now, can we please put the metaphors out to pasture?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We soon face the Valentine Day cliff, and perhaps, the April Fool's Day cliff.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What the president was saying was, I'm not going to play chicken with the debt limit.
ROMANS (voice-over): I guess not -- Christine Romans, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: "CNN NEWSROOM" starts at the top of the hour. Martin Savidge is in.
I don't know about you, but I'm really tired of saying fiscal cliff, are you?
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: (Inaudible), but I think that, you know --
(CROSSTALK)
KAYE: So over it.
SAVIDGE: -- it's going to be deficit deal is going to be the next kind of phrase that we will work on very frequently.
KAYE: True. Well, you'll be saying it plenty, though, I'm sure, this afternoon.
SAVIDGE: Happy New Year to you by the way.
KAYE: Happy New Year to you. Thank you.
SAVIDGE: So we've got coming up over the afternoon some interesting things. I know you've been talking about Lance Armstrong and the reports that he may be coming out to sort of 'fess up, if you will, on these doping charges that have been laid against him.
Our question was, well, if he does that, what are the legal ramifications? What could he be opening himself up to? Could he be charged criminally? Could there be some sort of criminal case to be followed now? Could it be that he opens him up to -- opens himself up to all kinds of lawsuits? Or just what is the upside to coming clean if, in fact, that is something he does?
KAYE: Yes, because some corporations -- (CROSSTALK)
SAVIDGE: We'll wait and see.
KAYE: -- who have sponsored him are already saying they want some of their money back because they felt duped. So it should be interesting to see what happens.
SAVIDGE: Right. It could be a lot of money on the line from a lot of different people trying to get their money back.
Then the next story we're going to talk about is gun control. We'll talk to Mike Thompson. He's the Democrat out of California who, I guess you could say, is kind of the point man in the House who will be leading when it comes to gun control legislation.
What is he thinking? You know, in other words, what's out there? What are the plans? What could be banned? What would still be legal? How is this all going to work? We know it's certainly a hot button and very emotional issue. It's one that's going to be tackled and certainly going to be controversial.
KAYE: Yes. No doubt.
SAVIDGE: And then the other thing we're going to talk about is Vittorio Missoni. And this is the fashion icon. And we mentioned his plane is missing now off the coast of Venezuela.
We are certainly hopeful that everyone will be found alive and well. But it got us wondering about this brand, this name. I mean, it's certainly high fashion. But yet this was high fashion that was available at Target, sort of available to the masses.
KAYE: Sure. He made it that way.
SAVIDGE: He did.
KAYE: Yes.
SAVIDGE: And so this was sort of the, you know, the greatness of style that was available to everyone. And, you know, it was a great marketing plan. So this is a chance to speak about that while we wait to hear about the search.
KAYE: Yes, because I think -- you know, his wife was on board with him and some others and --
SAVIDGE: Right. And again, we are hopeful --
KAYE: Yes, certainly.
SAVIDGE: -- that they will be found, but this is -- this is not so much to focus on what if. It's more about what a great legacy here and what a great family as far as fashion. They are known so well.
KAYE: All right. You have a great mix straight ahead. Martin, we'll catch you in just a moment.
SAVIDGE: Thanks, Randi.
KAYE: And here's another impact of superstorm Sandy that devastated the Northeast, important evidence in criminal cases now stranded in a damaged warehouse. And court cases could actually be in jeopardy.
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KAYE: Superstorm Sandy didn't just disrupt millions of people's lives. It now threatens criminal cases in the New York City court system.
It seems important police evidence has been stranded in a damaged warehouse. And here's Mary Snow.
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MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This flood-damaged warehouse right on New York Harbor could actually clog the city's overflowing criminal system for years to come. It sits in an area of Brooklyn devastated by superstorm Sandy. Inside it, there are thousands of pieces of police evidence, ranging from DNA to narcotics to guns that right now can't be touched.
RAYMOND KELLY, POLICE COMMISSIONER, NYPD: Significant flooding has taken place. There's no question about it. We're still trying to sort through this and, you know, assess the total damage. It's a big job.
SNOW (voice-over): That was back in November. The police department says it still hasn't been able to get into this facility and a second one because sewage contamination has made them unsafe.
But trials can't wait. CNN's legal contributor Paul Callan is a former prosecutor.
PAUL CALLAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It could be a major problem if evidence that has been damaged is critical to proving a case.
SNOW: The NYPD says so far there have been six criminal cases where police have said there is evidence but it's not accessible.
SNOW (voice-over): Those cases have not been dismissed.
In cases involving DNA and narcotics, prosecutors rely on results from tests that are done on smaller samples of the evidence. Police say those results are kept at a different facility that was not compromised by the storm.
SNOW: What about cases where there is, let's say, blood evidence, where the physical evidence is in that warehouse, but the test results are in a different location?
CALLAN: You would have the issue of is there enough for the defense to fairly test the sample to determine whether it's the defendant's blood or not. So I -- it wouldn't necessarily be fatal to a case, but, you know, in criminal cases, beyond a reasonable doubt is a very, very high standard of proof. And if you eliminate the physical evidence, you could put a serious dent in the prosecutor's case.
SNOW (voice-over): the NYPD has consulted with its counterparts in New Orleans where evidence and records were destroyed following Hurricane Katrina. The New Orleans Police Department says one key difference is that floodwaters remained at the New Orleans courthouse for weeks where evidence was destroyed. And they have the job of cataloging evidence that could be salvaged.
DEPUTY CHIEF KIRK BOUYELAS, NOLA POLICE DEPARTMENT: It took years. It is not something that can be easily done. And in New York, you're looking at facilities that are much more vast than what we had here in New Orleans. So that compounds it even more.
SNOW: New York's police department says it expects to get into the evidence warehouses in the coming weeks to assess the extent of the damage. But already the chief attorney for New York's legal aid society is bracing for serious repercussions. He notes that there are more than 200,000 criminal cases in New York City every year.
Mary Snow, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: "CNN NEWSROOM" continues now with Martin Savidge, who is in for Fredricka Whitfield.
I will hand it off.
SAVIDGE: Thank you very much. Nice to see you.
