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CNN Saturday Morning News
Connecticut Train Collision; Powerball Jackpot at $600 million; O.J. Simpson Fights for New Trial
Aired May 18, 2013 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It is May 18th. Good morning, everyone. I'm Poppy Harlow.
Starting off with some key news to tell you about: the NTSB, those investigators, right now, on the site -- on the site of a harrowing commuter train crash in Connecticut. We are live on the scene with the latest on a possible cause and the conditions of the injured.
Reality sets in for people in a Texas town, just decimated by a killer swath of tornadoes. We're on the ground as residents clean up and try to salvage anything that is left.
Wanna-be millionaires have just hours left to snatch up tickets for the largest ever Powerball drawing, the jackpot, $600 million and it is growing, folks.
Let's begin with this.
NTSB investigators have a very tough job ahead of them, searching for the cause of the train crash in South Western Connecticut. Dozens of people were injured when the two passenger trains collided during rush hour yesterday. It created a nightmare situation for commuters and a lot of victims, a lot of injuries.
Our national correspondent Susan Candiotti is live on the scene. Good morning to you, Susan. Tell us what's happening right now. I understand the NTSB is having a press conference as we speak.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): They are and some key information we're getting right off the top, Poppy. We now know that three people remain in critical condition. But the vast majority, the vast majority of passengers who were injured as a result of these two trains colliding have now been released from the hospital.
That news coming to us from the governor of the state of Connecticut saying that while 70 people were taken to hospital, the large majority of them have now been released. Three remain in critical condition.
A big job ahead of them as they try to figure out how this happened at the height of rush hour, a little after 6:00 on Friday night, as at least 250 passengers on these two trains, about 60 miles north of New York City, collided in a town of Bridgeport, Connecticut.
One of them -- two commuter trains and eastbound train hit by a westbound train, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. They've already -- those investigators have arrived on site. They are looking at a number of different factors here including were the brakes working, were the wheels working properly, what was the condition of the track, was there a problem with the signaling system, what about the operators of the train, how did this possibly happen?
I can tell you this, I hope we have this -- these interviews ready to go, for passengers who are on board the train, it was frightening.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RENA RAMBHAWAN, PASSENGER: All of a sudden, we just hear boom and then we saw, like, smoke everywhere. And I just focused on my two kids, just hugging them and embracing them.
HECTOR NAVARRO, PASSENGER: The little bit I seen, people flew over places. I almost flew over the seat. But I held on and -- but I'm ok. Dozens of people are just hurt, though.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We all went to the front of the train and kicked out some windows and got off the train.
CHIEF GARY MACNAMARA, FAIRFIELD POLICE: It is going to take us a little while to investigate and to really determine what happened, how fast they were going and to determine the cause. So it's going to take some -- quite some time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: So while this investigation is going on, the investigators are saying this will take them at minimum a number of days before they might be able to resume service. But they can't put a timetable on it. Now it can't be precise. And the main problem is that you only have two tracks going in either direction at this time because coincidentally they have construction work going on involving bridges in the area.
They're not saying whether that has anything at all to do with what happened and the fact that it has left them with no alternative route to take. So for the time being, while this investigation is going on, while the tracks are cleared, service is expected to be out at least several days according to authorities here -- Poppy.
HARLOW: All right, Susan we're going to let you get back to that press conference so you can bring us the latest as soon as you have it. Thank you so much for your reporting.
Well some frightening moments for passengers aboard a plane this morning. This is a Russian passenger plane that was carrying about 140 people. It caught fire as it landed in Moscow. The wheels there caught fire. And investigators believe the fire started in the Boeing 737's left landing gear. Luckily no one was injured. The plane's passengers included a member of a Russian pop band, but again, a pretty dramatic video, a quick exit there from the plane, but no injuries.
We want to take you to North Korea now where this morning just hours ago North Korea launched three short range guided missiles into the sea off the Korean peninsula. That is according to South Korea's semi- official news agency. Now, this launch, to be clear here, appears to be a routine test of some short range technical weapons.
But there was no warning apparently given out before this. And tensions, of course, were very high in the region, not long ago. But have -- have diminished some since then.
All right to Texas now and people who are just wondering what do we do next? Their neighborhoods are pretty much destroyed. They were leveled by a series of 16 tornadoes. The town of Granbury, Texas, 40 miles southwest of Fort Worth, absolutely devastated. Six people dead; the rest, counting their blessings.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PATTI LOPEZ, TEXAS TORNADO SURVIVOR: Once we were in the shower, in the tub, I just -- we huddled over everybody and I just -- I had my eyes closed. We were all praying. It was just -- it was awful. It was -- the scariest feeling. I was worried about my kids. It was just an awful thing to experience.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: Yes unimaginable. Our Nick Valencia is there this morning. You know Nick that woman in tears talking about worrying about her kids, feeling helpless, when something like this happens and comes on. You've been down there on the ground, you've surveyed the damage. How bad is the damage?
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think the objective word, Poppy, is unimaginable. We're outside of the church here where residents from Rancho Brasos that's the neighborhood that was devastated by the EF-4 tornado. This is where they're lining up to get these permits here to re-enter their homes. Some people have little if anything to go back to at all. They had a line here about 300 to 400 people. They've moved them inside.
We'll bring in Steve Perry -- Steve Berry I'm sorry. He's the county commissioner; he's in charge of all this. Steve --
STEVE BERRY, HOOD COUNTY COMMISSIONER: Well I'm one of many is in charge of this. The EOC base were moved up here this morning, the Emergency Operations Center, Red Frash, Sheriff Deeds, Darrell Corker (ph) of the county judge and DPS enforce. And all these volunteer groups has moved up here. When I got up here a little -- a little before 9:00 we probably had 300 to 400 of people in line.
And what we're doing is we're going to let you do a shot inside momentarily as we're trying to line people up, we're getting their information. The green tag will get them back in. So we're starting a re-entry plan this morning to get folks back in.
We have an eight-to-eight curfew today, where we re-evaluate at the end of the day and let them when they can come back in tomorrow. They can get two or three permits today for each car. They need to get in or get out and we're letting them get back in so they can start to go through and dig through.
No residents have been back in since this has happened. So now they're going to try to look for family belongings, personal belongings, that kind of stuff. And then we'll try to go from there. But when you're inside today what we hope for is you register with the Red Cross and you register with other volunteer organizations so as we start to get funding and start to get assistance trickles down, you'll be on their list.
VALENCIA: We were there together doing the media tour with Governor Rick Perry as he toured the devastation, the community of Rancho Brasos was just obliterated. How long of a wait are people having to or should they expect if they come here?
BERRY: Well actually the line is starting to really speed up on now ok. This morning at 9:00 o'clock we opened the door at 10:00 and we're trying -- and we put them in the hallway so they can them out of the hot sun and get them out into the air conditioning with bathroom facilities. But at the same time what we're -- probably right now we hope to be done by noon. We'll still be set up to get people in and maybe you didn't hear about it.
But the line is moving fairly quickly. So hopefully, you know, your wait won't be more than an hour or two.
VALENCIA: And probably inside, that really is the community of Rancho Brasos -- that's what's left of it. Dozens of people waiting to find out if their belongings are still there, if their homes are still standing and I'm not sure what they're going to go back to. But they know most -- most of it is not going to be very good. Some haunting stories of survival.
In fact I spoke to the seven people presumed missing, the family, the Rodriguez family -- they were not that sure if they wanted to join us on camera. But they did speak to us saying they were trapped under rubble and debris. They spoke exclusively to CNN. They said thank God they're alive and they are just happy to be alive today -- Poppy.
HARLOW: Well thank goodness they are alive. Because six people lost their lives down there. Nick, thank you.
Well on to a lighter story. A story a lot of folks are talking about today. Lotto, $600 million. If you want a shot at winning that, you have about 12 hours to get a ticket. It is the biggest jackpot in Powerball history. It's the second biggest lottery prize ever.
Our Lisa Desjardins is live in Washington. Lisa did you go out and get your ticket? Because I know earlier we were talking about what the odds really are.
LISA DESJARDINS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I've got my ticket right here. And the bad news for me and for other people like me is I'm not going to win. I will admit it. These are the odds, Poppy. One in 175 million long odds. But you know here's is the thing about the Powerball. Of course that's not the number the people are focusing on. They're focusing on this number, $600 million. That's how much someone could win if they get a single jackpot winner tonight.
We're going to go inside and meet a guy who just pulled up. Look at this in fact Poppy double parking to get Powerball. And this man just bought his tickets. With me is (inaudible). All right how many tickets did you get?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I bought four tickets.
LISA DESJARDINS: And you just did the random pick or do you have numbers?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no completely random.
LISA DESJARDINS: All right, tell -- tell me why. Do you do this every time?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I rarely play. I rarely play the lottery. But $600 million, the second largest jackpot in U.S. history. So why not take a stab at it.
LISA DESJARDINS: And I know you've been thinking about this. What are you going to do when you win this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think I'm going to live the good life.
LISA DESJARDINS: What does that mean?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whether it's buying -- paying off my debt buying a house, buying a pizza house, you know investing in my parents -- and my parents and my kids' future, all those things.
LISA DESJARDINS: And Costas this is my last thing for you, do you feel like you know the odds are long, right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right, right. Yes.
LISA DESJARDINS: But you to feel like you might win?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You always feel good. If you don't play if you don't think you have the slightest chance.
LISA DESJARDINS: All right, well, thanks a lot. Good luck.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. Yes all right. Thank you.
LISA DESJARDINS: Cool. So, yes, Poppy people are playing because they think they're going to win. The odds are long. But you know I guess you just have to get the right ticket, right?
HARLOW: Absolutely. And, by the way, if no one wins tonight, Wednesday's drawing, close to $1 billion; $925 million, I think it is. You know what's so funny Lisa when I go home and I have the ticket and I'm looking at the numbers and I don't win, oh gosh, I can't believe I didn't win. You know I think everyone has that feeling, it's just so unrealistic, but we all love -- we all love to play.
LISA DESJARDINS: That's right.
HARLOW: Our Lisa Desjardins joining us live now. Thanks, Lisa.
Well you know we haven't heard from O.J. Simpson or hadn't heard from him in years until now. We're going to show you what he said on the stand in his latest trial.
Also, gunshots, stolen jewels, they are all part of the movie mix at the Cannes Film Festival. Only this time, the drama was not playing itself out on the silver screen, it was playing out in real life. We're going to tell you what happened.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARLOW: O.J. Simpson back in the spotlight. He's back in court, fighting for a new trial on robbery, assault and kidnapping charges from a Las Vegas confrontation back in 2007. Our George Howell was in the courtroom when Simpson took the stand.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In his bid to get a new trial, O.J. Simpson watched attentively as his new attorney scrutinized the advice and actions of his former attorney, Yale Galanter. Prosecutors called him to take the stand to rebut claims that he failed to reasonably represent Simpson in the 2008 kidnapping and robbery trial and at his appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court.
YALE GALANTER, FORMER SIMPSON ATTORNEY: You know, from my point of view, I wanted to do everything that I could possibly do to give O.J. a shot at getting released.
HOWELL: Galanter told the court he was fond of Simpson and thought the conviction was unfair, but in heated cross examination by one of Simpson's attorneys --
TOM PITARO, SIMPSON ATTORNEY: This man has put his interest, his financial interests above the interests of his client.
HOWELL: Galanter, several times, got testy.
GALANTER: My testimony is my testimony. Ask me what the question is. I've already testified as to my knowledge of the rules. What's your question?
Just, you know, like you said, it was a flat fee. On page four, line 14, it says it was --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You want me to read the flat fee?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Read page four.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You only paid him $15,000; you're telling us you paid him $25,000.
HOWELL: Simpson's team pressed on, claiming Galanter was cagey about expenses through the trial, shorting or even not paying some colleagues to pocket as much of Simpson's money as possible. Earlier this week, O.J. Simpson even took the stand to accuse Galanter of giving him bad legal advice, claiming his then attorney told him he could confront two men who he believed had stolen property from him the day before the incident happened.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What was his advice to you regarding the entire plan?
O.J. SIMPSON: That if they didn't give me the stuff, you have to call the police.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ok.
SIMPSON: And that's what I told everybody involved, that if they don't give it to me, you know, I'm going to get the police on him --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So at the time you're leaving the Palace Station Room, were you aware of any use or display of weapons?
SIMPSON: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: During the incident?
SIMPSON: No, not at all.
HOWELL: But with his former attorney now on the spot, Galanter revealed when pressed that Simpson did admit to him he did know guns were present. Galanter also refuted claims that he failed to tell Simpson about a plea deal that could have resulted in less time in prison because the discussions about a deal didn't go anywhere. And he said/he said debate over what could have or should have happened, Galanter held firm.
GALANTER: The truth of the matter is when you look at the entire trial, I don't think I could have fought harder, done more or -- I mean I really did. I put every ounce of blood, sweat and soul I had into defending him.
HOWELL: George Howell, CNN, Las Vegas, Nevada.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: Well, sounds of gunfire and a jewelry heist not unusual on a screen at the Cannes Film Festival; but this time the drama, very real. A man was arrested after firing a gun loaded with blanks during a live television interview there at the film festival. The chaos actually sent Oscar-winning actor Christoph Waltz running for cover. The suspect who authorities are not identifying right now allegedly also had a dummy grenade. Luckily though no injuries were reported.
And if that wasn't exciting enough, jewels worth more than $1 million were stolen from a hotel room in Cannes at the film festival.
Our Atika Shubert has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATIKA SHUBERT: Chopard is the name in bling at the Cannes Film Festival. The Swiss jeweler not only drapes the rich and famous in diamonds, it even makes the coveted 24 karat gold Palme D'Or award. But now someone has pulled a Hollywood-worth heist on a set of Chopard jewels.
It happened at the Novotel Hotel and Cannes. French police say the jewels were stashed in the hotel safe of Chopard employee. Thieves gained access and simply unscrewed the safe and took it off the wall.
RAFFAELLA ROSSIELLO, SPOKESWOMAN, CHOPART: There is currently a police under way, so we can only let you know that the value of the pieces stolen is far lower than those in the figure circulating in the media. The jewelry stolen are not part of the collection of the jewels that are worn by actresses during the Cannes Film Festival.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Paris Hilton is hosting a party in Vegas tonight.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where does she live?
SHUBERT: The jewels were stolen at the same time the Sophia Coppola film, the "Bling Ring" was premiering at Cannes, a movie about a group of teen thieves robbing celebrity homes. Twitter buzzed with speculation of a PR, but French police say this heist is for real.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You had so many beautiful things.
SHUBERT: Cannes is a massive showcase for glamour. A-listers flaunt tens of millions of dollars in clothing and jewels every single day of the festival. It seems that also makes it a tempting target for thieves.
Atika Shubert, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARLOW: Hip-hop in Libya? Yeah. Only two years after the fall of Gadhafi, Anthony Bourdain ventures into Libya with a close look at the culture, the food and a lot more there. "ANTHONY BOURDAIN PARTS UNKNOWN: LIBYA", all new Sunday night 9:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific only right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAROLOW: Volcanic ash is shooting -- ash, steam, gas, thousands of feet into the air right now. The Pavlov Volcano is one of Alaska's most active and it started to erupt on Monday. Look at those pictures. You're seeing it all right there. Authorities have issued an orange alert for aircraft because of all of that ash in the air.
That is the second most serious alert of the four different levels. And the ash could extend as far as 60 miles away from that volcano.
Meantime e-mails from Michael Jackson's manager could become important evidence in the wrongful death trial against AEG Live. The e-mails were thought to have been lost but were actually found after what the judge called, quote, "a lot of red tape". AEG lawyers argued Jackson was responsible for his own death and that an addiction to drugs led to bad decisions.
I want to get to more on the Boston bombings. The attack happened near the finish line of the Boston Marathon as you know. The running community has been rallying the whole time in support of the victims. Here's our Tom Foreman with this week's "American Journey".
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Across the country, ever since the bombings, thousands of runners and dozens of races have taken to the roads in the name of Boston, many wearing special signs of their support, offering respect and raising money for victims.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: After I heard what they were doing for the people that didn't finish and then I researched a little bit on what this marathon was for, it kind of just made sense to do something because it is just something special, you know, to be part of something like this.
FOREMAN: It has been a tough year in the running community as two premiere competitions were swept up in events far bigger than any sport. The New York marathon was canceled in the wake of Superstorm Sandy.
MARY WITTENBERG, PRESIDENT AND CEO, NEW YORK ROAD RUNNERS: It is with incredibly heavy hearts today, tonight, that we share that the best way to help New York City at this time is to say that we will not be conducting the 2012 ING New York City Marathon.
FOREMAN: Boston, the most renowned marathon in the nation, ended in a national tragedy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't understand why anyone would want to do anything like this because it is just a world sport, it is a world spirit.
FOREMAN: But other states invited those who didn't finish in Massachusetts to run in their races, offering free entries, leaving even legendary marathoners like Amby Burfoot who writes for "Runners World" and won the Boston race in 1968, feeling even stronger about the sport and its spectators.
AMBY BURFOOT, 1968 BOSTON MARATHON WINNER: We will be back more and stronger than ever next year to just literally -- next year will be a race about the spectators. It will be the runners thanking the spectators for being there.
FOREMAN: As more than one runner has noted in recent weeks, if intimidation is the goal, attacking a marathon is a bad idea because runners and those who love running are very hard to stop.
Tom Foreman, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARLOW: Tonight, the photographers who were there on the tragic day in Boston, you're going to hear their incredible stories, "BACK TO BOSTON, MOMENTS OF IMPACT", tonight, 8:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.
But, first, it was a rough week for the President, for the White House, facing three separate scandals that have put the White House on the defensive. In a minute, you're going to hear why maybe it is not as bad what some presidents have faced before.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARLOW: In Washington, the Obama administration has to be happy this week is just about over. It has been a tough, long week, with controversies and scandals coming at the president on three fronts.
But historically, how does this week stack up for a president? Our Lisa Desjardins takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LISA DESJARDINS, CNN RADIO CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The IRS, Benghazi, the AP phone records, you know it's been a bad week when you get this question.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How do you feel about comparisons by some of your critics of this week's scandals to those that happened under the Nixon administration?
DESJARDINS: In historic terms, how bad of a week was this?
ALLAN LICHTMAN, POLITICAL HISTORIAN: It was a bad week for Obama.
DESJARDINS (voice-over): We asked historian Allan Lichtman how the president's problems compare, say, as bad as Watergate?
RICHARD NIXON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I neither took part in nor knew about any of the subsequent cover-up activity.
DESJARDINS (voice-over): Iran-Contra?
RONALD REAGAN, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There's an old saying that nothing spreads so quickly as a rumor.
DESJARDINS (voice-over): How about Monica Lewinsky?
BLITZER: I did not have sexual relations with that woman.
DESJARDINS: OK. So obviously there have been plenty of presidential scandals in the past. But you already knew that. So let's get past this 101 and dig a little bit deeper. It is rare, but President Obama is not the only president to have faced three or more scandals at once.
LICHTMAN: Late in his term, Truman had a quadruple whammy affecting him. He had scandals involving bribery among White House officials. He had scandals involving corruption in the tax bureau, in the Treasury.
DESJARDINS (voice-over): Within a few months in 1951 and 1952, all of this happened: the Korean War went south, Harry Truman's top aide was caught trying to buy influence, the president fired a popular general and a massive bribery scandal engulfed the IRS. Yes, the IRS. His approval numbers plummeted, but none of that is remembered about Truman today.
LICHTMAN: Scandals are way overblown in their political effect. Everyone thinks, oh, my God, it is going to be another Watergate; it is going to bring down the president. It is going to damage his party permanently. Almost no scandals do that.
DESJARDINS (voice-over): What does make a scandal permanent? Well, Lichtman says two things. When there is proof that a president is directly involved, and when his own party starts speaking against him -- Lisa Desjardins, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: Well, right now, people are lining up at gas stations and grocery stores to grab a Powerball ticket before tonight's drawing.
Why? Why? Because the jackpot is $600 million right now. It is the second biggest lottery jackpot in history. And ticket sales could drive it even higher before the drawing. And get this: if no one wins tonight, that jackpot could go over $900 million by Wednesday.
Coming up, a CNN exclusive: Bernie Madoff talks from prison to our own Aaron Smith of CNNMoney. The swindler took $17.5 billion from investors. Hear what his tipping point was straight ahead.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARLOW: Well, the man behind the multibillion dollar deception that defrauded more than 2,100 victims out of a lot of money says he feels regret for what he did. We're talking about Bernie Madoff. And he spoke exclusively to CNNMoney's Aaron Smith from a federal prison in North Carolina. And Aaron told me about their phone conversation that started off by Madoff calling collect.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AARON SMITH, CNNMONEY CORRESPONDENT: His biggest regret is most definitely the death of his oldest son, Mark. Now Mark actually committed suicide on December 11th, 2010; that is the second anniversary of his father's arrest.
And the first thing Madoff said to me was that he feels terrible about his son's death, and he feels responsible for it. And he also said that it bothers him a great deal that he's disconnected from his family. He mentioned that he was married for 50 years to his wife, Ruth, and he doesn't seem to have any contact with his surviving son, Andrew. HARLOW: So this is all about him, but what about all of the lives that he really, really, really harmed, the victims? I mean, I remember when this story broke, talking to one in Minnesota, who had just lost tons and tons. And we're going to have a victim on next, who says they have been decimated by this.
Did he talk about that?
SMITH: He did. He mentioned that he feels bad about the victims and, as you know, he has -- he victimized thousands of people. He's believed to have stolen $17.5 billion, though he did dispute that number when he spoke to me. He said that it was actually more like $9 billion.
But he said that he feels bad about, you know, the fact that he victimized all of these people. But at the same time he said that, he also sort of shifted the blame to three investors, who he said should have helped him out more back in 1987, when there was the stock market crash that he basically blames for being the impetus for his Ponzi scheme.
One of these people, by the way, Jeffrey Pickauer (ph), he said that he feels responsible for his fatal heart attack in 2009.
HARLOW: You know, one of the very interesting things that only you got to hear is how does he sound?
SMITH: He sounded very calm and collected. He is quite obviously an intelligent man with a lot of knowledge in Wall Street. And he basically sounded very reassuring.
And I could easily see how people would get taken in by him, because he basically is very convincing. And he -- to tell you the truth, he comes across as kind of a nice guy.
And he also uses a lot of Wall Street jargon. And I could see how people would be convinced that this is the man, you know. You give your money to him and he'll take care of you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: Well, one of Madoff's victims is now reacting to this interview that he did with Aaron Smith, saying that Bernie Madoff is still not fully owning up to what he did.
Mike De Vita is one of the authors -- he is the author of " The Club No One Wanted to Join: Madoff Victims in Their Own Words." And he says he lost his life savings to this scheme, and he spoke earlier by phone to us. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
Why would Bernie continue to call the press? Why is he at a point in his life where he just can't be quiet? And the thing that Aaron talked about that really bothered me is that he continues to blame others for what happened here. Certainly I guess my perspective on this is that Bernie Madoff was nothing more than a name on a sheet of paper for me. So I had never met any of the Madoffs, never spoken to anyone, it was purely by reputation and by the material I saw that what he was doing.
My preference, I guess, at this point is that Bernie just remained quiet until 2139 when he's released from prison. I guess he has an ego, which is so large at this point, that he simply has to stay in the news, he has to continue to talk about this, but he continues to blame other people for something that, frankly from my perspective, he did this and he's the only one that did.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: Well, the $17.5 billion swindled away, $5.4 billion have been repaid to victims so far. Another $700 million has been spent on lawyers and consultants working to recover that money.
Beyonce or her PR team reportedly not happy with some pictures photojournalists took during her world tour and she is taking interesting steps to prevent it from happening again. We're going to open our lens on the controversy. That's next.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARLOW: Well, singer Beyonce and photojournalists are not seeing things quite the same way right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW (voice-over): The superstar's team has banned them from covering her world tour after some less flattering photos, although I always think Beyonce looks pretty good, showed up of her on several online sites.
My colleague Victor Blackwell asked attorney Mickey Osterreich of the National Press Photographers' Association and marketing professional Joey Romaine (ph) what their take is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICKEY OSTERREICH, ATTORNEY, NPPA: Well, we believe the press should have independent access. Now, Beyonce is perfectly within her rights to set up whatever kind of prudentialing she would like to do. And many other celebrities have done the same thing and said, look, we don't want the press there. This is just for our fans. But it appears to us that she wants it both ways.
She wants the coverage. She wants to put out her images. And she wants the press to use those.
And that's the thing that we have the problem with. And, unfortunately, as we just saw, by you putting off the pictures that she actually objects to, we think it has been having the reverse effect; organizations have decided those are the pictures they're going to run with her concert review.
And what we would suggest is that, if she wants press coverage, that she allows the press to cover her events.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: Joey, Mickey says that this is going to create some backlash, has created backlash.
Does this hurt the Beyonce brand?
JOEY ROMAINE (PH), MARKETING PROFESSIONAL: No. The Beyonce brand is beyond reproach. I mean, you're talking about a superstar, you're talking about a supermom and now we're talking about someone who is super-real. Fans don't like bans, but the fact is, she stands for something much bigger.
She's not even a brand. She's a stand. She stands for women's empowerment. And she's been there, helping women sing their story, dance their story. I think this is -- I think this is a key moment for her, and actually sparks a bigger conversation about the media in a camera-ready world.
BLACKWELL: Well, let me ask you about this, because if she stands for something so great, and women's empowerment and women around the world, doesn't this just seem petty?
ROMAINE (PH): Absolutely petty. And I actually ask the question, is this the publicist speaking or is it Beyonce? Because publicists love to handle their superstars. I think it might be a good idea to look at the strategy, the public relations strategy and say, you know what, those pictures are pretty good.
I mean, everyone in my office wants to be Beyonce. My assistant wants her hair, the strategist wants her legs, some men want her muscles. I mean, everybody wants to be Beyonce.
BLACKWELL: Well, let's put up that picture, there's one where she's like really muscular. And I was saying this morning that Tina Turner had that body during the '70s and never said, please don't take a picture of my well-toned body on stage.
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HARLOW: Well, the Press Photographers' Association actually sent a letter to Beyonce's representative asking them to change their policy. So far they say, though, they haven't received a response.
Meantime, Angelina Jolie has gone public with her decision to undergo a preventative double mastectomy. We're going to take a closer look at the company that has a monopoly on the genetic test to detect gene mutations that point to an increased risk of breast cancer. That's ahead.
And Anthony Bourdain heads to Libya this week where he gets a taste of fast food and bonds with a troop of Boy Scouts there. The food is called Uncle Kentucky Fried Chicken.
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ANTHONY BOURDAIN, CNN HOST: Got kids? This is supposed to be the biggest, fanciest new hotel development in town. And like a lot of the newer structures, they pretty much stopped when they started to pull down the government.
There are a lot of cranes building nothing at the moment. A lot is just sort of frozen as everybody figures out what happens next. Let's wait and see.
It is one of many moments of unexpected weirdness in Libya. A mosque, the Medina (ph), the frozen wait-and-see hotel, and a pickup truck with militia looking at us.
Meanwhile, right over there, there are -- they are playing Rod Stewart, "Do You Think I'm Sexy," to an amusement park full of kids. Makes no sense at all in a vaguely encouraging way.
HARLOW (voice-over): Fascinating. You can see Bourdain's trip to Libya tomorrow night right here on CNN at 9 o'clock. That's "ANTHONY BOURDAIN: PARTS UNKNOWN," every Sunday night right here on CNN.
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HARLOW: Well, this week Angelina Jolie stunned the world when she revealed that she had a preventative double mastectomy after genetic testing revealed she had a high risk for breast and ovarian cancer. Her revelation has put a biotech company right in the spotlight and more focus on the Supreme Court case that that company is involved in right now.
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HARLOW (voice-over): Her announcement made headlines around the world. Angelina Jolie underwent a double mastectomy after a genetic test showed she had a mutated BRCA1 gene giving her an 87 percent chance of getting breast cancer.
Her news put this company, Myriad Genetics, front and center. It's not a big player in the big picture of big biotech companies, but it has patents on the BRCA1 and 2 genes. When mutated, those genes are linked to an increased risk for breast and ovarian cancer. Because of those patents, Myriad has a monopoly on the tests to find those mutations.
DR. ROGER KLEIN, ASSOCIATION FOR MOLECULAR PATHOLOGY: We believe that gene patents of this nature decrease access to testing for our patients, and the lack of competition in testing increases costs, decreases quality.
HARLOW (voice-over): Dr. Roger Klein represents the Association for Molecular Pathology, which is challenging Myriad all the way to the Supreme Court.
KLEIN: The problem with patenting the human gene is that you're patenting a fundamental property of an individual.
HARLOW (voice-over): Myriad Genetics declined our request for an on- camera interview, but told us what it patented are synthetic molecules that do not exist in the human body.
HARLOW: The question at the heart of the case before the Supreme Court is this. Can genes or synthetic genes be patented or are they products of nature that shouldn't be owned by anyone?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: This case is such a big deal because so many people think the future of medicine is genetics. And how the law regards genes and synthetic genes will dictate how and whether companies invest to find new cures.
HARLOW (voice-over): Myriad says it invested $500 million over 17 years in the project; that investment is paying off. Its BRACAnalysis tests cost up to $4,000, often covered by insurance and made up 82 percent of the company's revenue in fiscal 2012; the company's profit, $112 million.
Biotech analyst Steve Brozak has followed Myriad for more than a decade.
STEVE BROZAK, BIOTECH ANALYST: Are they going to stop researchers from going out there and using their work? No. But the idea is if someone else tries to do what they're doing commercially, they have to be protected. And that's a critical difference.
HARLOW (voice-over): Myriad argues patenting genes encourages innovation and investment and hasn't prevented research. Others disagree.
KLEIN: We're at the cusp of the introduction of new technologies, and certainly these patents can do nothing but obstruct the introduction of those technologies.
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HARLOW: Battling it out in the Supreme Court right now, we should have a decision by the end of June from the high court. But important to note here: experts say only 5 percent to 10 percent of women in the general population actually have this gene mutation. So not a big percent, but the company, Myriad, says it does about 250,000 of these tests a year.
And also if a person qualifies for the test but they are uninsured or they can't afford it, Myriad told me over the phone that they will cover the cost or greatly reduce the cost for those people if they qualify for the test. This is a very interesting one to follow, Fredricka.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: It's fascinating. And this really is the tip of the iceberg because of that --
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HARLOW: So many biotech companies are doing this now.
I know you have a lot coming up.
WHITFIELD: Yes, we do. (Inaudible) noon Eastern time.
Disney, like going there, fun, yes; lines, definitely.
HARLOW: Huge lines.
WHITFIELD: Huge lines.
OK. So what if you can go to Disney and avoid the lines? Well, we're going to talk with somebody who is kind of a so-called whistleblower, who says there are people out there -- she calls them "members of the tribe," the 1 percent group who have found a way to cut lines, avoid the lines by kind of cozying up with disabled people, families of disabled people.
And there's a price that comes with that. Is it right? Is it wrong? We're going to talk about that.
And then Powerball. How do you increase the odds of winning? Sometimes people use numbers from birthdays or anniversaries. Well, no wonder it 1:175 million if everybody is doing that. So we're going to have a guest in the 4 o'clock Eastern hour who is going to say this is how you increase your chances.
And then grizzly bears, we get a chance to show you what it is like inside the mouth of a grizzly bear.
HARLOW: Oh, terrifying. And why?
WHITFIELD: It kind of surreptitiously came across a camera.
HARLOW: Oh really?
WHITFIELD: Yes.
HARLOW: I'm looking forward to that.
WHITFIELD: He took a bite out of it.
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WHITFIELD (voice-over): There it is. And you're going to see more of it a little later on (inaudible).
HARLOW: Wouldn't want to be the photographer shooting that video.
WHITFIELD: Oh, I know. All right. It's fascinating.
HARLOW: Fred, thank you.
Folks, straight ahead, a university professor murdered. His wife murdered as well. That killing has reopened a cold case with an eerie connection to a medical school, possibly. We're going to have that story straight ahead.
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HARLOW: Two double murders in five years have shaken a college community in Nebraska. The latest killings occurred just this past week and there are (inaudible) possible links to another double killing in the same area are chilling. Our Ted Rowlands has more.
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sixty-five-year-old Dr. Roger Brumback was in the process of retiring from the Department of Pathology at Creighton University. On Tuesday, he and his wife, Mary, were found dead inside their home.
Flashback to 2008, 11-year-old Thomas Hunter and Shirlee Sherman were also found dead in a family home connected to Creighton. Thomas was the son of two doctors. His father, William Hunter, worked with Dr. Brumback as a pathologist. Shirlee Sherman was the family housekeeper. Her brother, like many others in Omaha, believes there's a good chance the same person killed all four people.
BRAD WAITE, SHIRLEE SHERMAN'S BROTHER: If it was anybody other than somebody that works in the pathology department at Creighton, you wouldn't even give it a second thought. The reality that they could be connected.
ROWLANDS (voice-over): Police found the Brumbacks' bodies after a piano mover saw Mary Brumback and a handgun magazine through a door left open at their house. Why someone would kill the Brumbacks is a mystery.
LAURA NEECE-BALTARO, BRUMBACKS' FRIEND: When I heard the news last night, I was literally shaken. Why would anyone want to harm them?
ROWLANDS (voice-over): Police are keeping the details of the Brumback murders under seal while they investigate. The university says since the murders, they are taking extra security precautions. Medical students wore their white coats to a prayer service this week in honor of Dr. Brumback.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He always wore his white coat. Every -- like when I imagine him in my mind, he's wearing his white coat. And that's just a tribute to his professionalism and his dedication to the trade.
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ROWLANDS: We're not getting a lot of information out of the Omaha Police Department. However, we have learned that the team that is investigating the 2008 double murder has joined with the detectives that have been assigned to the Brumbacks' murder. Clearly, they believe there's a very good chance the two are related -- Ted Rowlands, CNN, Chicago.
HARLOW: Well, that does it for me. CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Fredricka. (CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: See you again tomorrow morning.
