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tv   CNN Newsroom  CNN  January 14, 2012 9:00am-10:00am PST

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let's talk about that dream vacation turned nightmare. a cruise ship carrying thousands of passengers did run aground near the italian island. the costa concordia ship is now on its side, just as we were explaining. you can see right there the scrapings at the bottom of that ship. at least three people are confirmed dead and as much as 70 people are feared missing. search and rescue operations are continuing at this hour and survivors evacuated from that ship describing the harrowing ordeal. >> the boat tipped like he was turning, but it didn't return to level. on the other side of the ship, which was the high side at this point, the life boats got stuck and people were this there and
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they were hanging in them and children were crying and people screaming and jumping. we heard crew members jumped at the end into the water. >> my goodness. frightening moments. a journalist is where survivors are being taken and joins us by phone. barbie, what is the latest on the rescue mission, the search for the missing people and if they know what the ship ran into. >> reporter: well, right now the rescue operations are sort of winding town. darkness has fallen here and it's starting to get a little bit cold. the divers worked all afternoon searching the underwater components of that ship on its side in search of bodies. they have not ruled out that there will be more fatalities from this accident. several people, though, that did get off the boat at the port prior to this one have come forward to say they got off. so we've taken the number of missing from 70 to i think the
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last count was 51. but that's still a considerable number. they don't know, you know, if these people are around somewhere. one thing to keep in mind, there are about a thousand italians on that ship so if they got off they could have just as easily called a relative and gone home and wouldn't have necessarily come forward and said that they're accounted for at this point. >> so what more are some of the survivors telling you about those moments when the ship seemed to run into trouble? we heard from the one sound bite that some people simply jumped into the water. were you hearing a lot of stories about people swimming to shore, whether there was time for them to get life jackets or get in a dinghy or two? >> reporter: well, we understand that there was about an hour that elapsed between the time that the electricity went off and obviously the ship had to hit something and when they actually called for the evacuation. during that period of time a lot of people self-evacuated, if you will. they found the closest life raft
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and they got close to it to the point that they could get in. a lot of experienced cruise ship people knew which side to be on. a lot of people who had never been on a ship before found themselves on the high end of the ship. i guess that's the last place you want to be. those people were in life rafts about 45 minutes in some cases extended in midair and this is late at night, dark, chilly, so people self-evacuated before they officially evacuated them. >> oh, my goodness. all right, thanks so much for keeping us updated on that. we'll check back with you as the information merits. thanks so much. all right, and now to a story that has sparked outrage here in the u.s. the decision by mississippi governor haley barbour to pardon more than 200 prisoners, including four murderers. barbour is defending his decision telling reporters he is, quote, very comfortable with it. martin savidge joins us live from jackson, mississippi. martin, the governor's response -- former governor's
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response comes day after the pardon. why respond now? >> reporter: well, it's been almost a week now since governor haley barbour made those controversial pardons. despite the passage of time, the controversy and the anger in this state and across the nation has not really subsided that much so he felt he had to go on the air waves and try to defend his position. here's what he said on fox. >> over at the governor's mansion, we trust them to play with and to be looked out for by these people. if i trust them to be around my grandchildren, i think that makes a pretty plain statement. >> reporter: there's some -- a couple of remarkable statements in that very short clip. number one, he apparently is saying murderers are much more trustworthy than your average common criminals because they get life sentences. the other thing is because they were good around his grandchildren, they must be good and must be reformed. what he doesn't say is how naive that is. of course those prisoners will
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be on the best behavior in the governor's mansion because he holds the power to set them free. >> martin, you actually caught up with one of the men. in fact authorities have been in touch with three of the four pardoned convicted killers. what did the one man tell you? >> reporter: anthony mccray, he's the man that got a life sentence for shooting his wife in the back. he only served about ten years. and he is very happy to be pardoned by the governor. here's what he told us. >> it's a blessing to be out, see the children, trying to help take care of the children. i've been saved, i've been baptized, i've been reading the bible for 12 1/2 years. so it's just a true blessing. i didn't even do this, god did this. god touched haley barbour's heart to do this for us.
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>> again, we have to point out to you that there was no doubt that anthony mccray murdered his wife, it was done in front of witnesses in a cafe and he stood before a judge and he admitted to murdering his wife. he got life, he serves only ten years. we talked to the judge who sentenced him and he said that's just wrong. he was expecting that anthony mccray would be in prison until at least the age of 65, instead a decade later he's out because of what the governor did. >> and this isn't over, right? potentially the mississippi attorney general is exploring whether the pardons can be overturned? >> reporter: right. these are referred to as the mass pardons here. and it is simply become a mess in mississippi legally. so what is going to happen now is that the attorney general's office is reviewing all of the pardons that were done by governor haley barbour. right now they say many were not legal under the constitution of the state of mississippi.
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he anticipates that many of those pardons are going to be revoked and at least some of those prisoners that were pardoned will be going back to prison. also we should point out anthony mccray murdered his wife exactly 11 years ago tomorrow. for the family, that's very painful. >> martin savidge, thanks so much from jackson, mississippi. a sex scandal cost john edwards his political career and his marriage. now a serious health matter delays his upcoming criminal trial. details next. to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond. but with all the thank you points i've been earning... ♪ ...i flew us to the rock i really had in mind. ♪ [ male announcer ] the citi thank you card. earn points you can use for travel on any airline, with no blackout dates. can you enjoy vegetables with for travel sauce airline, and still reach your weight loss goals?
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south carolina's primary is exactly one week away. it's the first contest in the south and one that could dramatically change the presidential race. the candidates are all over the state today. cnn political editor peter ham be is live in greenville, south carolina. peter, a new american research group pole shows gingrich running neck in neck with romney in south carolina, just four points behind romney right now. so is it, i guess, too early to say that the lowcountry is
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becoming gingrich country as well? >> reporter: you know, a lot of people in south carolina frankly saw this poll and wondered how spot on it was. polls have been all over the place here in south carolina. our cnn poll last year, which is an eternity go in politics had romney with a much larger lead. some polls still show him as the front runner. gingrich and rick santorum, the two conservative candidates, vying to be the challenger. if gingrich becomes that person and beats romney here, it could have a profound impact on the race because, look, republican voters against romney have been looking for someone to beat romney at some point and be that viable anti-romney challenger. if gingrich does beat him here in south carolina, maybe it becomes a two-person race between romney and anti-romney down the road and maybe deserve afternoons can find a way to derail mitt romney. >> is it the social conservative vote that's going to make the difference here? >> reporter: i think it probably
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will. in ra six-person race someone like mitt romney can win with 25% of the vote but six in ten voters here call themselves born again christians or evangelicals. i'm here in greenville county, which is the biggest republican county in the state. rick santorum was here earlier today campaigning and he made the case that conservatives really need to get behind him to stop mitt romney. take a listen. >> the problem is, the person who's leading in the polls in the primary is someone who can't make that case because he passed a bill similar to obama care and said, and still says today it was the right thing to do. well, he said it was right for massachusetts. well, what do you think obama is going to do with that? oh, it's right for massachusetts and he said at times it would be right for the country. they're going to destroy him. that issue will be gone.
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>> reporter: so that's the case of social conservatives that rick santorum is making. it's a compelling case to a certain segment of the republican party. the problem for santorum and newt gingrich is that social conservatives like both of them and by consequence are dividing up the conservative vote, again giving mitt romney the space to possibly cobble together a win here without getting a majority of republicans as he did in the other primary and caucus states, fred. >> peter, let's talk about what's going on in texas today. there's a big gathering of christian conservative leaders there. what is this two-day meeting all about? >> reporter: yeah, this is a similar topic. you have some anxiety among conservative leaders, among religious leaders, among party activists about mitt romney. is he conservative enough for us to get behind? a lot of conservatives feel burned by john mccain last time. they thought he didn't represent a bold enough contrast to the democratic nominee and he couldn't really rally the republican base in a general election and that's why they lost. so in texas you have people like former focus on the family leader james dobson, don
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wildman, a host of conservative leaders gathered there to strategize about should we get behind a single candidate in the race. they say this isn't against romney, we're just trying to find the best candidate for conservatives to get behind, but again, we're still looking to see whether these conservatives might pick santorum or gingrich. they seem to be the two candidates they're talking about. >> you're covering a lot of ground but this is really do or die in this stage of the presidential race. let's talk about virginia now and a judge's ruling, a federal judge's ruling against four gop candidates that want to be on that ballot in march. >> reporter: yeah. this is my home state, virginia, and they are very, very tight ballot rules there. you need 10,000 signatures to get on the ballot, 400 signatures in each of the congressional districts in the state. rick perry and newt gingrich and jon huntsman and rick santorum did not make the cut. most of them submitted the petitions but they were thrown out because there were some flaws in the signatures. basically this means on super
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tuesday, virginia has 46 delegates at stake. the only two candidates on the ballot will be mitt romney and ron paul. there were jokes on twitter all day yesterday it looks like mitt romney just won the virginia primary because, you know, he's the front runner in that state and most other states and frankly compared to him -- if you compare him and ron paul, more republicans view romney has electable than ron paul. so it could be a walk in virginia on march 6 for mitt romney, fred. >> peter hamby in greenville, south carolina, thanks so much. appreciate that. join us every sunday afternoon at 4:00 eastern time when we dedicate an entire hour to the presidential contenders in this 2012 election. meantime, coming up today at 4:00 eastern time, we'll talk to tony perkins. he's the moderator of that big conservative christian gathering in texas. we'll ask him which candidate the group just might be backing for president. and straight ahead, race, religion and the removal of a body from a cemetery. our legal guys will be weighing in on that straight ahead. next, how to tackle credit card debt.
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our christine romans has an action plan to help you. ♪ secondhand smoke affects everyone's health. it's not just irritating. it can cause heart disease and even death. speak up about secondhand smoke.
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your health and the health of your family depend on it. coming up, oprah's choice for the white house. but first, we're just three weeks into the new year. are you still on track with your financial new year's resolutions? if not, the best investment you can make is getting out of credit card debt. christine romans shows you how in this week's smart is the new rich. >> america's national debt is now about as large as the entire u.s. economy. more than $15 trillion and growing. politicians are deadlocked over how to fix it, but only you can tackle your own personal debt and we'll help you do just that. you can pay down your highest interest rate credit card first.
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but if you need to pay off one that's a low interest rate but a smaller balance, do that too. whatever it takes to get you to start cutting down that debt. also cut your spending. strive to live on 70% of your income. if you can't afford it, put it down. use a debit card or cash to limit spending and don't activate the overdraft protection. you can take advantage of your credit card protection. keep your credit card balance below 30% of your overall limit. finally, please, please, please, please, please, please, check your credit history at annualcreditreport.com and clean up any mistakes right now. don't just close your eyes. you've got to find out what that credit history looks like. it's really important, folks. >> that's christine romans for smart is the new rich. later on cnn, if you want to go back to school or just get a jump start on your career, we'll have some information that can help at 4:00 eastern time. our lifestyle coach, valerie burton, will have five tips you need to know. so what do you think about the idea of going back to school,
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college, vocational school, community college, any of that? send me your thoughts. tweet me or send your comments to my facebook page. and a police officer accused of crossing the line all for a date. our legal guys weigh in on that case next. in america, we believe in a future that is better than today. since 1894, ameriprise financial has been working hard for their clients' futures. never taking a bailout. helping generations achieve dreams. buy homes. put their kids through college. retire how they want to. ameriprise. the strength of america's largest financial planning company. the heart of 10,000 advisors working with you, one-to-one. together, for your future. ♪
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i want to fix up old houses. ♪ [ woman ] when i grow up, i want to take him on his first flight. i want to run a marathon. i'm going to own my own restaurant. when i grow up, i'm going to start a band. [ female announcer ] at aarp we believe you're never done growing. thanks, mom. i just want to get my car back. [ female announcer ] discover what's next in your life. get this free travel bag when you join at aarp.org/jointoday. john edwards' criminal trial is being delayed because he has a life-threatening heart condition. the one-time senator and candidate is accused of violating campaign contribution laws. he allegedly used money to hide an affair, a scandal that ended his political career and his marriage. the judge delayed his criminal trial to late march now. a jewish woman claims her
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temple had no right to allow the burial of a black woman in a jewish cemetery. let's bring in our legal guys. avery freeman and richard herman, a new york criminal defense attorney and law professor joining us from, he should have an hawaiian print shirt on, but he's got a suit on as a decoy. he's joining us from honolulu after a little surfing this morning. you're killing me, richard. >> it's on underneath, fred. >> just checking. well, this is an interesting case, gentlemen, because we're talking about a woman who is imposing this lawsuit. she says that a black woman should not be buried in this jewish cemetery, but avery, you first, isn't the burial plot, isn't that in an area that's considered an interfaith plot? wasn't this 72-year-old woman who was part of this contesting of this burial part of the original, i guess, agreement that it was okay to bury someone of another faith in this interfaith section? >> yeah. back in 2009, the congregation
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opened up a section of the cemetery because of interfaith marriages and conversions. and the wonderful thing about that is that the deceased person, juliet steerer, who actually was thinking about converting, she's african-american, this is where she wanted to be. she was buried there in 2010. now one of the people that voted for this change said, well, she's buried a little bit too close to my relatives, if you can believe that, and she wants the body exhumed. well, about a month ago a superior court judge in connecticut, this is in hartford, said that she can move forward with her case and now she has to prove whether or not it's appropriate to exhume the body. i think she's going to lose this case, but it's a fascinating question. and it's sad foerr everyone, actually. >> juliet steerer, she bought this plot because it was a peaceful location, there was an
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agreement that, you know, she was going to be buried in this location, they accepted her money, and now after her death and after accepting the money and after the agreement, why would the court not side with her estate? why would the congregation be able to make this decision post-death, post-payment? >> because of this merger agreement that avery mentioned back in '99. but the temple did authorize a certain section for interfaith marriages and nonjewish people. this is just a disgusting case, fred. this woman was 47 years old, she died of cancer. she selected this plot. they took her money, like you said. even though her lawyer proclaims that her motives are pure, this is nothing but just blatant racism. this is horrible and i hope that the judge will dismiss this immediately or as soon as they
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can. this is just a horrific height of hypocrisy for this claim to be made like this. >> and this woman, juliet, she's not the only one buried in that interfaith section, is she? >> i think at this point she is. she's the only person buried there. but the fact of the matter is, they approved this area for this. they took her money. she carefully selected it. she died at 47 of cancer. give this poor woman a break. this is just horrific. >> okay. well, that case is not over. a hearing is planned for february 29th. meantime let's talk about another case that is very unusual, this in the chicago area. a young woman alleges that she was stopped for a speeding ticket, gets a citation and then not long after she gets a note on her door -- on the door of her -- the windshield of her car, rather, from the police officer saying that he wanted a date. so, richard, she is now saying she feels a little creepy about it, it's a violation of her privacy. she's actually suing the police
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officer who, by the way, has not commented since this became a legal case. what are the chances of her privacy being violated? >> who does miss thing think she is? it took a lot for him to leave a note on the windshield saying, listen -- >> richard, you're funny! >> i'd like to take you to dinner. that's all. >> that's not right. that's not right. >> she sued in federal district court. >> that's not right. >> can i read you a little bit of the note? it says it's chris. i'm that ugly bald stickney cop who gave you that ticket on saturday. i know this may seem crazy and you're probably right, but truth is i have not stopped thinking about you since and i don't expect a girl as attractive as you to even go for a guy like me but i'm taking a shot anyways. but hey, i did cost you $132. the least i can do is buy you dinner. >> yeah, that's right. and you want to know
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something -- hold on. in 1994, congress after the murder by stalking of an actress passed a law called the driver's privacy protection act. that is a federal law and it prohibits police officers and other officials from using the data that they gain, like from leads or other source from doing exactly what chris collins, the defendant in this case. creepy is an understatement. >> he should have known better. she should have known that he crossed the line. >> forget it. it's a violation of federal law. even if it's the immoral thing to do, i'm glad that evangelina that brought this case is doing it. it's a principle case and americans have the right to be left alone. can you imagine a single woman having to be exposed to this thing? good for her, i'm glad she's in federal court. >> she said it made her very fearful and nervous and she was
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filled with a whole lot of anxiety. you're just not feeling it? >> i think it's so ridiculous. you look at the note you just read excerpts from it. it's very -- look, if you don't want to, don't come, throw it away. come on, i think this guy is okay. i think she's completely overreacting. >> shame on him. >> she sued the police chief, the police division, she's seeking punitive damages. i think she may be a little nuts this woman. >> try to put yourself -- try to put yourself in the shoes of a woman. that's really outrageous to say that with all due respect. >> either way, we knew both of you would feel strongly about this case. there's another case we'll talk to you in 15 minutes from now. this is about a pregnant teenager who claims her family wants to force her to have an abortion. can they do that by law. we'll see you soon, 15 minutes or so away. and military investigators have contacted the four marines seen urinating on dead bodies in afghanistan. a live report from kabul coming up next.
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checking our top stories, at least three people are dead, dozens remain unaccounted for after a cruise ship ran aground in italy. rescue teams worked through the night to evacuate more than 4,000 people from the costa concordia. some passengers fell into the chilly waters when the ship fell to its side. >> the boat tipped, like he was turning, but it didn't return to
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level. on the other side of the ship, which was the high side at this point, the life boats got stuck and there were people hanging in the -- well, in the life boats safely, but they were hanging in midair for a long time. children crying and screaming and people actually jumping. we heard that passengers jumped -- not passengers, but crew members jumped at the end into the water. >> former mississippi governor haley barbour is defending his decision to grant pardons to more than 200 convicts, including convicted killers. barbour pardoned four murderers in his final days in office. the convicted killers all worked as trustees at the governor's mansion. the former governor says that these men should be trusted. >> i've let my grandchildren play with these five men. i've let them ride their tricycles out on the driveway
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with them watching out for them. i have no question in my mind that these five guys are not a threat to society. >> a judge temporarily halted the release of the pardoned inmates who are still in custody. and oprah winfrey is celebrating the first graduation at her leadership academy in south africa. why she's speaking out about leadership in the united states and why she hasn't officially endorsed president obama. >> everybody always asks are you going to do what you did in 2008. what i did in 2008 i did because people didn't know really -- my own friends didn't know who he was at the time. they were like who's this guy? you think that guy is going to be president? i go, yeah, i really do. >> winfrey tells cnn that she will help the campaign if the white house asks her to. military investigators have talked to four marines seen this week on a video urinating on dead bodies in afghanistan. nick payton walsh joins us now from kabul.
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nick, what do we know about these men and what's going to happen from this point on? >> reporter: well, we know that these marines probably left afghanistan in october last year. we know that they were marine snipers, a reasonably elite part of the marine force that could often spend many days isolated out in the field in small groups. we know they were in a pretty rough part of town here where a lot of violence has gone down, but of course at this point we have no idea what possessed them to commit this act. the u.s. marines endured some of their worst losses in the helmand province. a sniper unit was recently deployed in helmand but nothing else is clear. the video you're about to see is hard to watch but listen how cheerful they sound as if they're recording a trophy video rather than evidence of a possible war crime. >> yeah. yeah.
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have a great day, buddy. >> there are some clues that the helmets here adapted to fit the sniper rifles they hold. consistent with the claim they're a marine sniper unit. the dress of the men on the ground, likely afghan. all of it sparking universal condemnation. a video recently posted on a public website appears to show u.s. military personnel committing a disgusting act with insurgent corpses. any acts which treat the dead, enemy or friendly, with disrespect are utterly unacceptable and do not represent the standards we expect of coalition forces. >> reporter: president ha midkarzai's spokesman spokesman called it simply inhuman and
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condemn national in the strongest possible terms. the taliban condemned this barbaric act of american soldiers and called it an action against every human and ethical value. for once, rare agreement between the afghan government and the taliba taliban: now, you can remember actually how disgusting this act is to the muslim faith. in the culture here where a dead body is held in great sacredness, washed and buried in 24 hours. we've also heard condemnation from afghan president hamid karzai but what we haven't seen is how this video, this image which many fear may become so symbolic for the dislike toward the nato presence here, we haven't seen how it's played out in afghan society where the internet is pretty wear, television not common and many people may learn in the days and weeks ahead.
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we'll have to see how that harms the presence of nato troops and efforts to bring peace to afghanistan after a decade of war. >> nick, thanks so much from kabul. coming up, we'll talk to a former naval military attorney about this disturbing case and look into what charges these four marines just might face. and in other news, bieber fever just won't seem to go away. coming up, a surprise performance from one groom to his baby. yo ve lost some weight. thanks! you noticed! you know these clothes are too big now, so i'm donating them. not going back there again. good for you! how'd you do it? eating right, whole grain. whole grain? whole grain. [ female announcer ] people who choose more whole grain tend to weigh less than those who don't... multigrain cheerios has five whole grains and 110 lightly sweetened calories per serving... more grains. less you! multigrain cheerios.
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a pregnant teen claims her family demands that she have an abortion. so who does the law side with? our legal guys are back, avery friedman in cleveland, richard over in honolulu. richard, you first. this teenage girl from corpus christi, she gets pregnant, about ten weeks pregnant. she wants to keep the baby. her family says you've got to get an abortion. i guess by law can this family force her to make the decision that they want about her pregnancy? >> no. texas center for the defense of life has stepped in. there's been court proceedings. a guardian has been appointed for this 14-year-old young girl and temporary restraining orders have been issued against the family from pressuring her or
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taking her to any sort of abortion clinic. if this young 14-year-old wants to have this baby, she's going to have the baby, fred. >> and so, richard, so the judge has stepped in, barring the family from forcing her to do so, just as richard explained, but at the same time giving like a deadline by next thursday, a deadline to do what? >> a deadline to choose whether to keep the baby or not keep the baby, but she wants to keep it and she's going to be allowed. under the law no one can force her to terminate this pregnancy, fred. >> avery, what can potentially happen here? >> well, i see this case very differently. reproductive rights, if this young woman who became pregnant at 13 years old wants to keep the baby, she certainly has that right. but what we have is the lawyer for this anti-abortion group making representations about what's going on, claiming that the family used violence to get
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her to end the pregnancy. in an interview with the grandmother, however, the grandmother admitted, yeah, we counseled her. we said you can terminate this pregnancy or you can go full term. and that's been spun, it's been turned around as if it's a reproductive rights case. an injunction has been entered based on those representations by the lawyer for the young woman, and so we'll find out if that injunction is renewed. my bet is that it will not be, because there is no pressure on this now 14-year-old to end the pregnancy. at the end of the day, i think it was a spin against choice issues. this young woman has the choice, yet if the family used violence, i simply don't accept it. >> so even when involving a minor -- >> interesting, fred. fred, i wonder what would happen if it was reversed and she wanted to terminate the pregnancy and her family did not. i wonder how it would be treated in texas. >> well, or you wonder if this
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organization would be supporting her. >> right. >> because it's a one-way street. that's why it looks like a spin. >> interesting. let's move on to another case, this too involving a pregnant woman. this woman is suing larry flynt's new year hustler club because she said she was fired and first demoted because she is pregnant. can a company do that, avery? >> no, they can't do that. >> if there was a uniform involved, which is what the company was saying, there's a certain look that they want their waitresses to have. >> what is that look? >> one that would be belly baring because of the costume. >> hey, look, federal law requires that a employer reasonably accommodate an employee. the fact is that the plaintiff here in federal district court is now claiming that she can perform the job. she is a waitress. she is not a stripper, she is a waitress, and she can perform
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the job. and you want to know something? if hustler wants to change the uniform a little bit to accommodate, they can do it, but they are fighting this thing. they want her out. they don't want pregnant women in there. apparently they want to appeal to the people that like to see semi-nude women. well, that's too bad. judge colleen mcman, a federal judge in new york, has entered an order this week. there's a hearing coming up and i think she will prevail. >> richard, by federal law pregnancy is treated as a disability, so her condition is protected. >> it's protected, fred. but come on, let's be realistic here. she's a waitress. they wear very skimpy outfits, the waitresses. the woman is pregnant. she's full-blown showing everything. she can't wear the skimpy outfits. >> so they should have a maternity version. >> yeah. >> right. >> she needs maternity leave or something. >> right. >> or a baggy outfit or something there.
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i don't know. look, larry flynt, he's been around constitutional issues for years. i think he better dig into some of the funny money. i think he'll be paying this woman. >> we're laughing because you all make me laugh, but it is a serious matter and this is a case being taken very seriously, so it will be interesting to see how it is eventually concluded. richard and avery, thanks so much. appreciate that. here's another case that you all are very familiar with. go back to surfing there, richard, in honolulu. i'm jealous. this is a case considered case closed, one that we heard a lot from avery and richard. judges sentenced joran van der sloot to 28 years in prison for killing a 21-year-old peruvian woman in 2010. he was visibly upset after the decision was issued. van der sloot also has to pay more than $74,000 to the victim's family. the judges said they took his confession into account but still gave him a sentence two
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years short of the 30-year maximum. joran van der sloot was also the prime suspect in the death of 18-year-old natalee holloway. an alabama judge signed an order on thursday declaring her legally dead. holloway was last seen may, 2005, leaving a nightclub in aruba with van der sloot and two other men. holloway's father filed a petition in june of last year to declare his daughter dead. his ex-wife, beth, opposed the move and told supporters she was upset by this judge's latest decision. >> natalee's father wanted to see this through, and of course it makes me very sad. >> no one was charged in natalee holloway's disappearance and her body has never been found. coming up, this martin luther king jr. weekend, announced plans to correct an inscription on his national memorial in washington. my mother froze everything.
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have more fiber than other leading brands. they're the better way to enjoy your fiber. coming up, denmark's royals celebrate a major milestone. but first, another memorable moment, especially for one particular briechlde. you're not the bride in this case. >> no, i'm not. >> you're here to talk with me. >> it's miss emily. >> let's take a peek at what happened with miss emily and her groom and everybody else decided to -- very cute. i totally love you, lady.
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oh, isn't that cute? >> going viral on the internet, 1.9 million people have viewed this. brian surprised his bride, emily, and did this whole choreographed thing. that seems like it's very popular these days. >> yes, yeah. i think people have really caught on to this. you know, they're taking music video to a whole other level and making it live and very personal. >> look how cute they all look. and justin bieber had seen it and he tweeted nice moves, great song, great job, guys. >> okay. maybe he can hire them if he needs another act. i doubting it. thanks, very fun. so one teenager is giving his time and effort to put a roof over the heads of many people in need. one roof at a time. you'll meet him next. our science teacher helped us build it. ♪ now i'm a geologist at chevron, and i get to help science teachers. it has four servo motors and a wireless microcontroller.
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the stories making news around the world now. tensions build in the strait of hormuz. the crew members seem to be holding ak-47s. this comes after iran has threatened to close the strait. coming up at 3:30 i'll talk to retired navy captain alec frazier about strategy in this volatile situation. and euro zone countries react to standard & poor's credit rating downgrades. a total of nine countries were bumped down.
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the french financial minister brushed aside the negative news insisting france is still a safe bet for investors. the move wasn't unexpected. the s&p warned 15 countries last month that rating cuts were probably coming. and celebrations in denmark this weekend as the country's queen marks 40 years on the thrown. the queen began the day solemnly by laying a wreath at her father's grave. during official jubilee day tomorrow, she will present herself to the public. millions of young people say they want to change the world. well, today cnn heroes recognize one person who actually did. justin churchman is just 18 years old, but he's already changing lives in juarez, mexico. how is he doing it? one house at a time. >> to give someone, it's from your heart and it's to their heart. you literally change their life forever. my name is justin churchman.
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i work with an organization that builds houses in juarez, mexico. after i built my first house, i just fell in love with it. it changed my heart and changed the way i saw the world. it's an addiction. >> he organized a team and at 13 years old led a group of americans across the border. he built a home and handed the keys of that home to that family in need. >> this is our first house that we built. we met this wonderful lady and i've just fallen in love with it. [ speaking spanish ] >> he had a goal pretty early on that he wanted to build 18 houses by the time he turned 18. >> and my parents got behind me and supported me and the organization supported me and on my 18th birthday, i completed my 18th house. >> he's absolutely a young wonder. he's changing the world, one house at a time.
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>> so do you know someone who is making a big difference in the lives of others? go to cnn heroes.com and tell us about them. your words just might change the life of someone working every day to help others. nominate a 2012 cnn hero today. and coming up, on the eve of the release of the red tails movie, one of the original tuskegee airmen talks about his role in world war ii.
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it is 2012 and capitalism is on trial. i'm ali velshi, welcome to your money. a luxury vacation has turned into a fatal shipwreck with dozens of people missing. a liner from costa cruises an aground. right now the cause it not known. there were more than 4,000 people on board. and the movie "red tails" is in screenings around the country. it's about the tuskegee airmen and their roles in world war ii. among those who watched an early screening of the movie, airman robert friend. >> let's give those newspapers something to write about.
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hello. >> robert friend was among those who got a chance to watch the movie firsthand. he was a p-51 pilot. i got a chance to talk with him and he said it's important to recall history, whether it be in person or in the movie. >> i flew 142 missions. >> you said that like it's no big deal. >> it was no big deal. >> really? >> nope. in fact when the war was over, i was really a little bit disappointed because i was frustrated that i didn't know what i was going to do the next day. >> did your gut ever say that this was a program that was designed more for failure than it was success? >> i don't believe that you can design a program for failure. because you can't control all of the elements. they couldn't keep us from doing the right thing. they couldn't keep us from learning what we could. >> portions of this history have been told in