child. that is all lfor us tonight. good evening, everyone. breaking news in the heart-breaking story of a brain-dead woman being kept on life support in texas against her and her family's wishes because she's pregnant. it's a major development that could change the way a lot of people see the case. also on the program tonight you already know that washington's broken. tonight when it comes to trading money and power you'll see how it got broken without anyone ever actually breaking the law. we're keeping them honest. also it is not over yet. millions digging out from the snow or hunkering down against brutal deadly cold. and later, a little boy who ran into a burning home. you should know about this little boy. his story is incredible. he went to save lives. he gave his own life. he was eight years old. we begin with breaking news. the story that has set off a national debate over life and death and whether being pregnant takes away a woman's right to have her end of life wishes respected. marlise munoz was 14 weeks pregnant when she collapsed with

an apparent blood clot. in any event, well before she fell ill, both she and her husband had discussed being in precisely this kind of situation according to her husband. neither wanted to be kept alive like this. they're both paramedics. however, under texas law, because she's pregnant the hospital is refusing to take her off life support until the baby can be delivered. tonight, though, the family is releasing new information about the fetus's condition. it is disturbing. ed lavendara, what have you heard from the attorneys representing the family? >> reporter: just a little while ago we had a lengthy statement. in part it reads according to the medical records the attorneys have received in the last few days, we have been provided, the fetus is quote distinctly abnormal. even at this early stage, the lower extremities are deformed to the extent that the gender cannot be determined. the lawyers also go on to say

that they have informing that suggests the fetus is also suffering from hydrocephalus. there appear to be other abnormalities including a heart problem that cannot be specifically determined because they're unable to move marlise munoz's body. all of this going on. this is exactly the kind of situation and details that the family says they do not feel like they should have been compelled to share with the world, but they say that in this case, because of all of the talk surrounding whether or not eric munoz, the husband of marlise munoz wanted this baby to come to term if there was any hope. they were saying all along they didn't think the fetus was in any kind of condition. but despite all of this, the attorneys say it does not matter. marlise munoz is dead.

and because she was dead they should have honored her husband's wishes in november when she collapsed. >> her husband has filed an emergency motion. obviously, the clock is ticking on all of this. >> they did that a week and a half ago, i believe, we just found out today as well that the emergency hearing has been scheduled for this friday afternoon in ft. worth. and this is an emergency motion. the family wants marlise munoz disconnected from the ventilating system there at the hospital at john peter smith hospital in ft. worth. they go on to say in this statement also tonight, anderson, that quite sadly this information is not surprising due to the fact that the fetus after being deprived of oxygen for a an -- for an indeterminate

amount of time, is gestating within a dead and deteriorating body, as a horrified family looks on in absolute anguish, distress and sadness. they are asking she be taken off the ventilators and turn her body over so she can be buried properly. >> has the hospital responded? >> reporter: we have reached out to the public hospital there in ft. worth. they are actually represented by prosecutors for the district attorney's office in ft. worth. we've reached out to both of them. they told us tonight they would have no comment before the hearing on friday afternoon. >> all right, ed, i appreciate the update as disturbing as it is. i want to bring in our legal analyst sonny hostin and mark geragos and obgyn host of the health and heels broadcast. dr. masterson, this is disturbing stuff but it may impact this court ruling. the fetus's lower extremities are deformed to the extent that gender can't be determined. apparently the fetus also suffers from water on the brain, hydrocephalus. and a possible heart problem. i think fluid on the brain not water.

can you explain these issues how serious they are, what it means? >> they're very serious for the fetus. actually just the fetus. we don't have that many studies of fetuses living in mothers who are brain-dead that actually do well without any problems at all. usually because of the setting, it's very different to replicate the female physiology with machines. and so they're usually born with -- if they're born alive, they're usually born with some kind of deformities, anyway. so the fact that it's starting off with these things that they've seen, they can also do blood tests and they can also check the amniotic fluid. to check for other disorders to identify them. but even if the baby had no deformities at all, there's a very low chance that it actually would be born without some form of deformity. >> would these abnormalities that already exist, would they be the result of when she passed out and cutting off oxygen to the fetus? or to the mother's brain? do we know what would have caused them? >> no. no. because that's a very acute

event. and hydrocephalus, those occur very early. and that could have been due to just a genetic aberration or exposure to certain materials. but that was not the cause of the blood clot, which is something that can occur in pregnancy because clotting is very -- it happens a lot more in pregnant women because of the high levels of estrogen. >> i want to turn to sonny and mark our legal analyst. sonny, all along you have said this belongs in a court. you have said that you don't believe this pregnant mother really would have wanted to be taken off life support had she known she was pregnant and going to be in this situation. does what appears to be the medical condition of the fetus, does it change your opinion at all that the mother maybe should be taken off life support? >> it doesn't change the legal analysis. it really doesn't. this belongs in a courtroom for a judge to decide. because the law we know is very, very murky. it's unclear.

her wishes weren't in writing. even if they were in wright -- in writing, though, according to the law in texas, they would have been disregarded. so my analysis of this case doesn't change. it is tragic to hear that this baby is deformed. but her very lawyers who released the statement said the same thing that i'm saying which is we believe it has no legal relevance to the pending litigation. so while tragic, it just doesn't change the analysis. >> mark, to you does this change the analysis at all? or where do you stand on this? >> no. the analysis isn't changed to the extent that the hospital has taken a completely unreasonable and unlawful position here. she is not live. she is not alive. and therefore, the hospital has no duty under -- even under this crazy texas law the way it's written, they have no duty to keep her alive. and because she's brain-dead under any state-of-the-union.

in terms of what does change, knowing now about the abnormalities which were obvious to anybody who's ever studied anything along these lines, what does change now is that there is no longer any argument that this is nothing more than a back door into abortion. that's why this law was passed. this is precisely kind of the gravamen of what they were trying to get to in texas, to redefine abortion and viability and things of that nature. but i will make the prediction, you can save the tape, sonny. the judge, if they're in a courtroom that's not an elected judge, is going to rule that she's going to be taken off of these artificial measures. [ overlapping speakers ] >> i don't think that's clear at all, mark. >> this is an end of life decision. it's a medical decision that hospitals and doctors deal with. unfortunately, a lot more often. and without something in writing, this is why i also agree that it is a legal decision. without something in writing, you do not know what this

woman's wishes are. a lot of times women's wishes change when they're pregnant. [ overlapping speakers ] >> guys, stop. >> nobody knows what this mother would say. >> let me insert actual fact here. rather than just argument. her wishes are actually in writing, not about what would happen in the event that she's pregnant and this occurs, but she was a paramedic. her husband and she had discussed this. apparently her wishes are in actual writing. about wanting to be taken off life support. it doesn't say if i'm pregnant i still want to be taken off. it doesn't have every permutation but has her wishes in writing. >> i think it's important. i think context is really important in this case. i think the doctor will agree. women have different opinions about when they're pregnant. >> sonny, you're injecting yourself into this woman's head despite what she's written down. >> the problem is, a lot of families will project what they want for a patient. we have to be the advocates for the patient. without very clear instructions

from the patient, people are put in very difficult situations. [ overlapping speakers ] >> the patient is dead. the patient -- >> one at a time. >> without knowing what that directive would be. in effect later we can as physicians. >> mark you're saying she's dead. >> everyone's wrong to mark. >> yes, i hate to news flash. >> you know everything. >> i don't know everything. i know how to read a statute. i know in every state of the union if you're brain-dead you are dead. i don't know what state this doctor practices in but she ought to take a look at the code section there. because when you're brain-dead, this isn't a vegetative state, this isn't a coma. this is somebody who is dead. this is somebody as anderson pointed out and nobody seems to want to accept it, has already left her written instructions. so there isn't an issue here. for people who want to argue the abortion issue. >> it's less than clear, mark. the statute is less than clear. you're talking about the brain-dead statute. >> let me jump in here with

another fact. in the statute which i've read, i have it in front of me here, it says taken off life support such that is that it will terminate life, cause the death of the patient. isn't the patient already dead, sonny? >> well, that's why i say this is murky. i've read the statute as well. who is the statute directed to? just the pregnant woman or perhaps the fetus? >> but the family -- >> it doesn't matter. >> the family's attorneys are now saying, sonny, by your argument any woman in the state of texas who dies should have a pregnancy test then done on her in case she has a fetus inside her, then then she should be somehow artificially kept alive until the fetus is born. >> well, that is a really specious argument. i mean, lawyers love to say stuff like that. >> that's ridiculous. but that's just taking it to an illogical conclusion. >> that's why it needs to go through the process of a legal system. if the legal system arrives at the point where it says everyone

is in agreement that this woman needs to be taken off life support that's what it arrives at. but we need to go through that process. because it is in a situation where there is another life at stake. and that's where it becomes murky. >> mark, go ahead. >> it isn't murky at all. i don't know what statute anybody's reading except the one that anderson read which says when it is on life support. there is no life. she is clinically dead, okay? she is legally dead. so you've got that statute. you've got her wishes. it is over. this is such nonsense where people what they really want to talk about is overruling roe versus wade. if that is the discussion -- >> that is ridiculous. we're not talking about abortion. >> yes, you are, this is all a proxy for abortion. >> in all fairness, and to argue sonny's side here for a moment, look. i've gotten a lot of tweets from moms saying look, you don't

understand. if this mother knew she was pregnant and going to be in this situation, she would do anything to bring that fetus to life. >> that is right, she may have actually changed her mind in this situation, we don't know that. >> well, we do know that this is someone who is a paramedic. her husband said she's had this discussion. her father said she's had this discussion. and now i've got two females here. i know i'm going to be accused of not having a uterus again. >> there you go, mark. you're crossing the line. >> the fact remains that she did have this discussion. unless you're calling the father, the husband, liars, and you're saying posthumously after this woman is dead that her wishes don't matter. >> context matters. >> sonny in new york should make the decision for her. >> context matters. >> yes, context matters. it's an abortion debate, all this is an abortion debate couch in the end of life --

>> that's ridiculous. and the point is i think this is the point that the doctor is making as well. the decision around the discussion was not made in this context. context really matters, especially when you're talking about advanced directives and you're talking about a pregnant woman. >> okay. >> and it's a hard decision but we have to look at everything. >> well, certainly, mark, just in terms of the legal aspect, friday there's this emergency hearing. will a decision be made and that be final? >> well, the emergency ruling will be made. whether it's final is a completely different issue. because you've always got appellate relief. and the end game here by the hospital, as i said before, is to try and get this into an abortion stance in terms of the weeks of the fetus, the age of the fetus, so that they can make another argument because this is just a trojan horse argument for abortion. that's all the statute was originally. that's all the way that they misinterpreted it right now. you'll see that come friday. >> all right. we'll see what happens on friday. we'll cover it. dr. lisa masterson, appreciate it. mark geragos, sonny hostin as well. difficult situation, let us know

what you think, tweet us @andersoncooper. the keeping them honest report from the intersection of dirty money and politics. and the story that got chinese government thugs so mad at a cnn correspondent they attacked him on the street. we'll show you the rest of the video. ♪ [ male announcer ] your eyes. even at a distance of 10 miles... the length of 146 football fields... they can see the light of a single candle. your eyes are amazing. look after them with centrum silver. multivitamins with lutein and vitamins a, c, and e to support healthy eyes and packed with key nutrients to support your heart and brain, too. centrum silver. for the most amazing parts of you. over the pizza place on chestnut street the modest first floor bedroom in tallinn, estonia and the southbound bus barreling down i-95.

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tonight we're beginning a year-long investigation into money, influence and politics. having just seen the indictment of the governor of one state and governor chris christie. you might think we're talking here about laws being broken, in fact, when politics and money mix they often can be, not necessarily, though. as a journalist, michael kinsley famously wrote about washington, the real scandal's not what's against the law, the real scandal is what's legal. what you're about to see tonight, some call the extortion game played by the politicians who make the rules. >> we talk about corruption in third world countries. in this case, the corruptors have written a law to make it legal to the corruptees. i consider that atrocious in the name of democracy. >> what's got former shell oil president john hoffmeister so worked up is what many people in this town simply call business as usual.

it's not only that money buys influence, it's also pay up or else. it sounds cynical, but just look around and you see it everywhere. like this typical thursday morning. it's just after 7:00 a.m., and already the rush for the morning money is on. this is a breakfast fundraiser. for florida's republican governor rick scott. want to contribute? it will cost you. the invitation says it's $2500 to get in. want a picture with the governor? that will cost you 5,000. his host the princopee group. remember that name. governor scott is in d.c. on the business of raising money and once this event is done he'll race across town to his next event, another fundraiser. it's all pouring into his political action committee, a pac. political action committees are one of the main ways politics gets paid for.

from pacs, the money flows into campaigns, often through washington, where politicians always seem to have a fundraiser under way. just down the street, this d.c.c. food restaurant will hold four fundraisers in the next 90 minutes. the man hurrying past our camera is utah democrat jim mathsen. his ski pac is holding one of them. it's a $5,000 a plate breakfast. a fundraiser for a guy who would soon announce he's leaving congress. around the corner, a steak house is holding a breakfast fundraiser for the republican chairman of the house ways and means committee, dave kemp of michigan. for $5,000, the invitation says you'll be a star of his re-election campaign. on this thursday morning, a dozen or so fundraisers will be held before a single congressional vote is cast. it's all status quo says author peter schweitzer. the business of politicians

shaking hands and shaking down anyone who wants to do business here. >> it is a feeding frenzy that's going on. and i think we need to somehow break the back of the ability of politicians to leverage their position to extract donations. >> reporter: if that sounds like he's accusing politicians of using the power of their office to shake down constituents for cash, well, he is. schweitzer is a fellow at the conservative hoover institute and head of a nonprofit research group called the government accountability institute. he's also just written a book called "extortion." >> the politician, particularly one in leadership or one that's powerful, can really make or break a company. so companies and other entities are put in a situation where they have to play ball, because if they don't, bad things are going to happen. >> basically instead of buying votes, they are selling decisions. >> yes. i think the model, the way we always think of the influence

market in d.c., is that it's like bribery. that you have these outside interests that are in effect bribing our politicians. and that certainly can take place. i think the bigger problem is more akin to extortion. where the politicians identify wealthy companies or industries and basically mark them for extortion. they introduce pieces of legislation or they threat -- threaten certain things that put those entities into a position to where they have to play ball. >> reporter: one person who knows all about this fully legal form of extortion is the former president of shell oil usa, john hoffmeister. >> i realized that there is a price to participate in the political process. what i never knew was what a huge price it was and how it was an endless process of continuously being hit up for money. >> reporter: in 2008, when oil prices were skyrocketing, hoffmeister was hauled before committee after congressional committee, 18 different hearings.

some members of congress even threatened to nationalize his industry. the televised hearings, all political theater, he says. when the camera light's turned off, some of the very members who criticized him in public were asking for money in private. and he says you'd better pay. >> there's a huge price to not pay the price of the campaign request. >> really? >> there's a price in terms of access, there's a price in terms of interest by the member. and so if you haven't paid your price of entry, who are you? i've actually been asked by a member. who are you? because i've never met you before. now that the election's over you're coming to ask me for something? where were you before the election? and to me, that is just -- it puts a sickness in my stomach to realize that it's all about the money. >> what i think you're describing to me is wink and a nod extortion.

>> it's pay to play. and i agree with the word "extortion." as harsh a word as that is, it's an atrocity that nobody seems to care about because it just goes on and goes on and goes on. >> reporter: we wanted to ask utah democratic congressman jim mathison about fundraising at his breakfast, and specifically why he was raising money for his political action committee at the same time he was deciding to leave congress. he wasn't interested. we also wanted to ask michigan republican congressman dave kemp why he needed so much money. he raised nearly $4.5 million in his last campaign. his opponent raised a paltry $37,000. kemp has blown out his closest challengers for years. so what's all this money for? no comment. and then there's florida governor rick scott. remember that first fundraiser he was having? it was hosted by the princopee group, a company founded by

former veterans administration secretary anthony princopee. two days before hosting this fundraiser for the governor, the group gave $10,000 to governor scott's political action committee which is called let's get to work. it turns out the princopee group got to work at least in florida. where in 2012, the group won a $1.8 million contract to help stop the closure of military bases. like the two congressmen, governor scott wasn't exactly interested in talking about the relationship between fundraisers and contracts and doing business with the state of florida. >> you have to go talk to let's get to work. >> reporter: we did ask the pac, let's get to work, but we got our answer back in an e-mail from the florida republican party which says "the infer ens -- the inference in your question is invalid and not worthy of a response.

governor scott makes all decisions based on what is best for the people of florida, what will create jobs, careers and opportunities for its citizens." in other words, that d.c. fundraiser, the $10,000 donation, the $1.8 million contract, it's all just a coincidence. >> drew griffin joins me now. drew, there is all this money being raised. do we know what it's for? especially when you have some of these congressmen who run almost unopposed in election after election. >> reporter: really. some of these congressional districts so divvied up and gerrymandered they don't face opposition. to be blunt the rules on what pacs money can be used for they become more or less slush funds for politicians. they can literally use the money to enhance their lifestyle, take trips, hold parties, even run up credit cards for daily expenses as long as it has marginally to do with the business of governing or politics. >> and you're going to be looking more at this. >> reporter: yes. this and the actual business of getting rich in congress. why now are so many, anderson, the majority of our federally elected officials millionaires?

why are their sons and daughters and spouses in the lobbying business, why are so many government contracts going to firms where relatives work? peter schweitzer claims this is all legalized extortion and this is what we plan to focus on in the year ahead. >> good. look forward to it. drew, thanks very much. i want to clarify the brain-dead mother in texas we were just talking about in the previous segment before the break, i misspoke when i said her wishes were in wright. -- in writing. i misread something. they were not. her husband said she relayed her wishes to him that she not be on life sustaining measures when brain-dead. she did not specify that meant when she was pregnant. we'll obviously continue to follow the story. there's going to be a hearing on friday. up next, bone chilling temperatures hitting a big portion of the u.s. after a brutal snowstorm. we'll get a live report from chad myers out in the middle of it. and a home goes up in flames. this story is remarkable. you should know about this little boy. six people are rescued, the hero dies, an 8-year-old boy. he went in to rescue others and did. so his mother says he died doing just that. she speaks out.

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when we left you last night, tens of millions of people from iowa to maine were getting dumped on by inches and in some places feet of snow. in the cool light of day, the snow's impact is plain to see and still being felt in snow-covered streets and canceled classes and lives lost. many facing what could be deadly cold temperatures. >> reporter: the monster winter storm of 2014 is being blamed for at least two deaths. the driver of this vehicle in virginia lost control, crossed lanes and struck an oncoming car, killing himself and his passenger. accidents littered much of the

east coast, like this 18-wheeler in north carolina. its front end crumpled from a collision. and this truck that flipped on an embankment in maryland. but for those most affected by the storm, which stretched a whopping 1,000 miles, digging out was the order of the day. philadelphia got hit with over a foot of snow. and despite the frigid air and high snow accumulations, some philly residents ventured out and turned the iconic steps of the museum of art into a sledding hill. in new jersey, where the governor declared a state of emergency, crews at met life stadium plowed the field where the super bowl will be played in just 11 days. nfl officials say in the event of more extreme weather on game day, a contingency plan could include moving super bowl sunday to saturday or even monday. here on massachusetts's shoreline, wind gusts of up to 35 miles per hour sent the wind chill down to negative 7 and generated monster waves. just to give you some

perspective on these waves as they crash on shore, the sea level at least 10 to 12 feet below me. but these waves have been pushed by winds for miles and miles. 35, 45-mile-per-hour winds making these waves bigger and bigger. and down a little bit farther down to the south here, a lot of these waves are crashing over the seawall as they come in at a 95-degree angle. and we're still one hour from high tide. and as the east coast continues to deal with the aftermath of the storm, temperatures in many areas are expected to remain 15 to 25 degrees below normal. at least until the weekend. and more surges of arctic air are expected next week. >> amazing pictures. chad joins us now from plymouth, massachusetts again tonight. so what's the biggest threat tonight? >> reporter: you know, it's cold. but it's not as cold to me because the wind isn't blowing. there's snow. there's a lot of it. so if you're walking through it or trudging through it, it's not heart attack kind of snow but

there's a lot. we're talking 18 inches right here. the issue i think today, and especially just watching people come out of this restaurant, when they went into this restaurant, a couple of hours ago, this street was wet because it was full of salt and sand. but now it isn't wet anymore. the salt and sand not working. the salt doesn't work when it gets below 10 degrees. it can refreeze. and we are seeing the refreezing. so what people think was a very easy to drive road just a couple hours ago is going to turn into another skating rink. not just here in massachusetts but all the way down even toward d.c. every place that it's snowed it melted in the sun today and it's refreezing at this hour. >> all right. well, be careful on the roads if you're driving. chad appreciate it tonight. an 8-year-old boy from east rochester, new york is being hailed as a hero. we want you to know his name and hear his story. the story does not have a happy ending. tyler dooen was staying with relatives when he realized their

house was on fire in the middle of the night. he woke up six people and got them safely outside. officials say tyler then ran back into the house to rescue his disabled grandfather but both were overcome by intense heat and smoke and died. another relative was also killed. tyler's mom obviously is devastated. she says her son and his grandpa were best friends. >> it makes me proud. it really does. but i just want him back. i'm just so grateful that he went with people that he loved. he didn't go alone. that he didn't cross over alone. i'm just so glad that he was with his best friend. >> so sad. fire officials say there was no working smoke detector in the house. jean casarez has been following this story, the fact he lost his life trying to save his family, it's just obviously heartbreaking. what do we know about exactly what happened? >> reporter: it so is tragic. we've learned there were nine people in the mobile home. and seven of them got out, including tyler. and then all of a sudden this little boy, this little 8-year-old boy, realized his grandpa was in there.

as you said, he was disabled. he was an amputee, anderson. and so the little boy went back in. he made a left-hand turn to go to the back bedroom. and the fire chief, chris ebbmyer told me today that what they now realize, this little boy had his grandpa in his arms as if he was trying to lift him off the bed to take him out to safety. well, tyler's mother has spoken with some of the survivors. she now gives more of that story. listen to this. >> i guess he let go of her and tried to get to my dad. and she opened the window and he wasn't there anymore. she couldn't see. she was going like this through the smoke. and all i can keep thinking about is how he couldn't breathe. how scared he must have been. >> reporter: a source close to the case tells me the autopsies are ongoing because two of the three victims cannot be identified because of the intensity of the fire.

and anderson, they tell me dna may have to be used. >> do we know anything about the condition of the other people in the trailer? how are they? >> reporter: they have been in the hospital. what i was told today is that they want to interview them because this is an ongoing investigation. and they haven't been able to fully ask them all the questions they want to. the cause of the blaze is officially undetermined at this point because there is just a lot of things they want to look at. they do not believe there was any suspicious activity going on. neighbors are saying that they had given the family at least one space heater. that is not confirmed though by officials. >> all right. brave little boy. jean, appreciate the reporting, jean casarez. a fund has been set up to help the family pay for funeral expenses. if you want to donate, we put the information on our website. go to "ac360".com. a cnn reporter roughed up by police in china. we'll see if chinese authorities

will cut off our signal in beijing when we talk to david. a u.s. government official makes a serious suggestion about nsa leaker edward snowden. but does he have any actual evidence to back him up? we're keeping them honest. to quote from whitman, "you are here." "that life exists and identity." "that the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse." "that the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse."

what will your verse be?

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or add a car to your policy. personalized coverage and savings. all the things humans need to make our world a little less imperfect. call... and ask about all the ways you could save. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? today in beijing, a chinese activist who leads a campaign to expose government corruption went on trial. he's accused of gathering crowds to disturb public order. the activist has a high profile in china so the officials were intent on keeping the trial under rest. however, our cnn's david mckinly was determined to report it.

he was roughed up by police as he and his crew attempted to approach the courthouse. they recorded the assault on camera. this is what happened. >> man handling us. we're heading towards a court in beijing where a prominent activist goes on trial today. this is a public space. there's no need to shout at me. the recorder is just behind us. just behind us the name of the activate is chou zerong. the reason he's in trial he had a gathering of people several times and was one of the founders of the new citizens movement. that is why there are all these police surrounding me here. we're going to go try look at the entrance of the court, which is just here. sorry. you can't stop me. this is a public place. this is a public place. why must i wait? >> your passport. >> this is a public space. this is a public space. excuse me. you don't push me. do not push me. this is a public space. don't hit me like this. this is a public space. they're physically man handling us. they're physically man handling me. this is a public space. i'm allowed to report. i'm allowed to report.

you cannot do this. >> that's exactly what they did. by the way, our signal in china has gone black. there's some censor in china watching us as we're talking about this and turned the signal off. let's talk to david mckenzie. david, the fact that in the face of that kind of thuggery you remained as calm as you did is remarkably impressive. just to be clear, chinese law allows you to shoot in public places, right? you were not doing anything illegal. >> reporter: well look, anderson, there's a law on paper in china and then there's the law in practice. as foreign reporters, we can report on paper. they say we can report throughout this country and do effectively what we would do in the states as it were. but in practice, in instances like this, sensitive cases like this, when thugs take it into their own hands to be enforcers of the law, there's very little one can do about it. so the rights that might be on

paper get thrown out the window. >> it's also fascinating. you see censorship in real time happening again on the bottom of our screen there you can see us being censored right now in china. it's kind of surreal. i want to play more of this video you shot. let's watch. >> they're now physically man handling us. they've taken away our place cards. this is not illegal what we are doing. we are reporters. we are reporting in a public space. ow. these guys are physically man handling us. they're not allowing to us do our work. we were just on a public space trying to tell a story. please do not kick me. >> hey hey hey. do not physically manhandle us. >> well done you broke the

camera. you broke the camera. [ overlapping speakers ] >> just calm down. are you an angry man? >> what were they saying to you as they were basically assaulting you like that? >> reporter: well, the one gentleman there is in fact responding with an english swear word at us. but certainly they were telling us to get out of the area, they wanted to see our press cards, anderson. when we gave them our press cards they took them away and our phones. they didn't allow us to call cnn. they didn't allow us to call the foreign ministry. the government has responded, saying that they'll investigate this case. but really, they say that there was a police cordon that was very clear. that was not the case. us and several other journalists were pushed out of the area. so certainly not transparent in any way in not allowing foreign journalists to do their work. >> david mckenzie, glad you and your crew are okay. keeping them honest a pretty

simple notion, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence especially when those making the claims hold extraordinary power such as michigan congressman mike rogers who is chairman of the house intelligence committee as only one of a few dozen lawmakers privy to some of the nation's secrets. now, when he talk, people listen. when he said this on "meet the press" this weekend suggesting that nsa leaker edward snowden was working for russian intelligence while still working for the agency raised eyebrows. >> i believe there's a reason he ended up in the hands, the loving arms of an fsb agent in moscow. i don't think that's a coincidence number one. number two -- >> needing the russians help, ed snowden? >> believe there's questions to be answered there. i don't think it was a gee whiz luck event that he ended up in moscow under the handling of the fsb. >> now, you can consider snowden a traitor or a hero, whatever you want, for stealing and leaking classified information. you can wonder who if anyone he was working for.

what you can't do, however, is determine for yourself whether chairman rogers' implication is true. that's because he gave no evidence to back it up. today edward snowden from russia denied the implication calling it quote absurd. so that leaves his word against congressman rogers. mr. snowden is exiled in russia so we're unable to talk to him. we thought we might have better luck with chairman rogers. we asked him to come on the program to tell us what he could about his claim. he declined. which again leaves the allegation hanging out there totally unsubstantiated. the implication from mr. rogers, clear, basically trust me. keeping them honest, with so many stories we've taken public servants on their word before only to find out they weren't telling the truth or exaggerating. listen to this exchange from senator ron widen and director of national intelligence james clapper. >> what i wanted to see is if you could give me a yes or no answer to the question. does the nsa collect any type of data at all on millions of -- or hundreds of millions of americans? >> no, sir. >> it does not? >> not wittingly.

there are cases where owe >> again when the facts came to owe light we learned that statement by director clapper was false. this time with the latest allegation we're still waiting for facts. dana bash has been trying to figure them out. she joins us now with more. you tried to get in touch with congressman rogers. what were you told? >> reporter: a spokeswoman for rogers told me what he said on sunday is all he can say at this point. she encouraged me to look closely at the transcripts. he was on the nbc program that you just showed. after that he was also on cbs. he was pressed. and there he suggested that he was deducing that snowden could have been a russian spy based on clues. one of them was that some of the information he said snowden got had nothing to do but with privacy issues but instead with u.s. military capabilities and operations overseas, anderson. >> what are your sources telling you about what the house intelligence committee which congressman rogers heads knows about this? you could say well maybe he was told something by the house intelligence committee in a closed door meeting. >> reporter: exactly.

well, i'm told that neither the committee he chairs, which is the house intelligence committee, or its counterpart in the senate, the intelligence committee there, has gotten any official indication that edward snowden was a spy for russia or anywhere else. the reason is because when these active investigations of a leak go on, the protocol, the counter intelligence protocol is to wait until the report is done to give these oversight committees the information. in fact, on sunday you saw that there was also the senate intelligence chairwoman, diane feinstein, on with him. she was much more circumspect. she was asked about this allegation and suggestion that rogers made. and diane feinstein said well he may well have but we don't know at this stage. but mike rogers is also someone who may have his own sources in the intelligence community and likely does. he was a fbi agent, a special agent himself before coming to congress. so it's possible that he got a tip from an investigator that this is something they were looking at. but because he won't elaborate

we just don't know. >> all right. again, no evidence of this in the public domain that we've been able to find. we'll continue to look for it and ask for questions from rogers. dana, appreciate the reporting. before we go, i do want to i take a look at the bottom right hand corner of the screen there. that is a shot of cnn inside china. the blackout -- they blacked out our signal during david mckenzie's report. as you see it is back on again just ahead tonight. so hello, china. what olympic officials reveal today about another terrorist threat to the sochi games. plus what toronto mayor rob ford said today about his latest drunken rant which was naturally caught on video.

ha ha! to maddy! congrats on paying off all those student loans! finally! right? how'd you manage that, anyway? i started tracking my spending... changed a couple habits. wow, i'm kinda living paycheck to paycheck right now. i don't even know how i'm doing it. well, have you tried saving a little? [laughs] i want to, but where's that money gonna come from? [phone rings] bill collectors. they're the worst. am i right? [laughs] announcer: when it comes to financial stability, don't get left behind. not home. announcer: get tools and tips for saving at feedthepig.org. dis it's stories making headlines. check in with susan hendricks and a 360 bulletin. >> the u.s. olympic committee and several other european countries received an e-mail warning of a terrorist attack at the olympics in sochi next month in russia. the international olympic committee said it takes security seriously but added the e-mail

appears to be a random message from a member of the public. a cnn exclusive up, iran's foreign minister says the white house is mischaracterizing the nuclear deal that took effect on monday. the agreement calls for iran to freeze part of its nuclear program in exchange for eased sanctions. listen to what the iranian official told cnn's jim sciutto. >> what iran has agreed to is not to enrich above 5%. we did not agree to dismantle anything. what we agreed to was not to enrich over 5%. we agreed that and we're not enriching over 5%. but we're not dismantling any centrifuges or any equipment. we're simply not producing -- not enriching over 5%. >> reporter: to toronto's infamous crack-smoking mayor now rob ford says he suffered a minor setback after this video was posted on line this week showing him battling with a

jamaica accent, babbling at a fast food restaurant. he says he was not taking drugs and calls it a private matter. north shore of oahu this week is expecting monster waves. surfers will love this. but a surfing competition was cancelled today due to high wind there is. >> susan, thanks very much. coming up how not to celebrate martin luther king jr. day. what some college students did that you will not believe. it's on the ridiculist next. hmm? [ male announcer ] new alka seltzer plus-d relieves more symptoms than any other behind the counter liquid gel. thanks for the tip. [ male announcer ] no problem. oh...and hair products. aisle 9. [ inhales deeply ] oh what a relief it is. ♪ this is the first power plant in the country to combine solar and natural gas at the same location. during the day, we generate as much electricity

as we can using solar. at night and when it's cloudy, we use more natural gas. this ensures we can produce clean electricity whenever our customers need it. ♪ red time now for the ridiculist. monday was martin luther king jr. day. in events around the country obviously americans paid tribute

to the civil rights leader's life and his legacy and with respect and some solemn observances. they honored his dream. there were memorials and parades, and many volunteered during the day, making a difference in other people's lives. then there's what happened at arizona state university where members of the tao kappa epsilon fraternity dressed in basketball jerseys throwing gang signs and drinking from believe it or not watermelon cups. now i know, you don't want to believe that something so racist and asinine and ignorant could actually happen in 2014. frankly it would be easier to pretend someone got the story wrong. after all there's no proof that this happened, right? there is. in fact they posted pictures of the party on instagram with hash tags like happy mlk day, homies. and blackout for mlk. there's the woman with a watermelon cup.

arizona state says the university will not tolerate this kind of behavior and suspended the tau kappa epsilon fraternity and is planning action against the individuals involved while it investigates. the last time we had a story about frat bros about "the ridiculist" is was about those who ingest alcohol through their behind. those are freaking rhodes scholars compared to these mlk frat bros. that's the thing. we're just plumbing the depths of stupidity here. to me it is terrifying, terrifying that these people made it into college without learning anything about what is appropriate human behavior and terrifying they've got an astounding lack of awareness to actually post pictures of it like it's the spring semiformal or whatever. plus it's the dumbest idea i think i've ever heard of. whatever happened to the good old-fashioned toga party? that's still a frat bro thing, isn't it?

actually scratch that. i would not want to see what this particular group of morons would do if you gave them a bunch of white sheets. look, i get some college kids are going to do stupid things. i get this generation of college kids seems determined to document it all online, where to live forever a permanent testament to shameless idiocy. perhaps that fact is punishment enough, though, on "the ridiculist." that does it for us. thank you for watching, "ac360" later is next, stick around.