i'm ashleigh banfield. it's monday august 12th, and welcome to our first edition of "the legal view. "we' >>> here is where i want to begin with breaking news, legal news, out of new york city. a federal judge has just ruled that the nypd, the police department here, and its controversial stop and africa policy, well, it is unconstitutional. that's a policy that allows new york police officers to stop and frisk anyone they consider suspicious. it did not sit well with a lot of minority men and minority men sued saying they were being unfairly targeted for no legitimate reason. joining me now is cnn legal correspondent jean casarez. this is a big issue. this took nine weeks to litigate, and the judge came down and said, you're right. we have this little thing called the fourth amendment and you can't break it. >> that's right, constitutional rights. this information is just coming in right now. it was a ruling this morning, and this judge is saying that the stop and frisk, the way it is done in new york city

i'm ashleigh banfield. this "legal view." it's wednesday, august 14th. welcome to the program where we dig into the top legal stories and cover the top stories as well. right off the bat, a little of both. a very big day in the michael jackson trial. today on the stand, the pop star's former wife debbie rowe is set to appear. she's the mother of his two oldest children and knows a lot about family life. her testimony could be crucial in this extraordinarily long wrongful death trial. cnn's ted rowlands and jean casarez are on this story, on the case, and they join me live. ted, i want to begin with you. what can we expect to hear from her today in court? >> reporter: well, first thing we could expect, ashleigh, she's not going to be very happy. she lives on a horse farm and doesn't like being in the limelight. being on the stand is the last thing she wants. she's a crucial witness for aeg. what they want to pull out of her is the following. they want to establish that michael jackson was using drugs for decades and specifically he us used propofol for de

welcome back to "legal view," everyone, i'm ashleigh banfield.d punishment, the reign and terror that capture the trial of james "whitey" bulger is tough to top. what a saga. for years, he was the vicious mob boss of south boston. no more, though. he's going to be an inmate. he is expected to spend the rest of his life behind bars after being convicted of racketeering and murder and a whole lost of gang crimes i don't have the time to list for you. it's that long. his lawyer says there is absolutely going to be an pa peel, because he says the judge refused to allow whitey bulger to defend himself with the argument that in effect he was given a license to kill by the government. because the government game him immunity for his crimes. that's what he says. deborah feyerick with more on how this drama played out. >> reporter: as whitey bulger's mob enforcer, kevin weeks says he buried the bodies, moved the guns and collected the cash, which bookmakers and businessmen paid to stay in business. weeks was one of the government's eye-witnesses. last mon

i'm ashleigh banfield. officially settled with one of the victims of jerry sandusky's abuse. it's supposedly in the millions of dollars, though no one is saying. according to the university's attorney, 25 more settlement are close to being finished. sandusky is, of course, serving 30 to 60 years for sexually abusing numerous children. joining subcommittee our legal team this morning -- joining me is our legal team this morning, mark mejaime and mark calum. welcome, nice to see you on the set and new show. >> thank you. >> $60 million sounds like a lot of money. when you have the number of victims that we're talking about in this case, a, is it enough money, and b, do they have to a parce this out well in advance? >> i think they estimated it, but really it's not enough if you think of the real abuse that got heaped on these young people. they've lost their childhood. how do you put a value on that? if you take the number of purported victims or victims who have come out and you divide it by the 60, each is

i want to bring in ashleigh banfield here who can help in the coverage. ashleigh, as i'm glancing down at some of the tweets from deb feyerick inside the courtroom for us, kevin coltman following this minute by minute for the boston globe tweeting whitey has just taken his seat. whitey's chair just fell over. an oman. ashleigh. >> this is why cameras in courtrooms are so critical. this is real life drama. it's not just drama for spectators. it is drama for those who are affected by these crimes. and the greater society who has had to pay for the prosecution and had to live with the effects of these crimes as well. and what's happening inside that building, brooke, is critical. it spans decades. and why is that so difficult when it comes to a courtroom? think about the memories that fade over just a couple of years. now over a couple of decades. now over three decades. think about the witnesses who die and can no longer tell their stories. or at least have their voices heard in court. think about those jurors who may be too young to even know what the '70s

ashleigh banfield will tell us what he said and what people are saying now.s hard to describe, because you have a numbness, but yet you have the pain like thousands of needles sticking in your foot. it was progressively getting worse, and at that point i knew i had to do something. once i started taking the lyrica the pain started subsiding. [ male announcer ] it's known that diabetes damages nerves. lyrica is fda approved to treat diabetic nerve pain. lyrica is not for everyone. it may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, changes in eyesight including blurry vision, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling, or skin sores from diabetes. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. those who have had a drug o

let's head to new york to ashleigh banfield.ple are hacking into people's baby monitors? >> it's a weird story but it goes beyond being a weird story. it is a frightening story for the parents who had to deal with hearing a strange man's voice in their 2-year-old girl's room, only to walk in and find that he was speaking to her through the baby monitor and saying really hideous things. we're going to talk about how illegal this is, whether it's a federal crime and what could happen to this person if they catch him. how hard is it to catch someone doing that? >>> also, the disappearance to alexis murphy. a guy may have had a connection to another missing teenager. we'll talk to you about that. >>> and carol, are you doing the math? count along with me. what day are we in with the michael jackson trial? 843? >> it's actually 869. debbie, the mother of two of his kids, is going to take the stand. she may have insight into his drug use, propofol, and i don't think she ever wanted to be on the tv to start with. when you get involved

welcome to "legal view," i'm ashleigh banfield. it's wednesday, august 21st.the school shooting in georgia, an elementary school. an image without question you just never want to see. children ages 4 through 10 runn f

. >>> from celebrity court, welcome back, i'm ashleigh banfield.on -- all of these stories about padding around his house in jam mys, walking around in his slippers and reading stories to his kids. his ex-wife actually appeared in court yesterday to tell us about those anecdotes and a lot more too. >> debbie rowe told stories -- in her second day of testimony, michael jackson's ex-wife mesmerized jurors talking about her life with the king of pop, including his journey into addiction which she said started after this whorrific accident i 1984 that burned jackson's scalp. but she also talked about the good times. he wanted to be the best parent he could be as photos of her and jackson and their children were shown in court. he stayed in costume while she gave him a ride and rowe broke down in tears while this concert video was play from 1996 in munich, germany. munich is where rowe testified she saw doctors administer doses of propofol to induce jackson's sleep, the drug that eventually killed him. she said she told her boss jackson's dermatologist

"legal view" with ashleigh banfield starts now. sdmoo are they obligated to take immediate action in that country? also this hour, talk about disorder in the court. wow. what would you do if you heard your brother was stabbed 69 times? and say it ain't so. the battle of the sexes that took the nation by storm in the 70s, a sham rigged? a bombshell report alleging that bobby riggs through the match with billie jean king. >>> hello, everyone. welcome to "the legal view." i'm ashleigh banfield. >>> the president appears on the verge of ordering military action against syria for allegedly using chemical weapons. the secretary of defense, chuck hagel said as much this morning in an interview with the bbc. >> if the order comes, you're ready to go like that? >> we are ready to go, like that. is the white house says that president obama has not yet made a final decision, but his national security team will present him with the final options within days. take a look at the map that shows where syria has allegedly used the chemical weapons

welcome to "legal view," i'm ashleigh banfield. it's wednesday, august 21st. i want to begin with the school shooting in georgia, an elementary school. an image without question you just never want to see. children ages 4 through 10 running for their lives because a gunman is discharging an ak inside their school. we are so glad to report that no one was hurt at this time and the alleged shooter brandon hill is now behind bars and he is facing multiple charges. our david mattingly is live in decatur, georgia. what have you been able to find out about this particular suspect and his background? >> reporter: ashley, michael brandon hillary was in trouble with the law before he came to this elementary school back in march. he was arrested for terroristic threats and acts and we spoke to the d.a. at a neighboring county where the arrest took place. he said that hill threatened to kill his brother via a text message. well, he was arrested, he was charged, he went before a judge and his sentence was three years probation. he was ordered not to go anywhere near his b

. >>> legal view with ashleigh banfield live from the set of her new show in new york. bout paula deen this morning. >> oh, girl, did you just see me holding this dismissal of the lawsuit against her? we're going to dig into it, find out what was dismissed and what isn't dismissed. but carol, i have a big question for you. are you ready? >> ready. >> have you ever seen a sign saying "no blacks" or "no jews" or "no christians"? anywhere? >> no, just in old pictures from the '60s. >> right. it's history, isn't it? except if you're in a houston area, because there is honest to god a sign that was found saying "no muslim parking. your car will be towed." i kid you not. what year is this again, carol costello? >> i think it's 2013. >> you would think, right? we're going to tell you why this happened, who is behind it, what's being done. and more importantly, what can signs say and what can't signs say and what's the broader element, as well as the news of the day and the legal angles on the crime and justice story. that's next, carol. >> can't wait. thank you, ashleigh banfie

john berman in for ashleigh banfield today. been watching the sentencing hearing for ariel castro in cleveland. he is being sentenced today to life in prison, plus 1,000 years for holding three women captive for nearly ten years. we are getting dramatic details today about what went on in that house for all that time. and we are hearing and set to hear from ariel castro really for the first time at length a little bit later today. as the day began, we did hear briefly from mr. castro, who began to apologize to the women he held for so long. let's listen to what he said. >> i would like to apologize. can i do that now? >> yes, you may do that now. this is one of your opportunities to speak. >> so as you could hear, ariel castro apologized. he also said he expects to speak later on today. we assume that will be at length. people who know mr. castro have said he will talk for a period of time and let the world see the real ariel castro, whatever that means. as i said, it has been a day of high drama there. we have been learning de

welcome to the "legal view," i'm ashleigh banfield. our very top story, momentum for the u.s. military strike against syria is building and with deliberate speed today. a senior u.s. official says the pentagon is ready but that there are in fact other pieces that need to be put in place before president obama issues any kind of an attack order. those pieces include getting congress on board and also building that very important international coalition. top administration officials say they are convinced that the syrian military did carry out a chemical attack against syrian civilians last week. syrian rebels say more than 1300 people, including children, were killed in that gas attack. for more on this rapidly developing story, i want to go to cnn's chris lawrence at the pentagon. what are your sources saying right now about this speed and exactly how long it might take to click those boxes that they are talking about being necessary? >> i think you touched on a couple things, ashleigh, that the administration is still working on, still building the legal justification for goi

i'm ashleigh banfield. monday, august 26th. let's get started and get straight to the big headlines. in syria, the united nations says sniper fire hit one of its vehicles carrying u.n. weapons inspectors who were just trying to check for evidence of an alleged chemical weapons attack. there were no injuries, luckily, and no word on who was pulling the trigger in that sniper attack. activists say the inspectors later reached the alleged attack site and had been checking for evidence with doctors there. a white house official this morning saying president obama has made no decision yesterday on taking any military action in syria. in an exclusive interview on cnn's "early start," mr. obama hinted that time to act may be near. >> when you start seeing chemical weapons used on a large scale, that is very troublesome. this is something that is going require america's attention and hopefully the entire international community's attention. >> wolf blitzer will join us at the bottom of the hour for more on this developing story. there

ashleigh banfield is the leader of pay per view. now the media manager for the drug policy alliance, a group. they delivered 400 ounces of cocaine. it's a crime, nobody denies that. but did you have an idea that you would spend more than a decade in prison for that crime? >> no, i didn't. it was an awakening. i walked into a living nightmare, made a first-time non-violent drug sale. a bowling buddy asked if i wanted to make a fast $500 delivering an envelope pto mt. vernon from the bronx. at first i said no. but i got desperate and when you get desperate you do stupid things. i delivered the envelope and walked into a police sting operation. 25 cops surrounded me and i was sentenced to 15 years to life and the mandatory drug sentencing mandates maximum sentencing laws. >> if you're eric holder, you're looking at $80 billion spent on prisons every year. one year of youth jail, $88,000. the cost of public school, $110,000. ashleigh, did you see any dissenters to eric's proposals? >> you would expect a cacophony. eric holder said stop

i'm ashleigh banfield. we have a lot to cover this morning. i want to take you first and foremost right to the west coast where an agonizing wait has been made even more so this morning with word that the man who is suspected of kidnapping these two kids, a 16-year-old girl and possibly her 8-year-old brother could be armed with homemade explosives. a nationwide manhunt is on for james dimaggio, suspected of abducting one or both of these children whose mother was found dead after a fire in his home. and now dna testing is continuing on the body of a child also found in that burned home resembling perhaps an 8-year-old boy. their grandmother, who has already lost her only child, spoke to cnn. >> when she comes back, that's a feeling i can't even tell you. worse than the feelings we're having now. it's just -- it would be so unbelievable. but she's all we have left. and that's it. >> that's hard to watch that but it's really uncanny. take a look at grandmother and granddaughter. it's hard not to miss the uncanny resemblance between these family

cnn's ashleigh banfield said it's a license to kill which was a gross exaggeration and it's indicativef the pressure that's coming under the president. >> judy, you know as much or more about what's going on in egypt than any of us at the table. have any of them taken sides? >> i think a lot of them have. a lot of them are looking at what happened around ta rears square. we were all that because we were toppling a dictator, but now a lot of reporters who are there, including richard engel who's a superb reporter normally, all the footage was about the crackdown on the poor muslim brotherhood, but there were no pictures of the poor muslim brotherhood attacking police, kill 45g of them, attacking 39 churches, burning people. mine this is a very ugly civil struggle and the president is right. we have to take some distance. i'm glad he didn't cut off aid to egypt. >> did the media force the president's hand in coming out while he's on vacation in making that statement? >> no, i think real forced his hand. i'm not aware the president has a policy other than say something, fill up some air t

"legal view with ashleigh banfield" start right now. >>> hello, everyone, i'm ashleigh banfield.ugust 19th. welcome to the "legal view" where we dig into the top legal stories and the top news stories, as well. and here's where we begin -- olympian oscar pistorius has officially now, officially been indicted for murder. he was in court today on what would have been the 30th birthday of his girlfriend and victim, reeva steenkamp. look at the crush of the press. that may be the story itself. the remarkable circus around pistorius as he left the

"legal view" with ashleigh banfield starts now. >>> bet you didn't see this one coming. yesterday bradley manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison for leaking military secrets. but today he says he has a new name and it's chelsea manning. >>> also ahead, the california teenager whose disappearance captivated the nation got herself back in the spotlight live on tv, first thing this morning. we have part of that interview for you and some of her answers to probing questions. >>> and a phone call from the lieutenant governor to a texas police station, and you better bet the political rivals are screaming over this one. abuse of power. but was he simply trying to help a relative in trouble or was it in fact much more than that? hello, everyone, and welcome to "the legal view." i'm ashleigh banfield. it's thursday, august 22nd. i want to get you first up to this story. we're hearing the dramatic 911 tape from that school shooting in decatur, georgia, detailing the harrowing moments as a disturbed young man went into the front office and turned a bookkeeper, a mere book kee

ashleigh banfield will be talking about that on "legal view" in the next hour. >> this woman injectedlled a baby and this baby was in her mother's arms when it happened. you would think that a 99-year sentence plus an additional, i don't know, 60 might ensure that the woman never walks free but what about this loophole? why does it exist? can they backtrack it, change it, and make it retroactive? it is a big question and there's one woman right now who is prepared to exhume her own baby to try to keep that woman behind the bars. i'll tell you about that story and all of the legal arguments to go with it. >> ashleigh banfield, we look forward to it. >>> lgbt athletes. we're going to talk about wade davis next. [ woman ] ring. ring. progresso. i just served my mother-in-law your chicken noodle soup but she loved it so much... i told her it was homemade. everyone tells a little white lie now and then. but now she wants my recipe [ clears his throat ] [ softly ] she's right behind me isn't she? [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. >>> professional sports stars are supp

i'm ashleigh banfield.f "the legal view. "we' >>> here is where i want to begin with breaking news, legal news, out of new york city. a federal judge has just ruled that the nypd, the police department here, and its controversial stop and africa policy, well, it is unconstitutional. that's a policy that allows new york police officers to stop and frisk anyone they consider suspicious. it did not sit w

ashleigh banfield is here in "legal view."the legal case for war is something that people have been talking about all week. you can get into the weeds on that with all of the international law and there's something else, how does americans feel about this? what are we doing? are we really wanting to get ourselves involved? the brits just said no and what about our ability to stomach another effort even though it's a humanitarian crisis? i'm going to show you some numbers, carol, coming up and might really surprise you in what being a world police has been like for us and how we may be dropping in the amount that we're prepared to help other people. >> can't wait to see it. >> checking our top stories at 45 minutes after the hour, two twins are in stable condition after jury johns separated them. emit and owen were connected and surgeons say they are cautiously optimistic. it's going to be a soggy labor day across much of the united states. flash flood watches will be in place. storm front is moving through the midwest and nort

ashleigh banfield, thanks. >> okay. >>> still to come, you heard about walmart's promise to buy more usa. why some people say it's just lip service. [ shapiro ] at legalzoom, you can take care of virtually all your important legal matters in just minutes. protect your family... and launch your dreams. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side. and i'm here to tell homeowners that are 62 and older about a great way to live a better retirement. it's called a reverse mortgage. [ male announcer ] call right now to receive your free dvd and booklet with no obligation. it answers questions like how a reverse mortgage works, how much you qualify for, the ways to receive your money, and more. plus, when you call now, you'll get this magnifier with l.e.d. light absolutely free. when you call the experts at one reverse mortgage today, you'll learn the benefits of a government-insured reverse mortgage. it will eliminate your monthly mortgage payments and give you tax-free cash from the equity in your home. and here's the best part -- you still own your home. take control of your retirement t

"legal view" with ashleigh banfield after a quick break. a challenge. take control of your nutrition with each delicious bar provides boost bars are perfect with a meal or as a nutritious snack. plus, they are available in chocolate and peanut butter chocolate flavors. a great-tasting way to get the nutrition you need. brand power. helping you buy better. accomplishing even little things can become major victories. i'm phil mickelson, pro golfer. when i was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, my rheumatologist prescribed enbrel for my pain and stiffness, and to help stop joint damage. [ male announcer ] enbrel may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, nervous system and blood disorders, and allergic reactions have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. you should not start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tel

i'm ashleigh banfield with this type for this weekend, close your blinds. i'll see you on monday with our brand new show. "around the world" starts now. >>> a new terror threat and a chilly relationship with russia. they are tough topics the president will discuss today at his news conference. >> two turkish airline pilots kidnapped. >>> oprah winfrey says she's a target of racism. she wanted to look at a $38,000 bag in switerland but the clerk wouldn't let her. >>> it's not clear if this is connected to the broader threat that prompted closing 19 embassies and consulates. they ordered all to leave. officials say the decision was in response to specific threats against the consulate. >> pakistan remains a hot bed of violence internal and external. the city is home to extremists who have sympathy to al qaeda. >> they have been working with the pakistani military. from russia with love might have been a great movie but there's little between the u.s. and russia now. >> president obama likely to face a few questions about the strained relations when we gives t

ashleigh banfield and author of how i painted my way to freedom, media manager that advocates for theecreased criminality of drugs. >> you were paid $500 to deliver 4 1/2 ounces of cocaine. it's a crime, you don't deny that. did you have any idea you would spend more than a decade in prison for that crime? >> no, i didn't. it was an awakening. i walked into a living nightmare, made a first time non-violent drug sale. a bowling buddy asked me if i wanted to make a fast $500 delivering an envelope from mt. vernon to the bronx. at first i said no and i got desperate and when you get desperate you do stupid things. 20 cops came out of nowhere, arrested me. i did everything wrong and sentenced to 15 years to life under the rockefeller drug laws which mandates mandatory sentencing laws. >> that's what ache rick holder is wanting to reduce. it cost the taxpayers for incarceration, youth, $80,000. cost for tennessee school, $10,000. last year, there were more people incarcerated in this country than received bachelor's degree s. did you see any dissenters to eric holder's proposal? >> you wou

i'm ashleigh banfield. it's thursday, august 15, and welcome to the helegal view.t takes you into egypt. our president, president obama, interrupting his vacation this morning to address this nation on the widespread deadly violence in egypt. speaking from martha's vineyard, he cop demmndemned the violence has killed more than 500 and wounded over 3,000. have a listen. >> to the egyptian people, let me say the cycle of violence and escalation needs to stop. we call on the egyptian authorities to respect the universal rights of the people. we call on those who are protesting to do so peacefully. and condemn the attacks that we've seen by protesters, including on churches. we believe the state of emergency should be lifted. the process of national reconciliation should begin. that all parties needed to have a voice in

i'm ashleigh banfield. good to have you with us. i want to begin in southern california where a desperate father is waiting to learn the fate of his two kids. 16-year-old hannah and 8-year-old ethan anderson went business hadding after their mother was killed and her body and the body of an unidentified child were found burned in a home. brett anderson made an impassioned plea to the man accused of killing that woman and abducting his children. have a listen. >> jim, i can't fathom what you were thinking. the damage is done. i'm begging you to let my daughter go. you've taken everything else. hannah, we all love you very much. if you have a chance, you take it. you run. you'll be found. >> cnn's paul vercammen is covering the story live in san diego. paul, it's not hard to miss that that father did not mention the name of his son ethan in that appeal. do we know anything about the whereabouts of ethan? >> reporter: well, this is what we do know. a law enforcement source told me that the remains found inside the home are consistent w

i'm ashleigh banfield. it's tuesday, august 20th. welcome to the "legal view." we start in texas where the prosecution is almost ready to wrap up its case against the army major named nidal hassan who topped the news for months because he admitted to killing 13 american soldiers at ft. hood in 2009. cnn's ed lavandera has been on top of this story. he shows us some of the most important rulings regarding what prosecutors say about his motive. >> reporter: almost four years after the ft. hood massacre, nadal hassan will be center stage expected to try to justify why he killed 13 unarmed fellow soldiers and wounded more than 30 others. >> there's no telling what he'll do when he gets on the stand if he testifies which i suspect he will to tell his story which admits to the fundamental crimes and then gives an excuse for doing so. >> reporter: for the victims' families, the testimony could prove to be a painful side show. hasan has been told he cannot argue he killed american soldiers because in his view they were preparing to fight muslims in afghanistan and iraq.

i'm ashleigh banfield.motherapy, months overit, it's pretty brutal. then finding out that you didn't need it. it was a scam so a doctor could make a lot of money. a cnn pamela brown reports a doctor did and now he's being held on $25 million bond. >> reporter: 25-year-old dustin dropped out of college after being diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. >> i've never been so tired. just exhausted. >> reporter: he was referred to dr. fareed fatah, a michigan cancer specialist who began administering special treatments to kalie. >> to me it was a lot and hard to go through. but when your doctor tells you that's what's going to cure your cancer, you don't argue. >> reporter: he joins scores of other patients who are shocked to learn the doctor was arrested last week on charges of not only falsely telling patients they had kacancer, but also giving tm unnecessary chemotherapy treatments. >> it's very upsetting because i really liked him. >> reporter: motive? pure greed according to federal prosecutors. he allegedly

i'm ashleigh banfield. let's get started. we're going to take you first to the west coast where the desperate search for two missing children in california has changed. it has spread to oregon. an amber alert has been issued there for 6-year-old hannah and 8-year-old ethan anderson. of course prompted by a possible sighting of a vehicle that's wanted in connection with this case. authorities expected that 40-year-old james dimaggio abducted at least one of these children after their mother's body was found in a burned-out house. a child's body was also found but so far authorities have not released an identity on that child. the children's father, brett anderson, was on cnn's "new day" this morning. >> i believe the hardest thing is still to come when i have to go and start cleaning out their apartments and rooms. but i have a lot of support here with me and we'll try to get through it. >> first off, the most important part, did that tip on the vehicle that took us to oregon end up panning out, paul? >> well, the sheriff's of

i'm ashleigh banfield. it's nice to have you with us today. happening right now, the murder trial for one of the worst mass killings in united states history. and if you want to talk about one very strange setup, let me set the scene for you as it's unfolding right this moment. army psychiatrist major nidal hasan was just brought by helicopter from an off-site jail and he's being brought back to ft. hood. that is the same military post where he admitted to slaughtering 13 people and wounding 32 others four years ago. the court building itself where he is set to stand trial is barricaded with large sand containers. and&we're talking about huge metal containers. this is what people are seeing when they arrive at court today. but you're not going to see a lot of photos, because the military is now restricting any and all photography of hasan while he is on this army post. military law has prevented him from entering a guilty plea, because prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against him. the last time they executed a service member was 1961,

i'm ashleigh banfield. nice to have you here with us. i want to continue on that story, the legal side of that story. there is one thing that driver could do. one thing. could actually testify against those boys if those boys face those charges. so let's bring in our legal panel, criminal defense attorney nicole joins me now. exactly what is our duty to respond as citizens, especially if we as citizens sometimes find ourselves caring for youngsters. brian, your first thoughts when you heard about this. what were they? >> my first thoughts about this case were it's sort of one of those situations where heads, you lose, tails you lose. there's no winning situation for this driver under these circumstances. if he intervenes and got involved it that situation, one of the other boys got hurt, he could be subject to criminal liability. he could be drawn into a civil lawsuit. on the other hand, what he did was call the dispatcher. he said there was a problem here, he needs help in a hurry. all of these things were going on. he did what he was s

. >>> good evening, i'm ashleigh banfield in for erin burnett. we're continuing our breaking news. have you ever watched a long resignation in progress? because that's what you're doing now. the san diego mayor, bob filner, with the city council giving what can only be described as a bit of an off-the-rails depa departu departure. it is remarkable the details. i'm just going to let this speak for itself. listen in. >> so, i'm going to go through the terms. i'll explain them. they're really not all that complicated. and we'll then have some comments from the council members. it's up on the screen and there's also a hand-out in which i've tried to summarize what this is about. first what this settlement is not about. if any, there are no -- this does not involve resolution of any criminal charges, if any. for those who might want punishment for alleged acts, it's up to the attorney general's office, the u.s. attorney's office, my office will not be involved obviously. we've recused ourself. but that's who represents the people of the state of california. we have not affected that at

i'm ashleigh banfield. we have a lot to cover this morning. right to the west coast where an agonizing wait has been made even more so this morning with word that the man who is suspected of kidnapping these two kids, a 16-year-old girl and possibly her 8-year-old brother could be armed with homemade explosives. a nationwide manhunt is on for james dimaggio, suspected of abducting one or both of these children whose mother was found dead after a fire in his home. and now dna testing is continuing on t

"legal view" with ashleigh banfield starts now.ry? also this hour, talk about disorder in the court. wow. what would you do if you heard your brother was stabbed 69 times? and say it ain't so. the battle of the sexes that took the nation by storm in the 70s, a sham rigged? a bombshell report alleging that bobby riggs through the match with billie jean king. >>> hello, everyone. welcome to "the legal view." i'm

i'm john berman in for ashleigh banfield today. overseas. in response, the state department is closing key embassies in the middle east and north africa, including those in egypt and libya. this latest threat comes as we near the one year anniversary of the terror attack in benghazi in libya. that attack killed four americans, of course, including ambassador christopher stevens. chris lawrence joins us live at the pentagon with the latest on this. what can you tell us about this new threat? >> sources say this was more than the usual chatter. the threat is considered both credible and dangerous, enough so that they are closing at least 17 diplomatic posts around the middle east and that region. earlier this morning on cnn's new day, the chairman of the house foreign affairs committee went further. >> it's my understanding it is al qaeda linked, all right? the threat emanates in the dd

ashleigh banfield from new york. >> i'm still wincing over the pam oliver shot. the picture you showed. has been -- she was amazing that she resumed her composure. >> i would have been embarrassed if she started crying. >> there's no crying in football, right? speaking of that, you probably heard this -- first of all, i had never heard of ncaa bylaw 14.2.3.2.1, carol, i don't know if you or anybody else had. you'll hear a lot about it today. it is keeping a hero, a former marine, once a marine always a marine, so i will say a current marine and a man who served his country, it's making him sit on the sidelines. and you won't believe the kind of football he actually played while on base as a marine. it sounds like it's a messy situation. one that needs some serious rectifying. can it be done in time for this hero? we'll talk all about it. i know you're such a sports fan, you'll love that story. >> i can't wait to watch it because, boy, that decision made me mad. >> i know, right? >> ridiculous. >> former troops, give them everything they need, come on. >> exactly.

i'm ashleigh banfield. it's tuesday, august 20th. welcome to the "legal view."secution is almost ready to wrap up its case against the army major named nidal hassan who topped the news for months because he admitted to killing 13 american soldiers at ft. hood in 2009. cnn's ed lavandera has been on top of this story. he shows us some of the most important rulings

i'm ashleigh banfield. good to have you with us.ate father is waiting to learn the fate of his two kids. 16-year-old hannah and 8-year-old ethan anderson went business hadding after their mother was killed and her body and the body of an unidentified child were found burned in a home. brett anderson made an impassioned plea to the man accused of killing that woman