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CNN NEWSROOM

Senate Aide Arrested; Rich DUI Killer Spared Jail; Filner Accuser's Story Gets Animated; Golden Globes Unveil 2014 Nominees; RG3 Benched for Season; Doc Rivers Returns to Boston; MLN Rule Changes; President Bush Cheers up Alabama Kicker

Aired December 12, 2013 - 09:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


LISA DESJARDINS , CNN CORRESPONDENT: This isn't going to be the only one. We expect all night sessions tomorrow night and Friday night as well.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Can't wait. (INAUDIBLE) -

DESJARDINS: How about that?

CUOMO: I know. Thanks so much, Lisa.

DESJARDINS: Yes. You got it.

CUOMO: In the meantime, Senator Lamar Alexander's office is dealing with an awful scandal. His chief of staff has been arrested on child porn charges. Ryan Loskarn was arrested at his D.C. home by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. He's a longtime aide and confidant of Senator Alexander's. The senator himself says he's stunned and saddened by these allegations. Loskarn is expected in court later today. Chris Lawrence in Washington with more for you.

Good morning, Chris.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Carol.

Yes, we expect him to be arraigned here in the courtroom behind me sometime today. Yesterday, the agents came to his house about 7:00 in the morning. He lives just a few miles away from Capitol Hill. They removed a computer, several bags of evidence, his hard drive. But these were postal service inspectors. They also went to the Senate office of Lamar Alexander to look at Loskarn's work computer there. Senator Alexander gave them access.

And in a statement, the senator said basically he just learned of this yesterday when the agents asked for that access to the computer and said, "I am stunned, surprised and disappointed by what I have learned. Based on this information, I immediately placed Mr. Loskarn on administrative leave without pay. The office is fully cooperating with the investigation."

Now, Loskarn himself has worked on Capitol Hill for about 13 years. He's worked for a number of influential Republicans, Senator Jon Kyl, Representative Marsha Blackburn, over the years. He's well-known in this part of town. Carol.

COSTELLO: If he's found guilty of these charges, how much prison time could he face?

LAWRENCE: Child pornography is an extremely serious crime. It falls under federal prosecution in this case. Ten years just for the possession of child pornography is the maximum. But he's also accused of distributing child pornography and that carries up to 20 years in prison.

COSTELLO: All right, Chris Lawrence reporting live from Washington this morning. Thank you.

Affluenza. Ever heard of it? Well, let me tell you what it is. If you're an entitled kid and your wealthy family never taught you right from wrong, you have affluenza. This affliction actually was used to defend a 16-year-old boy in court. His name is Ethan Couch. The Texas teenager was drunk out of his mind when he plowed into four people, killing them. Victim's families thought the court would throw the book at him, but Couch got probation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC BOYLES, WIFE AND DAUGHTER KILLED IN DUI CRASH: For 25 weeks I've been going through a healing process. So when the verdict came out, I mean, my immediate reaction is, I'm back to week one. OK, we have accomplished nothing here. This -- my healing process is out the window.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: CNN's Alina Machado is here to tell us -- this is really a sad story.

ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sad and outrageous. And, Carol, this sentence has been incredibly difficult for these families who are still grieving the loss of their loved ones. They wanted Ethan Couch to spend time in prison and now that sentence, as well as this talk about affluenza, has some calling for justice.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MACHADO (voice-over): There is growing outrage following the lenient sentence handed down to a wealthy teen involved in a deadly car wreck. Ethan Couch admitted to drinking alcohol the night his speeding truck caused a chain reaction crash that killed four people and severely injured two others in Tarrant County, Texas. His sentence, 10 years of probation, not the 20 years of prison prosecutors asked for. The victim's loved ones were stunned.

MARLA MITCHELL, DAUGHTER KILLED BY DRUNK DRIVER ETHAN COUCH: He'll be feeling the hand of God definitely. He may think he's gotten away with something, but he hasn't gotten away with anything.

ERIC BOYLES, WIFE AND DAUGHTER KILLED BY DRUNK DRIVER: The wounds that it opened only makes the healing process that much greater and much more difficult.

MACHADO: Eric Boyles lost his wife and daughter that night in June.

BOYLES: We had over 180 years of life taken, future life, not 180 years lived, but 180 years of future life taken. And two of those were my wife and daughter.

MACHADO: Hollie and Shelby Boyles were helping Breanna Mitchell, a 24- year-old, whose car had a flat tire. Brian Jennings, a youth pastor, also stopped to help when Couch's vehicle slammed into them. All four were killed.

OPERATOR: Sir, how many people are injured? Do you know?

CALLER: One, two, three. Multiple.

OPERATOR: Multiple?

CALLER: I don't even know how many.

OPERATOR: Oh, God.

CALLER: Yes.

MACHADO: Three hours after the crash, Couch's blood alcohol level was .24, three times the legal limit in Texas. A psychologist testifying for the defense reportedly called Couch a product of, quote, "affluenza," saying he was brought up to spend money instead of saying sorry if he hurt someone, and that he never learned that sometimes you don't get your way. The judge opted for probation and therapy over prison time.

SCOTT BROWN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Taking him away from his family and teaching him to be a reasonable citizen, that's a consequence.

MACHADO: But for the families of the victims, that's simply not enough.

BOYLES: Money always seems to keep Ethan out of trouble. This was one time I did ask the court that -- for justice and that for money not to prevail. And ultimately, today, I felt like money did prevail.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: OK. I'm really struggling to understand this. He's 16 years old, so he is just a kid. And maybe the judge -- I'm sure the judge factored that into his decision. He's going to be kept away from his family. Where will he go?

MACHADO: Well, he's been ordered to undergo a long-term rehab. So he's going to be - he's going to be staying away from his parents, that's something the judge ordered, and also he's going to be at a rehab facility. There's talk about a rehab facility in California and the family is -- has offered to foot the bill for that.

COSTELLO: So he's going to go to a rehab facility because he's an alcoholic, right?

MACHADO: He's going to go to a rehab facility to deal with these issues that brought him to this point.

COSTELLO: Gotcha. And, affluenza, do you really think that played a part in the judge's decision, this affluenza?

MACHADO: Well, the judge did say, Carol, when he was handing down this sentence, that ultimately the teen, he was responsible for his actions, not his parents. So, you know, it came up as a defense. Definitely something people are talking about. It catches your eye. I had never heard of that kind of defense, but it was used in court and -

COSTELLO: Yes, I hope never to hear about it again. We're going to talk more about it after the break. Alina Machado, thanks so much.

Also still to come in the NEWSROOM, it looks like one of the creepiest Pixar films you've ever seen, but it's really part of the sexual harassment lawsuit against the former San Diego Mayor Bob Filner. We'll talk about that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Some might call it creepy, others, effective. I want to show you a bit of animation that could be used in court to prove alleged sexual harassment. The accused former San Diego Bob Filner. Yes, that Bob Filner. The accuser, a former city parks employee. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Isn't she great? Isn't she great?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Um, yeah.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am mentoring her. I am thinking of making her employee of the day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sounds good.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just to let you know, I like to get really close to my city employees.

Stacy (ph), you are turning really red.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You are really embarrassing me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Paul Callan, I can't believe you're keeping a straight face because I know you want to laugh.

PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, I'll tell you, the stuff I see in court, you can't believe. So, you know, this stuff is -- I'll tell you, it's amazing.

COSTELLO: Well, I don't know, why would a judge admit such a thing in court?

CALLAN: Well, getting this actually admitted in court's not going to be such an easy thing, to have it played in front of a jury. They allow animated re-enactments where you have a complicated case and you want to demonstrate to the jury how it took place and, you know, you can't re-enact it in the court room effectively without an animation. But on -- somebody rubbing somebody else in a sexual way, I've never seen that as an animation admitted by any judge in any American courtroom. So, I don't think this is going to ever be seen by a jury. This is a publicity stunt essentially by the attorney representing the employee who's suing the ex-mayor and, boy, it's kind of getting a lot of attention drawn to the case.

COSTELLO: Yes.

CALLAN: Not that there was any lack of it to begin with, but -

COSTELLO: Well, yes, and just to refresh our viewers' memories, and I'm sure they remember, the San Diego mayor was accused of many, many women in the city of San Diego of sexual harassment, and now the trials are about to begin. This is one of them. So, that's that.

I want to -

CALLAN: I thought through -- you know, the funniest thing, Carol, was the expression on her face. You know, I mean, you're supposed to -- exhibits are supposed to kind of recreate the incident exactly as it occurred. Now, how do you know what the look was on her face? I mean I'm sure she was astonished, but maybe not in quite the same way as the cartoon character was. So, if I'm the judge, no, you're not getting that into evidence. Tell your story, but no cartoons.

COSTELLO: Gotcha.

CALLAN: Yes.

COSTELLO: I'd like to focus a little bit on this affluenza, the story that we showed to our viewers before the break. The 16-year-old got horribly drunk, he gets into a car, he hits and kills four people. His attorney said that he's a victim of his parent's upbringing. He's a wealthy kid. He doesn't know right from wrong. He doesn't know enough to say he's sorry because he's always been privileged. Money has always bought him out of his problems. The judge sentences him to, what, 10 years' probation? He goes to rehab and then lives his life as normal. Some people are outraged by this, especially the victim's families. They say this was terribly unfair. Do you really think the judge took into account affluenza?

CALLAN: You know, I'm so shocked by this sentence. We're supposed to have a system of justice that treats the rich and poor exactly the same. And now the father comes forward and says, well, I'll pay $450,000 so you can send him to a nice rehab center in California and the judge gives this slap on the wrist ridiculously lenient sentence.

There was a psychologist who said he suffers from quote, "affluenza," meaning he was poisoned by wealth and never taught morals and how to obey the law. But, frankly, if I were the judge, my sentence would be to a cockroach infested, dimly lit dungeon for a while. I think that might teach him a lesson about right and wrong. And then later on maybe you could put him into therapy. But to think that he caused all of these deaths through, you know, essentially he deliberately drank all of this alcohol, a huge amount, and caused this accident. And to get a slap on the wrist I think is just stunning and shocking to the public. It's wrong. It's downright wrong.

COSTELLO: It's just, you know, I guess he and his friends broke into a Walmart and they stole a bunch of beer and, you're right, he was drunk out of his mind, 0.24. That's, what, three times the legal limit in the state of Texas.

What is the usual sentence? I mean he's 16 years old though, so maybe the judge took into account his age. What is a normal sentence that would come down in a similar case?

CALLAN: Well, you know, this has changed through the years. Traditionally, juveniles were treated very differently than adults and they were in a special system. A judge decides the case and decides the sentence and the sentences have involved rehabilitation and therapy and that sort of thing. However, when you have a very serious case where a number of people have been killed and where somebody has sort of a record -- when you look at this kid's record, just listening to his own psychologist, he just ignores the rule of law and it cries out for a much more severe punishment.

And, you know, but the law has two things going. One is, you want to try to help and rehabilitate the defendant, but you also want to send a message to the community that you won't tolerate this kind of behavior. What kind of message is this Texas judge sending to other 16-year-old kids? It certainly doesn't look like you can kill four human beings and get a guarantee you're going to be punished. And that's not the right message. The message should be, you'll pay a terrible price if you drink and drive in Texas. And the wrong message has been sent with this case.

COSTELLO: CNN legal analyst Paul Callan, thanks so much for your insight this morning.

CALLAN: Thank you, Carol. Yes, OK.

COSTELLO: Top stories -- you're welcome.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: The guys from "Duck Dynasty" heading from the backwoods of the American heartland to the mountains of Afghanistan. They're traveling with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, for his holiday USO tour. The "Dynasty" will duck the halls with U.S. service members and contractors stationed in Afghanistan.

It's been a morning of big surprises as the 2014 Golden Globe nominees were unveiled in Beverly Hills.

Entertainment correspondent Nischelle Turner was there. Good morning.

NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Carol. Yes, you know, the Hollywood Foreign Press likes to zig when everyone else zags. And they did, once again this year, giving us the surprises with their nominations this morning.

Let's run down the categories for you. I'm going to break these up into the drama and the comedy musical categories because that's what the Hollywood Foreign Press does.

So Best Picture Drama this year, the nominations are "12 Years a Slave," "Captain Phillips," "Gravity", "Philomena," Emma Thompson for "Saving Mr. Banks," and "Rush". And for Actors in a -- in a drama, the nominees are Chiwetel Ejiofor for "12 Years a Slave," Idris Elba for "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Tom Hanks for Captain Phillips, Matthew McConaughey for "Dallas Buyers Club" and Robert Redford in "All is Lost."

And for the women, the nominees for Best Actress in a Drama are Cate Blanchett for "Blue Jazzman," she was so good in that film, Sandra Bullock for "Gravity," also great in that film. Judi Dench for "Philomena" and Kate Winslet for "Labor Day."

So, Carol, in that, you know, the omissions there, basically, the "Butler" was completely shut out of all categories here. No Best Picture nomination, no Best Actor for Forest Whitaker, no Best Actress for Oprah Winfrey. Also no "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom" nomineed in the Best Picture Category for a drama.

COSTELLO: What about the comedy and musical categories?

TURNER: Yes, those were a bit of a surprise in those as well. Another interesting list for the Best Comedy Musical Nominations for a picture, the nominees were "Her", "American Hustle," "Inside Llweyn Davis", "Nebraska" and "The Wolf of Wall Street." The actors nominated for Best Comedy Musical, Christian Bale in "American Hustle," Bruce Dern for "Nebraska," Leonardo DiCaprio for the "Wolf of Wall Street, Oscar Isaac for "Inside Llweyn Davis", and Joaquin Phoenix for "Her."

And actress is, Amy Adams nominated for "American Hustle," Julie Delpy for "Before Midnight," Gretta Gerwig "Frances Ha", Julia Louis-Dreyfus for "Enough Said" and Meryl Strep in "August Osage County."

Now the omissions in this category, "August Osage County" was not nominated in the Best Picture category. It's been widely thought by many people in the industry to be one of the best pictures of the year.

Julia Roberts was nominated for this movie as well for Best Supporting Actress, Meryl Streep nominated for Best Actress but again no Best Picture for them.

Also just a note, Carol, both Chiwetel Ejiofor and Idris Elba are double nominees this morning. Indris nominated for his work in "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom", Chiwetel nominated for his work in "12 Years a Slave." They are also both nominated for Best Actor in a TV movie. Idris for "Luther" and Chiwetel for "Dancing on the Edge."

So good morning for those two guys this morning -- Carol.

COSTELLO: You're not kidding. Nischelle Turner, many thanks to you.

TURNER: You bet.

COSTELLO: Just ahead in the NEWSROOM, RG3 won't be leaving the sidelines for the rest of the season. Andy Scholes following that story.

ANDY SCHOLES, THEBLEACHERREPORT.COM: And says he's doing it for RG3's own good. Do we believe him? We'll discuss it next in "The Bleacher Report."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: We won't be seeing Redskins quarterback RG3 again this NFL season. Not because he's hurt but because Mike Shanahan says so.

Andy Scholes is here with the "Bleacher Report."

SCHOLES: You know, Carol, Mike Shanahan saying he's benching RG3 so he doesn't reinjure himself before the off-season gets going, but people in Washington thinks, he has other motives.

Now just earlier in the week that it was reported that Shanahan nearly quit last season because of owner Daniel Snyder's close relationship with RG3. It has some thinking Shanahan is benching his franchise quarterback so it's not to real fire him. And Shanahan said that's not true yesterday and that he actually got Snyder's blessing before shutting down RG3.

COSTELLO: Well said.

SCHOLES: This is a full-blown soap opera in the nation's capital.

COSTELLO: Yes.

SCHOLES: It's was an emotional homecoming for Doc Rivers in Boston last night. The crowd at the Garden gave their former coach a very warm reception. And River is one of the most beloved figures in Celtics history. He coached the team for nine seasons, leading them to an NBA title in 2008. Rivers had to fight back the tears after he touched in pregame tribute.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOC RIVERS, COACHED CELTICS TO NBA TITLE IN 2008: It was -- it was just really a nice day. This is -- it's such a classy place. I was basically useless for the first 18 minutes of the game. I told -- just found out -- my coaches I needed half time far more than the players.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: We're about to see a monumental change in Major League Baseball. The league is planning to eliminate home plate collisions, possibly as soon as next season. The new rules being discussed include banning catchers from blocking the plate and not allowing runners to target catchers. But the owners and players will have to approve -- the proposed changes.

All right. Trending on bleacherreport.com today, Alabama kicker Cade Foster had a pretty bad couple of weeks after missing three field goals against Auburn. So to cheer him up, President George W. Bush sent him a handwritten letter.

Check it out. It reads, "Dear Cade 43, life has its setbacks, I know. However, you will be a stronger human with time. I wish you all the best. Sincerely, another 43, George Bush."

COSTELLO: I thought that was sweet.

SCHOLES: So awesome.

COSTELLO: That's so nice.

SCHOLES: This poor kid got death threats on Twitter after missing those field goals. And for President Bush to spend the time to send him a letter, I think that's really awesome.

COSTELLO: And when you mistakes like that, when you're young, and you think your life will never be the same and it will get better.

SCHOLES: Yes.

COSTELLO: So good for George W. Bush.

SCHOLES: Yes. Awesome.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Andy.

CNN -- next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts now.

And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me this morning. The memorial for Nelson Mandela has taken one man from a high profile spot on the world stage to the center of controversy. And it's all because of this performance which sparked claims that the man's sign language interpretations were all fake.

Now in a new interview with CNN, the interpreter himself is taking on his critics, saying he is highly qualified and that his work has never been questioned. But he also offered these words to those who are outraged.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THAMSANQA JANTJIE, MANDELA INTERPRETER: And I apologize to the community that -- that's deaf. I will start saying I didn't want to harm any of them. It was not my intention to harm any of -- any South African or any person in other country that is affected by the issue of my interpretation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: He's also revealing a medical condition that he's reportedly said impacted his work on the day of the memorial.