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Student describes how she became a Clinton plant

GRINNELL, Iowa (CNN) — The college student who was told what question to ask at one of New York Sen. Hillary Clinton’s campaign events said voters have the right to know what happened and she wasn’t the only one who was planted.

In an exclusive on-camera interview with CNN, Muriel Gallo-Chasanoff, a 19-year-old sophomore at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa, said giving anyone specific questions to ask is dishonest, and the whole incident has given her a negative outlook on politics.

Gallo-Chasanoff, whose story was first reported in the campus newspaper, said what happened was simple: She said a senior Clinton staffer asked if she’d like to ask the senator a question after an energy speech the Democratic presidential hopeful gave in Newton, Iowa, on November 6.

I sort of thought about it, and I said ‘Yeah, can I ask how her energy plan compares to the other candidates’ energy plans?’ Gallo-Chasanoff said Monday night.

According to Gallo-Chasanoff, the staffer said, ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea, because I don’t know how familiar she is with their plans.’ Watch the student speak out about question

He then opened a binder to a page that, according to Gallo-Chasanoff, had about eight questions on it.

The top one was planned specifically for a college student, she added. It said ‘college student’ in brackets and then the question.

Topping that sheet of paper was the following: As a young person, I’m worried about the long-term effects of global warming. How does your plan combat climate change? Watch the student ask the planted question

And while she said she would have rather used her own question, Gallo-Chasanoff said she didn’t have a problem asking the campaign’s because she likes to be agreeable, adding that since she told the staffer she’d ask their pre-typed question she didn’t want to go back on my word.

Clinton campaign spokesman Mo Elleithee said, This is not acceptable campaign process moving forward. We’ve taken steps to ensure that it never happens again. Elleithee said Clinton had no idea who she was calling on.

Gallo-Chasanoff wasn’t so sure.

I don’t know whether Hillary knew what my question was going to be, but it seemed like she knew to call on me because there were so many people, and … I was the only college student in that area, she said. Watch the full interview

In a separate statement in response to the campus article, the campaign said, On this occasion a member of our staff did discuss a possible question about Sen. Clinton’s energy plan at a forum. … This is not standard policy and will not be repeated again.

Gallo-Chasanoff said she wasn’t the only person given a question.

After the event, she said, I heard another man … talking about the question he asked, and he said that the campaign had asked him to ask that question.

The man she referenced prefaced his question by saying that it probably didn’t have anything to do with energy, and then posed the following: I wonder what you propose to do to create jobs for the middle-class person, such as here in Newton where we lost Maytag.

A Maytag factory in Newton recently closed, forcing hundreds of people out of their jobs.

During the course of the late-night interview on Grinnell’s campus, Gallo-Chasanoff also said that the day before the school’s newspaper, Scarlet and Black, printed the story, she wanted the reporter to inform the campaign out of courtesy to let them know it would be published.

She said the head of publicity for the campaign, a man whose name she could not recall, had no factual disputes with the story. But, she added, a Clinton intern spoke to her to say the campaign requested she not talk about the story to any more media outlets and that if she did she should inform a staffer.

I’m not under any real obligation to do that, and I haven’t talked to [the campaign] anymore, Gallo-Chasanoff said, adding that she doesn’t plan to.

If what I do is come and just be totally truthful, then that’s all anyone can ask of me, and that’s all I can ask of myself. So I’ll feel good with what I’ve done. I’ll feel like I’ve done the right thing.

The Clinton campaign’s acknowledgment that it planted a question reinforces a widely held criticism of the senator — that she is not entirely honest, said Bill Schneider, CNN’s senior political analyst.

It’s the same criticism often made of her husband, Schneider said. Most Americans never felt Bill Clinton was honest and trustworthy, even when he got elected in 1992 — with only 43 percent of the vote. His critics called him ‘Slick Willy.’ … Will her critics start referring to the New York senator as ‘Slick Hillary?’

Asked if this experience makes her less likely to support Clinton’s presidential bid, Gallo-Chasanoff, an undecided voter, said, I think she has a lot to offer, but I — this experience makes me look at her campaign a little bit differently.

The question and answer sessions — especially in Iowa — are really important. That’s where the voters get to … have like a real genuine conversation with this politician who could be representing them.

While she acknowledged it’s possible that all campaigns do these kind of tactics, she said that doesn’t make it right.

Personally I want to know that I have someone who’s honest representing me.

A second person has a story similar to Gallo-Chasanoff’s. Geoffrey Mitchell of Hamilton, Illinois, on the Iowa border, said the Clinton campaign wanted him to ask a certain question at an Iowa event in April.

He asked me if I would ask Sen. Clinton about ways she was going to confront the president on the war in Iraq, specifically war funding, said Geoffrey Mitchell, a supporter of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois. I told him it was not a question I felt comfortable with.

No questions were taken at the event. Elleithee said this incident was different from what happened with Gallo-Chasanoff in Newton. Elleithee said the staffer bumped into someone he marginally knew and during a conversation with Mitchell, Iraq came up. Elleithee denied the campaign tried to plant him as a friendly questioner in the audience.

Mitchell said he had never met the staffer before the event.

Former presidential adviser David Gergen said the front-runner’s campaign could take a hit from the incident.

When a campaign plants a question, it’s a pretty minor infraction of the rules — like a parking ticket, Gergen said. The problem here is it feeds a damaging perception of Hillary Clinton that she can’t quite be trusted.
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Coroner awaits toxicology test results in death of Donda West

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) — An autopsy on the body of Donda West, mother of hip-hop mogul Kanye West, was inconclusive pending the results of toxicology tests, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Coroner said Tuesday.

Ed Winter said preliminary reports indicated that West, 58, may have died from complications from cosmetic surgery. Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Jan Adams said he performed cosmetic surgery on her Friday at a surgical center.

West died Saturday evening after she was found unresponsive and in respiratory distress at her home, Winter said.

She was taken to Centinela Freeman Regional Medical Center in Marina del Rey, he said. Efforts to preserve her life were unsuccessful. She was pronounced dead at 8:28 p.m.

A funeral for West is scheduled for November 20, a representative for Kanye West said. Watch latest on the death of Donda West

Adams told TMZ.com that he performed a tummy tuck and breast reduction on West last week and that her death was unforeseen. But another Beverly Hills cosmetic surgeon said he had recently refused to perform a procedure on West until she had a medical clearance for a condition he feared could lead to a heart attack.

The preliminary information we had indicated that she had several minor medical issues, Winter said, but I can’t comment on those. He also said she was taking medications, but could not comment on which ones and in what dosages pending the toxicology reports.

Winter also said West was in good condition before the surgery and that investigators are talking with Adams about the surgery. He did not say when the results of the toxicology tests would be available.

Adams told TMZ.com that West’s death could have been caused by a heart attack, pulmonary embolism or massive vomiting. He said he consulted with her for months and she changed her mind several times about going forward with the surgery, TMZ.com said.

TMZ.com, like CNN, is owned by Time Warner.

Adams later released a statement through his publicist expressing his deepest condolences to the West family at a very difficult time but declined further comment.

As a medical doctor practicing in this field, I hold sacred the bond of confidentiality that exists between a patient and doctor, he said. Out of respect for the West family and in the absence of other verifiable information, any comment from me without first discussing that information with the family would be unprofessional.

Adams is the television host of Discovery Health’s Plastic Surgery: Before and After. According to his biography on Discovery.com — which has been removed from the Web site — Adams is also the author of Everything Women of Color Should Know About Cosmetic Surgery. He graduated from Harvard University, attended Ohio State University College of Medicine and studied plastic surgery at the University of Michigan.

On Monday, Beverly Hills cosmetic surgeon Andre Aboolian said through his publicist that Donda West consulted him in June about a procedure. Publicist Jo-Ann Geffen said West contacted Aboolian again two weeks ago to say she was ready to go forward, but Aboolian said he needed a medical clearance before he would perform the surgery.

I always insist on a medical clearance for women over 40, and in this instance it was particularly important because of a condition she had that I felt could have led to a heart attack, Aboolian said, according to Geffen’s statement.

Geffen said West was scheduled to see an internist for the appropriate tests, but did not keep the appointment.

Donda West was a major influence on her son’s life, as the music producer-singer-songwriter has often said — including in lyrics to some of his songs. She regularly attended her son’s concerts, and was at his performance at the MTV Video Music Awards in September.

Earlier this year, she released a book she co-authored called Raising Kanye: Life Lessons From the Mother of a Hip-Hop Superstar.

West retired from her post as professor and chair of the English Department at Chicago State University in 2004 to become her son’s manager, according to the Kanye West Foundation Web site. She also became CEO of Super Good, the parent company of Kanye West Enterprises.

In Kanye West’s song Can’t Tell Me Nothing, a track from his latest album, Graduation, he rhymes about her attempt to discourage him from spending money on jewelry. On Touch the Sky, from his 2005 album, Late Registration, he recalls how his mother drove him from Chicago to New York in a U-Haul van.

Donda West was also the inspiration for the song Hey Mama.

A statement issued late Monday from Kanye West, his family and friends thanked everyone for the outpouring of support and asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Kanye West Foundation, which Donda West co-founded with her son.

West, who is in Europe preparing for a tour of the continent, will remain overseas until next week, when he will return for the funeral, the representative said. The tour has been postponed.
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Hunt continues for missing sailors

MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) — More than 700 people worked Tuesday to find 20 sailors still missing from weekend storms and to clean up oil which spilled from a tanker that sank in the Black Sea, Russian officials said.

The Russian Rescue Service confirmed three sailors were killed in the storms.

The sailors were from a cargo ship carrying sulfur which sank in the Kerch Strait at the north end of the Black Sea; five members of the ship’s crew were among the missing, the rescue service said.

The 15 other missing sailors were aboard a freighter carrying scrap metal which sank in another part of the northern Black Sea, according to the rescue service.

The official Russia Today Web site said the missing were feared dead.

The rescue service said 730 people were working on the rescue and cleanup efforts. They were using 13 vessels and four helicopters, along with hundreds of pieces of machinery.

Still, continued bad weather in the northern Black Sea region meant rescue crews worked for only two hours on Monday, Russia Today reported.

The Web site said relatives of the missing were arriving at the port city of Temryuk, on the Russian side of the Kerch Strait, and that local authorities were trying to provide the families with accommodation and support.

Five ships sank in the storms on Sunday and many others ran aground. Of the five which sank, one was an oil tanker which split in half and sank in the strait, spilling more than 1,000 tons of fuel oil.

As the oil began washing ashore, birds covered in black were seen dead or struggling on the Black Sea’s beaches. Environmental group Greenpeace called the oil spill an environmental disaster and expressed concern for marine life.

The Russian and Ukrainian prime ministers planned to inspect the rescue operations and examine the environmental damage, Russia Today reported.

Three ships, each carrying more than 2,000 tons of sulfur, also sank in the Kerch Strait, which separates Russia from Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula. The freighter carrying scrap metal sank on other side of the Crimean Peninsula from the strait.

Sunday’s weather brought hurricane-force winds and gigantic waves to the Black Sea. Strong winds and occasional heavy rain continued over the area Tuesday, CNN Forecaster Jenny Harrison said, and the weather was expected to worsen Thursday.

Russia Today reported sea temperatures were hovering around 9 degrees Celsius (48 degrees Fahrenheit). E-mail to a friend

CNN’s Igor Malakhov contributed to this report.

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Danish PM declares election win

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Denmark’s center-right prime minister declared victory in Tuesday’s election after near-complete returns showed his governing coalition defeated the left-wing opposition.

Everything indicates that the government can continue, Anders Fogh Rasmussen told jubilant supporters of his Liberal Party. He called it historic that a Liberal-led government had been re-elected for a third term.

He spoke shortly after the leader of the key opposition party conceded defeat in an election that focused on immigration, welfare and taxes. There was broad agreement on keeping the cradle-to-grave welfare state.

I promised I would beat Anders Fogh Rasmussen. That didn’t happen, a tearful Helle Thorning-Schmidt told supporters of her Social Democratic Party. Danes need more time before they hand over responsibility to us.

With 99 percent of votes counted, the government bloc had won 94 of the 179 seats in Parliament, including five from the New Alliance led by a Syrian-born Muslim immigrant Naser Khader.

A total of 808 candidates ran, representing nine parties with 12 independents.

The prime minister called the early election three weeks ago, taking advantage of favorable approval ratings and an upbeat economy. Denmark’s jobless rate is at 3.1 percent, the lowest in three decades, and the economy grew 3.5 percent last year.

With pre-election polls pointing to a victory for Fogh Rasmussen, the big question was whether he would need Khader’s party to stay in power. That could diminish the influence of the anti-immigration Danish People’s Party, which has backed Fogh Rasmussen’s coalition since 2001.

Khader, a black belt in karate who once dreamed of becoming Palestinian foreign minister, has said he wants to pull the prime minister away from the influence of Danish People’s Party leader Pia Kjaersgaard.

Even though it holds no Cabinet seats, Kjaersgaard’s populist group, known for its harsh rhetoric against Muslims, has been instrumental in shaping Denmark’s tight immigration laws.

As he cast his ballot, the prime minister said forging an alliance with both parties would make his job a little more complicated.

The most important thing is that the government can continue, said Fogh Rasmussen, 54. I will play with the cards that the voters give me. I am sure it will work out.

Khader and Kjaersgaard were key figures during Denmark’s most turbulent days since World War II: the wave of Muslim rioting last year against caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad printed in a Danish newspaper.

Kjaersgaard’s party said the crisis showed Islamic traditions clash with the foundations of Danish society, such as the freedom of speech. Khader formed a network of moderate Muslims as a counterbalance to Islamic extremists.

Immigration is expected to remain a key issue.

Economists and Danish corporate leaders say the Nordic country needs to open its doors to more workers from abroad to keep the economy growing, and Fogh Rasmussen has pledged to push for a U.S.-style green card system to allow more skilled foreign workers to enter Denmark. E-mail to a friend

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Police: Teen hiding object shouts, ‘Come get me, I have a gun’

NEW YORK (CNN) — A young man carrying what turned out to be a hairbrush died Monday night in a hail of bullets fired by New York police.

Authorities were responding to a 9-1-1 call his mother made about a family dispute with a gun, police said.

In the background of the call, played at a news conference Tuesday, 18-year-old Khiel Coppin can be heard saying, I’ve got a gun, I’ve got a gun, New York Police Department Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne told CNN.

The teen put an object under his shirt and told his mother around the time she phoned 9-1-1 that he was going to say he had a gun, said New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly.

The teen told her, ‘I’m prepared to die,’ Kelly told reporters.

When authorities arrived at the Bedford-Stuyvesant apartment, the teenager had something stuffed under his shirt and several times showed a knife to police. Shoot me, kill me, he shouted, according to Kelly. Come get me. I have a gun. Let’s do this.

Coppin ignored repeated commands to stop and get on the ground. Witnesses said the teen appeared to be holding an object underneath his shirt and pointed it at the officers. Coppin continued to approach officers, as they ordered him to stop, said Kelly.

Twenty shots were fired; Coppin was struck eight times, Kelly said.

This was a terrible tragedy for Khiel’s family, no doubt about it, said Kelly. But the commissioner stressed that officers reasonably believed they were about to receive fire.

Kelly said the teen’s mother reported he had not taken his anti-depressant and anti-psychotic medication.

Police have not recovered a gun and do not believe that Coppin was armed, Kelly said.

A reporter asked Kelly if it’s possible the young man was goading police to shoot him, a phenomenon known commonly in law enforcement circles as suicide-by-cop.

That’s certainly a possibility, said Kelly.

The boy didn’t have no gun, he had a brush on him, said Andre Wildman, a neighbor who told CNN that he saw the shooting. Listen to mother’s 911 call

Another neighbor, Wayne Holder, said police should be required to see a weapon before opening fire on a suspect. At least see a gun before you start to discharge it, Holder said. Police don’t even have to see it, [if] they think you got one, you’re going to get shot.

Coppin was taken to a hospital where he was declared dead. An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday, the medical examiner’s office said.

The Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network is expected to hold a news conference on Tuesday about the shooting.

Police said they were investigating whether Coppin had a history of mental illness and whether his mother had tried to have him hospitalized earlier Monday.

The shooting came a year after unarmed groom Sean Bell, 23, was killed hours before his wedding in a shooting involving New York police. In 1999, unarmed African immigrant Amadou Diallo, 22, died when police in the Bronx shot him 19 times.

Bystander Dyshawn Gibson described Monday’s shooting to CNN affiliate WABC-TV. He dropped the brush, Gibson said. He put his hands up. Police just started firing.

Coppin was seen pacing around the apartment prior to the shooting, according to an initial police statement issued Monday night.

He began screaming from the window at his mother and the police, the police statement said. At some point, the male climbed out of the window and began crossing the sidewalk toward the police.

That’s when police began firing, a police spokesman said.
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