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ISSUES WITH JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL

Moms Caught on Tape Cheering on Teen Fight; Weatherman Caught in Bizarre Hot Tub Death Investigation; More Problems for "Housewives" Start; 9/11: Ten Years Later; Monkey Experiment Outrage

Aired September 9, 2011 - 19:00   ET

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


(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST (voice-over): Tonight, violent and disturbing video of two teenage girls fighting. Cops say their moms were in the crowd of people cheering them on. Now those mothers might go to jail. I`ll talk to one of them tonight in an ISSUES exclusive.

And another "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" shocker. New claims that before her husband`s suicide, reality star Taylor Armstrong got so drunk she was almost hospitalized. And Bravo caught the whole thing on tape. One of Russell Armstrong`s closest friends joins me tonight.

Plus, a naked man is found dead wearing only a dog collar in an empty hot tub, with a local TV weatherman passed out next to him. Now, that meteorologist is speaking out and insists no foul play was involved.

Then, it`s been ten years since the horrific 9/11 terrorist attacks changed our country forever. Tonight, one of the heroes of 9/11 shares his unforgettable story with me.

ISSUES starts now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two teenagers punching, biting and beating each other --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These young ladies that did this are going to face the consequences of their actions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This all-out brawl began reportedly online with cyberbullying and escalated into this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The 16-year-old decided to challenge the 220-pound Johnson. He didn`t stand a chance.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Punching a 15-year-old could -- that could kill him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a much bigger problem than just simple bullying.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh! Oh! Oh!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, teenage girls caught on tape, beating the living daylights out of each other. But worse? Cops say their moms were right next to them, cheering them on, stoking the fires of this. It`s a vicious fight. Is our culture of violence really out of control?

Good evening, everyone. I`m Jane Velez-Mitchell, coming to you from New York City, and one of those mothers is here on ISSUES right now to explain her side of the story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You can see it here: two girls, 16 and 17, clawing, pulling hair, punching, pounding, biting each other. At least 20 other people stood around staring at this brawl. One of them shot this footage.

The mothers of these two raging teenagers can actually be heard on the tape, inciting the violence. According to cops, at one point, they even prevented somebody from breaking up the fight. One of them said, quote, "This is between them."

Police saw the video and arrested the two moms, Brandy Mills and Teresa Mendenhall. They were charged with neglect of a dependent, a felony that could land them up to 18 months in jail.

Their daughters, meantime, will be charged with disorderly conduct.

For one of the mothers, Brandy Mills, this has been a wake-up call.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRANDY MILLS, MOTHER OF TEEN GIRL IN FIGHT: First time I`ve ever been in trouble. Of course, I was so scared, yes. But I just -- I wish I would have thought maybe and been a better parent and just not let her leave.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Joining me tonight in an ISSUES exclusive is Brandy Mills, the mother of the 16-year-old who was in the fight.

Brandy, you are now facing criminal charges. I want to thank you for having the courage to come on and try to face this, which is really what I think you need to do. Now that it`s over, 20/20 hindsight, what are your feelings about all of this?

MILLS (via telephone): My feelings or my regrets? My feelings, I guess, would be I should have thought before I reacted.

I want to get something straight. There were things in the newspapers that, you know, was incorrect.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: What happened, Brandy? What happened?

MILLS: Well, it was bullying. It was flat-out bullying an 11-year- old, my 11-year-old daughter, over Facebook. And over, you know, cell- phone texting. And the bullying just kept happening, and I -- they would call my house, bullying, and they was -- they was bringing adult people that I know their names of, two especially, that -- saying, you know, if the little 11-year-old wants to run her mouth, then she can back it up, and she will get jumped.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: So wait a second. Your 16-year-old --

MILLS: Yes.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: -- daughter got into this fight with the 17-year-old girl, you`re saying, to stand up for her kid sister, her 11-year-old sister. Are you claiming that the 17-year-old girl who was in the fight was bullying your 11-year-old? Is that your claim?

MILLS: Yes, she was bullying her along with her -- I guess her little clique that she runs around with. Three of her friends and then two adults --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right, Brandy --

MILLS: -- was bullying my 11-year-old, yes.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right, during the fight, you can be heard telling your 16-year-old daughter, "Get her down. Knee her." You didn`t just want to solve this bullying issue. You were encouraging your 16-year-old daughter to physically assault this 17-year-old girl. What were you thinking?

MILLS: Right then and there, to be honest with you, I wasn`t thinking. I came there to talk to the mother and, you know, I walked straight to her. She literally flipped me off, you know, called me the "B" word, and would not speak to me about the situation.

And the little clique, not the girl that my daughter fought, but there was another girl there that was bullying -- that was one of the bulliers was there starting stuff, running her mouth, you know? Back and forth.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And you just snapped, is that what you`re saying? You snapped?

MILLS: Well, they -- they started fighting, getting head to head. When I snapped was when that girl bit my daughter`s arm, and I looked over and seen, you know, it was a substantial bite.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right so you`re claiming she started it.

By the way, the other side of the Hatfields and the McCoys here, you`re invited on any time to give your side of the story, as well.

Let`s take a brief look at this fight again. Stand by, Brandy. We`re going to talk to experts who are hopefully going to help you with this issue. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, Joey Jackson, first thing I say, because there`s so many bullying problems in this country is, get a lawyer. Don`t -- don`t try to solve this yourself. Let them know you`re serious by getting a lawyer to contact the family if, in fact, they are bullying your child.

JOEY JACKSON, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: It`s true, Jane. But, you know, sometimes wiser minds do not prevail. And this was a mother who had it. I`m not justifying her conduct, but I don`t want to condemn her either.

Her child is getting bullied. She`s obviously frustrated. I believe she`s indicating that she went there with the intention of speaking to the mother, trying to resolve it. Her 11-year-old is in some danger because this clique is against her. And she had just had it, and she just snapped.

So we`re never as bad as we are on our worst day or as good as we are on our best day. She has no criminal history, no criminal record. It shouldn`t have happened. She should have exercised the judgment, Jane, that you suggested. She didn`t, but we shouldn`t condemn her to the end of the universe. We should try to resolve it.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, that`s why we`re talking to her. We`re talking to her.

JACKSON: Exactly.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: But Captain William Bradbury, Union City Police Department, this is serious stuff. This lady who`s on the phone with us, this mom, she`s charged with a felony, as is the other mother. And the poor kids, they`re facing problems, sir. Can you tell us?

CAPTAIN WILLIAM BRADBURY, UNION CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT (via phone): What was the last part, Jane? I didn`t hear.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Aren`t the kids in trouble, too?

BRADBURY: Yes, ma`am. Yes. They`re going to be -- we`re sending charges to the prosecutor`s office for disorderly conduct, for the fighting in public.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, Brandy, you must feel terrible that you actually are quoted as saying that you would beat the bleep out of your daughter if she didn`t win the fight. Now your daughter is in trouble, according to the captain. How do you feel about that, Brandy?

MILLS: It`s not how I feel. I regret saying that. I humiliated myself by saying that. And since this happened, you know, I`m -- you know, the fault is on me. I should -- I should have did something to step in to stop it, you know, to get it -- get it, you know -- I just -- I`m -- I`m sorry. I`m just speechless right now.

I just wish to God it would never have got to that. And if I could take it all back, things would have been -- would have been different. I guarantee you that.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Well, Brandy, I`m going to -- I`m going to give you at least kudos for facing it, facing your problem, coming on the show and talking about it. You`re not alone. That`s one thing for sure.

Just a week ago in Florida, there was another really horrifying instance of teen violence caught on tape. This is a very disturbing scene. You see some coaches from a Florida youth football league in an altercation with a referee. And then, apparently inspired by them, this young player tackles the ref.

And then two weeks ago, even more incredible, disturbing video that we have of this guy, a 35-year-old beating a 16-year-old boy, really pummeling him. The teen had originally been fighting the guy`s son. When his son kind of walks away from the fight, the dad steps in and decides, "Well, I`m going to beat this kid up." He was arrested and charged with aggravated battery, child abuse, delinquency of a minor, lying to cops.

So Rene Syler, author of "Good Enough Mother," what the heck is going on in this country? Is this some kind of sick trend?

RENE SYLER, AUTHOR, "GOOD ENOUGH MOTHER": I -- well, I certainly hope not. I don`t know what`s going on, to answer your question. But I feel like parents are -- these parents, anyway, are missing the boat.

And again, like you, Jane, I have to give credit to Brandy for coming on, but your child as a parent is to give your child the tools they need to have a successful and happy, healthy adulthood. This teaching kids how to fight out their conflicts is not one of those ways.

I agree with Joey that, you know, you get serious, you get a lawyer if your child is being bullied. But you don`t go out there and, you know, with the intention of having a conversation with the -- the mother of another one and then end up, you know, cheering on your daughter when she`s being hurt. That goes counter to what our -- what our instincts are. We`re supposed to protect our children.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: This is childish. It`s immature. And that`s what we`re going to look at on the other side as Brandy stays with us and we bring in a psychologist.

Thanks for sticking with us, Brandy. We`re on your side, ultimately.

New "Housewives" shockers. You will not believe what`s going on with this clan.

And more girl fight violent video.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whatever the outcome of this case is, it sends a - - a statement to parents and people in the community that, you know, you`ve got a job to step in and stop this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MILLS: I guess I was -- I wouldn`t say -- I wouldn`t say I know (EXPLETIVE DELETED) a fight, but I know -- I know she can hold her own.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, I`ve got to tell you that police are taking this case very seriously. They released a statement saying, quote, "We will seek criminal charges including those who stood by and did nothing."

Captain Bradbury, apparently, 20 people stood by. Nobody -- my understanding is nobody called 911. What`s going to happen to those guys or girls?

All right, Cheryl Arutt, forensic psychologist, I want to ask you about Brandy Mills. I guess our police officer had to hang up, which sometimes happen. They`re busy guys. They`ve got a lot to do. So maybe he`s fighting crime somewhere.

I sense at the heart of this, at the root of this -- let`s forget, oh, she started this, and she was doing that. I`m not trying to minimize that. But at the heart of it there`s a certain lack of maturity on the part of the adults involved. They are children themselves emotionally. What do you say?

CHERYL ARUTT, FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGIST: I think that`s a very good point. I think it`s very brave of Brandy to come out and speak and take responsibility. And she really sounds -- Brandy, you sound like somebody who really would like to have more tools than you have. If I`ve read things correctly, Brandy, I think you were about 16 when you had your daughter. Is that right?

MILLS: Yes, that`s right.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes.

ARUTT: So, you know, this is something where, you know, you were a kid becoming a mom. You weren`t fully mature yet. And what ends up happening to all of us, the tools that -- that we want to teach our kids as -- as parents is to help them internalize a sense of right and wrong and a sense of how they can solve problems in a way that`s going to be constructive.

And it seems like when we get overwhelmed, and when we get really angry and upset, there is kind of a reflex thing that can happen when we can -- I`ve talked about this before, that a part of our brain that can do the grown-up thing can go offline, and we can just react instead of respond.

And so one of the things that I think needs to happen is to understand and to be able to know what can I do instead when I`m angry, when I feel powerless, when I feel overwhelmed? And I want to see more resources available both to parents and kids who are being bullied.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, let me say this, Cheryl. You bring up an important point. What can I do instead?

First of all, I think there`s a lot of people in this country who are suffering from rage, which is an addiction. Anger is an addiction, just like, in my opinion, anyway -- I wrote the book about this, "Addict Nation" -- just like alcoholism and drugs.

If you`re using something, if you -- when you`re drunk, you`re out of control. When you`re in a rage, you`re out of control in the same manner. You are not in control.

And Brandy, there are ways to tackle this. And I do kind of speak from personal experience, because I have had rage issues. And I went to an anger workshop, and I took seven -- seven courses, seven days where I went to this anger workshop, and I was -- I felt very humiliated and like, "What am I doing?" But I wanted to deal with this issue.

And what you do is you sit around in a circle, and a person gets up, and they take a tennis racket and they -- they hit a pillow as hard as they can. And they get their anger out. And at the end of their three minutes, everybody politely claps, and they sit down.

And if you do this seven times, you can change your relationship with anger, where you kind of get to look at it from this perspective as opposed to getting reactive and having it run your life.

Do you -- do you think you`d be willing to do something like that, Brandy? Go to an anger workshop?

MILLS: I -- I know I made a mistake. You know, this is my -- I have -- I have five children and tackling that, health problems and then this. I know -- I know I made a mistake. I knew I made a mistake when I was trying to talk to the parent as it was over. I tried to talk to her and she wouldn`t talk to me. I -- that was once again trying to talk to her.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I still -- I hear -- Brandy, Brandy, what I hear is - - I hear --

MILLS: I take responsibility for everything I`ve done.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I hear you still trying to justify and rationalize. And that`s part of it. Just like we alcoholics, when we`re in our disease, justify and rationalize our behavior. "Oh, well, they handed me the drink. I didn`t" -- there`s always that explanation.

Rene Syler, do you think Brandy should take an anger workshop?

SYLER: Well, I think it would help. And she does sound sincere.

Brandy, I have to hand it to you, you really do sound like someone who wants some better tools.

But I guess the issue I have with this is that this is wrong. You -- it almost felt like your daughter was an extension of you. And that is how we view our kids a lot of times, as an extension of us. But in this weird kind of warped way, you know, you wanted her to win the fight so that you would look good. That`s -- I don`t understand that. I don`t get that.

And I`m not sure that a lot of parents would understand that, because we do everything we can to protect our children. And you put your daughter in harm`s way, and then urged her and egged her on. And that`s just something that people can`t get their heads around.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let me jump in for a second. Brandy, quickly, how is your daughter doing after this fight? Was she hurt? Is she emotionally damaged?

MILLS: I don`t -- you know, this is from me. I don`t think she`s emotionally damaged. And I asked -- I`ve already asked her if she needed to talk to a counselor, and I`ve already asked my 11-year-old if she needed to talk to a counselor.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, guess what? Eleven- and 13- and 16-year-olds aren`t the ones to make the best determination as to whether they need to talk to a counselor. I think you need family therapy. The whole bunch of you, you and all your kids, get together and start talking about what`s really going on.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The person was actually in the hot tub Jacuzzi on the inside of the house. White male, very apparently dead.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What`s most suspicious, when you wake up next to a dead guy, why do you leave the scene? I mean, are you taking away evidence? Are you discarding evidence? You know, was this some kind of auto-erotomania that went bad?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: It`s getting hot in Little Rock, at least for one local weatherman. Local meteorologist Brett Cummins remains off the air tonight as cops investigate a truly bizarre death.

Cops say Cummings, this guy, went to a party at this house with his friend, Dexter Williams. You see him there holding his arm up. This is his MySpace photo. The next morning, the party host woke up to a nightmare. Cops say he found the TV meteorologist, Cummings, asleep in an empty indoor hot tub next to his friend, Dexter, who was dead, who was dead and naked, wearing only a dog collar attached to a chain.

Now, the dead man, Dexter Williams`, family is devastated, obviously. There you see him. Got the meteorologist in the shirt and Dexter without the shirt. And the family of the dead man is waiting for autopsy results to find out how their loved one died.

But we do know that there was blood, according to cops, in the hot tub and around the victim`s head and that this young man -- handsome young man -- his face was blue.

This is a very sad story, but it is bizarre. And it`s scandalous.

Straight out to defense attorney Joey Jackson.

Joey, here`s what I would say, again, recovering alcoholic that I am: these guys were drinking. According to cops, they were snorting drugs. A lot can happen. Bad party. People can overdose. But what disturbs me is the presence of blood in the tub. What do you make of that?

JACKSON: Very interesting, Jane. You know, the whole thing is a mystery. I know the police are investigating. And we`re not jumping to any conclusions about what was what. At this point, no criminal charges were filed and there`s no evidence yet of foul play, but we`ll see.

You know, the blood, I`m not too sure. And I don`t know if it was an overdose. I don`t know, perhaps, if they were --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You don`t necessarily have blood.

(CROSSTALK)

JACKSON: -- activities.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You -- what are you saying?

JACKSON: It was around the neck, right, Jane? It was around the neck, right? There was blood that was found around the neck area of the person who was -- you know, who died.

And you know, interestingly enough, I don`t know if the blood came as a result of what they were doing or, you know, may have been doing together. And so all of it remains a strange mystery.

I would suspect that if police find that there`s foul play, they`ll file the appropriate charges. But at this point, it just seemed like everyone was too drunk, unfortunately, and too high, really, to know what happened. And they just determined in the morning that someone was dead.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. Sometimes people go into blackouts, and they don`t have any recollection of anything that happened.

JACKSON: Exactly.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let`s check this out. This is a promo involving one of the key participants.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to keep you safe during severe weather by providing an accurate forecast to plan your day. Your weather authority is a team sport.

BRETT CUMMINS, METEOROLOGIST: And as experienced meteorologists, we`re always ready.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Brett Cummins, the team and technology you can count on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: He`s not ready tonight, because he is off the air. But through his attorney, the weatherman says he`s devastated, deeply regrets the incident, and is cooperating with police.

This is a very tragic, bizarre story. We`re just getting started. And if that weatherman wants to come on and tell his side of the story, we would love to have him on.

"Housewives" next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Reality TV likes nothing more than drama, and this is drama.

TAYLOR ARMSTRONG, "REAL HOUSEWIVES OF BEVERLY HILLS": Thankfully, I have five strong women that are standing next to me now and they`ve got my back.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The friend went over through the back window. And he saw him hanging there.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Chilling new revelations in the "Real Housewives" suicide shocker.

ARMSTRONG: A lot of the issues in my marriage are definitely addressed this year.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Physical abuse and death, those are things that can be made up by producers.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Russell was terrified how he would be portrayed in the upcoming season of "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills."

RONALD RICHARDS, RUSSELL ARMSTRONG`S FORMER ATTORNEY: The show characterized him as someone who abused his spouse.

DUNCAN ROY, "SEX REHAB WITH DR. DREW": I think Bravo will end up showing him because frankly reality TV has, at its core, no heart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Bombshell new details about the events leading up to the shocking "Housewives of Beverly Hills" suicide. In the months before reality star Taylor Armstrong`s husband Russell killed himself, Taylor was allegedly nearly hospitalized for alcohol poisoning. Tonight, published reports claim it`s all caught on tape.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, this isn`t the first time we`ve heard about booze and drugs from this season of the show. Check it out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`ve had my fair share of interaction with people that are on drugs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At least I don`t do crystal meth in the bathroom all night long, bitch.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know what; Randy, let me tell you something. You do not want to go there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I will (EXPLETIVE DELETED) kill you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ok, ok.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (EXPLETIVE DELETED) threaten me --

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Enough.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You`re a slut pig.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Leave pigs out of it. They haven`t done anything; let`s not talk about them. When you have that kind of a clip promoting your show, I think it`s fair to say that it`s incumbent upon us to ask a lot of questions. And no question is off-limits about what`s going on.

Even more shocking, this might not be the first time that Taylor has been caught on camera, appearing anyway, totally smashed. Check out this video from YouTube.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARMSTRONG: Hey.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are you doing?

ARMSTRONG: Good.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look over here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, over here, right here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I don`t know. I mean I`m a recovering alcoholic with 16 years of sobriety. I`m not pointing a finger at anyone. I`ve had my moments, believe you me.

But it`s fair to ask, could that be a non-sober woman right there? Were there deeper, darker secrets that Russell and Taylor were trying to hide?

All right, we reached out to Bravo, asking them if Taylor had been hospitalized from alcohol poisoning and we got a big "No Comment."

But straight out to Alexis Tereszcuk, senior reporter, RadarOnline; what do you know?

ALEXIS TERESZCUK, SENIOR REPORTER, RADARONLINE: Well what we know is that the girls were out of town for a weekend and Taylor was partying and she`s little. She`s just a skinny woman. She ate next to nothing that day and she had so much alcohol.

She was so completely wasted that her friends were worried that she had alcohol poisoning and actually wanted her to go to the hospital that night. She refused and didn`t go, but they were very, very concerned about her.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. We are very delighted to have Randy Edwards, who is one of the Russell Armstrong`s childhood friends with us from Dallas. Russell, of course, tragically committed suicide. And you have been, Randy, outspoken because Russell isn`t here to speak for himself.

What are your thoughts about this new report of this kind of drama behind the scenes, leading up to Russell`s suicide where his wife -- they were having a lot of marital problems -- allegedly, became very, very intoxicated to the point, according to RadarOnline, she almost had to be hospitalized for alcohol poisoning?

RANDY EDWARDS, RUSSELL ARMSTRONG`S CHILDHOOD FRIEND: Well, I never saw her personally drunk like that, but I did have a few conversations with Russ and he told me a few stories where that doesn`t surprise me one bit.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Elaborate, please.

EDWARDS: Well, I mean there`s one occasion they were in a hotel and she was drunk and she attacked him. Another occasion, they were here in Dallas at a Highland Park restaurant. He said he turns around and she`s in a lip lock with another woman. He takes her away from that situation and explains to her, you know, you`re a public figure and you can`t be doing that and she got aggressive with him then. But she got aggressive with him even when she wasn`t intoxicated.

He told a story --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, let me say -- I have to jump in and say, you`ve said some things that are pretty controversial just now. Again, we reached out to Bravo for comment on this latest report from RadarOnline saying that she almost had to be hospitalized for alcohol poisoning and we got a big "No Comment."

But we invite anybody from Bravo. We invite Taylor Armstrong. We invite her representatives on our show anytime to give their side. We want to be fair here.

But again, looking at the clip we saw a moment ago of people screaming at each other and accusing each other of doing drugs and accusing each other of all sorts of bad behavior as part of the show, that really opens the door to us asking certain questions. In fact, it`s our responsibility.

And a big question is reality TV and booze, is there a connection in general? Check this clip out from MTV`s "Jersey Shore."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am (INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She`s afraid she`s going to turn around and run to the beach again.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We`re getting our bathing suits. We`re getting our --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Come on, Nicole, really? Are you out of your mind?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Snooki is on the beach, rolling around.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right, that`s a different show. We`ve covered many different reality shows that seem to have a heavy quotient of intoxicated people. We did ask Bravo if they encouraged alcohol consumption on "Real Housewives." And they said that would be ridiculous.

But Cheryl Arutt, in general with reality television, since bad behavior makes for good TV and since alcohol consumption makes for bad behavior, isn`t it fair to ask the question? Could reality TV in general be encouraging the overconsumption of alcohol?

CHERYL ARUTT, FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGIST: It`s an excellent question and I think the answer to that is obvious. By the way, congratulations, Jane, on your sobriety --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank you.

ARUTT: I`m sure it feels good when you see these things to know what you`ve accomplished.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. There, but for the grace of God, go I.

ARUTT: Yes. I think the equation that you state that bad behavior makes good television and alcohol is so dis-inhibiting that it makes it much more likely that people are going to do things they wouldn`t ordinarily do.

There is a real conflict of interest I think sometimes and attention between the well-being either physical safety or mental health well-being of the people who are appearing on the shows and the desire to make television that people are going to not be able to resist tuning into. And we do need to think about the safety of the people who are appearing on the shows.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, there`s been rumors that Taylor plans to write a tell-all book, specifically including her allegations that she was physically abused by her husband Russell. Her manager told us that Taylor has absolutely no book deal at this time. And the key words to this phrase appear to be "at this time."

What do you know Alexis Tereszcuk?

TERESZCUK: Well, we know that she is writing the book. She had been preparing to write this book for quite a few months actually and then when Russell committed suicide, she put it on hold.

But she doesn`t have any money right now. She is desperate. Her finances are in disarray and she needs money. So she thought she would write this book, sources have told us, and she would use it to try to help other women, but she is going to include the pictures of her domestic violence, which haven`t been seen publicly yet. Quite a few people have seen them and they talk about the fact that she had a huge gash on her face from her eye down to her mouth. She`s going to include those in the book so people can see what really happened to her in hopes it will make more books sell.

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VELEZ-MITCHELL: And let me say this one more time. When you make your life into a television show including your marriage sessions with your therapist and your marital problems all out there on the table, you open the door for anybody to ask any question about your life. Including, are you drinking too much? Did you get smashed here? Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. That`s why it`s dangerous to open your life to reality TV. It`s not without its risks.

All right, up next, 9/11 heroes.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: America needs to remember what`s happened and make sure it never happens again and never forget the people who gave up their lives that day.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: World trade center just blew up. The whole center?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, that`s what they said.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What happened earlier today, trying to get in touch with loved ones, very concerned. And then, of course, some people watching the other tower come down earlier then a group of people then watching this other tower come down, a woman passing me covered in soot.

Basically the sky is just black. You can`t see down to Lower Manhattan from the vantage I am. The police have cleared off all these streets, pushing people away. Police telling us if you have to get out of here to get out of here. Pushing people away in garages; it`s an unbelievable scene.

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VELEZ-MITCHELL: It`s hard to believe, but it`s been ten years since that horrific day when the towers came crashing down and all of our lives changed forever.

Do you remember where you were? I certainly do. I was actually fast asleep in Los Angeles. My mom called me and said four words -- turn on the TV. I will never, never forget the sickening feeling of turning on the TV and seeing that and saying that can`t be happening, that can`t be happening but it is.

And then racing to where I worked, which was at Paramount Studios in the midst of the make believe and knowing that on the other side where all my friends and relatives were, the unthinkable was occurring and I had no way of helping anybody. I didn`t even know if my relatives, my nieces and nephews, my mom, I didn`t know if they were ok because we didn`t know what was happening.

And then, of course, I watched those horrible images of people dropping out of the highest floors of the Twin Towers, falling to their deaths; feeling so helpless, we all did. We all just sat there and watched. What the heck is going on? We didn`t know.

At first, you didn`t know if it was World War III. We just knew our nation was under attack after the second plane hit, after it was clear that it was not an accident; that this was planned by a bunch of homicidal maniacs.

Intense feelings still linger for the many, many thousands of people directly affected directed that day, the people who survived the horror of 9/11. The thousands who lost relatives and lost loved ones, and those heroic first responders.

Straight out to my very special guest and a good friend, HLN law enforcement analyst Mike Brooks who joins us now live from Ground Zero where the jackhammers are right behind you, working to recreate what was destroyed, but make it different. There`s a memorial. There`s One World Trade Center, which is going to be the tallest building in the western hemisphere when it`s done.

There is so much going on down there at the World Trade Center. Mike, what are you seeing and what are you hearing?

MIKE BROOKS, HLN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: I tell you, Jane, there`s a lot going on today. And seeing a lot of security because of that increased, you know, heightened sense of awareness because of the new terrorist threat that we heard about last night. But there -- you hear the jackhammers in the back. But we`ll also see -- I see a lot of firefighters who are here.

Yesterday, I was over across the street at Liberty right next to Station Ten. It was in the footprint of the South Tower. And there`s a wall there that everybody was going by that has the names of all the 343 firefighters who gave their lives ten years ago. And you know, it says there, "All gave some, and some gave all. This is dedicated to those who fell and to those who carry on."

And that`s what it`s about on this tenth anniversary, Jane. It`s about those who carry on. I spoke with a number of firefighters who weren`t even on the job back then. But they are now the first responders who could respond to something like this, should it happen ever again. But the one thing we want to make sure we always keep in mind, Jane, is to never forget. Never forget what happened on September 11, 2001.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Never. We can`t. There were so many heroes. Just people who made a momentary decision to risk their own death to save total strangers. Listen to this --

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MICHAEL BENFANTE, 9/11 SURVIVOR: I saw a light flash out my window. My whole doorway entrance to my office blew open. My office was freaking out. I just told them to calm down, get to the center of the office. Everybody was fine on my floor and we just started heading down the stairs. Stopped at like 68 and there was a woman in a wheelchair and I got her in the strapped wheelchair and just carried her down the steps and carried her 68 floors, man.

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VELEZ-MITCHELL: So many heroes.

On with me now is Stacey Assael who was a drug counselor and who heard about it, who raced to Ground Zero and began talking to the firefighters who had come out of the World Trade Center; the people who were just covered in dust and who didn`t even know what had hit them.

Stacey, what was the dominant feeling of those who were suffering, those who were alive? But they were kind of asking, "Why me? Why did I survive when others died," right?

STACEY ASSAIL, 9/11 FIRST RESPONDER (via telephone): Well, Jane, we were trying to reach the people when they came out. We were the employment assistance program for the policemen and firemen. So as they were coming out we were trying to grab them and trying to help them sort of process what was going on.

The biggest thing that they were -- it was the smell -- that`s what we could remember was the smell. People were just lost. They had that thousand-mile stare on their eyes. Nobody really understood or knew.

And it was that realization that things were never going to be the same. It`s that momentary realization that this was not an accident. "Oh my God," that`s what everybody kept saying, "Oh, my God." The realization that this was no joke; this is something that`s was not going to change our lives forever.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Stacey, I want to thank you for going down there on that day. I want to thank all those heroes, known and unknown who risked their own lives. Thank you.

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KELLY BOYD: I want to tell you a story about how I was attacked by a dog.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 19-year-old Kelly Boyd (ph) is teaching kids how to protect themselves from dogs.

BOYD: See how their fingers are curled in around the ears? You never want to have your hands out --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A neighborhood dog bit her when she was seven and after getting about 100 stitches and plastic surgery, she was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder.

BOYD: Right after the accident, I was really afraid of dogs. I wouldn`t go outside.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The doctor suggested to her that she was not only a survivor, but really an expert on how to survive this type of thing. Together we decided that that was something we could do to help other children stay safe.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 8-year-old Kelly and her mother created the non- profit organization, "Prevent the Bite." Kelly began teaching children safety techniques and how to respond to a dog`s body language.

Now a college sophomore, she`s presented to more than 10,000 students. Kelly`s presentation kit and lesson plan are now online.

BOYD: One of the main things that really makes me feel good about doing this program is letters that I`ve gotten back from kids. I don`t want to stop doing "Prevent the Bite." I think I`m going to be doing it for a very long time.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Subjected to hundreds of experiments inside this lab and then after more than 30 years of this life, they see daylight for the very first time.

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VELEZ-MITCHELL: Look at those happy faces, extraordinary human-like reaction from monkeys smelling freedom for the first time after 30 years of imprisonment for painful experiments. They were locked in cages and tested over and over again to find an HIV vaccine. Painful experiments that proved totally fruitless.

Now, as we watch the happy monkey ending, heading to a sanctuary in Europe, a new controversy over monkey experiments. The video I`m going to show you gives you just a little taste, monkeys enduring other experimentation. It is what you call generic video, but it is awful.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals now charging that the U.S. Army is planning to inject monkeys with a drug overdose to recreate the effects of a nerve agent attack. PETA predicts the monkeys will suffer from vomiting, twitching, seizures, some will even stop breathing.

We`re very delighted to have with us tonight PETA president Ingrid Newkirk. And full disclosure, I am a card carrying member of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Ingrid what would you like the American people to know about these planned U.S. Army experiments?

INGRID NEWKIRK, PRESIDENT, PETA: I`d like them to know that they`re crude, they`re cruel, they`re short-changing our military, people in the field deserve better, our medical military trainees deserve better because there are more sophisticated ways to do it. But they`re also abominably cruel to these wild caught, very frightened monkeys who go through living hell on the lab table at Aberdeen Proving Grounds.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, we reached out to the U.S. Army for response and we just got it back moments ago. They say, quote, "All Department of Defense Animal used programs comply with regulatory requirements. The monkeys are fully anesthetized during the training. There are no validated non-animal simulators." So basically they`re saying that they can`t use a simulator. What do you say?

NEWKIRK: I say tell that to Harvard, tell that to Yale, the Royal College of Surgeons, the Israeli defense department; they`re all using and in fact some U.S. Military installations are using highly-sophisticated, computerized mannequins that look like people. You inject them with something, not like a monkey, they react as a human being would do because that`s how they`re programmed.

These monkeys, when you watch the training video, and if they want to see what happens in a monkey, show the soldiers this. That the monkeys twitch their tails and the instructor says, "Look, make a note, he`s twitching his tail." Imagine you`re out on the battlefield, someone has injected you, infected you with nerve gas, you`re not going to be comforted by a medic who rushes up and says is your tail twitching. Soldiers don`t have tails. This is just bunk.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Recently NASA backed off plans for radiation experiments on monkeys. A NASA engineer resigned in protest, celebrities like Paul McCartney and Alicia Silverstone spoke out along with tens of thousands of regular Americans who said I don`t want my tax dollars being used for cruel animal experimentation. Could that happen here, Ingrid?

NEWKIRK: It is already happening, Jane, because we`re hearing from all ranks within the military and retired and active service people who want better. They don`t want to be short changed. They want an end to these experiments.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. More in a minute. What you can do in a second.

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KRISTIN BAUER, ACTRESS, ANIMAL ACTIVIST: We`re the last country to still be doing these experiments that have yielded no advancement for humans.

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VELEZ-MITCHELL: Actress Kristen Bauer speaking out against monkey experimentation. I got to tell you that our producers who have seen a lot, two of them cried after viewing video of monkey experimentation which we cannot show you because it is way too graphic in preparation for this story. Ingrid, people don`t know because they can`t see what goes on. Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.

NEWKIRK: Yes, it is absolutely true. Because the military thinks it can lock out the American people and it can lock out its own detractors within who are saying modernize, but if you do see the video, you can see it at peta.org. You see these monkeys who are wild caught, they`re frightened, they`re bought out, they`re knocked down, strapped to a table and then they do convulse, they foam at the mouth.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: We have to leave it right there. Go to peta.org for more.

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