Texas Judge Edith Jones, who serves on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, faces criticism for remarks over the death penalty, claiming minorities are more likely to commit crimes. CNN's Ed Lavandera reports.
READ MORE: Judge in hot water: Allegedly said minorities are prone to violence
Imagine getting your bike stolen. Most people would maybe file a report with the police, look into getting another one, and leave it at that. But not Portland native Jake Gillum. He came up with an elaborate sting operation to catch the alleged bicycle thief - and they got it all on tape.
Gillum had his $2500 bike stolen earlier this month, and when it turned up in a Seattle Craigslist ad, he and his friends hatched an elaborate plan: Create a fake online persona and then traveling 160 miles to confront the alleged thief in person. After alerting police, Gillum chased the suspect down on his stolen bike and caught it all on video.
Once authorities arrived on the scene, the alleged thief was arrested and charged with trafficking stolen property. The three vigilantes posted their video on YouTube, racking up over a million views in just five days.
Jake Gillum talks with Soledad on "Starting Point" this morning about his elaborate plan, along with his friend Shannon Hardie who helped him record the bust.
Miriam Unger, wife of Jacob Ostreicher, an American who has been jailed in Bolivia since last June, is pleading for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to help her husband.
“Secretary of State Hillary Clinton needs to get involved here and I know that she can help my husband," Unger tells Soledad O’Brien on Starting Point today. "He needs to come home; he is ill and there will be irreversible damage if this is not escalated on a higher level.”
Ostreicher, a 53 year old flooring contractor from Brooklyn, N.Y, was arrested by Bolivian authorities under the suspicion that the money he used to invest in a rice business was drug money.
No evidence or charges have been brought against Ostreicher but under Bolivian law, people can be incarcerated for up to 18 months without charge.
At one hearing, Osteicher’s defense presented more than 1,000 translated documents that showed the source of all of his investment and proved that the money came from legitimate sources.
A judge ordered Osteicher released on bond from the Palmasola prison in Santa Cruz. However, after his family paid, the judge unexpectedly rescinded his own decision.
Jacob Ostreicher is nearing one month on a hunger strike to call attention to his case.
A disturbing new video has been uncovered that allegedly shows an illegal immigrant getting beaten and tasered by U.S. Border Patrol agents. That man, Anastacio Hernandez-Rojas died soon after.
The story was uncovered through a joint investigation by the PBS show "Need to Know" and the investigative fund of the Nation Institute.
The coroner said there were traces of methamphetamine Hernandez-Rojas's system and he died of a heart attack. They say it's unclear what brought that on. The U.S. Attorney and the Customs and Border Protection Offices – have no comment.
This morning on "Starting Point," Soledad talks with Ashley Young, the woman who shot the video of the incident, and investigative journalist John Carlos Frey who has been following this case since the beginning.
On "Starting Point with Soledad O'Brien," Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) explains why she believes the Trayvon Martin shooting was a hate crime.
Waters was joined by Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Missouri) responds to criticism that black leaders are exploiting the Trayvon Martin case. He says the country has to address its 'low esteem' for black life.