that's a story at least the french prosecutors are investigating, launching an investigation into this. a french newspaper says these allegations came from statements that two escorts made to belgian police. dsk held one of the most powerful positions in the world of course as imf chief. you may also remember he was arrested after a new york hotel maid accused him of sexual assault. he was cleared on that charge after her story fell apart. soledad? >> all right. christine, thank you for the update. we're watching that story obviously. it has been chaos in chicago as thousands of protesters against the war in afghanistan are at the nato summit. demonstrators were clashing with police who were wearing riot gear yesterday. they were voicing their opposition to the war. police arrested at least 45 people. the protests happened just blocks away from where world leaders are meeting to talk about the end game in afghanistan. this brings us to ted roulands who was in the middle of that chaos. >> there were 40 arrests and several injuries one of the protesters standing close to me had a few teeth knocked out. another was bleeding from the head but there were also police injuries. according to the police department four police officers were injured. one officer apparently stabbed in the leg. the big question today as the sun rises in chicago what will the city be in for? there as large protest scheduled at the boeing corporation today a few blocks from where we are downtown. protesters say they plan to shut down boeing. police are going to be out in force. most businesses have told their employees to stay home today to avoid what could be a very chaotic day here in chicago. >> as far as i can see you have two groups of protesters right? you have the protesters who for the most part are relatively peaceful. then you have the black block protesters wearing black with the black bandanas around their faces. how many of those black block protesters are we talking about? >> just a handful. when you say there are two groups you're absolutely right. there are the groups that are for their protests and marches and have been following the letter of the law all week long. there have been events. then there is the fragment groups, these are the folks causing the problems. usually around the scheduled protests like yesterday. all of that melee happened following a scheduled protest when police said the time is up. please move on. that's when the chaos started. that's really the problem here. it's just a handful of people. but they are causing all of the problems. >> it's been really interesting to see. i think the focus on sort of two pieces of videotape, one we were just showing a moment ago, which was the police using their batons to fight back that crowd. another one that i thought was very interesting, ted, was this police van. there it is right there. look as they're pushing a guy out of the way. he is trying to slow the truck. watch the fwi in the black. he is going around the back of the car, stabbing the tires. you see it there. now you're going to see him right here, he is wearing black shirt, running back out to the crowd. i guess he has stabbed the tires of that truck. the guy who apparently the truck was pushing was able to move out of the way. that is the slow mo version of that guy. give me some more sense of just how violent these protests have gotten because certainly on tv i got to tell you they look really rough. >> yeah. it was violent yesterday definitely and the case with the police van, you have two separate stories here. immediately after that incident there was an alert out by the protesters saying one of our people has been hit by a police van. well, talked with the police and they say we had a police officer assaulted. in fact, the most serious injury in that incident was to the driver, the police officer there had a concussion because he was struck in the head during that situation. they say he was moving that van to get out because he was in danger. so the answer to your question how violent, in pockets it's very violent. when you see the batons flying and people getting hit, it's pretty intense. but for the most part, and this is what the main demonstrators are concerned about, for the most part these demonstrations have been peaceful. it's just this video is so dramatic this really is the lasting image that people have so far from the protests here. >> remarkable to see. ted rowlands, thanks. i want to bring in the illinois lieutenant governor sheila simon joining us now. nice to see you. thank you for being with us. how comfortable are you with sort of the visuals that you are seeing? how often are you talking to the chief of police and how do you feel about the strategy in dealing with both sets of protesters that we were talking about, the more peaceful protesters and some of those folks you're seeing on tv with more violent protests? >> i'm obviously saddened that there's violence involved that police have been injured, that protesters have been injured, but what i'm pleased with is that for the most part thousands of people have been able to express themselves, have been able to state their opinions about war, about nato, and chicago has shown a capability to respond to be a global city and i'm pleased with that. >> garry mccarthy is the superintendent of police and he was asked about that use of batons. we've seen that in a couple shots and here is what he said. >> have you authorized officers to use batons? >> absolutely. to overcome an assault? absolutely. >> you said you were concerned about the image but ultimately the batons did come out and it is not a pretty thing. >> no but ultimately the officers were assaulted. they don't have to stand there and take an assault. >> are you concerned that many of the conversations that have been taking place over the weekend and probably will continue to take place today are about the violence and not conversations about what's really happening at this summit? >> i am concerned about that because i think those small images, those few images do form some kind of impression. i think though for the most part people who were participating and i have a staff member who was on the scene said that for the most part things were very orderly, that there were plenty of law enforcement officers around to make sure the people could express themselves, that there were legal observers, medical staff, and that it was really an effective use of a democracy where we have to tolerate and appreciate all opinions. >> i know that the protesters have said that they're going to try to, quote, shut down boeing today, which is based in chicago and obviously makes gear for defense and aircraft as well. what's the strategy for protecting or i guess keeping the protesters if there is one from boeing? >> well, i think the strategy has been all along to work with all of the different law enforcement agencies in concert and i think for the most part they've been doing a fantastic job of making sure that people are protected and free speech rights are protected as well. it's a tough balance to get but i think they're doing a good job. >> quick question for you about financial costs. the estimates that i have seen are about $55 million for security. a chunk of that is paid for by the feds but the upside i've also read is somewhere around $128 million potentially by some estimates being made in, you know, sort of housing and hotels and restaurants, etcetera, etcetera, for the city. do you think it's been worth it? >> i think on balance it's a very positive thing for chicago, for the state of illinois. chicago is a city with a global influence and now we can demonstrate a global impact. we have lots of advantages in the ability to put something like this together well. >> sheila simon is the state's lieutenant governor. nice to see you. thank you for talking with us. appreciate it. >> thank you. time for a look at the rest of the stories making news this morning. christine has a look at those. >> good morning, soledad. newark, new jersey mayor cory booker is now backing off some surprising comments he made criticizing president obama for attacks on mitt romney. booker told nbc's "meet the press" yesterday he was uncomfortable with president obama attacking romney's record at bain capital. >> you look at the totality of bain capital's record. they've done a lot to support businesses, to grow businesses, and this to me i am very uncomfortable with. >> now booker says romney's record at bain is fair game. in a new youtube video booker says the president is, quote, reasonable to scrutinize romney's business record. >> i believe that mitt romney in many ways is not being completely honest with his role and his record even while a business person and is shaping it to serve his political interests. >> booker says his earlier remarks were meant to express his frustration with negative campaigning over all. booker, a democrat, is supporting president obama for re-election. the lockerbie bomber will be buried today. al-megrahi, a former libyan intelligence officer, was the only person ever convicted in the bombing of pan am flight 103. 270 people died when that plane exploded over lockerbie, scotland in 1988. al-megrahi died sunday nearly three years after he was freed from a scottish prison on humanitarian grounds because he was said to be gravely ill. it is sentencing day in the rutgers web cam spying case. the defendant could get ten years in prison for hate crimes against tyler clemente. a jury convicted him of spying and intimidating his gay roommate. clemente jumped off new york's george washington bridge and hanged himself after ravi used a web cam to spy on him with another man. incredible pictures of yesterday's solar eclipse. millions looking into the skies to catch a glimpse of the ring of fire. this eclipse, the first of its kind in 18 years, created a golden ring around the moon's silhouette and it was visible on the west coast and in asia. the next one will happen in 2023. robin gibb of the bee gees has lost his battle with cancer. gibb founded the group which included his two brothers. they sold more than 200 million records and together they helped turn disco into a global phenomenon writing much of the music for the iconic film "saturday night fever." robin gibb was 62. soledad, a voice of a whole generation. >> my goodness. no question. remember my mother used to think that more than a woman was bow-legged woman and she'd run around the house singing ♪ bow-legged woman . thank you for the update. still ahead his daring escape from house arrest sparked a diplomatic crisis. and really angered china. now activist chen guangcheng has landed in america. he's already exercising his freedom of speech. and the greatest spectacle in racing, the indianapolis 500 is this weekend. there is controversy. new cars, they say some people slower. drivers marco andretti and jared hildebrand are going to join us. our panel will be talking about that and much more. nice to have you guys. welcome. how are you? in the latino communityr retirement. the word that we use is jubilation. as you're getting older, you should be able to do the things that you love. welcome back everybody. it's been a harrowing seven yoi journey for a chinese activist and has ended in freedom in the united states. chen guangcheng arrived on saturday evening at newark airport in new jersey. then he made his way to new york city where he is going to be beginning a fellowship at nyu school of law. now, through a translator mr. chen changed the u.s. government. also offered praise for beijing. >> translator: i am very gratified to see that the chinese government has been dealing with the situation with restraint and calm. >> mr. chen was arrested back in 2006 for his work against his government's enforcement of mandated birth quotas and was then sent to prison, put under house arrest in april before he was able to escape his captors arrived at the u.s. embassy in beijing on april 26th which was just days before the secretary of state, hillary clinton, was scheduled to get there for a big economic talk with china. it became a very tense diplomatic situation and mr. chen was eventually sent to a state-run hospital where he remained until suddenly his arrival here in new york. joining us this morning is congressman chris smith of new jersey. he helps facilitate mr. chen's arrival. he has been really working on his case for more than ten years now and was there to greet him at newark airport when he touched down. it is nice to have you. >> thanks very much. >> my pleasure. you saw him and we've certainly gotten a chance to see him as he made his brief statement. >> he looked very weak. his ankle was broken. in the escape. totally jet lagged. had a little car sickness. you know, he is going to have to have some time to heal and recuperate because he has been through a trauma both physically and emotionally as well as his wife and children. and his extended family as we all know who are still at grave risk. they're being retaliated against. they shifted they being the chinese government from going after him and beating him routinely to beating his family especially his nephew and brother. >> he has come to the united states with his wife and two children, a 6-year-old and a 10-year-old. >> yes. >> but as you point out there is lots of concern about the family members, his nephew, his brother, his mother who have all stayed behind. what is the situation with them right now? >> it is very, very bad. the situation is hard to get information because we only get it by way of people who phone in and give up dates but the police have cordoned off a number of his family members so while the chens are free here, the other christens chens are not. that goes equally for a number of the people, the woman who helped him escape. she has already been beaten around the face and sexually molested. then there is a whole group of other people including lawyers, one of them who was actually a visiting scholar in 2009, i had him in a hearing. he went back. he is the man who defended chen in 2005 in the court as part of a group of lawyers. he was beaten so badly trying to reach chen at the hospital that he may have lost hearing in one of his ears. this is a brutal dictatorship. most americans i think, you know, they get the happy pictures of beijing and perhaps shanghai, maybe even if they go there on vacation they come away with a false impression that belice whb belies what is going on by the secret police. >> how safe is mr. chen here in the united states? we know that nation's reaches don't stop at their borders. >> a great question. you know, we've learned from many dissidents who finally got here and got asylum or protection that they are tracked, followed, harassed. there will have to be an extra layer of protection. >> who? new york pd, fbi? >> i think the new york university might be on the short term sufficient but i think it has to be watched carefully because they do things like car crashes or something happens that is made to look like an accident so we have to keep a very, very sharp focus. >> you see pictures in the newspaper like mr. chen sitting in washington park this weekend. it makes you -- when you bring up things like this -- >> i was going to ask you, actually, congressman smith, i know that part of the reason that chen is under fire in china is because of the fact -- i want to ask you coming from a pro choice perspective if this is something where you feel the pro life and pro choice communities could work together because it is about forcing women to make a choice they don't want to make. >> ulf, we haven't. you un, i offered the first amendment in the house of representatives in 1984 to defund any organization implicit in these crimes against women. chen is i believe one of the greatest defenders of women in the world. he took on an issue that some of the human rights groups have looked askance and literally put aside, perhaps out of ignorance or for whatever reason and women have been forcibly aborted since 1979. chen has a second child only because some disabled persons, he is blind as everyone knows, do get an opportunity to get a second child but by and large forced abortion is absolutely pervasive. there is missing maybe on the order of a hundred million girls because of sex election abortion and there are many women a day in china who commit suicide. this is the worst human rights violation ever and now we have missing girls, the current problem of sex trafficking. i wrote the trafficking protection act in 2000 to prevent modern day slavery. china is becoming the magnet for that. >> mr. chen has said he wants to go back right? as you list all of these things pretty much from the start of our conversation to now, why? why would he possibly go back? he is not going to be safe and it looks like there's not been a tremendous change in the human rights issues people have been protesting as you say since the late 1970s. >> it has gotten worse. >> what is the likelihood that in fact mr. chen after he studies and gets his law degree at nyu will head back to china to do the work he wanted to do? >> i think the short and intermediate term it is very slim. if he goes back that target on his back that is already there here, the chinese government very aggressive lly foments following and harassing people who speak up for human rights even in this country especially if they're chinese. if he goes back he and his family will be the cross hares of retaliation -- the crosshairs will shift toward him. right now it is his family that every one of us has to continue our focus as never before. >> we appreciate your time this morning. still ahead this morning on "starting point" what our eyes caught in the morning papers. including occupy my wedding. a bride goes completely crazy of course because you know you're so on the edge when you're the bride anyway when nato protesters crash her party. we completely understand that. don't forget you can watch us live on your computer and mobile phone while at work. cnn.com/live. guess what? i'm back on twitter at soledad underscore o'brien. i kind of got off a little bit. this is will cain's play list. you're watching starting point. we'll take a break. [ son ] mom, computer's broke! where's i.t. mom? she quit. [ male announcer ] even with technology -- it's all you. that's why you've got us. get up to $200 dollars off select computers. staples that was easy. to your kids' wet skin. neutrogena® wet skin kids. ordinary sunblock drips and whitens. neutrogena® wet skin cuts through water. forms a broad spectrum barrier for full strength sun protection. wet skin. neutrogena®. for full strength are you still sleeping? just wanted to check and make sure that we were on schedule. the first technology of its kind... mom and dad, i have great news. is now providing answers families need. siemens. answers. ♪ when i was a young boy at the age of 5 ♪ >> all right. muddy waters. a mannish boy. >> on my list too. i want my image perfected here. >> i told him it's something we have in common. we're bonding. we have on the right and the left coming together in harmony around muddy waters. got to be a good day. >> you cannot not like muddy waters. >> exactly. >> let's look at what is in the papers. welcome back. i've just come back from vacation so i am rested. >> you have a sparkle in your eye. >> i try every day. thank you. what do you got, will? you want to start? >> i'll start. you want to mess around protesting the 1% have your day but you don't mess around with a woman's wedding. >> yes. >> elizabeth potts and tim alberts walked out of their wedding. we have video. it was like jackson boulevard and salz street and she didn't like this. it interrupted her bouquet toss. her pitch