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Ted Olson, David Boies Fight for Same-Sex Marriage; Nelson Mandela Hospitalized; Proven is the New Online App for Job Hunting; NFL Implements New Rules to Make Football Safer; Suspect Detained in Egypt May Have Been Involved in Benghazi Attack

Aired December 08, 2012 - 15:00   ET

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

JOE JOHNS, CNN ANCHOR: It's the top of the hour. You're in the "CNN NEWSROOM." Thanks for joining us. I'm Joe Johns, in for Fredricka Whitfield. Here are the day's top stories.

We learned that former South African president Nelson Mandela is in the hospital today. Mandela is 94 years old. A government statement says he was admitted to a hospital in Pretoria.

CNN's Robyn Curnow joins us live now from Johannesburg.

Robin, what are officials saying about why he's hospitalized?

ROBYN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're not saying anything, Joe. In fact, there's very little information except a statement coming from the presidency which really basically aimed to reassure, perhaps downplay this latest health scare involving former president Nelson Mandela.

So, they use words like he's well, that no cause for alarm, that this medical attention is consistent with his age. As you said, he's 94. But let's remember, Nelson Mandela has 24-hour medical care. He's looked after, cared for by military nurses and military doctors at his rural home in the Eastern Cape region of South Africa.

The presidency is saying he's now in hospital in Pretoria, which is a good two-hour airplane flight from his home. So doctors must be sufficiently concerned about his health to allow him to make that trip.

JOHNS: Now, Robyn, you saw him last in July. What kind of shape was he in then?

CURNOW: Well, I have covered Nelson Mandela ever since he was president, and he definitely is showing his age. We know that he has become frustrated often by the loss of his mental and physical abilities. When I saw him though, he was having lunch with President Clinton, and then later, I saw him at his own birthday party celebration. He looked a little bit chubbier than usual. Looked like he had put on weight, which is of course a good thing.

JOHNS: Looks like we lost that signal. That's Robyn Curnow reporting in Johannesburg reporting on former South African president Nelson Mandela. A VIP visitor for Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani clinically wounded by the Taliban while on her way home from school in October. The Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari went to the hospital in Birmingham, England where Malala is recovering. According to a statement from his office, the Pakistani president wanted to see the young girl's condition for himself and to pay tribute to her and, quote, her courage and steadfastness.

U.S. authorities are taking a close look at a man arrested recently in Egypt as a possible suspect in the attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi. Egyptian authorities have detained Muhammad Jamal Abu Ahmed. He's a well known jihadist who was known after the downfall of former president Hosni Mubarak's regime. U.S. ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed in the Benghazi attack.

In Egypt, President Mohamed Morsi is pushing forward with talks and he hoped will end the crisis in the country, but the opposition is calling for a boycott of the meeting. At least six people are dead after the protests turned violent after the last few days. Anti-Morsi protesters are demonstrating against the president and the new constitution. They say Morsi is giving himself too much power, but the president said the powers are only temporary and will become void when the constitution is adopted.

Police in London say an autopsy will take place next week to find the cause of the death of a nurse who was a victim of a prank call. Two radio DJs tricked her to learn details of Prince William's pregnant wife, Katherine, who has been treated at the hospital. Police say Jacintha Saldanha apparently committed suicide after taking the prank call.

The Supreme Court is about to tackle what could be one of the most important issues in its history. It has agreed to hear two constitutional challenges to state and federal law having to do with same-sex marriage. One case involved the federal defense of marriage act which denies federal benefits to same-sex couples legally married in their own state.

The other is a challenge to California's "proposition 8" which took away the right of same-sex marriage that had previously been approved by the courts. We should get a ruling by next summer. The two men who will argue on behalf of "proposition 8" are an unlikely duo as CNN's Gloria Borger tells us. The story plays out like a Hollywood script complete with a Hollywood director.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): It's a script that could have been written in Hollywood. The opening shot, a lunch in the polo lounge at the Beverly Hills hotel. And it starts where you might expect, with a Hollywood heavy hitter, director and actor Rob Reiner.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is after "proposition 8" went the wrong way for us. BORGER: The lunch took place in November 2008, a week after the election. Obama won the White House. But gays and lesbians lost the right to marry in California.

ROB REINER, DIRECTOR: We're trying to figure out what we do next. And then, we thought about the idea of a possible legal challenge to "proposition 8," and serendipitously, a friend of my wife's came by the table.

BORGER: The friend suggested they would find an ally in her former brother-in-law who turned out to be Ted Olson, a towering figure in the conservative legal movement. So that stunned you, right?

REINER: Yes, it more than stunned me. It stunned me, but I said if this is true, this is the home run of all times. I mean, the idea that Ted Olsen, this arch conservative, the solicitor general for George Bush who had argued Bush v. Gore and basically put me in bed for a couple days, I was so depressed after Bush V. Gore, was interested in gay rights. I thought, let's check it out.

BORGER: Didn't you have any doubts about Ted Olson?

REINER: You know, they say that politics makes strange bed fellows. Well, you don't have a stranger bed fellow than me and Ted Olsen.

CHAD GRIFFIN, POLITICAL STRATEGIST: I was skeptical, absolutely.

BORGER: Chad Griffin was also at the Polo Lounge that day. He and Rob Reiner are old friends and political allies. They met when Chad was just 19 and a press aide in the Clinton White House.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning, Mr. President.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are you today, (INAUDIBLE)?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fine, thank you, sir.

BORGER: He gave Reiner the west wing tour when he was scouting for his film, "an American president." They decided Griffin would be the one to make that first uneasy call to Olson.

GRIFFIN: Much to my surprise, it was an issue he had clearly thought a lot about. But the moment I hung up the phone, I realizes there was a chance I was talking to someone who overnight could become the most important, significant advocate for marriage equality that this movement has ever seen.

TED OLSON, LAWYER: We talked for a while on the television. And then he said, can I come and talk to you in your office in Washington, D.C.?

BORGER: Weren't you stunned?

OLSON: I wasn't so stunned. I'm a lawyer. I represent cases involving the constitution. This is an important constitutional question. BORGER: One of the first things you see when you walk through your door in this office is a picture of Ronald Reagan.

OLSON: Well, he was a wonderful, wonderful man to know and to work for and of course, President Bush, too.

BORGER: That would be Bush 43.

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well to the best of my ability.

BORGER: The president whose election Olson successfully defended before the Supreme Court in 2000, a memory that wasn't lost on Chad Griffin.

GRIFFIN: I knew I was in foreign territory, but I saw enough in the office just to know how Republican, you know, of a world that Ted Olson comes from. And my world could not be more different than that.

OLSON: This is a --

BORGER: Also on display was Olson's extraordinary legal track record, with 44 Supreme Court victories under his belt.

And here are the quills. Now, you get one of these every time --

OLSON: Every time you argue a case in the Supreme Court at the desk is the quill.

BORGER: Weeks later, Reiner says the deal was sealed here in his California home.

Was this kind of like an out of body experience for you? I mean, here you are sitting and talking to Ted Olson, whom you probably regarded as --

REINER: Yes, the enemy.

OLSON: The devil, they say. The devil.

BORGER: Now, what are you?

OLSON: Well, I'm the devil to a different group of people.

ED WHELAN, CONSERVATIVE LEGAL ANALYST: It really is a betrayal of everything that Ted Olson has reported to stand for.

BORGER: Ed Whelan, a conservative legal analyst and former Olson fan, like many conservatives, felt betrayed.

WHELAN: It was someone who fought the good fight. I think most people assumed he was a man of principle. So, I thought it was a shocking act on his part.

BORGER: And so, do you think he's destroyed his reputation?

WHELAN: I think so.

OLSON: This is a case that challenges the status of individuals --

BORGER: So why did Olson do it?

OLSON: People say that you must be doing this because someone in your family is gay. That is Newt the case. I'm doing this because I think it's the right thing to do.

BORGER: And once Olson made the decision, it became an emotional journey.

OLSON: The younger woman who works here is the lawyer, she came up to me and she said, Ted, I want to tell you what I think about what you're doing. She said I'm a lesbian, I don't think you know me. We haven't worked together. My partner and I have children. I can't tell you what you're doing for us by taking this case. And she started to cry. And then I did.

BORGER: Then Olson made another move right out of central casting. He wanted to hire a co-counsel. Of all people, the liberal David Boies, his former Supreme Court rival, the man he beat in Bush versus gore. The director loved it.

REINER: Then when he suggested that we get David Boies to be his co- counsel, I thought, wow. To get the two guys who opposed each other on Bush v. Gore to team up was saying that this was a non-partisan issue.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They share an abiding belief --

BORGER: Not to mention irresistible public relations.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think Ted recognized that this odd bed fellow combination so to speak would get a lot of attention.

BORGER: Some people called them the odd couple.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it is a very odd couple, isn't it?

BORGER: Or is it? Judge for yourself.

OLSON: As we were getting ready to argue Bush versus Gore, didn't we have this conversation?

DAVID BOIES, LAWYER: In the chamber.

OLSON: We said some day, someone is going to come to us who will want to get married, and they'll be gay. And we'll do this together.

BOIES: We actually talked about that. That second part I don't remember.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JOHNS: So how do two who fought on opposite sides of one of the most tense court battles of all time really get along? Just ahead, more from Gloria Borger about the depth of their friendship and how that fuels their drive on this newest legal challenge.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHNS: We've been telling you about these two unlikely but powerful men who have teamed up to fight for same-sex marriage in California. They say it's not a matter of being Republican or Democrat, that same- sex marriage is simply an issue of civil rights.

CNN's Gloria Borger shows us how the story of this dream team began.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We now need to resolve this election.

CROWD: Let us in!

BORGER (voice-over): It was the historic case that decided the presidency and divided the nation. Olson and Boyce were the ones on the steps of the Supreme Court battling it out. That was then. This is now. On the streets of New York, they're talking anything but the law.

OLSON: It's called crazy heart. Jeff bridges.

BOIES: I know.

OLSON: Have you seen it?

BOIES: I want to see that though and avatar.

BORGER: They have come a long way. Let me play a game with you, OK? Great lawyer?

BOIES: Ted.

OLSON: David.

BORGER: Too easy.

The adversaries are now friends, really good friends, and when we asked to meet with them, they suggested a personal spot, David Boyce's apartment in New York City.

If anybody had said to me nine years ago that I would be about to be interviewing the two men who fought each other tooth and nail in Bush versus Gore on the same side of a constitutional fight, I would have said, are you crazy?

OLSON: Actually, David and I talked about this in 2000. As we were getting ready to argue in the Supreme Court, that someday we'd like to be on the same side in the United States Supreme Court. And we said some day, some day someone is going to come to us who will want to get married, and they will be gay.

BORGER: It would take nearly a decade for that to actually happen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do we want?

BORGER: Olson was recruited by a group of Hollywood activists who wanted to challenge "proposition 8," the controversial 2008 ballot initiative that banned same-sex marriage in California.

OLSON: Good morning, everyone. Thank you for being here.

BORGER: He said yes, which was startling enough. But he knew he needed some political balance on the team. So he picked up the phone.

BOIES: He told me what the case was about. I think it took me about 15 seconds --

OLSON: It didn't take you 15 seconds. It took you less than one second.

BORGER: It was a case made for David Boyce, and Olson knew it.

BOIES: I think it is in some senses the last major civil rights battle we fight in this country, hopefully. And this is not a liberal/conservative issue. It's not a Republican/Democrat issue. It's an issue of civil rights and human rights.

BORGER: Do you find yourself defending Ted Olson to your friends when they say how can you work with him?

BOIES: I find myself defending Ted Olson to my Republican friends. The Democratic friends are easy. Republican friends I have the trouble with.

BORGER: Politics aside, their wives joke they're like an old married couple. They go biking together and both enjoy the finer things. What do you like about each other?

BOIES: Oh, where should we start? Should we start with the wine?

BORGER: Let's start with the wine. So after a long day, a glass of --

BOIES: Definitely.

OLSON: Chardonnay.

BOIES: Exactly.

BORGER: They have known each other for decades as super lawyers, practices in a rarefied legal stratosphere. Then came Bush versus Gore, the hottest case of all, a case that to this day they don't agree on.

BORGER: Do you still think you were right?

BOIES: Absolutely. OLSON: Well, he wasn't, obviously. The Supreme Court decided. Furthermore, by the way, the journalists all went back to Florida and counted these votes about 12 different ways and it all came out the same way. I will say --

BOIES: They didn't all --

BORGER: They'll never resolve that professional argument, but ironically, that case brought them closer personally.

BOIES: Something happens in the sense that you get so deeply involved in a case that about the only person that really appreciates what's going on is it lawyer on the other side who is just as deep into the weeds as you are, that can appreciate all these nuances. And so it's a natural kind of affinity.

BORGER: That affinity was strengthened by tragedy. A year later, on September 11th, 2001, Olson's wife Barbara was killed on flight 77, the flight that crashed into the Pentagon. Boies knew his friend was suffering, and reached out to him.

BOIES: I was being given an award by the lab school in Washington, and it was an annual award that they give -- I'm dyslexic, and they give it to somebody who has achieved. And I said I would like to have Ted Olson give me the award.

OLSON: I'm very honored to be here with my colleague David Boies because he is the best.

I can hardly talk about it because it was such an emotional event. That gesture of David asking me to be with him on the stand receiving that award in front of the 2, 3,000 people, was a wonderful gesture by him. Ten years ago now, I can hardly talk about it.

BORGER: That strong bond is still there a decade later. And together, they take on the fight for gay marriage.

JEFF ZARRILLO, PLAINTIFF: They're the wonder twins. They're not the odd couple.

Paul and Jeff are one of the couples that Olson and Boies are representing.

ZARRILLO: I can tell you that both of those guys, they put their heart and soul into this. And when they're fighting for our legal rights, they're on the same page. And they're doing it together.

OLSON: Our nation was founded on the principle that all Americans are created equal.

BORGER: Their legal strategy is simple. Olson and Boies argue that banning same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, period. They expect the Supreme Court to be the ultimate decider for the nation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It would be the Roe V. Wade of our generation.

BORGER: They have their critics, conservative legal analyst Ed Whalen.

WHALEN: There's nothing in the constitution that remotely supports a right to same-sex marriage.

BORGER: And even some of those who agree with Olson and Boies say that same-sex marriage should be left to the states.

There are lots of skeptics out there who say that you're going too quickly here and you're asking the Supreme Court to do a pretty heavy lift.

BOIES: Every civil rights struggle. There have always been people who have said you're moving too fast, the country is not ready for it. How many people in 1954 was saying, the country is not ready for desegregation. Probably against board of education is just too soon.

BORGER: But everyone says this is the conservative court. So, why are you doing it now?

BOIES: Everybody says Ted is a conservative guy. I mean, there are lots of conservative people. It would be the idea that civil rights and human rights is exclusively a liberal preserve, I think it is flat wrong.

BORGER: Their clients have faith their lawyers will win. Will David and Ted be at the wedding?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They better be.

ZARRILLO: They just might officiate the wedding.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That would be interesting.

BORGER: Or they could be best men.

ZARILLO: Yes, in our wedding and in life.

BORGER: But in the end, it will be a decision for the high court.

Last time you went to the Supreme Court, it didn't go so well for you. What's going to be different this time with the two of you together?

BOIES: Well, one thing, this time I have Ted on my side.

OLSON: I would say the one thing that would be different is this time we'll get all the votes that I can persuade and all of the votes David can persuade. And there will be no votes left on the other side.

BORGER: No recount?

OLSON: No recount.

BOIES: No recount necessary.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JOHNS: And the Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments in March. A ruling is expected in June.

From the front lines of war to the front lines at home, a former Navy SEAL finds a new way to help his fellow veterans.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHNS: Many veterans struggle to find the same sense of purpose they had in the military when they try to transition back to civilian life. One Navy SEAL says the call to serve never goes away, so he started a group called the Mission Continues, to help returning vets find a way to continue their service on the front lines of their communities.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC GREITENS, FORMER NAVY SEAL OFFICE: For me, being in the military was one of the greatest experiences of my life. Because I was working with incredible men and women dedicated to serving a purpose that was larger than themselves.

When I served, I did four deployments overseas. In 2007, I came back from my last deployment in Iraq. I had been serving there as a commander of an Al Qaeda targeting cell. And when I came home, I went to a Bethesda hospital to visit with returning wounding marines. I asked each of the veterans, if you can't return to the military, what else would you like to do? And every single one of them told me they would like to continue to serve.

When I left the hospital that day, I called two of my friends and we agreed to do something about it. So, they put in their money from their disability checks, I contributed my combat pay from Iraq, and we used that to set up the missions.

We work with returning veterans to set up opportunities for them to do a six-month intensive service and leadership fellowship in their community. And we help them make a transition from being a veteran to being a citizen leader again here at home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody's home sleeping, we're out working. The mission continues.

GREITENS: I think one of the biggest misconceptions about returning post-September 11th veterans is that everyone is coming back injured and that they're all struggling. And there's this perception it's an at-risk population. In fact, this is an incredible generation of veterans who are coming home. And that's how we need to see them, not as problems but as assets.

CROWD: We're citizen leaders.

GREITENS: These are men and women who wanted to make a contribution that's why they joined the military. I think the right question to ask a returning veteran is how do you want to continue to serve?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: For more on the mission continues and other organizations helping veterans, visit our impact your world page at CNN.com/impact.

A nurse apparently takes her own life after being prank by a radio station. We're learning more about the nurse who found herself in the middle of a controversy involving the royal family.

And a senator from West Virginia wants MTV not to put a show about his home state on the air. We will show you why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHNS: U.S. authorities are taking a closer look at a man arrested recently in Egypt as a possible suspect in the attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi. Egyptian authorities made the arrest in Cairo where the man lives. He's a known jihadist who was released from prison after the downfall of former president Hosni Mubarak's regime.

Italy's former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said he's not done with politics yet. He posted a message saying people are begging him to get back into politics so he'll run for prime minister again. Berlusconi resigned as prime minister just over a year ago at the height of his country's debt crisis. He's been linked to several scandals over the last few years.

If you won the lottery, withed you quit your job or keep it? I think I would keep mine.

The second winner in last month' big Powerball drawing says he likes his job and will keep working. The winner is a married man in his 30s who lives in Arizona. He doesn't want to reveal his name or his identity and you can't really blame him for that. He and his wife will take home about $192 million before taxes.

And here's what's trending online today. The autopsy of murdered rapper notorious B.I.G. has been released 15 years after his death. Among other things, it shows the rapper whose real name was Christopher Wallace, was shot four times but only one of the shots was fatal.

Former Florida governor Charlie Crist tweeted he has joined the Democratic Party. Crist had been affiliated with the Republican and independent parties in the past.

And in West Virginia, Senator Joe Manchin said he wants MTV reality to cancel a show even before it airs. The show is called "Buck Wild" and follows a group of 20-somethings around their West Virginia town. It has been described as the Jersey Shore of Appalachia. It's scheduled to debut next month. Mansion is accusing MTV of preying on young people.

New developments are emerging in the tragic death of a London nurse who was caught up in a prank phone call. Jacintha Saldanha apparently killed herself Friday after divulging confidential information about Prince William's pregnant wife while the Duchess was in her care. King Edward VII hospital where the nurse worked has now released a statement. It reads in part, it was extremely foolish of your presenters to even consider trying to lie their way through to one of our patients, let alone actually make the call. They went on to call the actions of the Australian radio station appalling. Let's get more reaction from senior international correspondent Matthew Chance.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A lot of sadness and also a lot of anger as well being directed against the radio station in Sydney, Australia. And the two DJs who carried out this prank call to this hospital here, The Edward VII in central London. And a lot of their social media pages like facebook have had to be taken down because of the messages of abuse from around the world that have been posted on them.

Also, the CEO of the company that owns the radio station has issued a public statement as well expressing his regret and sadness, but also indicating that he does not think that legally there were any laws broken by the two DJs. They have been suspended, though, and the show has been taken off the air until further notice. Take a listen to what that CEO had to say earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RHYS HOLLERAN, CEO, SOUTHERN CROSS AUSTEREO: No one could foresee what happened in this case. It's incredibly tragic. Every one of us, are deeply saddened. We're incredibly sad for the family and that's the focus.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHANCE: Well, the family of the dead nurse, Jacintha Saldanha, have asked for their privacy to be respected in Britain. But, there are family members as well that live elsewhere and they have been speaking to the media. The sister of the nurse lives in the Southern Indian state of Karnataka and she has spoken to the media there. Take a listen to what she had to say about her sister's tragic death.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CEROLIN D'SOUZA, SISTER OF JACINTHA SALDANHA (through translator): She has left us. We were wondering what happened, whether she met an accident when she was returning home from the hospital. Yesterday, she was to come home. Whether there was an accident between the hospital and home, because she was supposed to return home to her husband and children. When I asked what happened, he was not able to communicate and he broke down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHANCE: Well, the media reaction here in Britain has also been shock. The front page of some of the country's biggest newspapers is carrying the story, this one, "the daily mirror," Kate's agony over the hoax nurse's suicide. "The daily Mail," wrote in the newspaper in Britain, Kate, our sadness at suicide of prank calls. And finally, the best selling newspaper in the country, Kate shock as hoaxed nurse kills herself. A reference there, of course, to the fact that both the duke and duchess of Cambridge have issued a statement expressing their sadness and regret talking about how wonderfully they were looked after by the staff here all along and saying their thoughts and prayers are with the family of the nurse who apparently committing suicide. The country really could not have predicted how this relatively up lifting story of a royal baby could have taken such an ugly and tragic turn.

Matthew Chance, CNN. Central London.

JOHNS: When it comes to searching for jobs, sifting through listings on monster and career builder may become a thing of the past. Our tech expert shares the latest tools for people on the hunt for new jobs.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHNS: The latest jobs numbers are out, and unemployment has fallen to 7.7 percent, the lowest since the late 2008. Still, there are plenty of folks searching for jobs, and a lot of them are looking online, using traditional search engines.

Our CNN money tech reporter Laurie Segall is here with the latest tools for people on the hunt for new jobs.

So Laurie, if you're encouraging people to go beyond traditional search websites, what should they be using instead?

LAURIE SEGALL, CNN MONEY TECHNOLOGY REPORTER: The first thing that comes to my mind, Joe, is mobile. Mobile is so huge right now. We essentially have a mini computer we carry with us all the time, so we have the ability to apply for a job on the go all the time.

So, the first one I want to tell you about is an app called proven. It's an iphone app and it essentially lets you hunt for jobs through your Smartphone. So you know, you can apply for a craigslist posting on the go. It takes craigslist and makes them formatted so they're for the mobile device. You can just essentially type in your location, type in the type of job you're looking for and it will show you all of the ones in your area.

So, why is that different than going on the web? The great thing about this app is it actually lets you upload a resume on the app. You can in a couple clicks look at the job you want, tap, you know, put my resume in there, and you can actually kind a beat the crowd. And I spoke with the founder and what he said was you know, Laurie, people go home, they get on their computers. They apply for jobs on craigslist, but by that time, by the evening, all these jobs have tons and tons of listings. So if you apply on your phone, if you check it throughout the day, you might be able to get your resume to the top of the stack. So, they're going to launch at android. It's free for now. So, he said a lot of folks are finding jobs and finding this really useful -- Joe.

JOHNS: Well you know, the other thing you think about when you hear this is that people have information about themselves spread around the internet. Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn, you know, maybe even you tube. How can people streamline all of that information? Is there a way to put it in one place?

SEGALL: Sure. I mean, if you have ever tried Googling yourself? And I have never, but let's say you do --

JOHNS: Of course not.

SEGALL: There's information everywhere. So, it's the kind of thing where why not put this all into one space. And there's a company that's called about.me. It's a fascinating company. They sold to AOL after just a couple days on the market. But, it allows you to go online and allows you to essentially create a one-stop shop online profile.

So, let me take you through it. You can put your picture on there. You can put a little bit of information about yourself. You're looking at mine right there. That's me looking very happy. I connected my twitter account, my four square, my facebook. And essentially, it gives the ability to have a landing page for any employer looking and saying who is this person. And it also gives you a little personality, right? You see me there. I'm not sure how I look, maybe I should get another one. But it's the kind of thing you can connect all of your social networks on one page.

And here's the interesting part though. They will actually, if you sign um, it's free to sign up. You can score free business cards. They'll take your about me profile. They will make it into a business card, and send you those in the mail. So you know, the digital realm is awesome, but let's be honest, Joe, it's great to get out there and network. So, they will also give you free business cards. So, this is a great way to create a digital profile of yourself o online.

JOHNS: One stop shopping and people can go there and find everything. That's pretty cool.

SEGALL: I know.

JOHNS: Amazing.

SEGALL: Thanks you.

JOHNS: All tight, good to see you.

SEGALL: You too.

JOHNS: For more high-tech ideas and reviews, go to CNN.com/tech and look for the gaming and gadgets tab.

What would the game of football be like without the kickoff? NFL fans may soon find out. We will tee up the subject with a former NFL player who says banning kickoff will actually make the game better?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHNS: The NFL has put in many new rules and regulations to make football safer for the athletes. One area that's been targeted, kick returns, which generally are some of the most violent plays in football.

And a recent "TIME" magazine article commissioner Roger Goodell said he's considering getting rid of kickoffs all together. Here's how it would work.

The team that scored would get the ball on their own 30 yard line. It would be fourth and 15, fourth down with 15 yards to go. The team could either try for a first down or punt, essentially punt replace kickoffs. What do you think about that?

Joining me now is Coy Wire, former Atlanta Falcon and Buffalo Bill and nine-year NFL veteran.

Coy, you played on a lot of special teams. Were you ever injured in a kickoff?

COY WIRE, FORMER NFL PLAYER: I was. Often, actually, as a life-long special teamer, I have a plate and four screws in my neck, titanium plate. And I had teammates, also, Kevin Everett, when I was in buffalo, who was paralyzed on the play, on the kick off n the middle of the game. So, I have seen firsthand and felt firsthand how violent that phase of the game can be.

JOHNS: Well, is the kickoff more violent than a punt return?

WIRE: It is. Here's why, because it's the only play in football when you have grown men running at full speed like rams hitting each other in these collisions that are like car crashes. In no other play does it happen, and it happens consistently, almost every time. So the thing is, if we can make slight changes to that one phase of the game where it's going to make it safer for the athletes, we must.

JOHNS: There's something, though, about a kickoff that's like the beginning of the game, the restart after somebody scored a touchdown. It feels to me like it would change sort of the complexion of the game.

WIRE: It could change it dramatically. I mean, you don't make it to the game on time to get to the fourth and 15 off, right? We're so used to the kickoff. It's an iconic part of the game. But, the thing is the fans must realize is we don't have to take away part of the game, the big hits. That's why we love to watch it. We can still have big hits, violent hits, but we don't have to -- we can lessen the number of times where the life altering, life threatening injuries can occur. There's still going to be big hits and injuries, but a slight modification would be great for the game and future players of the game.

JOHNS: American football sort of descended from rugby, really. It sounds if you take away the kickoff, you're almost returning to rugby.

WIRE: I hear you. It was 1823, England, rugby, and that's the other thing we have to realize, this game has evolved ever since that time. In 1900, Theodore Roosevelt said we have to make changes in the game. Too many players are getting injured. And then, in the '50s and '60s, we went from leather helmets to plastic helmets. So, the game has always been in the state of evolution, consistently improving the game and making it safer. So, these times are no different.

JOHNS: So, how do you think the fans would react if this were to come off?

WIRE: Well, rightfully so. I mean, they are changing a major part of the game, but again, you have to stress that the game can still be violent and exciting. But with the slight modifications that can lessen the opportunities where life-threatening and life-altering injuries can occur, that is where change is necessary.

JOHNS: OK, let's move on to college football, we got to talk about that. Today is Heisman trophy day, of course. And there are two guys who could make history, first, the possibility of the freshman winning the Heisman trophy. Did you ever think you would see the day?

WIRE: Phenomenal. I mean, the closest we come to that is back in 2004, when Adrian Peterson finished second as true freshman. Now, Johnny Manziel is a redshirt freshman, but still, dynamic player, nonetheless. I mean he has won the hearts and minds of many in the college football world this year. Phenomenal player, broke a SCC yard record of 4600 yards, formerly owned by Tim Tebow, and Cam Newton who won the highest. So phenomenal, what he has done. But, there are some other good candidates, too.

JOHNS: Well, thanks for coming in. Good talking to you on this day.

WIRE: It is my pleasure to be here. I like that hair cut, by the way.

JOHNS: Yes. Yes. You got it right.

(LAUGHTER)

JOHNS: We'll be right back after the break.

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JOHNS: Washington State has now become the first state in the country to let pot smokers light up legally, but a showdown ahead, with the federal government which is vowing to enforce its drug laws.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHNS (voice-over): There was euphoria the moment pot became legal in Washington state. But 3,000 miles away in Washington, D.C., the justice department and the White House are reviewing how the federal government should respond.

At the moment, they're sticking to this statement from the U.S. attorney in Seattle, Washington, who would prosecute violations there. Regardless of the state law, growing, selling or processing any amount of marijuana remains illegal under federal law. The department's responsibility to enforce the controlled substances act remains unchanged.

But several former DOJ officials who spoke to CNN said that likely won't be the end of it. Former attorney general under president George Bush Alberto Gonzales laid out the options, facing Eric Holder and the justice department. Option one, lock the users up.

ALBERTO GONZALES, FORMER ATTORNEY GENERAL: Go on the Washington state and arrest and prosecute those in possession of marijuana, and then wait for the defendant to say wait a minute, you know, I have got a state law that says here this is not lawful. And at that point, the department can raise the issue, and say well, the federal government laws preempt state laws in this issue.

JOHNS: Option two, fight it out in the courts.

GONZALES: Sue the state of Washington and the state of Colorado, take them to court and just say outright in this field, the federal government has preempted and that the law has to fall.

JOHNS: Option three, cut off federal money to law enforcement.

GONZALES: Simply start withholding federal grants to the state because of the fact that they're not helping the state enforce federal law.

JOHNS: Gonzales didn't mention option four, do nothing. Listen to former federal prosecutor Mark Osler.

MARK OSLER, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: I think they should stand back. I think what the best course of action here is to employ the prosecutorial discretion at that macro level, and let the states do what it will.

JOHNS: And just why would the Obama administration balk at enforcing laws that were on the books for decades? There is the political consideration.

OSLER: Here you have states that went for President Obama. Colorado in fact is a swing state. The people of those states have spoken, and for the federal government now to come in and say we want to quash the popular mandate, there are political risks to do that.

JOHNS: And there is also some precedents for medical marijuana which is already legal in 18 states and the District of Columbia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JOHNS: But don't think that medical marijuana is exempt from possible department of justice scrutiny, a case decided by the Supreme Court during the Bush administration so the feds can go after that, too. President Obama, by the way, said earlier this year, we not going to be legalizing weed any time soon.

The attacks stunned the U.S. but now we may get more information on the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi with the arrest of a suspect. We will have a report in just a few moments.

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