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Seafood Labels Wrong; Smart Phone Wars Detailed; Ben Affleck's Big Comeback; Gay Marriage Ad Examined; First Lady, Big Bird Pair Up for Ad Encouraging Exercise

Aired February 21, 2013 - 15:30   ET

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


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right, have you ever ordered at the restaurant grouper and then, instead gotten white fish? Well, it happens more often than you think, apparently.

Check out this figure from the conservation group Oceana which took seafood samples from hundreds of stores, restaurants and sushi eateries in almost two dozen states. One-third of those samples were mislabeled.

Beth Lowell is Oceana's campaign director. So, Beth, you know, this is quite startling, especially for those of us who order a lot of the restaurants.

How did this discovery come to be?

BETH LOWELL, CAMPAIGN DIRECTOR, OCEANA: Absolutely. It's very startling.

We actually went to about 14 cities across the country and we tested seafood from grocery stores, sushi bars, as well as restaurants.

We sent it off to a lab to have it analyzed, looked at the DNA to verify the identity of the fish and we found, of the 1,200 samples that we had, about 30 percent -- or, excuse me, one-third of them were mislabeled which is shocking.

WHITFIELD: In your view, intentionally mislabeled?

LOWELL: That's what we guessed. A lot of times it was a lesser expensive, less desirable fish swapped out with something that is more popular.

WHITFIELD: So, what are the most commonly mislabeled fish that we're talking about?

LOWELL: We found in our study snapper is the most commonly mislabeled fish across the country.

In fact we bought 120 fish labeled red snapper, and, of that 120, only seven -- seven fish across the country was actually a red snapper.

WHITFIELD: And, so, you know, as a consumer, is it that very few of us really can draw a distinction between the taste of these different kinds of fish and so restaurants or -- is it restaurants mostly or is it distributors?

Who's to blame for mislabeling, being deceitful, you know, in your view, to consumers?

LOWELL: Well, with the seafood supply chain, we don't track fish from boat to plate, so it's hard to tell where the bait-and-switch occurred.

All we do know is that it's happening, and so, it's happening somewhere, whether it's from the boat to your plate.

But what we think that needs to happen is to trace that fish from boat to plate where the information follows the fish and the end consumer can find out more about the seafood that they're purchasing.

WHITFIELD: OK, so, what can we do as a consumer and someone who purchases the fish, whether it be at the fish market, your grocery store or whether it be at the restaurant?

How do you discern what you order is what you're going to get?

LOWELL: Well, until we get bait-to-plate traceability, there's a few things that you can do.

One, ask questions. Ask your seafood counter at the grocery stores, ask restaurants more about the fish.

Also, buy closer to the whole fish. The more hands your seafood passes through, the more opportunities for fraud.

Next, if the price is too good to be true, it probably is. You might want to not take the deal of the day.

And then, finally, there are programs out there that sell traceable seafood, so look out for seafood that tells you more about the story of the fish that you're purchasing.

WHITFIELD: All right, Beth Lowell, thanks so much.

LOWELL: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, Lady Gaga, well, she had to cancel her shows last week due to a problem with her hip, and last night she tweeted that she was actually going in for surgery.

We'll have the latest for you on her progress, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You know what this is? Of course, you do.

Apple has sold more than 300 million iPhones since it introduced them back in -- believe it or not -- 2007.

But this may be less familiar. Even so, Google's Android operating system has been crushing the iPhone lately.

Google says 1 million new Android devices are activated each day. Handset makers shipped 160 million of them last quarter. Apple just shipped 48 million phones that operate on its operating system.

Google is winning the stock price war, as well. In the last year, Google stock price is up around 30 percent -- that's the green line -- while Apple is down more than 10 percent.

I want to bring in my good friend Richard Quest for a little Q&A. Today's question, Richard, interrupt it as broadly as you like, Google or Apple, and in keeping with today's theme, I have a special bell you can see here on the iPhone.

So, control room, when I ring this, give me 60 seconds on the clock. There we go.

Apple is bumping into unrealistic expectations that couldn't continue forever, Richard. If Apple has one talent, it is showing us the next big thing before we even knew we wanted it and then making buckets -- buckets -- of money on it.

It's ancient history now, but back in the '90s, Richard, you'll remember. I wasn't born yet. Investors had left Apple for dead.

The company roared back to life, brought us all sorts of things we did not know we needed, the iPod, the iPhone, iTunes. History shows that all of it will probably take -- you know, it'll gain speed again if they come up with one new product. Maybe it's the Apple wristwatch that'll turn the doubters into believers.

But at the same time, Apple is reaching out to budget consumers with products like the iPad Mini. That sets it up, Richard, for growth in places like China which have a growing middle class.

Meanwhile, Google seems to be following Apple in the innovation department. It's got plenty of products like YouTube, Gmail, Chrome browser, the Android operating system, but the money all comes from ads, and I'm not sure how sustainable that is, Richard.

RICHARD QUEST, HOST, CNN INTERNATIONAL'S "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS": If the entire objective of Ali's diatribe was just to list the products then we're all much better informed, but we are here to talk about that share price.

And you have to remember a share price is the reflection of the company, not only its earnings, but investor beliefs for future growth. And here it's all on the downside for Apple.

Apple has a stench about it. Nobody can quite say what or why, but there's a feeling that there's something nasty at the back of the fridge that needs to be rooted out.

Google, on the other hand, which doesn't have that same fierce competition that, say, Apple has from Android. Google has competitors of its own, but it still remains the industry standard on "search." It still has many core markets that it's holding onto much tighter than Apple in its own domain.

The share price, I repeat, Ali, is a reflection of earnings and investor sentiment, and if you look at that share price now, it's not surprising that they're going in opposite directions.

VELSHI: Topping $800 a share for the first time this week.

QUEST: And brokerage analysts suggesting it could hit $1,000.

But remember markets are not like a Swiss clock. They overshoot one way and then the other, so look for speculation and bubbles.

VELSHI: We should look -- and that advice spreads to the broader market as well.

Richard, always a pleasure to see you. You must say, my bell is quite nice, isn't it?

All right, from the CNN studio in New York, that's it for me. Same time tomorrow.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, it might be a while before singer Lady Gaga is dancing like this again.

Yikes, perhaps her hip was "torn this way."

Gaga has had surgery to repair her hip. She was forced to cancel her "Born This Way Ball Tour" last week, announcing that she was suffering from inflammation of the joints, and further testing also revealed that she had a tear in her right hip.

She tweeted this to her fans, "Going in for surgery now. Thank you so much for sending me love and support. I will be dreaming of you."

Reports indicate the canceled tour could cost more than $30 million in refunds.

All right, Donald Trump's Twitter account has been hacked. Today's rogue tweet complete with a misspelling of a sensitive term for women quickly disappeared.

The real Trump tweeted this, "My Twitter has been seriously hacked and we're looking for the perpetrators. Twitter will soon be irrelevant if low-lives are so easily able to hack into accounts." That from The Donald.

Trump booted his hacker after just one tweet. That's fewer than Burger King or Jeep. Both of those companies were hit by Twitter hackers this week.

All right, Ben Affleck knows how to make a stunning comeback. "Argo," the film Affleck directed and starred is in the Oscar race for Best Picture. It's a long way from his "Bennifer" days when Affleck was mocked for films he made with then fiancee Jennifer Lopez. Well, Affleck talked about his Hollywood journey with Nischelle Turner.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN AFFLECK, DIRECTOR, "ARGO": I am thrilled. I never thought I would get to this place in my career at this point.

NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: And what a career it's been for "Argo" director Ben Affleck.

Fifteen years ago, he and fellow Boston-buddy, Matt Damon, took up screenwriting Oscars for "Good Will Hunting."

He quickly became one of Hollywood's hottest young stars, but after early success, came a series of flops like "Jersey Girl" and "Gigli," both costarring Jennifer Lopez to which Affleck was once engaged.

The couple dominated tabloid headlines throughout their relationship, which ended in 2004.

AFFLECK: I had some stuff work and some stuff didn't and I ran afoul of the press a little bit and became overexposed, causing me to kind of turn around and question, what do I want to do in this industry?

TURNER: What he did was become a director, starting with "Gone Baby Gone" in 2007, followed by "The Town," considered one of the best films of 2010.

George Clooney, co-producer on "Argo," credits Affleck's move behind the camera for the resurgence.

GEORGE CLOONEY, CO-PRODUCER, "ARGO": He was in "actor-jail" for a couple of years. We've all done it.

He directed his way out of this.

TURNER: Which brings us to "Argo," widely regarded as Ben's best directing project.

It's been a box office success and was an early contender heading into awards season.

Then last month came the snub heard 'round Hollywood when Affleck was not nominated for Best Director at the Academy Awards, despite "Argo" getting a Best Picture nod.

That snub, however, hasn't hurt him on the awards circuit, quite the opposite, actually. Golden Globes, Directors' Guild, BAFTAs, you name the award, Affleck has won it for directing "Argo." The drama is now a frontrunner in the Oscar Best Picture race.

Whether Affleck will once again be the toast of the Oscars remains to be seen, but according to longtime pal Matt Damon, a lot has changed since their big night 15 years ago.

TURNER: When we first kind of saw you and Ben Affleck, you were these kind of kids about town in Hollywood.

MATT DAMON, ACTOR: In one respect, it feels like yesterday and then I look at -- you know, we're both -- you know, we're married. We've got these beautiful children. We've lived a lot of life.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Oh, wow.

Ben Affleck, well, he'll find out Sunday night how Argo fares at the Oscars. Good luck to him and all the other nominees.

All right, Big Bird is back in a big way. He is six-feet tall and he's covered in yellow feathers and guess what? He's teaming up with the first lady to launch a new initiative.

We'll tell you what Michelle Obama and Big Bird are working on, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Laura Bush, the former first lady, is asking a nationwide group that backs gay marriage to drop her from an ad that's received a whole lot of attention.

In case you haven't seen it or even if you have, here's a quick look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... been told we can't marry the person we love. That's why a growing majority of Americans believe it's time to allow marriage for gay and lesbian couples.

LAURA BUSH, FORMER FIRST LADY: When couples are committed, they ought to have, I think, the same sort of rights that everyone has.

COLIN POWELL, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: Allowing them to live together ...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Laura Bush, Colin Powell, and Dick Cheney -- you'll see Dick Cheney as well, all three appearing in the ad by the Respect for Marriage Coalition.

But now, as we said, Laura Bush want out.

Our Shannon Travis is in Washington. And, Shannon, she got her way, but do we know why she wanted out?

SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Yeah. I mean, the former first lady is responding to this 2010 appearance on Larry King being in this ad.

It's not exactly clear why she doesn't want to be in it, but we did get a statement from her spokesman saying, basically, that she doesn't. I'm going to read this to you, Fred. Quote, "Mrs. Bush did not approve of her inclusion in this advertisement nor is she associated in any way with the group that made the ad.

"When she became aware of the advertisement Tuesday night, we requested that the group remove her from it."

Now, again, that's a statement from Laura Bush's spokeswoman. The group itself, the Respect for Marriage Coalition, they have since responded to Mrs. Bush. Let's read a statement from them that we got.

Quote, "We used public comments for this ad from American leaders who have expressed support for civil marriage.

"We appreciate Mrs. Bush's previous comments, but are sorry she didn't want to be included in the ad.

"The ad launched a public education campaign that will now move to new and different voices that reflect the depth and breadth of that statement."

What you hear there in that coalition statement, one, is that basically Mrs. Bush, we're sorry for including you in this ad and, number two, that they're moving on from this ad.

We've learned that they will stop airing this ad tomorrow and replace it with another, also advocating same-sex marriage.

Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right, now let's talk about another ad involving another first lady, the current first lady. And this one she welcomes as well as her co-star. Let's take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY: No matter what your age, it's important to get your body moving every single day to help keep you healthy.

BIG BIRD: Look, Mrs. Obama, I'm getting moving right now by jogging.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So, what's the story here, Travis?

TRAVIS: Yeah, Fred, surprise, surprise, just when we thought Big Bird was fried, Big Bird is back.

Basically, two public service announcements from Michelle Obama encouraging kids to be active and eat healthy.

But it's a little bit surprising because you'll remember last year during the presidential campaign in that first debate in October with President Obama and Mitt Romney, Mitt Romney basically said, you know what, if he's elected, Big Bird is out.

That became a flashpoint in the campaign, a little back and forth, so now we're seeing the Big Bird back in the ad.

WHITFIELD: Back in the ad. All right, back in action.

All right, Shannon, thanks so much. I called you by your last name. I know it happens all the time.

TRAVIS: That's right.

WHITFIELD: Sorry about that.

TRAVIS: No problem.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much.

All right, a man in Colorado goes for the last snowboard run of the day when the unthinkable happens. An avalanche, it swallows him up.

Good news, though, he survived, but you won't believe what he did when rescuers pulled him from the snow. We'll show you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, drivers have to go 45 miles out of their way to get around a road collapse in northern Arizona. A 150-foot chunk of U.S. Highway 89 south of Page suddenly buckled and then collapsed yesterday. The collapse caused a few minor incidents.

Geological engineers are on the scene trying to figure out what caused the road to fail. No word on how long the highway will be closed.

And then soon you can taste wine that was made underwater in the ocean. An American winery is experimenting with age-testing in the ocean near Charleston, South Carolina.

Divers sank 48 bottles of wine to the bottom of the Charleston harbor and, in three months, the case of Sauvignon will be pulled back to shore and tested to see how the marine experiment fared.

All right, 15 people, including kids, were swept up in an avalanche in Colorado. Luckily, everyone walked away with only bumps and bruises.

But one amazing image caught our attention. This man right there, can you see his face? He's actually smiling from ear-to-ear, absolutely ecstatic to be pulled from the snow. Who wouldn't be?

Here's how one skier described the avalanche.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTY HODGES, AVALANCHE SURVIVOR: I could feel -- you know, filled my mouth and my throat and when I finally woke up there was like a foot- and-a-half to two feet of snow over my face and I began to dig.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Whoa. According to "The Denver Post," the avalanche was over 300-feet wide, a real whopper there.

All right, now, let's get a quick check of the markets with Alison Kosik. She's at the New York Stock Exchange. Alison?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fredricka. Looking at a second day in a row in the red. That's after stocks hit a fresh five-year high on Tuesday.

We've got about, what, an hour to go -- an hour? Thank goodness it's not an hour. We've got a minute to go before the closing bell. The Dow is down 52 points.

A couple of things were happening today. First of all, bad news out of Europe. The service sector is contracting and, every bit of bad news in Europe, that winds up with U.S. companies which do business there.

Also, we had some mixed economic news here at home. Weekly unemployment claims came in higher than expected, but the housing market, yeah, that remained a bright spot. Existing home sales, we found out today, they rose and home prices, we found out, have been going up for about 11 months in a row, so that's good news.

Stocks were much lower earlier in the session. They have bounced back a little, though still in the red, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Well, that's a nice way to end the hour and the day and the markets with a little good news, a couple bits of good news.

Thanks so much, Alison Kosik. Appreciate that.

All right, that's going to do it for me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. See you again here tomorrow.

"THE SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer starts right now.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Fred, thanks very much.