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Pope Benedict's Final Papal Remarks; Cardinals to Elect New Pope; Airports Brace for Spending Cuts; Angry Jabs Over Forced Spending Cuts

Aired February 27, 2013 - 09:00   ET

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

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: That's it for us. "CNN NEWSROOM" with Carol Costello begins right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now in the NEWSROOM, whiteout.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It has been stop and go for some time now because of the constant snow that we have.

COSTELLO: Chicago socked in, the monster storm stretching from the Midwest to Boston, paralyzing travel.

Also grounded.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seven three, three, Juliet echo --

COSTELLO: Control towers at America's smaller airports in danger of shutting down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's kind of like having a town without a stoplight.

COSTELLO: All thanks to gridlock in Washington.

Plus backing same-sex marriage, big Fortune 500 companies, Apple, Facebook, eBay, Intel, coming out saying the gay marriage ban is bad business.

And this --

It's "Titanic II." An Aussie billionaire backing the sequel set to sail in 2016.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It will be absolutely the most safe cruise ship in the world.

COSTELLO: Same interior, same state room, same everything but would you want to go?

You're live in CNN NEWSROOM.

(END VIDEOTAPE) COSTELLO: And good morning to you. Thank you so much for being with us. I'm Carol Costello. I want to bring you to Rome now because we have some amazing pictures to show you. Tens of thousands of the faithful filling St. Peters square to give the pope who officially leaves office tomorrow. He took one final ride in his familiar Popemobile. You're going to see it in just a second. No, that's him sitting -- there he is, and he was waving there to the emotional crowd as the Popemobile moved slowly through that sea of people, heavy security flanked the 85-year-old Pope but he could still feel the love.

People crying, many holding rosaries and signs, all of them straining to catch one last glimpse of the man who's led the church for nearly eight years. The Pope tended to the youngest members of the church, too. You can see some handed them their babies, the Pope kissed and blessed them and later the Pope bid a final farewell.

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POPE BENEDICT XVI, CATHOLIC CHURCH: I was deeply grateful for the understanding, support and prayers of so many of you not only in Rome but also around the world. The decision I have made after much prayers have been in trust of god's will and the deep love of Christ's church.

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COSTELLO: We have extensive coverage for you but we want to begin in Rome with our senior international correspondent Jim Bitterman.

What was it like to be in the middle of that crowd of people, Jim?

JIM BITTERMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, it was tens and thousands of people. A lot of them very emotional at this, the Pope's sort of last victory lap around St. Peter's Square. The fact is that it was kind of a departure from what he normally does Wednesday afternoons here. Normally as a papal audience. And it's usually inside especially this time of year.

And it's also usually an audience with a message that's very spiritual, and interpretational bible passage, something like that. This time, though, it was very personal. And it was basically the Pope thanking not only the faithful but also those around him and the curia and the cardinals that have gathered here in Rome to watch his departure. They're going to have a private lunch with him tomorrow.

The Pope said -- acknowledged the fact that these last eight years have not exactly been easy. He said sometimes there have been moments of joy and light but there have been moments that have not been easy. He said sometimes he felt like St. Peter with the apostles and the storm tossed the Seas of Galilee and -- but he knew that God was always with them and he said as well that loving the church means that sometimes you have to take hard decisions, he said -- referring to his own retirement, he said not always a decision one takes for one's self but rather for the good of the church -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Jim Bitterman reporting live from Rome.

I want to bring in Sister Donna Quinn now. She represents American nuns.

Good morning, Sister.

DONNA QUINN, COORDINATOR, NATIONAL COALITION OF AMERICAN NUNS: Good morning.

COSTELLO: So as you watch --

QUINN: Nice to be here.

COSTELLO: It's nice to have you here. Thank you so much. As you watch the celebrations in Rome, what goes through your mind?

QUINN: Well, I'd like to thank the Pope for his work and wish him well. I'd like to also pick up on something he just said, for the good of the church. We women are calling this papal election invalid. It has to be declared fraudulent because it has no women included in the process.

By that I mean there are no women on the ballot in the conclave, there are no women voters, there are no no women in the whole process, so we're very distressed. We know that's not for the good of the church.

And when Pope Benedict was first elected, we were tired as women of the gray smoke and then the white smoke, so what we had outside of all the cathedrals across the United States, we had pink smoke rising up. Now this time around, we are saying there can be no pink smoke. It has dissipated. What we are calling for is to have women included in the whole process.

You know, young women today, they don't respect the church. They don't go to church. They are bright, articulate, intelligent women. They know they are made in the image and likeness of God, and they hold CEO positions, elected office positions, but they are saying no to gender abuse.

COSTELLO: Well, Sister, let me interrupt you.

QUINN: And sexual abuse.

COSTELLO: Let me just interrupt for a second. You have a very liberal view there and I'm sure many nuns feel the way you do but not all of them.

I want to bring in our Vatican analyst, John Allen, now.

John, I don't know if you heard what the sister said but she's upset because there are no women involved in this process and the selection of a new Pope. That's not likely to change, is it?

JOHN ALLEN, CNN SENIOR VATICAN ANALYST: No, I mean I think the simple fact to understand about this conclave is that all 115 cardinals who will be voting were appointed either by John Paul II or Benedict XVI and therefore on the big picture issues they are all of one mind. So I think it's quite unlikely that the next Pope is going to ordain women or repeal church teaching on abortion or gay marriage or those kinds of issues.

Now, on the other hand, I would certainly say from my own experience of talking to cardinals the more thoughtful among them realize that the church has a woman's problem. They understand that there are a lot of sisters who feel the same way as our guest does and it's not just nuns, of course. Lots of women generally feel that way.

So I do think the next Pope is going to face this very difficult challenge of trying to reach out to women and assuring them there's a place for them in the church while at the same time drawing a line in the sand on the ordination question.

COSTELLO: Well, you know, when you say that, you know, they're going to select the new Pope and they're going to think outside the box and they're maybe going to South America or Africa to choose the next Pope, they're really not thinking outside the box, though, are they? I mean maybe they are in picking, you know, a Pope from another country but as far as --

ALLEN: Well --

(CROSSTALK)

ALLEN: Out of the box you mean the the hot button issues that we talk about, that is, you know, the culture wars, they're not going to think outside that box. I mean, papal transitions are more about changes in tone and style than they are substance. But on the other hand, I mean, we've seen in recent experience that things do change. I mean, John Paul II was a very different man than the Pope he followed, Paul VI, just as Benedict XVI was quite different from John Paul II in many ways.

So if by box we mean things bigger than issues, if we mean tonality and approach and personality, those kinds of things, then yes, I think it's reasonable to think there might be some changes on those scores.

COSTELLO: All right. John Allen and Sister Donna, thank you so much for being with us this morning. We appreciate it.

While Cardinal Roger Mahony is in Rome to pick the next Pope, back here in the United States he's accused of protecting pedophile priests.

"ANDERSON COOPER 360" investigates tonight at 8:00 Eastern on CNN.

Back in the United States tensions are rising at the nation's airports and the millions of Americans who were relying on them. With the government's forced spending cuts due to kick -- due to kick in two days from now airports big and small are bracing for delays and more headaches for air travelers.

CNN's Tory Dunnan explains.

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TORY DUNNAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sun Air flight 2455 carrying three passengers leaves Hagerstown, Maryland, headed for nearby Dulles Airport.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: See you later.

Reporter: A half-hour trip. It's one of up to six commercial flights a day.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Roger Runway 2-7, taxi way, taxi way, delta.

Reporter: Today there's a controller in the tower but the question is for how long.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And 7--33, Juliet. Echo. I have eye for traffic.

Reporter: Virtually every airport faces controller furloughs with scores of small to medium sized airports including Hagerstown could be forced to close its towers.

Phil Ridenour is their airport's director.

PHIL RIDENOUR, HAGERSTOWN REGIONAL AIRPORT: And without the air traffic control tower here, we don't have that -- those extra sets of eyes to watch over the airport.

DUNNAN (on camera): This tower stands 70 feet above the runway and gives flight controllers a 360-degree perspective of the sky but also importantly of the ground.

RIDENOUR: So it's kind of like having a town without a stoplight. You take that stoplight away and it's just kind of a free-for-all.

DUNNAN (voice-over): The FAA says any changes would not impact safety. Even if the tower closes commercial, recreational and military flights would still take off and land. Pilots would be controlled by a center 60 miles away. For this flight instructor, that poses a problem.

DUSTIN SHOWALTER, HAGERSTOWN FLIGHT SCHOOL: We'd have to kind of revamp our syllabus to get our students to -- to a location where we can be talking on a tower frequency.

DUNNAN: Some Republicans say concerns about the impact of forced spending cuts are exaggerated.

GOV. GARY HERBERT (R), UTAH: The sky is falling mentally permeates, I think, some of the efforts here in Washington, D.C. I think that is hyperbole, I think it's exaggeration and downright on the offensive side of the line.

DUNNAN: Back in Hagerstown business leaders worry what will happen after March 1st?

JOHN LATIMER, HAGERSTOWN-WASHINGTON CO. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: Their indecision is going to have a direct impact on our bottom line, in our community to the businesses that serve our community so for us I think it's just continued frustration.

DUNNAN: Frustration at airports across the country.

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COSTELLO: CNN's Tory Dunnan joins us live from Ronald Reagan -- from Reagan National in Washington, D.C.

Tory, what does this mean for larger airports like the one you're at right now?

DUNNAN: So, Carol, what we've heard so far is that the FAA is going to give priority to 77 core facilities and they haven't really listed out what those facilities will be but they tell us that it will be larger airports. Here, though, travelers are already concerned about what these potential cuts really might mean for everyday travel that these boards could eventually be filled up with delays but, Carol, they're also concerned that the security lines over here could be backed up as well with these potential cuts.

COSTELLO: Tory Dunnan, reporting live from Reagan National Airport.

The forced spending cut are also being blamed for a decision to free several hundred people accused of being in this country illegally. Feds say the detainees will remain under cheaper forms of supervision like ankle bracelets and they'll still face deportation hearings sometime in the future.

Republicans say the move is unnecessary and reckless and just the latest political stunt by the administration.

So hundreds of illegal immigrants are now free. They're out of jail and small airports may have to close their air traffic control towers. And lawmakers are talking trashy. Republican House leader John Boehner urged the Senate to get off its ass and pass budget saving legislation.

Here's Boehner on CBS.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You said that the president didn't have the guts to do what needed to be done on the budget. Today you said the Senate has to get off its ass. Those don't sound like the words of a man seeking to bring people together to compromise.

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R), HOUSE SPEAKER: Now listen, I've had a very nice conversation with the president last week. I had a very nice conversation with Harry Reid, Senator Reid, the majority leader, the week before. Our members want us to have cuts and reforms that put us on a path to balance the budget over the next 10 years. That's what we want. And that's a tall order.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COSTELLO: OK, so where do things stand? Boehner is not meeting with Democratic leaders or the president and the Senate, it's about to begin debate under proposal to avert spending cuts but that's expected to go exactly nowhere.

Chief national correspondent John King is here.

Hi, John.

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Carol --

COSTELLO: I was just going to say maybe Dennis Rodman should have gone to Capitol Hill instead of the North Korea.

KING: You know, I know Dennis Rodman because I'm a basketball fan and Washington is broken, I'm not sure it's quite ready for Dennis Rodman yet but you just heard Speaker Boehner. That's important because he's not only talking about his broad principles but listen to what he said, in these past crises, right, we're having a conversation on a Wednesday morning. Say in the past crises, six months ago, six months before that, six months before that, because we keep having these.

If it's a Friday deadline it's around Wednesday morning you start to know how they're going to finally start cutting the deal and having the meetings. But listen to what he said. He spoke to the president last week and the Democratic leader of the Senate the week before that.

They're not even any conversations, Carol, right now and so these cuts -- look, both sides the president's out there saying give me a deal, the Republicans are out there saying there's a way to avoid this. When you talk to them privately both sides actually -- most of them actually want this to happen and it looks like it will.

COSTELLO: It's so frustrating. OK, so if there's no way to avoid these cuts, is there any way to avoid across-the-board cuts, these indiscriminate cuts?

KING: Well, that's what the debate is going to be in the next 24 hours. Not can we avoid this altogether, but Republicans are saying hey, Mr. President, we'll pass legislation that gives you the flexibility, that allows to you call the FAA and say maybe close that tiny tower in Hagerstown, but makes sure international airports, makes sure all the airports in New York, make sure Los Angeles and Chicago, and Atlanta and Dallas. You know, you can pick your priorities. Make sure you have enough Border Patrol people. But maybe cut back, you know, in the bureaucracy here in Washington, D.C.

The president doesn't have that power. Now, Republicans say they are willing to give it to him but the Democrats are saying no, because they think that's a copout on the Republican part that they don't want to have the bigger conversations. The Democrats want more tax increases. The Democrats want some other things.

The Republicans want to look down the road, as the speaker said, to a big 10-year balanced budget plan, in the short term looking in the next 48 hours for people to say here, Mr. President, we're willing to give you flexibility. The White House says, no way, because the president would own this and Republicans essentially would be excused from the debate, if you will, until the next crisis.

COSTELLO: The debate is about something more. Is it about something bigger than just these $85 billion worth of cuts?

KING: And that's why this is most likely going to happen on Friday into the weekend and then for probably a couple of weeks. Remember, Carol, there's yet another because of the dysfunction it has been 16 years since Washington passed a budget according to the rules it has for passing budgets, 16 years. That's where the dysfunction began but it's reached a new low under this president and this Republican Congress.

So, they don't have a budget and the government runs out of money the end of March. Most people want to roll the forced budget cut debate into the next debate they're going to have to have anyway over funding the government.

And so, that's why the president wants tax increases right now to stop the sequester or the forced cuts by Friday. Republicans say no way, because they know in any bigger, larger negotiation, they're probably going to have to discuss that anyway and if they're going to give on taxes again -- remember, they just gave six or seven weeks ago -- if the Republicans are going to give on taxes again, they want to make sure they're getting Social Security and Medicare cuts from the Democrats, including the president, and they want the president to get up front on that.

So, this is $85 billion over seven months and a Friday deadline. But it's about something much bigger. Sadly, Carol, though, it's been about that something much bigger for two or three years. This is Groundhog Day. It's Groundhog Day between this president and the Republicans in Congress.

COSTELLO: John King, reporting live from Washington, thank you.

KING: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Banning same-sex marriage is bad for business, at least that's what more than 60 major U.S. companies are saying today, and they're taking their argument to the U.S. Supreme Court.

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COSTELLO: Twenty minutes past the hour. It's time to look at top stories.

After a bitter confirmation, Chuck Hagel has now been sworn in as U.S. defense secretary. The ceremony took place less than 30 minutes ago at the Pentagon in Alexandria, Virginia. Hagel expected to make remarks next hour and address his staff later today.

Police releasing photos of a woman wanted for questioning in last week's deadly shooting and fiery crash on the Las Vegas. They say 22- year-old Tineesha Howard was inside a black SUV when shots were fired. Howard's mother tells CNN the suspected shooter is the young woman's boyfriend. Ammar Harris is still at large.

The star of an iconic anti-smoking ad has died.

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DEBI AUSTIN: They say nicotine isn't addictive. How can they say that?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Debi Austin became famous to are this commercial, warning others about the dangers of cigarette smoking. Her family said she died Friday after a long battle with cancer.

The college admissions test known as the SAT is getting a makeover. The college board says the new test will focus more on knowledge and skills high schoolers need to succeed in college. No word on when students will begin taking the new test.

Talk back today, is it right for Dennis Rodman to be in North Korea? Facebook.com/CarolCNN or tweet me @carolCNN.

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COSTELLO: Now is your chance to talk back on the questions of the day. The question for you: is it right for Dennis Rodman to be in North Korea?

Kim Jong Un is not just a cruel dictator with American annihilation on his mind, taunting Washington with nuclear tests and long-range missiles, known for starving his own citizens. He also loves the round ball.

So instead of official diplomacy Kim Jong Un is hot on "The Worm", Dennis Rodman, and the Harlem Globetrotters.

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DENNIS RODMAN, FORMER NBA PLAYER: We got invited and we come over and have some fun and hopefully, you know, it will be -- it will be some fun.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Rodman and the group are in North Korea for a week as goodwill ambassadors. Seriously? Rodman, the man who wore a wedding dress to his own book signing?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

CHARLES K. ARMSTRONG, DIR., CTR. FOR KOREAN RESEARCH AT COLUMBIA UNIV.: You could say that exposing North Korea to Americans gets them away from this relentless propaganda of the evil American imperialists and shows them Americans are normal human beings. Although it's hard to see Dennis Rodman is exactly a normal human being.

JIMMY KIMMEL, COMEDIAN: "It's true. I'm in North Korea looking forward to sitting down with Kim Jong Un. Worm in North Korea."

Wouldn't it be something from the threat of nuclear annihilation was averted by Dennis Rodman and the Harlem Globetrotters?

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

COSTELLO: Now, that would be weird. But all jokes aside, is this really helpful at a time of heightened tensions between the United States and North Korea? North Korean scholar B.R. Myers told "The Washington Post" goodwill tourists like Rodman actually accomplish nothing in furthering the cause of peace because they meet with the usually hardliners, not everyday North Koreans.

Still, to his critics Rodman tweeted, hey, it's just basketball. Quote, "I'm not a politician. Kim Jong Un and North Korean people are basketball fans. I love everyone. Period. End of story."

The talk back question this morning: is it right for Dennis Rodman to be in North Korea? Facebook.com/CarolCNN, Facebook.com/CarolCNN, or tweet me @carolCNN.

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