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Spring: Canceled; Turning Up Heat on Gun Battle; Afriyie Poku's Passion for Fashion; Musharraf Returns to Pakistan; Same-Sex Marriage and the Supreme Court; Cinderellas of March; Tiger's Comeback
Aired March 24, 2013 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: No golf for you. I want you to take a look at this. This is a PGA course in Orlando where Tiger Woods was leading before mother nature put the smackdown on it. The weather is severe in many parts of the country today. Ridiculous storms here. A blizzard there. We're live from snowy Dayton, Ohio, in just a moment.
And speaking of Tiger. If he wins tomorrow, he will be the new number one golfer in the world. He hasn't held that spot in more than two years, going back to when his game and his personal life fell apart in scandal. He's since gotten divorced, spent time in therapy, and rebuilt his golf swing.
The bodies of two sky divers found in Florida have been identified. The instructor and his student were part of a group from Iceland. The two men never returned after their third jump yesterday. Officers found their bodies in a wooded area. The sky dive company manager says the chutes had automatic deployment devices.
Secretary of State John Kerry had some strong words for Iraq's prime minister. Do something to stop the flight of Iranian weapons to Syria. Kerry's visit to Baghdad comes amid growing concern over Iraq's role in the Syrian conflict. Iraqi officials deny allowing the transfer of weapons through Iraqi air space to President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
If you haven't heard the news yet, the winning Powerball ticket for $338 million was sold in New Jersey, sadly not here in Atlanta. The winning numbers are 17, 29, 31, 52, 53. The Powerball number is 31. The largest Powerball jackpot in history was back in November. It was worth close to 588 million bucks.
It's officially spring, my favorite season. Birds, flowers, and great outdoors finally shakes off its winter coat. Let me show you some glorious spring days around the country just today.
Isn't that beautiful? Kansas City, Missouri, didn't get the memo that spring officially arrived four days ago, three to nine inches of snow, knocked out power to 5,000 homes today.
Atlanta, powerful thunderstorms, all night long, pushed over huge oak trees onto houses and cars. It's also much colder than normal. And water is rising all over the Atlanta area. There's flood warnings in some places.
And this is Colorado. All around Denver today. Single-digit temperatures and snow that shut down parts of both main interstates in Colorado.
Will somebody please spread the word that it is almost April? Especially, Punxsutawney Phil, what happened to that prediction, sir?
Let's go live now to Dayton, Ohio. Our Susan Candiotti bundled up with her big gloves and her CNN winter jacket on.
Susan, you know --
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right.
LEMON: -- we're showing that it's just freezing right in Dayton.
CANDIOTTI: That's right. Snow schmoe, they are ready for it here, but it hasn't happened yet, Don. We had a few flurries earlier in the day. But that is what the forecast has been. We have only been expecting maybe one to three inches during the daytime hours. And we didn't even get that. You can still see the grass.
Because it is just over freezing, a little bit of snow we had earlier in the day, just didn't stick. So, traffic is flowing. We see the highway, interstate, I-75. You got the cars and trucks going. No problem yet.
But we are seeing a lot of plows going back and forth so that they know that snow is coming. The radar shows it and it is a few hours away but it's going to come late tonight. This is the University of Dayton arena and it was packed with cars and peeled out of here, less than an hour ago, after the second of two big gains.
We talked to the people as they were leaving and they know that snow is coming. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to take our time and go slow and go on ESPN and listen to the other games that are going on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hopefully, it stays like this around 5:00 and 6:00. By the time, we get to Columbus, we don't have to drive in it. If you are driving, drive safely and hope no one gets stuck in it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: Fortunately, that fan is not driving, at least not with that contraption on his head. In any case, seriously, they are expecting overnight hours anywhere from five to eight inches of snow, possibly a little bit more than that in the northern sections of Ohio. Just north of Dayton, Columbus, that kind of thing.
But for now, especially for the fans, that live in the Columbus area, here in Dayton, Indiana, they are trying to hightail it out of town in advance of that snowstorm -- Don.
LEMON: That's what I was going to ask you, Susan. Lots of people are in Dayton for the NCAA basketball tournament. You heard the guy say I'm going to go watch it on ESPN. Anybody worried about the drive home? Getting out before this is going to sit there and watch the became and not worry about it?
CANDIOTTI: They are OK. The games are over with for the night here. They wrapped up about an hour ago. So, they are OK. That's why everyone is back home now or heading home in advance of the storm.
Some of those people going back to Indianapolis where they already have the snow coming down. But as for the rest of us, we just wrapped up the Temple game, Temple University in Philadelphia, so -- those folks, more than likely may be spending the night. It may have some delays getting out tomorrow if that snow develops, as they expect it will overnight.
LEMON: Yes, it's done deal over there. Other games going on.
Thank you, Susan. Appreciate it. Bundle up and stay warm.
I want to check in now with our meteorologist Tom Sater. He has got a bigger picture for us where springtime snow is piling up tonight -- Tom.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM SATER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good evening, Don. Many are wondering, are we really in the third week of March? Or is this the 52nd day of February?
Snow is no stranger in March. Of course, parts of Colorado, Aurora, 14.2. Just under a foot in Denver. But here we go again, parts of Kansas, Nebraska, getting another dose of snow. Missouri, Kansas City, St. Louis.
Let's take a look at our area of low pressure, rain from Lexington, Kentucky, to Nashville, back to Paducah. All the way down South where we had rail report and wind damage, parts of Mississippi, Alabama, Central Florida. But it's overnight tonight where we are going to see this area of low kick in. Then it's going to transfer its energy, here we go, to a coastal area of low pressure.
The good news is the models want to kick this area of low pressure on the coast away from the coast. It's still going to cause wind problems. But right now, as far as the amounts of snow, there could be a good dose of snowfall in parts of central Indiana, of course, back in areas of Ohio. But the heaviest amounts will be in Blue Ridge, western Maryland where elevations above 1,500 feet could see six to 12.
Now, remember, outside of the D.C. area, mainly to the West, thousands that live there and have to commute to D.C. may only be putting up with a slushy morning commute, maybe one to two. But as we watch the accumulations take place in the next 12 to 24 hours, here is your six to 10 bull's eye. Parts of Illinois, into Indiana, higher terrain is expected.
There is an advisory in New York City. So, keep that in mind as well. You could see a slushy morning commute with maybe an inch and a half.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right. Tom, thank you very much. Appreciate it.
A public memorial service for Colorado slain prison chief Tom Clements is set for tomorrow. He was laid to rest today in a private funeral. He was shot to death in his driveway Tuesday. The suspect, a white supremacist killed Thursday in a shoot-out in Texas. The motive: unclear.
Your television may soon be flooded with ads linked to the gun debate. The New York Mayor Bloomberg's anti-gun violence group is launching a $12 million ad buy to push for mandatory background checks for gun sales. Ads will start airing Tuesday in 13 states.
I want to bring in now, Athena Jones, live for us in Washington.
Hello, Athena. Why is the -- why is the mayor flooding the airwaves this week with this in particular, this week in particular, and who is he trying to reach?
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Don.
Well, the idea is to reach senators who are at home for a two-week spring break, a spring recess for Easter, for Passover. They're going off for would weeks. The idea is to reach them there in their -- in their states, I should say.
Let's listen to how Mayor Bloomberg described what they are trying to do.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (I), NEW YORK CITY: We are running ads around the country. We've got people manning phone banks and calling. We are trying to do everything we can to impress upon the senators that this is what the survivors want. This is what the public wants. This is what the 900-plus mayors in our organization want.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: And so the idea that -- focused on the 13 states. They believe that these senators, these particular senators, could be influential when the Senate comes back here to Washington to debate a gun measure that includes not only standard background checks but school safety and gun trafficking measures, Don.
LEMON: How is the NRA responding to the push?
JONES: Well, the NRA has been running their own ad campaign on television and online. They say that more ads will be coming. They won't say exactly when. But they also believe that this idea of extended background check just won't work.
Let's listen to what CEO -- NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre had to say about that this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WAYNE LAPIERRE, CEO NRA: The whole thing universal check is a dishonest premise. There is not a bill the Hill that provides a universal check. Criminals aren't going to be checked. They're not going to do this. The shooters in Tucson, in Aurora, in Newtown, they're not going to be checked.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: And so -- another concern of the NRA is that this expanded background check is just one step towards a kind of universal gun registry which a lot of gun owners are worried about. So they are stressing that in some of their ads as well.
LEMON: All right. Athena Jones in Washington -- thank you, Athena.
JONES: Thanks.
LEMON: As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares on weigh in on the same-sex marriage debate, this is what is going on in France.
A rally against gay marriage gets violent.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Hundreds of thousands of people clashed with police at an anti-gay marriage protest in Paris.
You can see police fought the huge crowd with tear gas and riot gear. Protesters are against the proposed law allowing same-sex couples to marry. French lawmakers approved marriage for everyone bill last month. It's up for a vote in the Senate come April.
The debate over same-sex marriage takes center stage at that time Supreme Court this week. The court will take up its first case on Tuesday. It involves California's Proposition 8 ban on same-sex marriage. The second case involves the defense of marriage act known as DOMA.
That law defines marriage as between a man and a woman.
And right now, people are lining up outside of the Supreme Court trying to get front-row seats to history. Will the Supreme Court say "I do" to same-sex marriage or decide to punt? Key players made their arguments today on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AUSTIN NIMOCKS, VICE PRESIDENT, AMERICANS DEFENDING FREEDOM: And what we need the Supreme Court to do is not try to short circuit this debate. We need to keep the debate live. Americans on both sides of the issue are deeply invested on this debate on marriage, we don't need a 50-state solution presented by the Supreme Court when our democratic institutions are perfectly capable of handling this issue. That's what really the court is trying to decide.
KAMALA HARRIS (D), CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: The United States Supreme Court since the 1880s has 14 times described marriage as a fundamental right. So, when we are talking about this issue going before the court, we are talking about fundamental notions of freedom, of justice, and liberty.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Supreme Court's ruling may not come until June but the justices question during argument this week may reveal how they are leaning.
Let's bring in now our political panel, CNN contributor and ESPN senior writer L.Z. Granderson joins us from Grand Rapids, Michigan. And then there's CNN contributor and Republican strategist Ana Navarro, who joins from us Miami.
Ana, look at Miami. Are you kidding us? Are you kidding us?
ANA NAVARRO, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Don't hate me because I'm warm.
L.Z. GRANDERSON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Jealous.
LEMON: We are all jealous. We're just doing a story on the weather around the country.
But let's get back to business. Let's start with L.Z.
How do you think the Supreme Court will rule, a decision that affects 50 states or just California?
GRANDERSON: You know, I -- I'm -- I really am undecided. I'm not really sure where it will lie. Certainly I think that just -- in California, the easier route, probably the sensible route. When you talk about addressing the entire nation, you talk about imposing something on the entire nation. I guess no either way.
Many of us did not think Justice Roberts is going to come out and find a way to support the health care reform. And so, certainly, it is very difficult at this point to look at the scenario place in front of us and try to decide where the Supreme Court is actually going to lie.
But I will say this, though. That if any of the justices are concerned about their legacy and being on the right side of history, that could become a factor into how they decide to vote because they all see the tide as turned. And what you don't want is for your name to be next to bigotry. What you don't want is your name to be on the wrong side of history. So, I think that may influence other conversations among the justices as well.
LEMON: But, listen, we are talking about the law here, Ana. And the justices don't vote on public opinion. They vote on the Constitution and what they think is legal and lawful.
NAVARRO: That's right. They vote on the Constitution. Kamala Harris was correct today when he said the court has decided on marriage 14 times and has founded to be a fundamental right of Americans.
Now, also, Don, regardless of what the court decides and I agree with L.Z., it's very hard to predict the court, surprised news the past. But regardless of what the Supreme Court may decide, this issue is not going away.
Adam and Steve are not going to not be married because the Supreme Court says -- goes against it. There's going to be children that are children of gay couples that are still going to exist, who are still going to have the practical issue to deal with. Are we going to tell those children that their family is deserving of less recognition or they come from a dysfunctional family? Are we going to tell that couple that they have less of a right to love each other?
So this issue is not going away. We have to remember -- let's put a name and face to this. The case that is going in front of the Supreme Court is Edith Windsor, 83 years old, spent 40 years with her partner Thea. If Thea had been killed (ph, Edith Windsor would not have paid the $600,000 in estate taxes she had to pay when her partner died. That's what we're talking about. That's the kind of equality.
But regardless of what the court decides, Edith and Thea are still going to love each other and still going to be a couple.
LEMON: Yes, the thing is Edith and Thea don't want to separate but equal treatment under the law when it comes to civil unions or marriage. And that's what this whole thing about.
GRANDERSON: And it's not separate and equal.
LEMON: Yes.
GRANDERSON: That's the whole conversation. It's not. More than 1,000 laws that are separating, you know, same-sex couples and heterosexual couples who are in the same comparable relationship, more than 1,000 laws. Essentially, I pay more taxes for no other reason than sexual orientation. No other reason than how I was born.
So, it's not even separate but equal. It's separate and unequal.
LEMON: Yes, Ana, I want to play this because I know that you want to address this. We had an e-mail exchange. I couldn't email you because we were migrating emails here. So, sorry for that. But I did get it in the show just for you.
Ralph Reed making controversial remarks on today's "Meet the Press."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RALPH REED, CHAIRMAN, FAITH AND FREEDOM COALITION: What I said was the verdict of social science is overwhelming and irrefutable. And that is without regard to straight or gay. In other words, this applies to one parent households and it applies to foster homes. It applies to the whole panoply. They looked at them all.
If the enduring, loving, intact, biological mother and father is best for children and it's not even a close call. And the only issue before the court is there a social good to that and does the government have a legitimate interest in protecting and strengthening? That's the issue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Ana, I was talking to the television and I kept saying not true, as he was saying that. Not true, not true. If you look at the studies, the studies show the exact opposite of what Ralph Reed was saying. What do you say that?
NAVARRO: You know, I have no issue with Ralph Reed. I have to tell you I found that is painful. It pained me he was saying those things while sitting next to our CNN colleague, Hilary Rosen, who is a gay mother that is devoted to her two children. I don't think any of us can lay judgment on the type of mother little Hilary Rosen or any of the other gay people are, L.Z. Granderson.
We have to understand as society, that sexuality is not equivalent to morality. And there can be bad parents that are heterosexual. There can be bad parents that are homosexual. But it's not because of sexuality. It's because they are a good parent or bad parents.
And I think that it is cruel to tell a child of a loving gay couple that they are less functional and less normal and that their parents are less fit to be parents.
Let's face it. The cleavers are the minority in the United States right now. There are so many homes of divorced parents, single parents, and gay parents. You know, who are we to stand in judgment on these parents?
And the only difference, don, between a gay couple and a heterosexual couple is that a gay couple cannot have accidental procreation, that means when you are gay and want a baby, you really want to have that baby.
LEMON: Figure out how to have that baby.
NAVARRO: Lot of work and a lot of expense. And you know --
LEMON: We are running out of time, Ana.
NAVARRO: We are not the type of people that stand on judge and jury.
LEMON: I want to let L.Z. in because, L.Z., during the break, we were asking, are you available next week during Easter to come on the show. No, I'm going -- it is my son's spring break. You are a gay dad. We're going to be in London. You are taking your family out of the country to enjoy Easter.
I would love to have a dad that took me to London for spring break -- gay or straight.
GRANDERSON: I just -- I just wanted to, you know, add support on a point. You know, I was in a point of my career I could live anywhere in the country. I was a senior writer at ESPN. We have bureaus all over the great nation.
I opted to come back to Grand Rapids, Michigan, for one reason only. My son and ex-wife were here. So, I left New York. I left Manhattan because I didn't want to be a part-time father. I didn't want to be a summer-time dad. I wanted to be a full-time father.
And today, I have sole custodial custody of my son. His mother has actually been outside of the country and he depends on me every single day to do right by him. So, as far as I'm concerned, I don't need Ralph Reed to tell me whether I'm a good father.
Last night, we sat on the couch and watched "Life of Pi" together. My family, that's all the verification I need about love and definition of family. Ralph Reed can just go fly a kite, I would put it like that.
LEMON: I'm glad didn't say the other thing. I knew what was coming.
GRANDERSON: I'm trying to keep my job.
LEMON: Thank you. If I don't see you both, happy Easter. Thanks.
GRANDERSON: You, too.
NAVARRO: Thank you.
LEMON: Coming up, believe it or not, there is a relatively simple explanation for a car that wound up on the roof of a house in Glendale, California. We're going to explain next.
(BEGIN VIJDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In seasons to come, Johnny and (INAUDIBLE), they are first and foremost people. So wherever she goes, they follow. At the same time, yes, as she is traveling through many different lands, there are other languages she comes across.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have other languages that are coming up on the show that are not Dothraki but also need to be invented. And we are hoping David will do those for us as well.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Personally, I would like to keep creating for languages for projects like "Game of Thrones", for TV shows and for movies. I mean, that's kind of the dream of everybody to sit down and create a language.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: So, imagine trying to explain this one to your insurance agent. How your car ended up on a roof. This accident happened in Glendale, California. A couple driving the black Cadillac missed a turn on a steep hill, careened through a yard and went airborne and landed on the roof of this house. No one was hurt. The couple climbed down when a neighbor brought a ladder. Wow. If you are not guilty of texting and driving you know someone who is. Studies show more than one-third of drivers admit it and it's even worse for teens. Now a young race car driver is on a mission to change those stats. He is getting behind the wheel to get his message to the masses.
CNN's Victor Blackwell reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right, drivers! Come get in line over here, please!
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Race car drivers on a race track. No big surprise. What might surprise you is that the favorite to win this race is just 17-years old.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you have half the field this side, half the field this size.
BLACKWELL: He is Tristan Nunez from Boca Raton, Florida. He started racing go-carts at 13.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just do what you know.
BLACKWELL: And then graduated to this at 15, before he was licensed to drive through his neighborhood.
TRISTAN NUNEZ, TEEN RACECAR DRIVER: My mom and myself actually feel safer driving on a race track with professional drivers than driving on the regular roads with people who have no idea what they are doing.
BLACKWELL: He revs up to above 150 miles per hour around this track.
(on camera): At that speed, there can be any little distraction.
NUNEZ: Yes.
BLACKWELL: It can be -- an injury or it could be death.
NUNEZ: Fatal.
BLACKWELL (voice over): Actually, that can happen at any speed.
Before the start of the 2012 racing season, a little distraction off the track nearly created a major problem.
NUNEZ: I was with my mom in the car, and we almost got into accident because she was Facebooking, emailing, whatever. Distracted.
DIANE NUNEZ, MOTHER: We almost rear-ended somebody, and he, you know, that's when we really - it really hit us, you know, and he is like, mom, you've got to put the phone down.
BLACKWELL: So Tristan and his mom, Diane Nunez, had an idea: to inspire other people, especially young people to put the phone down, by branding his car the "don't text and drive car."
DIANE NUNEZ: And we put all over the car, and put in on a suit and then put it on the Web site and just took off.
BLACKWELL (on camera): And you've got the bracelet because when they raise up there, their hand --
NUNEZ: Their hand --
BLACKWELL: -- with the phone.
NUNEZ: With the phone, they see it, exactly.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
NUNEZ: So, I mean -- it just serves as a constant reminder not to do it.
BLACKWELL (voice over): Hundreds of teens have pledged to not text and drive, some had even signed Tristan's car as part of the pledge.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just distracting. It's -- you get caught up in another world, completely separate from what you are trying to do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is not really a lot of teenage race car drivers out there, so it was - it was definitely good for them to go on to a teenager's car.
DIANE NUNEZ: I know we're not going to stop it, but at least it's going to bring more awareness to people.
BLACKWELL: Tristan was the big winner on this day at Road Atlanta (ph).
NUNEZ: I would be here.
BLACKWELL: And he tells teens to look up to him. The key to his success on the track is the same key to staying safe on the road.
NUNEZ: You have to have 100 percent focus, you can't lose your focus for any --any reason at all.
BLACKWELL (on camera): Mazda is also working with the project called Yellow Light. It grants scholarships to teenagers who produce the best 60-second public service announcement against distracted driving. Go to projectyellowlight.com for details -- Don.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right. Thank you very much.
Coming up here on CNN, after fleeing Russia because of a dispute with the country's president, a business tycoon is found dead. And the case has police mystified.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: So when you think of fashion designers, names like Armani and Calvin Klein come to mind, right? And there may soon be another name added to that famous list. Afriyie Poku. I recently caught up with the emerging designer whose passion for fashion is somewhat of a higher calling.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON (on camera): So is this it? This is where the magic happens?
(Voice-over): Atlanta based fashion designer Afriyie Poku remembers the exact moment he realized he wanted to be a fashion designer.
AFRIYIE POKU, FASHION DESIGNER: It was like 3:00 a.m. in the morning. I turned on the TV. There was this guy in a yellow nice cut suit. He was walking in front of the camera, posed, and then walked right off. I was like what was that?
LEMON: The show was House of Boateng. The man in the orange suit, English fashion designer, Oswald Boateng, the first black tailor on London's famed Savile Row.
POKU: As soon as saw him, it was like that -- this is the answer to everything I want in life.
LEMON: At the time Poku, who came to the United States from Ghana with his family in 2000, was in school studying to be an electrical engineer. A career his parents hand picked for him. His experience with a sewing machine was limited to watching his mother saw African clothes and tailoring department store clothes to fit his 29-inch waist.
Making a living creating clothes was something Poku said he never considered possible until watching Oswald Boateng. He skipped his first class that day to immediately get started on a career in fashion.
POKU: I grabbed my best sheets and I cut my first pants. Both legs was able to go in. That was it. Nothing else was able to fit.
LEMON: Poku dropped out of college. Much to his parents' chagrin and immediately started looking for an apprenticeship. He never found the right one. So like a mechanic who deconstructs engines, Poku taught himself.
POKU: I started by just buying clothes from the thrift store, taking it apart and learning the construction, and then trial and error.
LEMON: It wasn't until later that he realized he had quite a lot in common with the man in the orange suit. The one who allowed him to think a career in fashion was possible.
POKU: Everything was like he -- he was in school and then he just love of it. He also -- he's also a self-taught. So I feel like both are on this parallel life. LEMON: Though Poku never wanted to just be a tailor. It's that attention to detail and fit that helped him win the PERONI Emerging Designer Award and win both the People's Choice and Emerging Designer Awards at Charleston's Fashion Week. Accolades, Poku says, reaffirms the decision he made to follow his own dream. Regardless of where it leads.
POKU: This is my way of life. This is my calling. I was put on earth to do this.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Congratulations to him. Remember that name. Afriyie Poku.
If you want to learn more about Poku, check it out, CNN.com under the "Living" tab on CNN.com.
And coming up here on CNN, after fleeing Russia because of a dispute with the country's president, a business tycoon is found dead. And the case has police mystified.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Let's look at your headlines right now on CNN.
Soil smuggled out of Syria is now being tested for nerve gas. The Assad regime and the rebel forces each blamed each other for shooting off deadly missiles suspected of carrying chemical weapons.
CNN affiliate ITN is reporting that the Syrian government has sent off samples of blood and soil to a U.N. team along with rocket debris.
Secretary of State John Kerry has some strong words for Iraq's prime minister. Do something to stop the flights of Iranian weapons to Syria. Kerry's visit to Baghdad comes amid growing concern over Iraq's role in the Syrian conflict.
Iraqi officials deny allowing the transfer of weapons through Iraqi air space to President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
In England police say a full inquiry is underway into the mysterious death of a Russian oligarch. Sixty-year-old Boris Berezovsky was an outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin calling for his overthrow. Berezovsky was found dead in his mansion near London where he lived in exile. He was a target of an assassination attempt in Russia in 1994. He was found wounded and his driver killed when a car bomb exploded.
Hundreds turned out at the Karachi airport to welcome home former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.
Musharraf fled the country as a dictator but after four years of self- imposed exile he arrived back in Pakistan today. He said he came back to save his country and plans to run for office again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PERVEZ MUSHARRAF, FORMER PAKISTANI PRESIDENT (Through Translator): Where are those people now who said I would not come? I will get scared? I am not afraid. I only fear of the law. No one else. Where is Pakistan I left five years ago? Gone. My heart cries tears of blood when I see the state of the country today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Nic Robertson is our senior international correspondent. He's live in Karachi.
So, Nic, Taliban militants have vowed to kill him and he faces a possibility of arrest. Why? What is he accused of?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's actually quite a long list of crimes in 2011. He was charged with being responsible in part for the death of Benazir Bhutto, the country's first prime minister killed in an assassination. A gun and bomb attack back in 2007. But as well as accused of covering up the killing of an important tribal leader in the country, of detaining political opponents, of torture of opponents, and as well as trying to sort of railroad the judiciary in the country out of office as well, essentially putting under house detention the chief justice (INAUDIBLE). So quite a list of crimes.
But his party -- his party's leaders here have sort of headed off some of those charges at the moment. At least getting a delay on his bail appearances -- Don.
LEMON: Now that -- now that he is back, what is the feeling among the civilian population in Pakistan, Nic?
ROBERTSON: You know, I think that was -- that story was really told today when he got off the plane at the airport. He said that he was coming back and expecting maybe hundreds of thousands of people. That's what his supporters had really sort of forecast.
Well, there was about a thousand or so people then. And I think that speaks for itself. People her not energized. Excuse me. Not energized by his return. And perhaps that's really going to dampen his expectations of what he can achieve here politically. Elections coming up in May. He thinks that he can do well in those elections. The turnout today, people not that interested, it seems, Don.
LEMON: And not that interested so it -- even if he comes back to the country and -- you know, he's hugely unpopular, chances are he would not win.
ROBERTSON: No. The chances are he wouldn't win. Look, when he -- by the time he left the country the population had pretty much turned against him. There have been harder economic times. There are some people that look back to the days when he was in power and see the country being better. Indeed that's one of the things he commented on when he came back, that the country is economically more impoverished.
And there are huge problems here. But I don't think anyone holds out the hope that he's the man that's going to fix it. He really discredited -- discredited the army and now he has this threat, death threat, hanging over his head from the Taliban.
How is he going to get out on the streets really and effectively campaign under those circumstances -- Don.
LEMON: Nic Robertson. Thank you very much for that, Nic.
Coming up --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I pronounce you legally married.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Is America going gay? At least on the path towards gay marriage. The Supreme Court is about to weigh in. So goes the court, so goes the entire country.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Now to the big stories in the week ahead. Our correspondents tell you what you need to know.
We begin tonight with the president's plan for the week.
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Athena Jones at the White House. President Obama speaks at a naturalization ceremony for service members here on Monday. And then later on marks the beginning of Passover with a Seder. On Thursday, he welcomes African leaders from Sierra Leone, Senegal, Malawi and Cape Berdei. And he heads down to Miami on Friday for a speech on the economy.
POPPY HARLOW, CNN MONEY CORRESPONDENT: I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. Well, coming up this week on Wall Street we'll get the final measure of fourth quarter GDP, that is broadest measure of U.S. economic growth. We'll also get the latest Consumer Confidence reading. That of course is key because confidence is a big part of how much all of us are willing to spend.
On the housing front we'll get the March new homes sales report. We'll also get a look at the Case-Shiller home price index. That measures home prices in the 20 biggest U.S. cities. And of course U.S. markets are closed on Friday in observance of Good Friday.
We'll keep an eye on all of that in the business week for you on CNN Money.
A.J. HAMMER, ANCHOR, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: I'm SHOWBIZ TONIGHT's A.J. Hammer. Here is what we are watching this week. Justin Bieber's mom joins us. We'll find out the real deal about Justin's recent hiccups on tour and his paparazzi battle.
Also Emily Torres, the girl who asked Bruno Mars to the prom, will visit with SHOWBIZ. Bruno bought a Gucci gown for the big dance for her and now she's paying it forward with a gift of her own.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Monday through Thursday at 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific.
LEMON: Busy week ahead. Including this. Should same-sex marriage be a constitutional right? The Supreme Court will tackle the issue this week.
Folks are already gathering in Washington to possibly witness history. One same-sex couple in the D.C. area is definitely paying close attention.
Joe Johns has their story.
JOE JOHNS, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: The battle over same- sex marriage in California has been going on for years. And coming up this week, it finally arrives at the U.S. Supreme Court.
We talked to one of the couples involved in the case who win or lose have already assured themselves a small place in history with their legal challenge.
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JOHNS (voice-over): Jamelle Thomas and and Karane Williams have been together four years before they got married last October. Don't let the wedding dresses fool you. Their lives are not all satin and pearls.
AIRMAN JAMELLE THOMAS, U.S. AIR FORCE RESERVE: Well, I'm an airman in the United States Air Force Reserves. And?
I'm a police officer with the Metropolitan Police Department here in D.C.
JOHNS: Which makes this couple a case study on how America's married but unequal approach to same-sex relationships can play out.
THOMAS: As, you know, an airman, it's -- you get a constant reminder that, you know, you are second class.
JOHNS: Jamelle is a federal employee but the Federal Defense of Marriage Act bars recognition of same-sex marriage by the government, which affects more than 1,000 federal benefits for spouses. Everything from piling taxes and receiving death benefits to who gets called as next of kin.
THOMAS: I had to list Karane as my sister just so that someone would call her in the event that, you know, I'm killed or missing in action, or I'm hurt on the job. She can't be my emergency contact. She can't receive my remains.
JOHNS: Karane, on the other hand, as a District of Columbia employee gets the benefits of being married because the local government is the nation's capital recognizes same-sex marriage. But only nine states in the District of Columbia have taken that step. So Karane loses status as a spouse just by crossing the Potomac River into Virginia.
KARANE WILLIAMS, METROPOLITAN POLICE OFFICER: Why do we have to be married locally but federally, it is -- nothing. We're friends. We were arranged symbolically. You know, so, it's ridiculous.
BILL CLINTON, 42ND PRESIDENT: What the bill does --
JOHNS: And now the Defense of Marriage Act, also known as DOMA, first passed by Congress and signed by President Clinton in 1996, is being challenged at the Supreme Court.
AMY HOWE, SCOTUSBLOG.COM EDITOR: It's being asked to decide there as whether or not Congress can pass a law that treats same-sex couples who are already married under the laws of their state different from opposite sex couples.
JOHNS: Defenders of the law say Congress has as much right as the states to make its own definition of marriage.
AUSTIN NIMOCKS, ALLIANCE DEFENSE FUND: DOMA is important because Congress said it was important. I mean, we sent our elected representatives to Washington, D.C., and they chose to say that marriage is one man and one woman for purposes of federal law.
JOHNS: And conservatives say the founding fathers never contemplated gay marriage.
CARRIE SEVERINO, JUDICIAL CRISIS NETWORK: Because it's clearly not what anyone understood as marriage at the time of the framing of the Constitution.
JOHNS: Still same-sex families pay taxes and don't get the same benefits. And the issue with DOMA really gets complicated if they have children who are also excluded from benefits.
THOMAS: When we have kids, I would like them to be born in a post- DOMA United States.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JOHNS: Still California is one of only a handful of states that gives most of the benefits of marriage to same-sex couples in domestic partnerships. One question is whether any ruling by the court on California could affect all of those other states in the same way.
LEMON: All right. Thank you very much for that, Joe.
Coming up next hour, I'll talk to two CNN.com op-ed writers with strong views about this landmark case. Hear why they think American is at a crossroads when it comes to gay rights.
Tiger Woods on the road to redemption. If he wins this week's PGA Tournament, well, he's in the lead with one round to go. He'll be back on top of the world ranking.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: We're deep into March Madness, and as expected, some giants already fallen.
Terence Morris here to talk sports. He's a sports contributor to CNN.com. Good to see you.
TERENCE MOORE, CNN.COM SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR: Thank you.
LEMON: Before we talk Cinderellas, I'm not a basketball fanatic, right? But why -- why is it this time of year, I always just want to sit around the bar, watch the monitors, eat wings and drink beer? Why is that?
MOORE: Because that's the American way. That's what we all do. That's what people do to have fun, to release their tension and to win a little money, too. Some people.
LEMON: I don't do money part. Because my brackets, we'll talk about it later. Not good.
So Cinderellas, number 15 -- I think we were just looking at, 15 seat, what was it? Florida Gulf Coast, right?
MOORE: Yes. Florida Gulf Coast.
LEMON: Florida Gulf Coast University stole the spotlight by defeating number two seed, Georgetown, and Harvard, Harvard, Wichita and others also scored upsets. Are these upsets good for college basketball?
MOORE: Well, I mean, I mean, let's put it this way here. You know, everybody in America right now, truth, justice and the American way, we've got to pull it tonight against Creighton, against LaSalle, against Florida Gulf Coast, all these teams, Don. Because in the short run, Cinderellas are good. In the long run, people pull for Cinderella, but they don't want to watch Cinderella. So we had in the sweet 16, are the final four.
And let me give you -- let me give you an example here. OK. If we had a final of Wichita State and that hideous Florida Gulf Coast, who would you fervently cheer for or who would you fervently cheer against?
(LAUGHTER)
See what I mean?
LEMON: Yes.
MOORE: So we want Duke. We want Indiana. We want these seeds that we can either hate or love. This is not good.
LEMON: Yes. You're right. You're right. Absolutely.
Do we have my brackets? Are we able to get them up? OK, we don't have them on a graphic but --
MOORE: Don, is it true that you picked Kentucky to win the tournament?
LEMON: I did.
MOORE: OK. Kentucky is not even --
LEMON: No, no, I picked Kansas.
MOORE: That's worse than Kentucky.
LEMON: No, I picked Kansas to win the tournament.
(CROSSTALK)
What'd you say?
MOORE: I was just --
LEMON: Say again? Oh, we have them. Can we put them up? OK. There they are. Nobody can see that at home, can they?
MOORE: Well, I see Gonzaga, right?
LEMON: Well, Gonzaga is out. I had -- yes. But I didn't -- I didn't do. I didn't do it. Ken Chapman did it, right?
MOORE: Rex Chapman.
LEMON: Rex Chapman did, sorry. Rex Chapman.
MOORE: The former Kentucky basketball --
LEMON: The former Kentucky basketball player did my brackets for me and among the CNN anchors I'm 17 and we only have 18 anchors here, too.
MOORE: Boy, so that's my Kentucky is not in the tournament because Rex Chapman used to play for Kentucky. You can't pick a bracket.
LEMON: Yes. I don't feel bad. I'm tied with John Berman and Wolf Blitzer who knows everything basketball.
MOORE: Wow. Pretty good.
LEMON: Do we have them? Let's look at them. Go. Who's -- that's it. So who's first? Christine Romans is number one. John King, Erin Burnett, Michael Holmes, Zoraida Sambolin, Ashleigh Banfield, look it. Jake Tapper -- keep going -- Randi Kaye, Chad Myers, Brooke Baldwin ,Carol -- I'm not even down there yet. I mean, just keep going, Fred, Kate --
MOORE: This is not good.
LEMON: Oh, my gosh. And it's -- keep going. Where am I? Ali -- Don Lemon.
MOORE: Oh my goodness. LEMON: Did you just laugh --
(LAUGHTER)
MOORE: But you know what, you know, this is Passion Week. This -- in the bible, the first shall be last and the last will be first.
LEMON: There you go. I'm going to get it.
(LAUGHTER)
Let's talk some golf right now. Tiger Woods still leading the Arnold Palmer Invitational. A win would make him number one in the world again. But bad weather has suspended play until tomorrow. Why is he playing so well nowadays?
MOORE: It's simple. It's the two P's. OK? Putting and personal. Putting wise, you know, he's never putted better in his life, Don. And it goes back to earlier this month against fellow golfer Steve Stricker, give him -- giving him a few pointers, which means he's going to win the Masters again next month.
But let's get to the personal. Three years ago we discovered that Tiger was closer to being Eddie Haskell than he was to being, say, Wally Cleaver. OK? And that's not -- not a good thing. But now he's got Lindsey Vonn in his life. They just turned around. Did you see that picture of the two of them, by the way, on Facebook?
LEMON: I did. The one that he put on Facebook, yes.
MOORE: Sure. And to continue the "Leave It to Beaver" theme, he'll kind of look like Ward and June Cleaver, didn't he?
LEMON: Yes, if Ward was African-American and June Cleaver --
MOORE: Was a blond or something like that.
(LAUGHTER)
Because he was -- hey, use your imagination.
LEMON: Seriously, that's the new normal now.
MOORE: That's true.
LEMON: That is a new normal.
MOORE: That's exactly right.
LEMON: They're America's new --
MOORE: That's --
LEMON: Ward and June.
MOORE: Yes. LEMON: Or, you know, Tiger and --
MOORE: Yes. The new Ward -- Wally and Cleaver and Beaver and all these guys.
LEMON: Thank you. The first shall be last. I like that.
MOORE: That's right.
LEMON: Thank you, Terence.
Coming up after a quick break. The album that defined a generation hits a milestone. Find out how Pink fans -- Pink Floyd fans --
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