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Midwest, Mid-Atlantic Hit with Snow; Two Teens Charged in Baby's Murder; CBS Apologizes to Veterans; Jerry Sandusky Speaks; U.S. Stocks Poised to Open Higher
Aired March 25, 2013 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Snarled air traffic and up to a foot of snow and the spring surprise is now marching east.
Keep your eye on that great white shark. It charges a cage and it somehow manages to get its head and ferocious deep inside. Two thrill seeking tourists getting a lot more than they bargained for.
And she's been trying to put her life back together after her murder conviction was overturned. Now a year and a half later Amanda Knox could be forced to return to Italy and face the court one more time.
And if saying I'm sorry could heal the world, then CBS is on the right track. The "Amazing Race" stirs up an amazing mess using a war memorial for a prop. We have the apology. And we'll play it for you.
You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Good morning from Washington. Thank you so much for being with me. I'm Carol Costello. We begin with that wintry mess that's scoffing at the calendar. Yes, it's officially spring, but try telling that to millions of Americans in the Midwest and mid-Atlantic states.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My car was completely sideways coming up the hill. And so thank god I managed to get right here in the center and I've been here about 45 minutes waiting on a tow truck.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: I can relate this morning. Up to seven inches of snow from St. Louis to Pittsburgh and before it's over some areas will be buried under a foot of snow.
It's not just snow that made for a wild weekend, though. Take a look at that. That's hail pounding the roofs and blanketing the ground. In fact much of the eastern half of the country has seen any combination of high winds, thunderstorms and of course snow and hail.
In just a minute we'll tell you where the storm is heading, but first let's show you where it is.
CNN's Martin Savidge is in Pittsburgh.
And it looks pretty, but I bet it feels pretty miserable.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is, Carol. Good morning to you. Yes, Pittsburgh, just think of the storm, it has dumped snow now all the way from Denver to D.C.. So it's made a lot of white all across the country.
Here in Pittsburgh, not quite as bad as they feared. They thought three to six, they ended up with one to three. So yes, it's snowmageddon, it's s snowpocalypse, but what is it? It is a slush-a- polooza, Carol.
Right now they've got about 400 schools that have been closed or delayed as a result of this weather. The airport, yes, the flights are delayed somewhat, maybe because they have to de-ice, but otherwise the commute here is going really well. The street, the primaries are all clear. Secondary roads, they're slushy. So it's bad but it's not terrible -- Carol.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: Yes, but the thing is it's not terrible, but it's supposed to be spring in May. And a lot of people have a terrible case of spring fever -- Marty.
SAVIDGE: Yes, they do. And that is the real impact of the storm. It's kind of a mental blizzard. They look at the calendar, say it ought to be spring but they see all of this.
I will point out, though, Carol, the latest snowfall in Pittsburgh, May 31st. It's been a long way to go to beat that record. And they hope that won't be happening.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: No, they didn't say that. That's just cruel to bring up, Martin Savidge.
Thank you so much.
The snow is already falling here in Washington and elsewhere on the East Coast, so let's check in with meteorologist Jennifer Delgado.
On my drive in today, it was nasty.
JENNIFER DELGADO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes.
COSTELLO: Because it's that -- those big thick west snowflakes.
DELGADO: West flakes. Absolutely.
(CROSSTALK)
COSTELLO: And were just coming at your windshield and blinding you.
DELGADO: You're like, why did I come to D.C. at this time? You're right. And the snow has been coming down and we're going to see more of a tapering off in about the next two hours or so. But we're still looking at snow from areas from Illinois, as I said, all the way over towards New Jersey.
You can see Northern Virginia still looking at snow and the same for parts of Kentucky as well as in Tennessee. Of course it's lighter down there. But we focus on the northeast and the mid-Atlantic. Of course you can see where the snow is. Snow still coming down for areas like Baltimore. We're really good through Delaware as well as into Maryland.
Notice rain right along the coastal areas. And we're going to see a snow/rain mix for regions even including New York City. We're expecting anywhere between one to three inches of snowfall. As we track this for you, we have two lows and the low out to the west well, that's going to be the weaker one. It's going to be fizzling out. We're watching the one that's going to be moving right along the coast and that's what's going to be bringing that snow as we go through the evening hours.
And many of these advisories are going to last, it looks like, until about midnight. Want to point out to you four to six for parts of Ohio as well as into areas including eastern Indiana right along the mountains, six to 12. That's great if you're going to be skiing. For Washington, D.C., one to three, so, Carol, your snow will be tapering off.
But to give you an idea how much snow you've picked up, for Washington Reagan, we picked up 1.3 inches of snowfall. Arlington, 2.4. That's more than a lot of people really thought they were going to get across that region. So hopefully you packed your little snow boots. But you won't need them long.
COSTELLO: I'm glad.
DELGADO: You can tough it out. Yes, right.
COSTELLO: I can't. I'm Ohio girl, I can.
DELGADO: Right.
COSTELLO: Jennifer Delgado, thanks so much.
DELGADO: OK.
COSTELLO: Other top stories for you this morning. I bet you can't take your eyes off this video. A great white shark at the diving cage in South Africa jams its head through a narrow opening -- see that? You can see the thing trashing its tail and flashing its monstrous teeth just inches from two terrified divers. Last hour we heard from the man who captured it all.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRYAN PLUMMER, VIDEOTAPED SHARK ATTACK: There's not much space, you can't go left, you can't go right, you can't go up. And his reaction was to go down. There's a couple of feet beneath the water so he managed to curl up into a ball down there and wait until the teeth had left.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Neither diver inside the cage was hurt. Worth noting, Plummer had climbed out of the cage just a couple of minutes before the attack and he went back in about 20 minutes later.
This morning a 9-year-old girl is being praised for her courage after surviving a harrowing crash. First she smelled gasoline, so she turned off the car's ignition. She was in a car. Then she crawled out of the wrecked car and inched her way through the dark and across forbidding terrain filled with brush, snakes and coyotes. She desperately wanted to get help for her father who was injured.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SGT. TOM LACKEY, CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL: The courage of this young gal under very, very stressful circumstances, she really reacted in a very responsible manner.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: The girl will spend at least today in the hospital so doctors can keep an eye on her. Sadly, her heroics could not save her father. By the time officers arrived, he had died of his injuries.
French police used tear gas on people protesting same-sex marriage. Scuffles broke out as hundreds of thousands marched through central Paris. They're fighting a plan that would allow same-sex marriages and adoptions by gay couples. The French Senate is expected to vote on the plan next month.
A 14-year-old boy accused of killing a 13-month-old baby is expected in court this hour. He's the younger of two Georgia teenagers charged to the case. Sherry West says one of the boys shot her baby Antonio in the face after the boys tried to rob her.
CNN's Nick Valencia has more on the 911 calls revealing the horror that unfolded last Thursday in the coastal Georgia town of Brunswick.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Police say an anonymous tip led them to the 14-year-old suspect in the shooting. Officers say the juvenile whose name has not been released because of his age turned on 17-year-old De Marquise Elkins during questioning and identified him as the shooter. Sherry West, mother of the 13 month old infants, did not mince words in her message to the two teens.
SHERRY WEST, MURDERED BABY'S MOTHER: You killed an innocent human life and that I hope you die for it.
UNIDENTIFIED 911 OPERATOR: This is Brunswick 911. Where is your emergency?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Emergency, a woman says that her baby apparently has been hit in the head or shot.
UNIDENTIFIED 911 OPERATOR: Her baby has been hit in the head or shot?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shot. I think. She's screaming now.
VALENCIA: There were no eyewitnesses to the shooting, but several neighbors heard the gunshots and called 911.
UNIDENTIFIED 911 OPERATOR: Is the baby bleeding?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know. It's --
UNIDENTIFIED 911 OPERATOR: How close are you to them? Are you close to the situation?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I'm not. I'm about 50 yards away. The woman is screaming. There are other people. The baby's on the ground now. But the woman, the mother is over the baby. Send the police, please.
UNIDENTIFIED 911 OPERATOR: OK. Stay on the line with me. Stay on the line with me. The baby is on the ground?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
VALENCIA: Police have not disclosed any motive for the shooting and so far no gun has been found. Police say both teens have been charged with first-degree murder. But Elkins' aunt told CNN affiliate WTLB her nephew didn't do it.
KATRINA FREEMAN, DE MARQUISE ELKINS' AUNT: I hate what happened to that baby because no baby deserve to go through that. But at the same time, they're taking someone to jail that is innocent. I am 100 percent positive that De Marquise Elkins was not at that crime scene. He was at my residence.
VALENCIA: The two teens are being held in a local detention center waiting to be arraigned. West said she's too scared to stay in Brunswick and has plans to move back to New Jersey where she says she lost another child to a violent crime in 2008, an 18-year-old son who was stabbed to death.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Nick Valencia joins me now by phone from Brunswick.
Nick, you're awaiting court proceedings to begin. The 14-year-old due in court, what more do we know about that suspect?
VALENCIA: We don't know much, Carol. We don't even know his name. We don't know the associations between the 17-year-old and the 14- year-old or how they knew each other. What we do know is that about 9:30, that 14-year-old juvenile will be appearing in front of the magistrate, Judge Timothy Barton.
I got a call from the father of the 13-month-old last night. He called me just to talk. He's very emotional. And he told me that he doesn't blame the suspect. In fact, he thinks that they just needed to get some help, had a bad upbringing.
We do know about the 17-year-old, though. I saw on his Facebook page before it was taken down that he alleged to be part of the bloods gang. Now I asked the police officers here in Brunswick if they have a gang problem. He said, Nick, they just have a bunch of wannabees and De Marquise Elkins was one of them - Carol.
COSTELLO: Such a sad story. We're going to hear more from Nick Valencia when court begins later on in the NEWSROOM.
Also, Piers Morgan is going to have the mother of the baby who was killed on his show tonight.
CBS is doing a little damage control for an "Amazing Race" episode some veterans found offensive and today at least one veterans organization is satisfied with how the network handled the situation.
Nischelle Turner live in Los Angeles to explain what went down.
Good morning, Nischelle.
NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Carol. You know, the show and the network are apologizing to veterans groups for a task that was set in Vietnam during the show that aired on March 17th. Now this task used the Hanoi War Memorial as a location where contestants hunted for clues.
This memorial includes wreckage of a downed U.S. B-52 bomber. Two Americans were killed when that plan was shot down. Now the segment also included a choir singing a tribute to the Vietnam Communist Party. So as you can understand, veterans organizations were upset at CBS and they let the network know about it.
After a few days of silence, CBS has now apologized. They opened the "Amazing Race" last night with this apology. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PHIL KEOGHAN, HOST, "THE AMAZING RACE:: We want to apologize to veterans, particularly those who served in Vietnam, as well as to their families and any viewers who were offended by the broadcast.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TURNER: Now the heads of the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars or the VFW had written angry letters to CBS protesting the Vietnam episode, but it seems like CBS' on-air apology last night is calming some of the concern this morning.
American Legion commander James (INAUDIBLE) tells CNN, "The American Legion applauds CBS and the 'Amazing Race' for its apology that was broadcast immediately before last night's episode."
And they said tonight's episode they gave this to us last night. Now we also reached out to Senator John McCain who also has concerns about this episode, but we have not heard back from him as of yet. Now, Carol, CBS as a network relies heavily on an audience who supports the military, so you do have to think that easing veterans' hurt feelings is definitely a high priority for them.
COSTELLO: Regardless, they should have apologized. Nischelle Turner reporting live --
TURNER: Absolutely.
COSTELLO: Yes. Reporting live from Los Angeles.
Next hour, we expect to learn the winner of Saturday night's $338 million Power Ball jackpot. Our affiliate KYW says someone bought the only winning ticket at Love's Travel Shop in Borden Town, New Jersey.
New Jersey lotto officials plan to announce the winner at a news conference that will start about 45 minutes from now. We'll keep you posted.
Florida Gulf Coast University breaking brackets and making history. The Eagles beat San Diego State in the NCAA tournament. It was amazing. They become the first 15th seeded team ever to reach the Sweet 16. Awesome.
The Eagles celebrated their win in the locker room. They advance to play third seeded Florida on Friday.
Just ahead in the NEWSROOM, how soon can infants eat solid food? You will be amazed at the answer coming from some parents.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: At 15 minutes past the hour. Time to check our top stories.
The Italian Supreme Court will decide if Amanda Knox should stand trial again for the murder of her roommate. The American student whose stories captured worldwide headlines spent four years in an Italian jail before her murder conviction was overturned. If the court approves a retrial, Knox might be forced to return to Italy.
Good news for spring breakers. Gas prices have dropped four weeks in a row now. The average price $3.71. That is a 22-cent a gallon cheaper than a year ago.
And health news this morning: many parents are giving their children solid food way too soon. That's according to "The New York Times". Quoting the CDC, it says nearly one out of every 10 parents surveyed says they gave their infants solid foods when they were as young as four weeks old, and 40 percent say they fed their child before they were four months old. Doctors say parents should wait until their baby is six months old before giving them solid food.
Allergy experts reportedly are expecting a very robust allergy season. Some are even calling it a pollen nightmare. Western and central states already are seeing above average pollen counts, most of that due to above average rainfall.
We're hearing from the first interview with Jerry Sandusky since he was convicted of sexually abusing 10 boys. The former Penn state assistant football coach spoke to an independent filmmaker who is working on a documentary entitled "Framing Paterno". And one expert heard this morning on NBC's "Today" show, Sandusky spoke of eyewitness Mike McQueary changing his story.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
JERRY SANDUSKY, FORMER PENN STATE ASST. FOOTBALL COACH: There are a lot of things that transpired. I think these investigators, the way they went about business, you know, his story changed a lot.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
COSTELLO: CNN's Sara Ganim has been following the Sandusky scandal from the very beginning.
So, first off, Sara, what do we know about this documentary filmmaker?
SARA GANIM, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, Carol, his name is John Ziegler and he's done this before. He's attached himself to high profile cases. He did it about four years ago with Sarah Palin and a few weeks ago with the Steubenville, Ohio, rape case.
And he started to do this more than a year ago with Joe Paterno, the legendary coach who was fired on the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. What he did was he created this Web site a little more than a year ago and posts to it almost daily, trying to exonerate Joe Paterno. His motive is very clear. That that is why he went in and did this jailhouse interview with Jerry Sandusky.
Now, what's interesting is that when Joe Paterno's family actually learned that he was going this route, that he was essentially teaming up with Jerry Sandusky to help exonerate their father, they distanced themselves greatly. They said, look, we didn't want to have anything to do with this, we don't believe this is the right thing to do, this is a misguided effort.
And I want to have you listen to what Ziegler actually told the "Today" show this morning when he learned that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN ZIEGLER, FILMMAKER: I put a year of my life into this with no compensation, no thought of compensation. Only wanted to do one thing, which was to find out the truth of the matter was -- which is Joe Paterno's dying wish. And I've done everything I could possibly do to try it find out the truth of this matter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GANIM: Ziegler actually went after one of Paterno's sons, Scott, on his Web site. And in a family statement, they said, that the family believes that any attempt to use this recording as a defense of Joe Paterno is misguided and inappropriate.
Carol, back to you.
COSTELLO: Wow. I don't know, I suspect Penn State's not very happy about any of this coming up again either.
GANIM: That's right.
You know, we actually heard from one of the victims' attorneys this morning. I spoke to a child advocate. And then Penn State issued a statement and said all three of them said the same thing, this is reopening wounds for these assault victims who are trying to move forward.
The child advocate told me this morning, she said if we learn anything from this, this morning, it's that these people never really completely heal because this stuff is constantly being brought back up.
COSTELLO: Sarah Ganim reporting live for us this morning -- thanks.
Up next, talk back question this morning. Can New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg buy gun control? Facebook.com/carolCNN or tweet me @carolCNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Now is your chance to talk back a one of the big stories of the day. The question this morning: can New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg buy gun control?
It is an epic fight: New York City Mayor Bloomberg versus the National Rifle Association. Bloomberg, through his mayors against gun violence group, is dropping 12 million bucks on gun control ads.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My dad taught me to hunt and I'll teach my kids. I've owned a gun all my life and I'll fight for my right to keep it. Background checks have nothing to do with taking guns away from anyone. Closing loopholes will stop criminals and the dangerously mental ill from buying guns. That protects my right and my family.
NARRATOR: Tell Congress, don't protect criminals. Vote to protect gun rights and our families with comprehensive background checks. Demand action now.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Oh, but the ads also target Democratic senators who are undecided on new gun control measures.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (I), NEW YORK: I think I have a responsibility and I think you and all of your viewers have responsibilities to try to make this country safer for our families and for each other. And if I can do that by spending money and taking NRA from being the only voice to being one of the voices, so that the public can understand the issues, then I think my money would be well spent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: The NRA calls Bloomberg's money bomb an attempt by the New York City mayor to impose his will on the American people.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WAYNE LAPIERRE, NRA: They don't want him in their restaurants. They don't want him in their homes. They don't want him telling what food to eat. They sure don't want him telling them what self against firearms to own. And he can't buy America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Or as a conservative blogger put it, the loathsome nanny state mayor is now going after your guns.
With that kind baggage, how effective can Bloomberg be with all of his millions?
Talk back question for you today: Can Bloomberg buy gun control?
Facebook.com/CarolCNN, Facebook.com/CarolCNN, or tweet at @carolCNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Good morning. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Carol Costello, at 30 minutes past the hour.
Stories we're watching right now in THE NEWSROOM:
As the opening bell rings on Wall Street, investors hope U.S. stocks will react positively to the big Cyprus bailout deal.
Christine Romans is at the New York Stock Exchange.
So, are things looking up?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Things are looking up. You got futures higher here. One of the reasons, Carol, is because Cyprus is a tiny, tiny economy, but this would be the fourth European bailout. The fact that at the 11th hour, it looks like disagreed to, it takes away an uncertainty for the market and the path of least resistance returns.
And what is that path? Higher. This has been incredible year for stocks. This first quarter, anybody with a 401(k), anyone with stock market investment has seen fantastic returns.
I mean, the S&P 500 hasn't hit a record high, a new record high yet, but it's very, very close now. It could happen in the next couple of days. That's what the S&P looks like over the past 12 months.
The S&P over the past year is up almost 12 percent. Just this year so far, it's up 9 percent. Carol, that's the kind of return -- if you had a return like that, it would be the envy of all of your friends. And for anybody who is just, you know, a plain vanilla stock market investor, they've had a very, very good run.
We'll have the numbers coming here any moment, but it looks like banks are probably going to lead things higher.
Watch the shares of BlackBerry. There was a downgrade of BlackBerry.
