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Supreme Court On Same Sex Marriage; Pink And Red Equal Sign Goes Viral; "War May Break Out Any Minute"; North Korea Cuts Key "Hotline" To South; Directions To Victim's Home In Ebel's Car; Cars Going High Tech; North Dakota Enacts "Heartbeat" Abortion Ban; T- Mobile Offers No Contract Plans; Baby Left On Train Platform; One On One With Christine Quinn
Aired March 27, 2013 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: David Petraeus says he's sorry for his affair.
And tablets, kindles and cell phones, should you be able to use them on takeoff and landings? The rules getting a fresh look.
And watch out, a light post slams through the windshield of a bus. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Good morning. Thank you so much for being with us. I'm Carol Costello. We begin this hour at the U.S. Supreme Court where small crowds are gathering outside and history could be unfolding inside.
The justices are just now wading into their second day of arguments over same-sex marriage, compared that to yesterday where crowds numbered in the thousands. People on both sides of the emotionally charged issue circled the iconic marble building as justices wades California's Prop 8, a law that bans same-sex marriage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONIN SCALIA, ASSOCIATE JUSTICE: The California Supreme Court decides what the law is. That's what we decide, right? We don't prescribe law for the future. We decide what the law is and I'm furious. When did -- when did it become unconstitutional? To exclude homosexual couples from marriage?
THEODORE OLSON, ATTORNEY FOR PROP 8 OPPONENTS: May I answer this in the form of a rhetorical question? When did it become unconstitutional to prohibit interracial marriages? When did it become unconstitutional to assign children --
SCALIA: Easy question I think for that one. At the time that -- that the -- equal protection clause was adopted. That's absolutely true, but don't give me a question to my question.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Today, the justices focus on the Defense of Marriage Act or DOMA. That's a federal law that defines marriage as between a man and woman. CNN's Jason Carroll spoke to the woman who is challenging DOMA.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When Edie Windsor and Thea Spire tied the knot, they had no idea their union would someday lead to a Supreme Court challenge, one that if successful could open the door to federal benefits for same-sex couples for generations. The moment, not lost on Windsor as she stood in front of the court.
(on camera): I wonder as you stand here, you know, does it feel like at all that you could be making history?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
CARROLL (voice-over): Windsor's story began some 50 years ago. She was a programmer at IBM. One night while in New York's West Village, she met Spire, a psychologist.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's a wonderful human being.
CARROLL: The two fell in love, moved in together and for the next 40 years lived as a couple. Unable to marry, they still shared everything equally.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was just a magic world. It really was.
CARROLL: That is until doctors diagnosed Spire with multiple sclerosis. Windsor was not only a partner, she also became a caregiver.
EDIE WINDSOR, PLAINTIFF: That's when I asked about, do you want to go Canada. By then, we knew there had been some case that was confirmed that New York State accepted marriages that was legal wherever they were made.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're gathered together today --
CARROLL: They were married in Canada in 2007.
WINDSOR: I said I can die now. I could die now.
CARROLL: Spire lost her battle with M.S. in 2009, and with her passing so began Windsor's fight.
While New York State recognized Winsor's marriage, the Defense of Marriage Act prohibits the federal government from recognizing it. So, Windsor had to pay taxes on Spire's estate, which she inherited. Her bill -- $363,000.
WINDSOR: It hurt terribly. It did hurt terribly and I felt -- I felt angry.
ROBERTA KAPLAN, ATTORNEY: If Thea had been Theo then she would have had no estate tax whatsoever. CARROLL (voice-over): Windsor sued challenging a law that denies marital benefits to same-sex couples who live in states that allow such unions.
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: And the Supreme Court has to decide is that a legitimate distinction to draw between people? Gay people pay, straight people don't.
CARROLL: Regardless of the court's decision, Windsor says, by making it this far, she already feels a sense of accomplishment.
WINDSOR: A huge step forward and a huge difference how people look at us.
CARROLL: Jason Carroll, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: As the justices deliberate, supporters of same-sex marriage hope this symbol continues to thread across the internet. The human rights campaign came up with the idea. They advocate equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
War may break out at any moment that's according to North Korea, which cut off another communications hotline with South Korea. Last hour, I talked with Christopher Hill, an ambassador, a career diplomat. He says this is a situation we need to be paying attention to.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTOPHER HILL, FORMER U.S. DIPLOMAT: This is rather prolonged and rather intense, and I don't think we should be ignoring this. At the same time, I think there's a big element of domestic North Korea politics, if one can understand that concept.
Where clearly this Kim Jong-Un is not being well received and I think they are trying to kind of boost his status to some sort of wartime leader. So obviously, it bears very close watching.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: This just the latest sign of the rising tensions between the two Koreas. The north has put its military units on combat-ready status following joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States and the recent United Nations sanctions against the north.
Our senior international correspondent, Matthew Chance is near the border between North and South Korea. Good morning, Matthew.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Carol, good morning. That's right. A lot of tension is growing here. Those latest statements coming from North Korea saying they've cut off that key hotline between the two militaries north and south. It's significant because there aren't that many opportunities for the two militaries, which face off across that border to communicate with each other.
And so, this is obviously, you know, going to impact potentially on communication between the two sides, particularly over the -- what's calls the industrial complex. That's where the hot line takes place. That's where the communication between the two militaries over the transfer of workers into that industrial complex that's shared between North and South Korea.
It's meant to be sort of a confidence-building sort of industrial zone. They've cut the hotline off, North Korea, because they say war is imminent on the Korean Peninsula, another example of North Koreans ratcheting up tensions on the Korean Peninsula -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Matthew Chance reporting very near North Korea this morning. Thanks so much.
Handwritten directions to the home of Colorado's slain prison chief had been found in the car of the man suspected of killing him. Police believe Evan Ebel shot Tom Clements to death, March 19th at the front door of his home.
Ebel was killed two days later in Texas during a shootout with sheriffs' deputies and we're now hearing from one of those sheriffs' deputies who pulled over Ebel in North Texas and almost died on the side of the road.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEPUTY JAMES BOYD, MONTAGUE COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: Before I got out of my patrol car, I can remember looking at the car and thinking something is just not right. Whether I needed to call for another unit, whatever, I don't know.
As soon as I approached the passenger side, tipped my head over, all I saw was a gun. At that point in time, I remember seeing the gun shoot off a number amount of times and I could see the cartridges fly out.
At which point, I blacked out. I had no clue whether I was standing, sitting, laying, whatever. I got kind of halfway up, looking for my mic, trying to call out for help and that's about the time I noticed that, I'm bleeding from the face.
Something's not right here, I need help. At which point, he had jumped -- another county deputy pulled up. I never even got the chance to talk to him that day. Never got his name, nothing, just pulled up out of the blue and helped me out. That's what we do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Sure is. Our affiliate KTVT tracked down that Good Samaritan, his name is Dave Blankenship. He's a detective with the Johnson County Sheriff's Department. He happened to be driving by when Boyd was shot and stopped to help out.
Other top stories we're following for you this morning, in Seffner Florida, it appears another sinkhole may be forming. Two families evacuated a duplex after cracks formed in the floors and walls, and also on the ground. This happened several days after a sinkhole popped up in two other homes.
Both families were able to return. There have been at least five sinkholes in the area this month. This had to be demolished after a sinkhole swallowed a man sleeping in his bedroom.
Incredible video out of China, it shows the quick reaction of a bus driver. The bus was carrying 26 passengers when that lamppost smashed through the windshield. The driver was able to stop the bus and get out of the way just in time, but he did suffer a ruptured spleen.
Do you get upset when a flight attendant tells you to turn off your electronic device? Well, the FAA is now looking into changing the rules to allow some devices to stay on. Any changes, though, may not come for months. Flight attendants want to keep the current rule in place saying there are critical times when they need the passengers' attention.
COSTELLO: For parents on the go, this maybe the coolest new features to keep your ride clean. Honda is showing off a minivan with a built- in vacuum cleaner. The hose inside this 2014 Odyssey reaches every single corner of that vehicle. It's just one of the high-tech new features on display this week at the New York Auto Show. That's where we find Maggie Lake. Good morning, Maggie.
MAGGIE LAKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. I was just over there at that Honda Odyssey with that vacuum cleaner. How genius, I can't believe it wasn't thought of before. You know, we laughed, you ask, will people really buy a car for that? That's what they used to say about cup holders.
But that isn't the only thing on display here. We're expecting a million people to come through the doors this week. All of the car companies really putting their best foot forward showing what's on display.
One of the big themes we're seeing is technology. How much technology does your car have? That's because we're all addicted to carrying around these, our smartphones. We used them all the time. So we now expect our cars to sort of look like them.
I caught up with Aamir Ahmed who works with Uconnect, the technology arm of Chrysler. He gave us a little tour of what you can get in the Dodge Dart. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAKE: So, Amir, tell me how high-tech are these cars now?
AAMIR AHMED, UCONNECT: These cars are very high-tech. So this vehicle here, the Dodge Dart, actually has -- some of our high tech systems. It has seven-inch multiview LED screen in the cluster and also a Uconnect 8.4 inch radio. So we brought in some of our high technologies in a vehicle. It's actually one of the lowest price points we offer in the company. LAKE: Which is different because you had to really pay up, this was only something you get that in luxury cars, right?
AHMED: Absolutely. And the reason we've done that because we realize -- everyone is carrying a smartphone now, right? So when you got your smartphone, you want to compare it to what you have in your vehicle. That's why we bring these large screens into the vehicles. So you can see the information that you that want quickly at a glance and stay focused on the driving.
LAKE: What do you hearing from your customers? What do customers love with the technology cars?
AHMED: Again they want technology that adapts to them. So they want to get into a car and not have to learn a system. They want to be able to get in a car and have a system kind of understand them. And this is a system that kind of helps them do that because you can go in and configure what you want from them. Each car can be tailored to each person.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAKE: So one of the things I ask Aamir is whether I had to put him on speed dial in my contacts list to trouble shoot for me if I have to be the head of an I.T. department. And another part of my household is going to break me, but he was emphasizing how easy the technology is. Not only is it coming standard in a lost these economy cars. It's a lot easier to use in a lot of cases -- Carol.
COSTELLO: That's so cool. I envy you there. Maggie Lake, thanks so much.
Still to come in the NEWSROOM, Christine Quinn, she's feisty, lesbian and fighting against DOMA. She joins us after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It's 15 minutes past the hour, time to check our top stories. Abortion rights activists are gearing up for a fight in North Dakota. The state now has the most restrictive abortion ban in the whole country.
It outlaws the procedure once the fetal heartbeat can be detected. That's usually about six weeks into pregnancy. Another law bans abortions based solely on genetic defects. The so-called heartbeat bill, which takes effect August 1st does have an exception for the mother's health but not for rape. Opponents say both laws are unconstitutional.
T-mobile is shaking up the cell phone market. It's now offering bargain plans with no contract and it's got the iPhone 5. The carrier also is rolling out a 4G LTE network that it says has faster data download speeds faster than AT&T and Verizon.
A baby girl is left behind in a stroller on a Philadelphia train station platform. Police say the baby's mother and grandmother were trying to cheat the system by using one fare card twice and forgot the baby when they went off in different directions. A station cashier took care of the baby until the mother and grandmother returned. The two women were not charged.
The woman running for mayor of New York City apparently has a temper, and some people love it, and some people don't. Here's Christine Quinn announcing her campaign.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm making it official that I'm running for mayor of the city of New York. You know, I'm running for mayor because I love this city. I'm not about talking and finger pointing and complaining. I'm about getting things done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Yes, she is. That no-nonsense attitude is getting Quinn quite the reputation. Some say she has a vicious temper. "The New York Times" reporting that her office has soundproof walls because she yells so much.
And a former campaign donor told "The New York Times," quote, "She screamed at me for 10 minutes uninterrupted and used the "f" word at least 20 times. I was just so startled I didn't know what to do."
And a city official said her eyes get really wide, she points her fingers she gets really close to you and is really in your face. New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn joins me now. Good morning.
CHRISTINE QUINN, NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL SPEAKER: Good morning.
COSTELLO: I must say, I read the article, I laughed. It was an interesting article. Is that you?
QUINN: You know, as I said, in the article, at times, I get really emotional about the work I'm doing. It's really important work. And at times, you need to be forceful to get things that are stuck unstuck.
Now, obviously, we all want to try to modulate our tempers. I have deep emotions and care deeply for New Yorkers and that means sometimes, you got to push things forward. I think New Yorkers know that.
This is a tough town and we're tough people and you need to deliver, some of the pieces in the article, I soundproof because I'm too loud. I'm loud when I'm not yelling, but we didn't soundproof because of that. Some of that is complete exaggeration.
COSTELLO: Why did you soundproof?
QUINN: We soundproof because outside of my door with the ceiling the way it's structures and city council with this weird echo chamber. So it made hard for people to stand there who had to be on post out there, hard for people in my office because we could hear them in my office.
So it was just a thing to make it more efficient for everybody. But, look, I'm not going to apologize for the fact that I've been able to get things done for New York. And sometimes, to get things done for New York, to deliver seven balanced on-time budgets, to prevent the layoffs of 141 school teachers, to keep every firehouse open year after year after threats of cuts.
Passing laws that made kindergarten mandatory that's not easy and sometimes, you have to push hard to get that done. But my job isn't to make people smile. My job is to deliver for New Yorker, period.
COSTELLO: Rudy Giuliani, for example, he was also known for having quite the temper. If you were a man, do you think your temper would be an issue?
QUINN: I'm not a man. I'm a woman. I'm an aggressive woman who gets things done, and that's the way it is. I've never been embarrassed about the fact that I'm pushy and aggressive.
COSTELLO: Well, the other thing the "Times" reported in that same article that you've pursued political revenge against people who have wronged you. Do you?
QUINN: Absolutely not.
COSTELLO: Don't all politicians do that, though?
QUINN: Pardon me?
COSTELLO: Don't all politicians go after others who wronged them in some way?
QUINN: Well, I think that's an unfair statement about all politicians and certainly, it's not a fair statement about me. I've tried very hard to bring discipline to city council, which is for many years known as an undisciplined body without focus.
Now, that means bringing order, having twice-monthly democratic caucus meetings. Asking people to comment when they're supposed to comment, not comment when they're not supposed to. Finding deadlines in an orderly process.
I'm not going to apologize for that because that has made us more efficient and focused on the needs of New Yorkers. Put us in position to pass legislation, just a few weeks ago, making it illegal for employers to discriminate against unemployed New Yorkers.
Pass legislation that allows tenants who are being harassed to sue their landlords in court. We never had that power before, but the better structure in the council now allows us to have focused debates that move issues forward. That makes people's lives better.
COSTELLO: OK, let me ask you a question that involves the whole country. You're openly lesbian. You're married. So today's Supreme Court hearings will affect you. How will it make you feel knowing that you can be mayor of New York City and be denied federal marriage benefits?
QUINN: You know, the being mayor part of that has nothing to do with anything. But waking up every day in a country where your sexual orientation puts you in a position where you have less rights, fewer rights than somebody else is actually a very painful thing.
I mean, LBGT Americans are full citizens. We're full contributing parts of this country and all we want is the same rights and responsibilities as everybody else. All we want is the laws of this country to do what the laws of the state of New York have done. Wrap their arms around all families and say that we all matter.
We all love each other. We're all just trying to get through the day supporting each other. Edie Winsor's case that I know you guys have been running a story on, tells that story. Two women loved each other for decades.
When one got sick, Edie took care of her until she died and then after that tragic death. The federal government basically sent Edie a letter saying you are less than your heterosexual Americans that you know.
That's horrible. It's just wrong and I'm so excited that this issue has gone all the way to the Supreme Court. And going to get -- is getting heard and is going to get heard.
COSTELLO: Second day. We'll see what happens. Christine Quinn, Speaker of the New York City Council. Thank you for joining us this morning.
QUINN: Thank you.
COSTELLO: We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Now is your chance to talk back on one of the stories of the day. The question for you this morning, did Victoria Secret go too far with its bright young things campaign?
Racy undies is Victoria Secret's bread and butter, this company markets, do I need to remind you, I don't think so. The problem is who Victoria's secret wants to make sexy.
In February, it launched a campaign called "Bright Young Things" featuring lacy thongs with slogan like "I dare you" and "Feeling Lucky." In response, some parents launched a Facebook page.
Dear Victoria's Secret, full bright young things. The Facebook page goes on to say, quote, "Our children are not sex objects. Our children are not things. Tell Victoria's Secret to stop marketing to young girls."
Victoria's Secret said the bright young things items are now off the floor to make room for new products. It denies marketing any product to young teens. Victoria's Secret said "Bright Young Things" is a revolving line of the pink line, which was marketed to college-age women.
Come on, it's obvious that Victoria's Secret is at the very least toying with the teen market. Yes, look who performed at the Victoria's Secret lingerie show, teen idol Justin Bieber.
Let's just say that grown women weren't salivating over the Biebs. The subliminal marketing message was sent. I like Justin Bieber, Justin Bieber likes Victoria's Secret, and therefore I should buy Victoria's Secret.
Others say the company is being unfairly singled out. After all who buys underwear for their teens anyway? Parents. Talk back question today, did Victoria's Secret go too far with its "Bright Young Things" campaign? Facebook.com/carolcnn or tweet me @carolcnn.
In Indiana, the Supreme Court rules on the state's wide-ranging tuition voucher program, a decision that could be a watershed for the entire nation.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
