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FBI Searches Bomb Suspect's Home; Suspect's Uncle to Perform Burial Rites; Father of Tsarnaev Friend Speaks Out; Syria Blames Israel for Attack; Congress Scrutinizes Spy Network; Cops, Feds Must Share Information; "The Oracle of Omaha"; Chicago Gang Violence Slowing Down; Full Face Transplant Patient Recovering

Aired May 05, 2013 - 19:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Remember the images of the older runner who was knocked off his feet when the first bomb went off at last month's Boston marathon? Well Bill Ifrigg has lived to the -- to race another day. The 78-year-old marathoner from Lake Stevens, Washington, donned the same orange singlet as he wore last month in Boston for a race today.

It was the Blooms Day race in Spokane. And Ifrigg says he's lucky to be alive and he's still dealing with some sore quadriceps muscles. I'm glad he's ok.

What a moment last night before the Boston Bruins playoff game. Marathon bombing survive, Jeff Bauman made a surprise appearance to rally the Bruins against the Toronto Maple Leafs waving a banner that read "Boston Strong". Bauman lost both legs in last month's attack but then helped authorities identify the accused bombers.

Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon. This is the CNN NEWSROOM.

Let's get you up to speed on what's happening right now. FBI agents in hazmat suits searched the home of one of the Boston bombing suspects today. The surviving suspect, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev tells police that he and his brother built the bombs there that exploded at the Boston Marathon last month. Investigators have found bomb residue inside the apartment.

We are live from Boston in just a moment here on CNN.

Syria says Israel has declared war on the country with these devastating explosions overnight near the capital of Damascus. Israel has refused comment. Syria alleges Israeli rockets struck a military research center.

In an exclusive interview with CNN, Syria's deputy foreign minister says it will retaliate but did not specify when or how. We've got that exclusive interview just ahead for you.

What started out as a night of fun took a tragic turn. A limousine carrying nine women burst into flames on a bridge over San Francisco Bay last night leaving five of the dead -- five of them dead and the rest hospitalized.

It appears, though, that the fire started in the trunk of the limo but the cause is under investigation. The limousine company says it will do everything possible to assist authorities in determining the cause of the fire.

A frightening piece of video to show you, it's from an air show today. A stunt plane and thousands of people in a festive mood at Madrid, in Madrid, Spain when the worst imaginable thing happened. Watch.

Goodness. Look at that fireball and the thick, black smoke. The pilot of that plane is dead. More than a dozen people on the ground are hurt. A government spokesman said the pilot was very experienced and they're working to find out exactly what caused that plane to crash.

President Barack Obama is calling on a new generation to be active and engaged citizens, American citizens. He spoke at Ohio State University's graduation ceremonies today saying young people have the power to help the nation achieve its greatest hopes and overcome its most difficult challenges. He also called on all Americans to hold their elected officials accountable.

Let's go to Boston now this hour. Across the river in Cambridge -- that's where bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev lived with his family before the attack and where the FBI has a very keen interest in today.

Our Susan Candiotti is live in Boston right now. So Susan, why the interest today in the Tsarnaev apartment?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, mum's the word on that. The FBI is officially not saying what they were doing over there, but we do know this. They spent a few hours at that apartment. Agents and crime scene technicians wearing hazmat protective covering as they often do when they pick up evidence at a crime scene spent time in that apartment. We know that sources have told us in the past that information they received from Dzhokhar led them there to the apartment where his older brother lived with his wife and young child and that it was Dzhokhar who told investigators that the pressure cooker bombs were constructed.

And sources have told us as well that they found explosive residue in at least -- on at least the kitchen sink, the table, and in a bathtub. So whatever they found there and whatever they might have left with, we do know this, it's clear they still have a keen interest there, perhaps, Don, it has something to do with what the widow is telling investigators -- Don.

LEMON: Let's talk about the Tsarnaev family. The older brother, Tamerlan, still not buried. Why, Susan?

CANDIOTTI: Because apparently they cannot find any cemetery that will accept his remains. That's what the uncle is telling us. So he spent time at the funeral home. He's already left there tonight. But he told everyone at a press conference that he spent the time there preparing his nephew's body for burial according to Islamic law. And that's what he spent time there doing. He said he is not happy at all that he's been unable to find any cemetery to accept the remains.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUSLAN TSARNI, TAMERLAN TSARNAEV'S UNCLE: I'm left alone to deal with this matter. And I also stress that Tamerlan Tsarnaev has no other place to be buried.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: So, Don, for now, no cemetery, but they're still looking for one.

LEMON: Susan, you talked to the father of one of the suspects' friends who is accused of this, of trying to help the brothers. What did they tell you?

CANDIOTTI: Right. This is the father of Azamat -- let's see if I could pronounce it correctly -- Tazhayakov and he gave us exclusive details about his jailhouse visit with his son that took place on Friday and his son told him what happened when the FBI came over to raid their apartment there in -- near the University of Dartmouth of Massachusetts at Dartmouth.

And he told us that he had the same questions that we do. He asked his son why he hid some of the evidence, went over to the dorm room where Dzhokhar lived and took some things away including a backpack that contained -- that they took away a laptop and backpack that had some fireworks inside. Why they did that?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMIR ISMAGULOV, FATHER OF SUSPECT AZAMAT TAZHAYAKOV (through translator): I asked my son, did you want to help Dzhokhar? He said, dad, if we wanted to help him, then we would have thrown the laptop out, too, but we didn't want to throw anything out. It's just that Kadyrbayev got scared and just threw the bag out. When he brought the bag from Dzhokhar, he took the laptop out and just put it on the table.

So they didn't want to help him, he said, if we wanted to help him, then we would have thrown out the laptop, too and then we bury the bag in the ground somewhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: Now, the father tells us that his son had absolutely no role in the bombing, that, in fact, he did recognize Dzhokhar's photograph when he saw them on television and that he and his -- his roommate got very worried. They were scared. They didn't know what to do. He said his son did not do anything wrong intentionally. He's 19 years old. And he just wasn't thinking right.

Back to you -- Don.

LEMON: All right, Susan Candiotti in Boston. Susan, thank you very much. Syrian officials claim Israeli rockets attacked a military facility near Damascus overnight, an act Syria calls a declaration of war. In a CNN exclusive, our Frederik Pleitgen we spoke with Syria's deputy foreign minister and with residents who said the barrage of massive explosions were terrifying.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Don, it was absolute mayhem here in Damascus. We were woken up in the middle of the night to massive explosions. And all of this went on for more than an hour. And there were so many explosions, so much gunfire that people that lived near that area actually thought there was a major battle going on there until they found out that it was probably a rocket strike by the Israelis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN (voice over): It was at around 3:00 a.m. local time that gigantic explosions lit up the skies over Damascus. One deafening blast after another, it went on for more than an hour. Rocking a large military area in the suburbs of Syria's capital and prompting terrified nearby residents to run for cover.

The Deeb family lives a little over a mile away. Daughter, Anna, tells me what happened.

ANNA DEEB, WITNESS: After the first two bombs, we kept hearing explosions. There were like, nine of them, because everything kept exploding over and over again. We can hear gunshots. We can hear people screaming. So basically we didn't know what to do and there was a problem with us breathing because the smoke was too much.

PLEITGEN: In a second alleged Israeli air strike in three days, the Syrian government says the latest target was a military research facility. The opposition says it was an ammunition depot.

In an exclusive interview with CNN, Syria's deputy foreign minister said Syria would retaliate in its own time and way.

FAISAL AL MEKDAD, SYRIAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER: This is an alliance between al Qaeda, Wahabism and Israel attacking together Syria. It shows common interests and what Israel and its allies have tried to hide for a long time is more clear.

PLEITGEN: It is a declaration of war?

MEKDAD: When they attack, this is an declaration of war.

PLEITGEN: Israel has neither confirmed nor denied the attack but as the violent uprising against the regime of Bashar al Assad drags on Israel has become increasingly worried about Syria's chemical weapon stockpiles and believes the regime is trying to ship conventional weapons to Hezbollah an extremist group that the United States and other countries have declared a terrorist organization.

MEKDAD: Until now the information is not very clear on what happened. Did they fire missiles or planes? It's not clear for me because I'm not aware how it happened. But of course, it's worrying, but Israel will suffer the same.

PLEITGEN: The Deeb family is still shaken by the events.

DEEB: It was really scary, because there's nothing we can do. It's like, either we're going to die right now or just stay scared. I'm sorry, but it just --

PLEITGEN: They say they hope they never have to witness anything similar again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: Now the Syrian government vows that it will retaliate against Israel. But they're not saying at this point how they want to do that and when -- Don.

LEMON: All right. Thank you, Frederik.

During congressional hearings this week on the Boston bombings, questions will likely be asked about possible breakdowns in intelligence. One of my guests adamantly defends our spy community.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Clearly there was a breakdown somewhere, even if everybody's talking to each other.

TOM FUENTES, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Why do you -- Don, Don I don't accept that. Why do you say there was a breakdown? What's the proof that something broke down?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: More of that conversation next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Looking ahead in Washington this week the House Homeland Security Committee has scheduled Thursday's hearings on the Boston marathon bombings. The hearings will focus on how the bombings have affected national security and what, if any, clues the government had before the bombings happened.

Now, earlier I asked Tom Fuentes about reports of a communication breakdown between government agencies. He is a CNN law enforcement analyst and he is a former FBI assistant director.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FUENTES: To say that people don't talk to each other, Don -- I've run two JTTFs, myself, when I was in the FBI. You're sitting right next to each other. Every member, in this case, Boston, has 20 law enforcement agencies that belong to that JTTF. And every officer that gets selected to serve on it has to go through a complete background to get a top secret clearance and they have full access to all the raw -- so everybody is sitting next to each other. Everybody has access to the same databases. I don't know how you can say they don't talk to each other --

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: I understand what you're saying. But clearly there was a breakdown somewhere. Even if everybody's talking to each other --

(CROSSTALK)

FUENTES: Why do you -- Don, Don, I don't accept that. Why do you say there was a breakdown? What's the proof that something broke down as far as communication? I'm not saying if you want to argue about whether the investigation --

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: The evidence is on the table. There was -- there was a bombing where three people were killed. There was an intercept from the Russian government. There was -- the Russian government told us that they thought that these people had been radical -- this young man had been radicalized. They had been listening to him. He went away for six months to Russia and we all had that, our government had that information. How is that not a breakdown?

FUENTES: Well, that's what I just said. You can say whether the investigation based on that information was thorough enough and that can be looked at. It's a separate issue to say that the agencies don't talk to each other or that the information is still being stove- piped (ph) or people don't have access to each other's databases. That part of it is not true.

LEMON: Ok. Tom Fuentes. Now to Lou Palumbo -- let's get him in here. Lou is retired investigator with the Nassau County, New York Police Department. Lou, you just heard me talk -- my talk with Tom Fuentes about communication between law enforcement agencies. Listen, I'm not picking on Tom. I've heard many people voice the same opinion that he has. Whenever you had to work with the FBI or the feds, how was the communication? Was it always smooth and sharing? And sharing of information?

LOU PALUMBO, FORMER POLICE INVESTIGATOR: Well, the simple truth, Don, is that there is a cultural disconnect with our federal agencies. Our federal agencies traditionally do not share or there's a reluctance to share information at times with local authorities. I think one thing that people have to understand, with our federal agencies, for example, like the Secret Service and FBI, they routinely polygraph their special agents. There is no mechanism in place like that in local law enforcement. Tom made reference to JTTF where these individuals are deputized so to speak and they sit in the same rooms. And I understand everything that he's talking about.

But I do know one thing -- that the way to maintain the integrity of your investigation is to covet information. And they do it and it's the right thing to do. The problem is, on occasion, it walks us into scenarios similar to the one that we're in right now.

I say this to you, unequivocally. The finest investigative team that exists on the planet is our FBI, without question. But there is a culture with the FBI that is very, very tight and I respect it. I understand it. There's a need for it. But there is also problems that arise from time to time as a result of that culture.

LEMON: Lou, no one is doubting -- I don't think anyone is doubting the professionalism of the FBI and their integrity. But clearly something broke down in this particular situation. And as -- listen, in anything that's happening, you look at Benghazi, people are going to want answers. Why the breakdown? What happened? And at the end of the day, someone, or some agency, is going to have to take responsibility and that's really at the center of I think what most Americans want to know.

PALUMBO: Don, listen, in all fairness, the federal government isn't the only form of our government, in other words, we'll break it down to local agencies and municipalities such as the city of New York. Everybody's very protective. They try to employ this practice called damage control. And part of that is that before they start speaking, and before they start disseminating information, they need to wrap their arms around the full extent of what's taken place.

Now, it's easy for us to sit back here and try to critique what they do and what they do based on a timeline or an expectation of when we think things should happen, but the reality of the situation is, everyone does it, Don. It just isn't the state department. It just isn't the FBI. Everybody embraces this.

If we can control information, even on local level, in other words, not disseminate it to the media and it serves us, everyone does it. That's the simple truth. When you've got to show your hand, you have to show your hand.

But there are a lot of topics here that are being co-mingled. You know, we're discussing the information that came from the Russians to the FBI regarding these two individuals who are suspect in this bombing.

LEMON: Right.

PALUMBO: We're learning as we go that the inquiry was really made not so much because the Russian FSB was giving us a heads-up for our sake, but they were worried about themselves. When they were requested to provide more information, they didn't didn't provide it. You know, I do want people to understand one thing. Our law enforcement resources are very heavily taxed right now and there's no question, we need to increase the number of agents that we have -- and this is just my opinion -- in the FBI, in the Secret Service and in a number of other agencies, for example, like the ATF.

We talk about the gun problem in the country. I don't want to go off on a tangent. But there are 2,000 ATF agents for this entire country. It's very difficult to go after trafficking with limited resources.

You have a police department, excuse me, Don, I don't mean to interrupt you, sir.

LEMON: No, no, no.

PALUMBO: We have a police department here where you've had as many as 40,000 police officers, that's an incredible luxury to have when you need to fix a problem. Two ways we fix our problems, we throw money at them or we throw bodies.

LEMON: Yes.

PALUMBO: You need to give law enforcement more resources. If people are suggesting that the FBI employ the practice of setting up surveillances every time someone bleeps on their radar screen, they simply do not have the resources to do it. And that is the truth as well.

LEMON: That is a fair point. I think in the investigating, and all of the talks and hearings that are going to be had, we need to figure out exactly what happened to improve that and have more resources devoted to whatever specifically we need to devote them to. That's the whole point of having this conversation and the whole point of what we do on the air and having those hearings will be.

Thank you, appreciate it, Lou.

The Dow cracked 15,000 this week. Is this proof of a strengthening economy or should we be cautious? CNN talked with the oracle of Omaha, Mr. Warren Buffett. What he thinks lies ahead -- that's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Attention online shoppers. That Internet purchase may cost you just a little bit more in the future. The Senate is set to vote on a long debated sales tax law tomorrow, allowing states to require large online retailers to collect taxes on purchases made by their residents. The bill has a good chance of becoming a law and if enacted could bring in an estimated $12 billion in additional sales tax each year.

The New York Stock Exchange is flirting with record highs, briefly climbing above 15,000 for the first time ever. How long will it last? No one knows for sure. CNN's Poppy Harlow spoke with one man who might have a more educated guess than most. Hi, Poppy.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Don. I talked to Warren Buffett here at the Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholder meeting in Omaha, Nebraska. It is where tens of thousands of investors flock to hear from the Oracle of Omaha.

We talked specifically about the stock market. Given the record high we've seen for stocks recently, does he think this market is overvalued right now? He said as a long-term investor, he doesn't look at what the market is going to do in a week, in a month or in a year. That's not what he focuses on. But he did note that given current fed policy, given these low interest rates we're seeing assets across the board being pushed up including stocks.

Now, we also talked about immigration and jobs. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Is there any policy, anything that can be done on the policy side that would increase job creation in a more rapid rate?

WARREN BUFFETT, BERSHIRE HATHAWAY: Well, we could apply way more fiscal stimulus and that would have some effect. There isn't much to do on the monetary side. But whether the Dow --

HARLOW: Would you support more stimulus?

BUFFETT: Whether the downside of that stimulus would be greater than the immediate damage -- you don't want to take something that makes you feel extremely (inaudible) just because of that fact without considering consequences. So I really have no great recommendations in terms of change of policy.

HARLOW: Immigration reform is front and center right now in Washington. And I wonder, do you think that immigration reform is critical to the economy? What is the impact on this economy if we see immigration reform derailed? Does it matter?

BUFFETT: Well, I think immigration reform is derailed, I think people will continue to have great doubts about the efficacy of Washington because I think there is great sentiment for it and I think it probably will pass. Exactly in what form, I don't know.

HARLOW: Is there anything specific you think needs to be included in immigration reform in this country for the economy?

BUFFETT: I think net immigration over the lifetime of the country has been an obvious posture of the country and we can find problems with it. But this is a country of immigrants and I think that -- I think we should be a lot smarter in terms of the quotas we establish. I think it's crazy not to encourage all kinds of people that can benefit this country by bringing them over.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: We also talked about income inequality. And Buffett said that he believes that the growing gap between rich and poor in this country is having a negative impact on the overall U.S. economy.

Now, at 82 years old, the question of succession came up. Who will take over Berkshire Hathaway after Warren Buffett? Buffett says, he has chosen that successor but still has not made that name public -- Don.

LEMON: All right Poppy. Thank you very much.

The daughter of boxing great Muhammad Ali joins me live, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama says every American has an obligation to let kids facing violence in cities like Chicago know that they are not forgotten. She made her comments in an interview with "CBS This Morning." Mrs. Obama says children in her hometown fear what could happen to them every single day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: This how every day they wake up and they wonder whether they're going to make it to school alive. I mean every single kid worries about their own death or the death of someone every single day.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They told you that?

OBAMA: Yes. We have millions of kids living in these kind of circumstances, and we as a nation have to embrace these kids.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So in 2012, homicides declined nationally, but that wasn't the case in Chicago. 506 people were murdered there last year. That's up from 433 in 2011.

Chicago police are quick to point out to us that the rate is down significantly so far this year in 2013. They say it's down 43 percent. Still, there is a lot of work to be done. Especially when you're coming from over 500.

My next guests have two very different ideas on how to drop the number even more. Rasheda Ali is the daughter of boxing legend, Muhammad Ali. And LZ Granderson is a political analyst and CNN contributor. Thank you both so much for joining me. And Rasheda, it's good to see you again.

RASHEDA ALI, DAUGHTER OF MUHAMMAD ALI: Good to see you, Don.

LEMON: We spent some time with you a few years ago with your family.

ALI: Yes, we had fun. Thank you.

LEMON: Let's start with you. You were trying to get kids off the streets and into a boxing ring. You think that will help?

ALI: First, as a start, I was approached by the executive director of the Illinois State Crime Commission, Jerry Elsner, to help market this very positive program. I want to help kids. I'm from Chicago. Of course, I said yes. But what we're trying to do in a sense is grab kids off the street, put them into some safe zones, we call them, and, you know, honestly, we want them to get into some type of boxing or karate technique to help them physically and mentally.

LEMON: Yes. This is personal for you. You were touched by violence in your, within your own family in Chicago.

ALI: It's horrible. Back in the '90s, my cousin was gunned down, unfortunately, due to gun, gang violence. He was a very young boy. Not even affiliated with gangs at all. Very smart. Going somewhere with his life. I am not an expert at all with gang prevention. In fact, I spoke with the expert, 15 years, my older sister, May May Ali, who does gang violence for a living. I spoke with her this morning. And she works with city of Los Angeles. And they have a program called the Comprehensive Gang Strategy.

And it's actually an evidence-based program that they use in Los Angeles. And I feel that Chicago and other gang-infested cities should implement programs like that. They'll star to see an increasingly, increasingly improvement in what kids are doing. They're dropping like flies in Chicago. It's unacceptable.

LEMON: I used to live in Chicago and I know May May's work. She does a lot of good work when it comes to this -

ALI: Yes, she does.

LEMON: And trying to get the word out when it comes to this. So, you know, congratulations to her and to you for doing this. LZ, I want to talk to you now.

ALI: Thank you.

LEMON: Because you and I feel the same way about this. That we need to treat gang members or people who do this. They are terrorists, too. I believe. And you believe that as well.

LZ GRANDERSON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes. I do. You know, I don't want to use that word as a way of, you know, drumming up some hyperbole or exaggeration. If you go to the FBI's website, you take a look at the gang statistics that they offer up. They're pretty disturbing to me. 1.4 million people in the United States are a member of the gang, representing 33,000 gangs in all 50 states.

Y, we spent a lot of time focusing in on Chicago and justifiably so. But the fact of the matter is gangs in one way or another touch every single community in this country, and yet I see or detect a sense of apathy an it as if it's more of a localized sort of situation. I ran across a story last year in "The New York Times" in which there was a couple cities in the northeast that had police officers go over in Afghanistan, in Iraq, and when they came back, they noticed similarities between the gangs they were trying to deal with and the insurgence overseas.

And so they incorporated some of those tactics to help address what was going on home side. I suggest that by looking at it from a different cultural lens and not treating it as sort of petty crimes but rather what it really is, members of our society terrorizing the larger community, we need to address it in terms of tactics as well as resources.

LEMON: You just took the words out of my mouth. I was going to say we may not label it in the traditional sense as terrorism. They do terrorize communities. They terrorize entire neighborhoods. Little old ladies. Children end up dying. People are even afraid to go outside. As he was saying that, Rasheda, you're shaking your head in agreement. Why? ALI: Well, I partially agree with LZ and you. I said that and like I said, I'm not claiming to been an expert at all. I'm just using my common sense. Because it hit home so close to me. I don't feel that these gang leaders, I wouldn't tag them terrorists personally. I think tagging them terrorists is actually an incorrect use of the word, and the solution wouldn't be terrorist-based.

I feel that these kids are clearly have anger management issues. They don't have families at home. They deal in a community that's violent. Their homes are violent. Their unemployment status is high. They just - they need help. They need programs. And I don't think the solution is terrorist-based.

LEMON: Is there a website for your boxing campaign? It began in January.

ALI: Yes. The Illinois State Crime Commission. You can go on there and read about what we're doing. We're trying to start a campaign. Honestly, it's a small organization. We just started. We're trying to get business leaders from Chicago involved. Politicians. Religious leaders. Union leaders. We have lots of volunteers. Part of law enforcement. Just trying to help these kids. It's a start. It's a smaller piece of the larger puzzle but it's a start.

LEMON: You got to start somewhere. Thank you.

ALI: That's right.

LEMON: Thank you. Listen, again, I have to tell you guys at and the audience, Chicago Police say the murder rate down 43 percent down this year. They started out with over 500 last year. They ended the year, I should say. You can get LZ's work. He writes about this often on CNN.com. Thank you, both. I appreciate it.

ALI: Thanks.

GRANDERSON: Thank you.

LEMON: An incredible story of survival. A woman's face had to be rebuilt after being destroyed by her ex-husband. Now she's rebuilding her life. Her story is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: A truly amazing story of survival and spirit. A woman whose face was destroyed by her ex-husband six years ago now has a new face and a new life. Three months after her surgery, Carmen Tarleton spoke to reporters about her full-face transplant.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARMEN TARLETON, FACE TRANSPLANT RECIPIENT: There is a lot to learn and take from horrific events that happen. I want others to know that they need not give up on healing themselves when tragedy strikes. But instead they can make a choice to find the good and allow that to help them heal. (END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen visited Carmen and her new boyfriend and heard their incredible story.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Don, for six years Carmen Tarleton lived with an extremely disfigured face. But then her doctor told her about a new procedure called the full facial transplant. I sat down with Carmen at her home in Vermont earlier this week.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COHEN (voice-over): Carmen Tarleton loved her husband, but when their marriage fell apart, he attacked her. Dousing her with industrial- strength lye.

Her beautiful face destroyed. Deep burns on over 80 percent of her body. More than 50 surgeries saved her life, but doctors couldn't erase the scars.

(on camera): You're the head of a major burn unit. Have you ever seen a burn injury like this?

DR. BOHDAN POMAHAC, DIR. OF PLASTIC SURGERY, TRANSPLANTATION: Never. Never seen anything like this.

COHEN (voice-over): Then doctors at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston came up with an idea. How about taking the face from a woman who died and giving it to Carmen? In a 15-hour surgery, doctors replaced Carmen's skins, muscles, tendons and nerves with those from the donor.

Now for the first time Carmen is revealing her new face three months after her surgery.

(on camera): How does it feel to go from having this horribly scarred face to having a face without scars?

TARLETON: It's, well, it's a gift. I'm thrilled. I'm thrilled with what I've got.

COHEN: And she doesn't just have a new face. She also has a new man in her life.

Her piano teacher, Sheldon Stein.

(on camera): So you walked in for a piano lesson.

TARLETON: Right.

COHEN: And you got -

TARLETON: I got the love of my life. How lucky is that?

COHEN (voice-over): Sheldon fell in love with Carmen a few weeks before she got her new face. What about Sheldon touched your heart?

TARLETON: That he was able to see me through my scars at the time.

COHEN: I'll be honest with you, a lot of men couldn't handle all this.

TARLETON: Oh, I definitely know that.

COHEN: But Sheldon -

TARLETON: Sheldon's different.

COHEN: Sheldon, when you look at Carmen, what do you see?

SHELDON STEIN, CARMEN TARLETON'S BOYFRIEND: I see an incredible woman. I see a woman with a lot of strength, A lot of inner beauty and outer beauty.

COHEN (voice-over): Right now, Carmen doesn't have much control over her face.

(on camera): Can you smile? That's great.

TARLETON: Yes. A little bit. Yes.

COHEN: Doctors tell her it will keep getting better and better.

TARLETON: He kisses me. I can't. I can't pucker and feel yet. But I am looking forward to that day. Because I know that day will come.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COHEN: Don, one of the things that Carmen can't do right now is hold her eyelids open. So one of her eyes you might have noticed is closed. The other one they tape open because she's got a little bit of sight in that eye. And they want her to be able to use it.

Now as far as her emotional recovery goes, Carmen said that it really helped when she forgave her ex-husband. I asked her, "Carmen, how could you forgive him for something that was really so awful?" She said, "Elizabeth, when you forgive someone, it's not for other person you forgive them, for yourself so you that you can move on." Don?

LEMON: Thank you, Elizabeth.

Music legend Willie Nelson talks to CNN about a topic close to his heart. Pot. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: A solar powered airplane is traveling across the country without using a drop of fuel. It landed in Phoenix Saturday after takeoff from San Francisco on the first leg of its journey. The Solar Impulse is considered the world's most advanced sun-powered plane. Next stop, Dallas. Final stop, New York City. Every 17 years just like clockwork, it's time for the reemergence of the cicadas. It will be appearing above ground by the billions from Georgia to upstate New York this spring.

Ah, they're louder than that.

The noisy bugs will sound much like that as they emerge from their 17- year hiatus to begin mating. These bugs are boisterous but they don't bite and they don't sting. You can usually see them on the sides of tree, on shrubs and even on car tires. That's how I knew it was time to get home when I was a kid, when you could hear the cicadas. Get home or you're in trouble.

OK. He's country music royalty, talking about Willie Nelson. He's known for his advocacy for smoking marijuana. Nelson just hit a personal milestone. That was enough for the writers of "Saturday Night Live" to have a little fun at his expense. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Country music legend and marijuana advocate, Willie Nelson turned 80 years old this week. Said Nelson, so few memories.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Oh, but he's still got the it. Nelson wowing the crowd in Atlanta during his recent concert tour. We were able to catch up with the 80-year-old, can you believe it, the 80-year-old entertainer before he hit the stage. I want you to listen to his thoughts on the very hot topic of legalizing pot.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIE NELSON, SINGER: It's all very positive, I think. Washington, Colorado, and a lot of the other states are thinking about it. And the more successful it becomes in those places, I was noticing today, I think, on CNN, they had a big program on the Colorado pot. That's good. I think a lot of people need to watch it and see what's really going on.

I think the way the economy is going, you know, we're going to need something to pick up some money and we shouldn't let the people who own the prisons make all the money.

Happy birthday dear me. Happy birthday to me. Thank you very much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: You don't want to miss what else he had to say about that subject and more. We'll have the entire interview with Willie Nelson next weekend right here on this program.

And starting tomorrow, CNN will spotlight Colorado's new industry. Watch the series "Pot Boom: Colorado's Road to Legalizing a Pot for Recreational Use Business." That's right here on CNN. After a tragic building collapse in Bangladesh, some are asking, does the garment industry share some blame here? Do we? We buy this stuff. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: More than a week after the massive building collapse in Bangladesh, and families are still searching for their loved ones in the ruble. The death toll now tops 620. It's Bangladesh's deadliest industrial disaster, and CNN's Azadeh Ansari is here with me now. Azadeh, this tragedy is not an isolated problem, is it?

AZADEH ANSARI, CNN INTERNATIONAL DESK EDITOR: It's not, Don. It seems like there's a similar script in a different cast. This past November when we heard about the Dhaka, Bangladesh, the factory fire which burned 112v workers alive. Remember that, because there were no exits to get out of the building. In this situation, as long as the global demand for these cheap clothes continues to rise and the global supply chains rely on some of the world's poorest countries to fuel their garment industry, this problem unfortunately will be a reoccurring problem. Because the wages are low for the workers, not to mention the regulation are virtually minimal. And then the enforcement of those regulations are not consistent across the board. So what is a cheap shirt does have a high human cost in the end.

LEMON: But how big of a role does the garment industry - how big of a role does that industry play in Bangladesh? Or for us? Because we buy the stuff.

ANSARI: We do. The garment industry in Bangladesh accounts 77 percent of the exports. So it plays a huge role. It pumps about $20 billion into the economy. So what's happening now is that these companies that are directly involved, they're saying, "Look, the solution is to pull out, but what does that do?" It creates a backlash effect, because that's what the locals rely on for their wages and what have you.

LEMON: Yes. So when you think about not buying the products, then are you essentially putting people out of work there? I mean, it's a catch-22.

ANSARI: It is a catch-22, Don. What I would say and what a lot of advocacy groups who side on behalf of the workers are saying is that "Look, there's no real transparent way right now to tell when a garment is made, what factory it was made from," but look at those labels, be an educated consumers of those products. If it has a cheap price tag, that doesn't always mean that it's good or that it's playing into what's going on, but be aware whether it's with the clothes you wear, with the food you consume, just know what you're purchasing.

LEMON: Yes, awareness is the first step.

ANSARI: Absolutely.

LEMON: Having the information. Thank you, Azadeh. ANSARI: You're welcome Don.

LEMON: Appreciate it. Men, women, self image and soap, parodies of a commercial that's gone viral, next. >

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then the makers of a new ad campaign for Dove soap should be very flattered. CNN's Jeanne Moos shows us the parodies that popped up after the original went viral.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You know you have a viral hit on your hands, when everyone starts doing parodies. So to the makers of the now famous Dove video, let's hope your skin is thick rather than sensitive, because it's getting hard to tell the original -

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a forensic artist.

MOOS: From the spoofs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a forensic artist.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been a forensic artist for the LAPD for over 25 years.

MOOS: In case you're not one of the well over 25 million who have viewed the original video -

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tell me about your chin.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It kind of protrudes a little bit.

MOOS: It features an artist sketching women without looking based on their own descriptions of themselves.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What would be your most prominent feature?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Kind of a fat, rounder face.

MOOS: He does a second sketch based on the stranger's description of each woman. The up shot is that the pictures of the women as they describe themselves are way less attractive than the ones based on the strangers' more flattering description.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is very strange.

MOOS: While many were touched by the women's insecurities, the parodies zeroed in on what men would say about their looks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Almost like a white Denzel Washington.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Describe your eyes. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of people say they're an abyss, because they just don't end.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What would you say is your most prominent feature?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Probably my bulge.

MOOS: Cockiness like that resulted in these self-described sketches, resembling movie stars unlike the ones based on a strangers' description.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's not like me.

MOOS: Another favorite theme was what men focus on when looking at women.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here's a sketch that you helped me create, and that is a sketch that somebody described of you.

MOOS: The real and the parody videos spawn different conclusions. Women, you are more beautiful than you think. Men, you're less beautiful than you think. And boobs are just as beautiful as you think, but most of the spoofs involve men acting like boobs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a lot better-looking than I thought I was.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're actually the other one.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes? You suck at drawing.

MOOS: It's safe to try this at home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What about your eyes?

MOOS (on camera): My eyes are menthol blue, that's with or without my contacts.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tell me about your ears.

MOOS: What?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tell me about your ears.

MOOS: Half deaf, extra large.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Describe your hands.

MOOS: Soapy, like that Dove commercial.

(voice-over): That doesn't stop it from going massively viral. Did I say viral?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How would you describe your nostrils?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Virile.

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, don't you think?

I'm Don Lemon at CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. Are you hungry? Are you hungry? You're about to be. Because "Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown" begins right now.