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Newtown Families Honor Loved Ones; Latest Superman Gets Trepid Reviews; "Man of Steel" Premieres Today; Moment of Silence for Newtown Victims; Heat on Fire in Game Four

Aired June 14, 2013 - 09:30   ET

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

POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Read off the name of not only the Newtown victims but all gun violence victims in this country. But this morning we did have a chance to speak with two young women, Carlee and Jillian Soto. They lost their sister, 27-year-old Vicki Soto, the first grade teacher. Here's what they said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARLEE SOTO, SISTER OF NEWTOWN VICTIM: My family is broken. My mother lost her first child. My brother lost his older sister. It's -- we take it day by day. But our sister wasn't just, you know, she didn't just die of an illness. My sister was brutally murdered in her first grade classroom. You can't really recover from that. You only can move on.

HARLOW: Does being here today, does working towards changes in gun legislation -- that's what you're doing here today. Does that help you cope somehow?

JILLIAN SOTO, SISTER OF NEWTOWN VICTIM: I really does. I feel -- especially today of all days to be in Newtown. This is where my sister was. This is where my sister lost her life, it was here in Newtown. So a part of me feels like I'm here with her on this tragic day. And fighting for this -- she fought to save her kids, just like the other five educators. They fought to save Sandy Hook. And now we're fighting to save everybody else. So I feel like we're honoring them as best as we can.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: I can also tell you that they told me we know the changes in gun laws won't prevent every crime, all violence. But they believe that it will do a lot.

I did reach out to the NRA to see if they had anything to say tied to this event. They did not get back to me.

I do want to read you a statement, though, Brianna, that came to us from the National Shooting Sports Foundation that is based right here in Newtown. Here's what they wrote.

"Newtown is a small community and six months after the terrible tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, we are no less affected by the profound sadness of the families and the first responders who were involved. Our hearts go out to them. Out of respect for the families and our community, it would be inappropriate for us to comment or to participate in media requests made in connection with Friday's events." -- Brianna.

KEILAR: And, Poppy, Connecticut recently passed sweeping gun legislation but I spoke with Jillian Soto, who you spoke with today. Yesterday she was in Washington with some of the Newtown families lobbying members of Congress and she told me that she was frustrated.

HARLOW: Right.

KEILAR: Because so far they have been unsuccessful in being able to motivate Congress to really do anything. So what has changed overall since the Sandy Hook shooting?

HARLOW: That's a great point. Frustration is felt here from those that want to see federal change. We haven't seen it. As you know, we saw that move to ban assault weapons and also to extend background checks failed in the Senate in April. But I want to take through for you what's happening in Connecticut because it has very sweeping changes to gun laws. More than 100 guns have been added to their assault weapons ban.

Gun magazines here now limited to 10 rounds. Firearm sales -- everyone that buys a firearm has to go through a background check including private sales and gun show sales.

And actually now, Brianna, as of April, has the first nationwide state registry for anyone that has been involved in a crime involving a gun -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Poppy Harlow in Newtown.

And we will be right back after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Now our next guest says that one of the most fulfilling responsibilities in her life is speaking to young girls. New York's deputy mayor, Carol Robles-Roman, encourages them to focus on their futures.

This week CNN is focusing on the struggles that women face to get an education around the world and we document this in the film "Girl Rising" which premieres this Sunday on CNN.

Carol Robles-Roman joining us now from New York. She is the deputy mayor for Legal Affairs and Counsel to Michael Bloomberg.

Good morning to you, Carol. Thanks for being with us.

CAROL ROBLES-ROMAN, NEW YORK DEPUTY MAYOR, LEGAL AFFAIRS AND COUNSEL: Good morning.

KEILAR: And so when you speak to girls --

ROBLES-ROMAN: Thank you for having me.

KEILAR: Of course. When you speak to girls, you emphasize what you call GPS. But you're not talking about the navigation system here.

ROBLES-ROMAN: That's right. That's right. I have developed what I call my personal talking points plan that I present to young girls. Many women when they join the professional field right away they get training and they get taught how to proceed, how to really grow within their profession.

And so what I've taken is I've taken that message and I brought it to teenagers and I call it GPS, I call it Girl Power School, and it's finding your way from the classroom to the boardroom to the courtroom to the newsroom. And using the same rules, the same advice that professional women get, but bringing directly to teenagers so they know what we know, but they know it sooner.

They know the rules that it takes to do well in school. I mean, we know you have to go to school, we know you have to get there on time, but nobody really tells us. You need really strong letters of recommendations. You have to develop a network. And once you start developing that network -- and it starts in high school.

It really will help you get ahead. I teach them about mentorship and many young women think that people walk around with tags on that say, I'll be your mentor. I help them empower themselves to say, hey, I like that teacher. That teacher may not know me too well but I'm going to make an appointment and I'm going to ask that teacher to mentor me or I'm going to ask this coach who I think is really terrific to be my mentor and to give me advice and to help me --

KEILAR: That's right.

ROBLES-ROMAN: -- as my career proceeds.

KEILAR: That's right. It's really about being proactive and kind of seeking out those mentors. I would say that certainly when I'm talking to young women that there are a lot of people who want to help them, sometimes they just need to know that they need a little help. So as you emphasize girls needing mentors. I know that one of yours is Sonya Sotomayor, justice of the Supreme Court. We even have a photo of you at her 2009 confirmation hearing.

There you are right behind her.

(LAUGHTER)

Famous there in that picture as she's sworn in.

ROBLES-ROMAN: That's me.

KEILAR: What has your relationship been like with her and how do you model that for girls who need mentors?

ROBLES-ROMAN: That's a great example about GPS and Girl Power School when I graduated from law school, we call ourselves baby lawyers. And I had just started out joining the National Association of Women Lawyers, which is another incredible organization that mentors young women and young lawyers.

So I met Sonia Sotomayor very early on and she was incredible. She was a federal district court judge. And she mentored everybody. I'm not going to say that she picked me up out of the crowd. She's a very warm woman, she's a very nurturing woman, and she also shared her substantive legal intellect with us very, very early on.

So we became fans not just of the person who is Sonia Sotomayor but the judge and the intellectual that is Sonia Sotomayor.

So when Judge Sotomayor was to be nominated for the Second Circuit Court of Appeals I was now on the board of the Puerto Rican Board Association and other associations, also. So now I was in a position, not a mentor, but almost a sponsor of the judge. And we were in a position, as a former organization, to endorse her candidacy and to go to Congress and to write letters and to make sure that this was an impeccable jurist and I knew this from my mentor relationship, but more importantly, from seeing her on the bench and knowing what a wonderful judge she was.

So what happens full circle when I'm here as deputy mayor for legal affairs and President Obama nominates Sonia Sotomayor to be his first nominee for the United States Supreme Court.

And at that time, I was in a position to recommend to the mayor that he think about formally endorsing her. Now, he had met Sonia Sotomayor he really respected her tremendously. He said what a fabulous idea. And he wrote a letter on her behalf. So he gets a call from the White House saying, wow, we love your letter, from the president. We would like you to come to Congress at the hearing when they called three character witnsesses for Judge Sotomayor.

KEILAR: Certainly does come full circle. And I'm sure you emphasize that, as you do to -- to young women who are certainly to network and get support from their mentors.

CAROL ROBLES-ROMAN: thank you so much for joining us.

ROBLES-ROMAN: Thank you.

And the CNN film "GIRL RISING" airs this Sunday at 9:00 p.m. eastern and pacific.

Now, up next, it is a bird. It's a plane, it's the latest superman reboot. Can a man of steel bring it in at the box office? We'll find out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Becoming something other than what society had intended. What if a child aspired to something greater.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My son was in the bus. He saw what Clark did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: "Man of Steel" is out today. This is the latest reboot for the iconic super hero. And if the handsome Henry Cavill is , he is the last son of Krypton. If that wasn't enough, there is Oscar nominee, Amy Adams She lady love Lois Lane.

And Margaret Conley is watching the box scene for us in Hollywood.

So, Margaret, pretty incredible star power here. The trailer certainly looks great, really draw you in. But the reviews are actually only so-so. Do you think that this version will be faring better than the last one?

MARGARET CONLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Brianna. Superman has been part of our pop culture for 75 years. He first appeared in a comic book in 1938 and his story has been adapted for film and TV over the decades. Some versions more memorable than others. Here's a look at "Man of Steel."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONLEY: It's been seven years since Superman last flew on to the big screen. And while "Superman Returns", made plenty of money it failed to fund a blockbuster franchiser beloved lead actor. Now Warner Brothers Studio owned by the same company that owns CNN hopes director Zack Snyder will change that with a more human "Man of Steel" who packs a punch.

ZACK SNYDER, DIRECTOR, "MAN OF STEEL": Superman has got to throw a punch every now. And then you know he's got to, if some guy is threatening his mom, are you kidding me?

CONLEY: Known for his darker take on comic heroes, Snyder and producer Christopher Nolan offer fans a conflicted, bruiting and more violent Superman played by British hunk Henry Cavill.

HENRY CAVILL, PLAYS SUPERMAN IN "MAN OF STEEL": Superman is one of the universal superheroes I think. It's genuinely not just an American thing.

CONLEY: Industry estimates show the film tracking around $100 million opening weekend.

(on camera): What are you hearing from the fans?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our Fandango fans are telling us that this is one of the most anticipated movies of the whole year and 80 percent of the people who have bought tickets for "Man of Steel" are excited by the darker tone.

CONLEY (voice over): If fans are excited, the film's corporate partners are through the roof. Companies are banking on the "Man of Steel" from licensing deals to product placement, but then there are the critics. (on camera): Rotten Tomatoes has this rated in the mid-60s, high 60s. That's good, but it's not great.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think the reviews are going to be as strong as they were for "Star Trek Into Darkness" or "Ironman 3" but I do think Warner Brothers has a very viable franchise on their hands.

CONLEY: Which at the end of the day is the super news this Superman is looking for.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONLEY: Now, industry estimates have "Man of Steel" coming in at number one at the box office this weekend around $100 million to $115 million. The film is already breaking records overseas: in the Philippines coming in at over $1.6 million; in Taiwan, it has the best opening for Warner Brothers, beating "Harry Potter" and "The Dark Knight".

Zack Snyder and Henry Cavill they're on their way to China now for the Shanghai Film Festival -- Brianna.

KEILAR: And Margaret let's be honest Henry Cavill is -- I mean he's smoking hot so I'm imagining they're hanging a whole lot of that -- of the movie's success on that. He's sort of that bruiting attractive character.

(CROSSTALK)

CONLEY: That definitely helps. There were also a whole bunch of corporate sponsors. There were iHops, 7-Elevens in the scenes of every America. We have Nikon and Chrysler in there for product placement. The film had over a 100 corporate sponsors this was also the first time that retail giant Wal-Mart sold tickets for the film. "Man of Steel" is estimated to cost about $225 million to produce and another $150 million to market and the head of Warner Brothers Studios says that it's going to be their highest performer ever.

Brianna, a sequel is already in the works.

KEILAR: Well, maybe people will put up with all of the sponsorships if they get to tune in and see the -- the great cast they have there. Margaret Conley in Los Angeles, for us. Thank you so much.

CONLEY: Thank you.

KEILAR: And ahead RG3 might not be the Washington Redskins playmaker for much longer. An eight-year-old boy could take the job away from him.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Just minutes ago, honoring those killed in the Newtown shooting with a moment of silence.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I ask everyone here today if they can join with me in 26 seconds of silence to remember the 26 that have fallen. If we can take that moment now, please.

KEILAR: Twenty-six seconds for 26 victims. Today's event is organized by Mayors against Illegal Guns, which is using this day of remembrance to draw more attention to their campaign to end gun violence.

And other stories that we are following this morning. In Colorado the most destructive wildfire in the state's history is expected to grow even bigger today. The Black Forest fire northeast of Colorado Springs already has claimed two lives. This fire has forced 41,000 people to evacuate. So far 379 homes have been destroyed.

And take a look at this. This happened Thursday at Chino Airport outside of Los Angeles. According to CNN affiliate KTLA, this jet was undergoing an engine test when its wheels flipped off the wedges that were holding them in place and this plane with three mechanics aboard smashed into the side of this hangar. Thankfully nobody was hurt.

We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: The NBA finals may come down to which Miami Heat team shows up. The Heat team blown out by the Spurs on Monday or the Heat team that was on fire last night? Andy Scholes joining us now with the "Bleacher Report." Hi Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, BLEACHER REPORT: Hey good morning Brianna. Well the Heat's big three of LeBron, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh played arguably their best game of the season last night. They combined to score 85 points and grabbed 30 rebounds. And when they produce like that, the Heat is a hard team to beat. Now Wade he struggled throughout the playoffs finally had that breakout game, he finished with 32 points and six fields. As promised LeBron also played much better, he led all scorers with 33 points as the Heat ran away with this game in the fourth quarter to win 109-93. The series is now tied at two. Game 5 is Sunday night in San Antonio.

Well round one -- round one of the U.S. Open is back under way today at the Merion Golf Club. The play was delayed twice yesterday due to rain forcing many golfers to finish the first round this morning. Tiger Woods is one of the golfers in for a pretty long day he finished round one about 30 minutes ago at 3 over par. Round 2 is about to get under way. Phil Mickelson is your leader at 3 under.

NFL -- many camps wrapped up yesterday and the best story of the week comes from Redskins camp. Eight year old Lateef Brock who was born with a chronic kidney disease got to spend a day as a member of the Redskins. Lateef practiced with the team, and at the end of the practice they let him run the ball. And check this out. He goes all the way for the touchdown. And when he gets in the end zone he had a touchdown dance ready to go, as he breaks into what they call the burning.

Now the (inaudible) player is Robert Griffin III and RG3 said he was happy to help make Lateef's wish come true. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT GRIFFIN III, REDSKINS QUARTERBACK: And he's also blessed enough that he chose me to be the guy that he came out to practice with and hang out with. And he is actually a pretty good athlete. I was playing with him a lot during the beginning of practice while everyone was doing the walk-through. And you know it's just an honor to meet him and just be able to be around him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Lateef had a kidney transplant this past November, Brianna. It's good to see him out there running around and being -- being so active.

KEILAR: Can you imagine if you're that little boy and you're there just hanging out with RG3. How cool that is?

SCHOLES: Yes it's awesome all the -- all the players diving in as he was running the ball, it's a pretty cool deal there.

KEILAR: Oh man once in a lifetime thing. Andy Scholes thank you so much for that.

And the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM begins after a break.

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