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ISIS Continues Advance into Iraq; JFK Airport Begins Enhanced Screening for Passengers Possibly Infected with Ebola; North Korea's Leader Kim Jong-un Remains Removed from Public; Protests against Police Violence Continue in St. Louis; Nevada Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage; CNN Hero Helps Disabled with Physical Fitness

Aired October 11, 2014 - 10:00   ET

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

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it is so good to see you on this Saturday. Welcome and good morning to you. I'm Christi Paul.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Victor Blackwell.

We're coming up here on 10:00 on the East Coast, and 7:00 on the West Coast. You're in CNN NEWSROOM.

This hour, representatives from Customs and the CDC will be making a statement on the new Ebola screenings, starting today at JFK Airport in New York. We'll monitor that and bring you any developments from that news conference.

But we're starting this morning with the breaking news on the battle against ISIS.

PAUL: The militants are advancing on multiple fronts in Iraq and in Syria. We know the situation is so desperate in a key Iraqi province right outside Baghdad now that leaders there are pleading for U.S. troops to come to the rescue immediately. They say ISIS has seized control of 80 percent of Anbar province.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: And if the militants capture it entirely ISIS will control a huge area from Iraq into Syria where the fate of the city Kobani hangs in balance.

We're covering this story from all angles. CNN's Ben Wedeman is in Baghdad. CNN's Erin McPike is at the White House.

PAUL: And CNN global affairs analyst Lieutenant Colonel James Reese is also with us. Good morning to all of you, so glad you're with us. I want to start with you, Ben. Talk to us if you would, please, about how real the fears are that Baghdad could fall. Does it feel to be imminent there?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No, Christi. It's important to stress that Baghdad doesn't appear to be under threat at the moment, keeping in mind it's a sprawling city of 9 million people with a Shia majority which certainly would not welcome ISIS which until now has really been able to gain territory in areas where there's a sympathetic Sunni majority. Now, where they are making progress is of course in Anbar province,

Iraq's largest province, as you mentioned. Provincial officials are telling me more than 80 percent of the province is now in ISIS control, and ISIS continues to expand. Last week it took over the town of Hete (ph), and we understand now the town of Haditha, a strategic town on the Euphrates River, is now completely surrounded by ISIS.

Some good news -- apparently what we hear from also provincial sources, a police official, that this afternoon there was a strike on a large ISIS convoy by coalition aircraft. They describe many military vehicles, including two APCs, being struck in that hit.

But by and large the worries are that the Iraqi military simply isn't capable of keeping ISIS back. We heard this provincial official appealing to government in Baghdad to get the Americans to deploy ground troops in Anbar province, but of course the Iraqi government has rejected that idea, and certainly it's a political hot potato for the Obama administration.

But fact of the matter is, Christi, the Iraqi army doesn't appear to be up to the job. They are plagued with corruption. There's a lot of soldiers who simply pay their commanding officers to allow them not to go to the front lines, to go back home while everybody else is up at the front lines. And in fact one militia leader in Anbar province, a pro-government militia leader, told me as far as they are concerned the Iraqi army in Anbar province is just play acting. Christi?

PAUL: Wow. OK, Ben Wedeman, we appreciate it so much. Thank you.

Let's being in CNN's Erin McPike and Lieutenant Colonel James Reese as well.

BLACKWELL: Erin, let's start with you. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, we know he is talking about the situation in Anbar. What are we hearing from him?

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Victor, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel was at the White House yesterday addressing that situation, acknowledging that it is a tough situation there. Listen here to those comments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHUCK HAGEL, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Anbar province is in trouble. We know that. The United States and coalition partners are helping and assisting the Iraqi security forces, The Peshmerga, the Kurds. As I have said, the president has said, all of our senior officials have said, this is a difficult effort. It is going to take time. It won't be easy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCPIKE: Now, as U.S. officials have talked about this over the past weeks and months, it seems that they were taking incremental steps beginning with some reconnaissance missions, then taking on a campaign of air strikes, then training Syrian rebels as well as Iraqi troops so that they could send in ground troops. But it doesn't seem as though U.S. officials expected this kind of intense fight this early, Christi and Victor.

BLACKWELL: All right, Erin McPike at the White House, stand by. I want to get to Lieutenant Colonel Reese. Colonel we understand of course that it is more difficult to reclaim territory that has been taken than it is to keep someone from taking the territory in the first place. It's obvious the Iraqi military can't do it. Turkey has not committed to sending in ground troops. Should the U.S. send in troops to protect Anbar?

LT. COL. JAMES REESE (RET), CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALSYT: Victor, I'll tell you. I've been coming in and out of Iraq now since 2003 as a soldier, and when I got out in '07, running companies and doing stability operations if for Iraqis. And the short answer is, if we don't want the lines on the map to change here pretty drastically we are going to have to put ground troops on.

BLACKWELL: We heard from the Pentagon spokesman, Admiral John Kirby, that we need to begin steeling ourselves for reality, that Kobani will fall and other areas likely in Syria and Iraq will fall. Is this one that the U.S. should accept will fall as well?

REESE: I think what you are seeing is, yes, Kobani probably has a good chance of falling. I said yesterday I think the Turks have a moral obligation that they need to get in there and fight, but they are not going to do that until they have an idea what the coalition is going to do with Assad. And Assad is the center of gravity in this whole piece. But, again, if we don't get in there and stop ISIS and delay what they are needing to do, the lines on the map are going to change drastically.

BLACKWELL: Erin McPike standing by at the White House. If the Anbar falls into the hand of ISIS, and there are officials there on the ground who believe 80 percent of that province is under the control of ISIS, just 20 percent left, had the White House articulated a strategy moving forward, anything different than what we've already seen?

MCPIKE: Victor, no different strategy yet, but what I would point out to is that we have heard over the past month that twice General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has said that he would recommend American ground troops if necessary. He said it is very unlikely. But we have heard from President Obama, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, and Secretary of State John Kerry. Again and again they keep reiterating they are not going to send in American ground troops.

However this is becoming a hot debate. We have heard from some Republicans even who say that is not realistic. At some point they are going to have to consider it. But here is the political reality. The midterm elections are just three weeks away, and while we have seen American support in polls for big air strikes in Iraq and Syria, there is not yet the support for ground troops. But that could be a debate that heats up after the midterm elections in Congress, Christi and Victor. BLACKWELL: All right, Erin McPike at the White House, Lieutenant

Colonel James Reese, thank you as well.

PAUL: All right, we want to take you live as we are listening to the Port Authority of the New York and New Jersey. JFK Airport has begun that you are Ebola screenings today. Let's listen to what they're saying.

R. GIL KERLIKOWSKIE, COMMISSIONER U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION: -- or through one of the affected countries, our officers, Customs and Border Protection officers, will provide the CDC -- will provide a CDC fact sheet outlining the signs and symptoms of Ebola. The passengers then will be directed to a private area where the individual completes a CDC questionnaire and contact information.

Customs and Border Protection has authorized and coordinated medical staff that will take the traveler's temperature and assess if it is within a normal range. Right now United States coast guard corpsman will be providing that, but eventually we are contracting actually very quickly with professional medical staff to do that.

Well, if the traveler has a fever or other symptoms or has been exposed to Ebola, Customs and Border Protection will then refer that traveler to the Centers for Disease Control for a public health assessment, and from there the CDC determines whether the traveler can continue on or is taken to a hospital for further evaluation, or referred to a local health department for further monitoring.

CBP continually evaluates and updates ours guidance to our front line personnel regarding Ebola, background information on the outbreak, impacted regions, origin, pathology, mode of transmission, symptoms, all of these operational procedures and precautions for processing passengers showing signs of illness. A CDC quarantine officer liaison is actually located at CBP headquarters, and they provide and continue to give the subject matter expertise. They facilitate the requests for information between our two organizations.

Additionally the Centers for Disease Control and prevention can provide a "do not board" notification to CBP regarding individuals who are considered to be infected with a highly contagious disease, present a threat to public health, and that should be prevented from traveling via commercial aircraft.

Once passengers arrive in the United States they are subject to additional measures. As part of every inspection CBP officers conduct an observation of travelers that includes monitoring them for signs of illness and notification to CDC or other local public health entities.

Our officers are trained and have been for many years in illness recognition by the CDC and they look for overt signs of illness, and if the traveler is identified with a sign of communicable disease of public health significance, that traveler is isolated from the traveling public, referred to the CDC as regional quarantine officers, or as I said before to local public health authorities. The CDC maintains jurisdiction to determine if a quarantine should be issued, monitoring orders of potentially infected individuals. And CBB personnel may be called upon to help with enforcement for the CDC's determinations, and we stand ready to help them.

CBP has distributed health advisories to travelers arriving in the United States from those Ebola-effected countries. The advisories provide the traveler with information on Ebola, the health signs to look for, and information for their doctor should --

PAUL: All right, there we are listening to authorities there at JFK International Airport. As they are talking about the protocols that they have implemented just today, these new screenings to try to mitigate any Ebola symptoms from getting ting past the gates of the airport and getting into the general public, saying that the CPB will then pass anybody on to the CDC and then go to local health care for other measures. So we're going find out if these measures are actually stopping Ebola from really making its way into the U.S. again.

BLACKWELL: Yes, we have our Allison Kosik standing by right there at JFK, and CNN safety analyst David Souci. We're going to find out is this hype are or will it really help? Stay with us. After the break we'll have that answer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Today one major U.S. airport stepping up the fight against Ebola, New York's JFK International, the very first airport in the country to begin enhanced screenings for the deadly virus.

BLACKWELL: And next week four other airports will join JFK in targeting passengers traveling from hard hit countries, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone.

PAUL: The goal obviously is to stop anyone with possible symptoms from getting beyond airport gates into the general public. So let's bring in CNN's Allison Kosik. She is live at JFK airport this morning. Also CNN safety analyst David Souci is with us as well. He is the author of "Why Planes Crash." But I want to go to you first Allison. What are you seeing this morning?

ALLISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So far we haven't heard of any flights coming in from those three countries that you mentioned, Liberia, Guinea, or Sierra Leone. But what is going to happen here is anybody who is on one of those flight, whether they started on that flight and then made a connection, once they land here at JFK they are going to go into extra screening. They are going to be put into a predetermined area to go ahead and have their temperatures taken, and they are also going to be asked questions about where they have traveled and have they had any contact with anybody who has Ebola.

If they find out there is a red flag, they will go on to a quarantined area and have further evaluation. But if they find there are no symptoms, that their temperatures are fine, they will go ahead and be asked to leave their contact information and then they'll be on their way.

The question many people have is what happens after they leave? We all know Ebola has that 21 day incubation period. And many people are asking, well, what if you leave here from the airport and suddenly two days later you have a fever? That this only does so much. Christi and Victor?

PAUL: Hey, David, let me ask you, how effective do you think these screenings are going to be?

DAVID SOUCIE, CNN SAFETY ANALYST: I think they will be very effective once they have gotten to the other four airports, because of the fact those four airports handle about 94 percent of all of the flights into those effected countries. So I think that it will be effective.

PAUL: And do you think that they are going to be able to really -- once if they find somebody who has a temperature, how do they determine, we talked about this tiered approach. They are going from CBP to CDC to local authorities. How monitored can those individuals be?

SOUCIE: Well, that is a difficult question because of the fact that you don't know at what point it is contagious or if it's been noted. A lot of what this system relies on is information which is given us to from the passenger himself, which as we know with the previous passenger is now deceased. He didn't say that on his application that he had been exposed when indeed he knew he had been exposed. So those are the kind of questions that will have to take more in-depth investigations.

But the CDC and the World Health Organization, the FAA and the International Civil Aviation Organization, are all working very closely on this to try to tighten it down and get as much as they can. But as with any safety program, it is almost impossible to catch 100 percent. But if you only catch one percent, it's worth it.

PAUL: It is. What about, though, David, different strains of the virus?

SOUCIE: Well, I'm not a doctor, and I can't really answer that question specifically. But I can talk about the safety and measures to take sure that it doesn't, that any of the strains don't come into the country. And this is really unprecedented, Christi. It's something I'm not aware of the FAA ever doing before, nor the International Civil Aviation Organization doing before. They have standard procedures for cleaning the airplanes afterwards and that kind of thing when it's suspected that there was someone onboard. But there really hasn't been anything like this before. So we are learning as it goes.

PAUL: And Allison, I want to ask you really quickly, is there any concern that these further screenings could strain operations at the airport?

KOSIK: It doesn't look that way. When you think about it, we're hearing only about 150 people per day come here from those three countries and here to the U.S. So you split that out into all five airports, and so it really doesn't seem like it would throw things down at the airports too much, Christi.

PAUL: Allison Kosik and David Soucie, we appreciate your insights this morning. Thank you both.

BLACKWELL: Reports of another massive hack. Cyber criminals are apparently leaking thousands of the Snap Chat images and videos, including child pornography.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Another massive breech of privacy this weekend, this time possibly targeting kids and teens.

BLACKWELL: According to "Business Insider," cyber criminals and leaking thousands, 100,000 potentially, stolen photos and videos from the popular app Snap Chat. And much like the recent celebrity photo hack, many of these images include racy or nude selfies.

PAUL: So let's bring in business correspondent Samuel Burke. Sam, good to have you with us. So many Snap Chat users are just kids. Thousands of these stolen images then could be potentially child pornography, yes?

SAMUEL BURKE, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Christi, before I get into any of the details of the hacking, let's just take a step back and look at the ages of the average Snap Chat user. In fact 50 percent of all Snap Chat users are between the ages of 13 and 17. That's half of probably the 100 million active users that Snap Chat has, Between 13 and 17, "teen" being the operative word there.

Now it doesn't looks like Snap Chat was actually hacked, the app. It looks like third party apps were hacked. What does that mean? So Christi, if you and I are snap chatting, we are having a conversation, you may be using the official Snap Chat app. I may be using an unofficial version of one of those apps that comes from a different company, not Snap Chat. And what you don't know is that those apps allow me to save the pictures, and in this case it appears that those third party apps were hacked and that maybe how those 100,000 images have been leaked online, Christi.

PAUL: OK, so, again, when we talk about the potential for problems here, this could be -- this could fall under child pornography.

BURKE: Absolutely. And also keep in mind that a lot of people say they are 13 when they are using apps like Snap Chat and may actually by less than 13. So we could be seeing images of children, preteens, teens being leaked here without a doubt because really the heart of the Snap Chat user base are those teens and preteens.

PAUL: OK, so help us understand this. Everybody who sends a message using Snap Chat, the service, is everybody at risk?

BURKE: In theory, everybody is at risk, but probably not. It is probably only people who were using these third party apps. But then again, you don't know if you have been Snap Chatting with somebody and that other person on the other end has been using it. So everybody at risk? In theory. But it loose like only 100,000 images. But if you are one of the people whose image has been leaked, you may spend the rest of your life trying to get these images taken down off of message boards like 4chan where these images appear to have been leaked, and other pornographic websites.

PAUL: Good heavens. All right, Samuel Burke, thank you so much.

BLACKWELL: Coming up, ISIS militants are on the march in a besieged province just outside the Iraqi capital. Leaders there say they need U.S. troops on the ground and they need them now. More details next.

Plus, North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un has not been seen in weeks, so is he still in power there? And where could he be?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Bottom of the hour now. We're so glad to see you. I'm Christi Paul.

BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. Here are our top stories this morning.

PAUL: A besieged Iraqi province just outside Baghdad wants U.S. ground troops to come to the rescue against ISIS, and they want it now. The head of Anbar's provincial council tells CNN the situation is, quote, "very bad there," and says ISIS has sent 10,000 fighters to the region, which is just 10 miles from Baghdad. That is fuelling fears about the fate of Iraqi's capital.

JFK begins enhanced screening for the Ebola virus today. It's the first of five U.S. airports to target passengers traveling from hard- hit countries such as Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. In the meantime an NBC news crew who worked with an infected freelancer in Liberia is under a mandatory quarantine order now after violating a voluntary agreement to stay in isolation for 21 days.

Pro-democracy protestors are camping out in the streets of Hong Kong once again, and students have set up shower stalls and the homework tables in the protest area, giving it a look of permanency, right. The Hong Kong government has called off talks with protesters has not indicated when they might resume. But some officials are saying protests could go on for another two weeks.

BLACKWELL: They now serve together on the Supreme Court, but back when Elena Kagan was working in the White House Counsel's Office she recommended John Roberts to defend then president Bill Clinton against claims of sexual harassment by Paula Jones. Roberts, who you know now is chief justice, was in private law practice at the time. The tidbit was mined from a trove of Clinton era records just released to the public.

PAUL: And a New Jersey high school and community are dealing with allegations of hazing and sexual assault this morning. Six football players from Sayreville War Memorial High School were taken into custody yesterday, accused of assaulting younger teammates. The players range in age from 15 to 17 years old. Their identifies are being withheld because of their ages, but they're being held at a detention facility pending a hearing, and the football season has been canceled for that school. BLACKWELL: Rumors are running wild all over, who is in charge of

North Korea? Leader Kim Jong-un missed a major anniversary celebration yesterday honoring his father and grandfather and has not been seen in public for weeks. His absence is adding to questions about his health and his grip on power. There is speculation that this woman, his younger sister, is now in charge, Kim Yo-jong. Charles Armstrong is a professor of Korean studies at Columbia University in New York. He joins us now. Good to have you this morning, professor. Let me ask you, off the top, how significant was Kim Jong-un's no-show at this event yesterday?

CHARLES ARMSTRONG, PROFESSOR OF KOREAN STUDIES, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: Well, leaders have missed this event before, but this is the first time Kim Jong-un has missed it. And it's a very big deal. This is the anniversary of the founding party. The leader is supposed to go pay his respects to the founding leader Kim Il-sung, and also Kim Jong-un's father Kim Jong-il.

And what's really interesting about this event is that for the first time there were flower bouquets sent to Kim Jong-un, which wished for him good health. This is very unusual, which suggests that his health is not good.

BLACKWELL: And I found that to be interesting. This is a regime, whether it be Kim Il-sung or Kim Jong-il, and now Kim Jong-un, they would say he would get 50 holes in one in a row, just infallible and invincible, to even admit that he had some health problem, that's why he's not in the public eye, wouldn't they say typically he is in intense study or something like that?

ARMSTRONG: Well, they haven't explained his long absence. In more than a month now he hasn't been seen in public. And saying he is off working hard is just not going to cut it. So they have to admit they haven't given any details that there is something more serious going on, but they won't say exactly what it is.

BLACKWELL: How would we know even if there is a coup in the DPRK?

ARMSTRONG: Well, if there was a coup or some kind of change of leadership, we would likely be seeing some sort of unusual military maneuvers. There would be a lock down in the capital. We would see evidence that serious was going on, and we don't see that so far. The regime has gone out of its way to insist that Kim Jong-un is in charge, that he is in control and he is in the country. So there is no indication at that point he is not in power.

BLACKWELL: Well, we did see few unusual moves from the military. We saw representative go to South Korea and talk about possibly restarting the talks between North and is South Korea. We saw those 40 propaganda balloons go across the border. Could that be some evidence of something out of whack?

ARMSTRONG: Well, it depends really on what condition Kim Jong-un is in right now. If he's debilitated and can't really run the country, even if he hasn't been deposed, then there will be people scrambling around to make decisions to put policy into place. But I think sending the high ranking general and two other top leaders to South Korea was a signal from North Korea that in fact Kim Jong-un is in charge and we can go forward with these policy decisions.

BLACKWELL: How credible do you think these claims are, the possibility that Kim's younger sister, Kim Yo-jong, is in control or at least speaking for him?

ARMSTRONG: Well, this is a family system, a family dynasty, and the only way to get anything done is through the ruling family and through the top leader. So the closer you are to Kim Jong-un the more access to power you have. And Kim Yo-jong seems to be the person he trusts most in the family. So I think it is credible that she is the one relaying decisions to him and from him and possibly also really running the show while he is recuperating from whatever ails him.

BLACKWELL: I wonder, are those inside the DPRK aware of how much this is causing a stink in the rest of the world, not seeing Kim Jong-un?

ARMSTRONG: I don't know. Ordinary people don't get to see him anyway. He's in the media. He's on television. They hear all about him all the time. It's hard to say how much your average North Korean on the street really understands the significance of Kim Jong-un being absent.

But I think that there is concern within the elite that he is not being seen and that major decisions can't be made without his presence. And I would think that within the ranks of the leadership there is growing concern that he's got to come out and show his face before long.

BLACKWELL: It is absolutely bizarre. And Professor Charles Armstrong, I thank you for helping us understand a little bit more about the family and the government there.

ARMSTRONG: You're welcome.

PAUL: Right now on the streets of downtown St. Louis, protesters are getting together to demand an end to police violence.

BLACKWELL: What sparked this weekend of resistance, as it is being called, and how law enforcement is responding.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Demonstrators are gathering right now, preparing to take to the streets of downtown St. Louis for what organizers are calling a weekend of resistance.

PAUL: This comes after the second fatal shooting of a black teen by a white officer in as many months here, and that has sparked angry protests again here, even as the police claim the teen shot at them first. Hundreds of people gathered again yesterday in the rain, you see here, calling for end to police violence.

BLACKWELL: Correspondent Stephanie Elam joins us now from St. Louis. Stephanie, those initial protests this week were violent, but we understand more peaceful overnight. What's the mood right now?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's true, Victor. You have seen some protests that have been violent, not all of them have been. But out here this morning you can see people are galvanized. If you look over my shoulder you can see people are starting to come together now, preparing for the morning march here. And the tone of what we're hearing people talk about is that they really want the focus to remain on Mike Brown, the loss of his life, the relationship with the police officers and the community, and is something that they really want people to remember, and not to forget what happened in August even as things start to get a little -- excuse me, cooler, here in St. Louis.

PAUL: Stephanie I want to give you a second to catch your breath there. I know that is difficult. But this was from last night.

BLACKWELL: This is a view of what we saw last night, peaceful there. You know, where people were close to, we saw pictures online of protesters facing off with some of those police officers. But I understand there was an announcement made, if you touch an officer you will arrest.

ELAM: Right, and amazingly when you look at that footage, no arrests last night. So you see this, but then somehow they managed to break away and keep things calm. And that is one of the things a lot of organizers, even the family of Mike Brown asking people to do.

I want to introduce you to someone here. This is Reginald Rounds who is joining me. He actually lives in Ferguson, and not just in Ferguson but in the same apartment complex as where Mike Brown lived. And tell me, sir, why are you out here so early? Why is this so important for you to be here?

REGINALD ROUNDS, ST. LOUIS RESIDENT: It's vitally important because we have thousands of people coming from all across the United States to stand in one accord for justice in this matter. We need justice for Michael Brown, we need justice for this community.

ELAM: And you feel like coming out here and demonstrating as you guys have been doing is making an impact?

ROUNDS: We are not going to stop demonstrating. We're not going to stop addressing this matter until we get some resolve. We'll be here.

ELAM: Reginald, we appreciate you talking. But as you can see this is one person who lives in Ferguson, a lifelong resident of the St. Louis, Victor and Christi, and he feels it's very important for everyone to come out here and have their voices heard on this issue.

PAUL: Hopefully everything will continue to be peaceful throughout the weekend as well. Stephanie Elam, thank you so much there live for us in St Louis.

BLACKWELL: Nevada has now become the 26th state where same sex marriages are legal. We'll talk to the state senator and his partner who became the first to say "I do."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: With those four words Nevada state senator Kelvin Atkinson asked his partner of more than six years, Sherwood "Woody" Howard, to marry him.

BLACKWELL: So let's explain here. The proposal that went viral happened at a Freedom Nevada Event celebrating a federal appeals court ruling striking down the state's ban on same sex marriage. And with the Supreme Court not hearing appeals on the issue this term same-sex marriage could soon be legal in 35 states. Idaho and North Carolina are joining that list in just the last 24 hours.

So when is the big for Atkinson and Woody? They did not waste any time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: Look at that. They were the first same-sex couple married in Nevada, and Woody and Kelvin joining us from Las Vegas now. Congratulations, gentlemen.

KELVIN ATKINSON, (D) NEVADA STATE SENATE: Thank you, thank you very much.

PAUL: Kelvin, I want to start with the proposal. Why then? Why that moment?

ATKINSON: It just seemed like the right time to do it. Something we had discussed for quite some time when and if it became legal in our state what we would do. And it did, and it just seemed like the perfect time to do it amongst friends in that room that night.

BLACKWELL: You seemed extraordinarily calm when it happened. Did you know it was coming?

SHERWOOD "WOODY" HOWARD, CAMPAIGN ASSISTANT: That was for me?

BLACKWELL: Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

HOWARD: Sorry. The earpiece, I could barely hear. No, I didn't know it was coming. Actually we were just going there to celebrate with everyone else. And when Kelvin got on stage and was speaking with the folks about equality and the accomplishment and thanking everyone, and someone said, do it, do it, do it. And he did it. PAUL: There is that moment. And now you get to relive it over and

over on national television. Let's talk about something else there too, because LasVegas.com placed an ad in "USA Today." I want folks to look at that, and it says "Now you can say "I do" to one more thing here." I understand you played a big role in making this happen in Nevada, because at the end of the day this could be big business for your town, yes?

ATKINSON: We believe so. The numbers that we looked at even during the last legislative session when I had this big coming out party, we looked at numbers and organizations looked at number. We are the marriage capital of the world. And so adding this demographic to those numbers, we believe we'll see a big boom here in our state.

BLACKWELL: Kelvin, I want to say with you, but I want you to put on your Senator Atkinson hat, and I want to speak about the importance of same-sex marriage quite possibly soon being the law in 35 states.

ATKINSON: Well, you know, that's -- it's significant. I think people wished and hoped that the Supreme Court would just go ahead and do it and make it legal throughout all of our states and so we don't have to continue to go through these battles and states don't continue to have to go through these legal battles. I think it's phenomenal. We've always said that the deep south and some of those states would be the states that had the toughest time passing this law, but they will come on board I'm quite confident, as other states come on board. They are not going to want to feel left behind and feel like they are the only ones that's not doing it.

Look, it is what it is. It is marriage equality. People should be able to marry the one they love and states that are going to be viewed as not in line with that are probably going to be left behind in a lot of different categories. And so I think just feel like it is time and we're moving in that direction.

PAUL: So senator, we know that in the public eye and in public office you probably get more e-mail and letters than we can count about anything and everything. What do your constituents say to this?

ATKINSON: You know, I will tell you, I have been overwhelmed by the positive feedback I have received from my constituents. Even last year when I came out on the Senate world and told the world I was black, I was gay, and proud, I received a lot of responses from people just all over the world. And this has been the same thing. I've told Woody that it felt like it was April 22, 2013 all over again. So it's felt that way. And anyone I have heard from inside my district, they have all been very, very positive. Again, I think times are changing. We are lucky. We are blessed to be a part of something this historic and something in our state where people are very accepting.

BLACKWELL: Well, Senator Kelvin Atkinson, Woody Howard, congratulation, and thank you for sharing the moment and sharing this time with us.

HOWARD: Thank you.

ATKINSON: Thank you for having us on. We appreciate it.

PAUL: Thank you, gentlemen.

BLACKWELL: Good to see them.

PAUL: Yes.

BLACKWELL: So getting fit, it is not easy. Understatement. But especially if you are in a wheelchair, because luckily this week's CNN Hero is a body builder. He has a heart as big as his biceps. And he's helping out.

PAUL: Plus it is not every day you get number two versus number three in the college football. Could the Bulldogs take a bite out of the Tigers?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: You know each week we are shining a spotlight on the top 10 CNN Heroes of the 2014.

BLACKWELL: When this week's honoree learned about the lack of access to fitness training faced by those with disabilities, he got to work the best way he knew how. Meet Ned Norton.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NED NORTON, CNN HERO: When I'm running I feel limitless. Being in motion makes me feel free. When you are really pushing yourself, that's when you really feel alive. But there are millions of people around the world that are facing severe limitations. They can't be independent. They can't live their lives.

I've spent years training Olympic athletes, football players, body builders. One day a young guy, newly spinal cord injured, came in asking for help. At first I didn't know what to do, but just working together he made tremendous progress.

Before you knew it my phone rang off the hook. People asked me for help, and I opened a gym designed to fit their needs. For the past 25 years I provide strength and conditioning training for people with disabilities. People come to me when they are at their lowest. You come to the gym, and all of a sudden you have a natural support network.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In 1971, I broke my back. And I've been in a wheelchair ever since. Thanks to Ned, I keep my upper body strength at a maximum. I've been able to live a full life.

NORTON: I never worry about what they can't do. I worry about what they can do.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can do it, Ned.

NORTON: Yes, you can. Good job.

I'm building then up stronger so they can go out and live life like they are supposed to.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: All right, helping exactly the way he knew how. Go to CNNHeroes.com online or on your mobile device to vote for Ned or one of the other nine nominees for "Hero of the year."

PAUL: And thank you for doing so.

It is a huge weekend for college football. Number two Auburn Tigers led by quarterback Nick Marshall take on number three, Mississippi State, in the battle for SEC West division lead.

BLACKWELL: It's the season's first top five showdown, pitting a pair of undefeated teams. The battle may well be won or lost inside the red zone. And Mississippi State's athletic director already has asked fans to keep their cowbells in check. Come on.

PAUL: That could be completely misconstrued.

(LAUGHTER)

BLACKWELL: It could be. Kickoff is at 3:30 eastern.

PAUL: Go make some great memories today. We're so grateful to spend some time with you in the morning.

BLACKWELL: Certainly, thank you for watching. But stay here because there is much more ahead in the next hour of the CNN Newsroom. We turn to our colleague Deborah Feyerick.

PAUL: Hey, Deb.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN ANCHOR: Hey there, Christi, hey there, Victor. I brought my cowbell all the way from New York. I just don't get it.

BLACKWELL: Keep it in check.

(LAUGHTER)

FEYERICK: All right. Well, so much. Now I have to go back and explain to CSI why I had it. Thanks guys.