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Inaugural Prayer Service About to Begin; Atari U.S. Files for Bankruptcy; Inaugural Prayer Service; Fighting Abortion with Celebrity Power; Inside the Inauguration

Aired January 22, 2013 - 10:30   ET

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

JOHN BLAKE, WRITER/PRODUCER, CNN BELIEF BLOG: So to have a same-sex marriage -- to talk about it in such a public way in the National Cathedral, to also support it as a President, that's never been done before.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And it also entered into who is going to lead the prayer service, right? The Reverend Adam Hamilton, a Methodist, is going to lead the prayer service. He says he lands on the conservative side on the issue of gay marriage. But unlike the first choice who was dead set against gay marriage, he's going to lead the prayer service at the National Cathedral.

BLAKE: Right. I think the religious right has kind of had a monopoly on what defines a Christian. What they sound like, what their positions are on things like abortion and gay marriage. And to have the original pastor Lou Giglio, when his -- his so-called anti-gay remarks became public, to have him disinvited I think is pretty extraordinary. And this is -- this is just something really new.

COSTELLO: And Jeff, I think that some Americans might not think that President Obama is all that religious because he doesn't go to a physical church every Sunday.

JEFF MASON, REUTERS, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's true, he does not. The Obama family did not join a church when they moved to Washington and I remember in the -- in the White House Press Room the first couple of years asking pretty regularly, have they -- have they chosen a church, are they going to go to a church? And they ended up not doing so.

They go once in a while during the year. They occasionally go across the street to St. John's Episcopal Church as they did yesterday. But White House says the President is religious, he attends services at Camp David, at the chapel there. And the President himself has talked frequently about his Christian faith and how it influences him and how it influences his job.

COSTELLO: The President prays in an unusual way, too, Jeff. Because I understand he does it via Blackberry often.

MASON: I didn't know that. I think he does talk about prayer and the Blackberry is also an important part of his life so the fact that those two are connected is kind of funny, but he certainly prays a lot. He talks about that. And he talks about the influence that that has had on his individual journey, both before coming to the White House and since he's been here.

COSTELLO: Yes and I know that because I did a story on it. The President has a group of pastors throughout the country that he communicates with in times of his spiritual needs and maybe you know more about this, John.

BLAKE: Yes, he has a kind of a spiritual cabinet. And there are some people who say that this spiritual cabinet has really shaped the evolution of his faith, that in fact that he's become a little bit more conservative, a little bit more Evangelical because of the spiritual cabinet.

COSTELLO: Back out to you, Dan. The Bidens will be there, the Obamas will be there. Who else will be in attendance today?

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. I mean, you know, you were talking about some of the people taking part in this service today and another person, Reverend Nancy Wilson. She is getting some focus this morning because she is an openly gay minister. And she will be taking part in this service along with some other notables who have started arriving here this morning.

You know, I just wanted to add something to the discussion you were just having a short time ago where, in fact, you know President Obama and I, in fact, had asked that some of those early briefings when the President was going to be joining a congregation.

And time and time again top aides like to point out that the President, in fact, does spend a lot of time praying, does spend a lot of time with spiritual advisors and has these daily and these frequent devotions where he gets prayers, where he reads from the bible.

And so he does a lot of this in private, not like some other Presidents who might take frequent trips to church. You will see the President go out on special occasions and as Jeff Mason pointed out will often or sometimes walk across the street to church, but he does a lot of his spiritual -- his spiritual work behind the scenes. He talks about it publicly, but he does a lot of it behind the scenes.

COSTELLO: And Jeff, I did notice, you know, especially when the President gave a speech after Newtown that the President is more apt to talk about faith and quote from scripture than he was perhaps a few years ago.

MASON: He does. And you certainly heard it at Newtown. And you hear it in events like that where he's playing the role not just the President but of griever-in-chief and of -- and of somebody who is there to sympathize and console others. You'll also hear him talk about the role that the church has played in his life when he -- when he speaks to others in the African-American community.

And the other thing you talked about earlier about this playing a role today, you know, he's been to church three times over the last three days and so the religion and the spiritual aspect of inauguration, it was clearly important to him for these -- for these celebrations this weekend as well. COSTELLO: And John, you know, a final question for you before we have to head into a break. There were some people saying why does religion have to be injected at all into our inaugural celebration? For example, why does the President have to take the oath of office on a bible?

BLAKE: I think that's how -- I think that's part of our country's history. I heard a story, and who once told me that we just don't elect a President, we elect a high priest. And I think we couldn't have it any other way.

COSTELLO: Why not? I mean aren't times changing? People are becoming much less religious in this country.

BLAKE: They are. In fact, the fastest growing religious group of people are non-affiliated with any religious group, but I still think when you hear people talk about United States being a Christian nation, that's still a very powerful impulse in a public life. And if a public figure, particularly one like President Obama, whose Christianity has been questioned if he strays away from that he might invite more criticism that he would want.

COSTELLO: OK, so Jeff, John and Dan thank you very much. We'll continue to monitor the inaugural prayer service and we'll bring you any update later in the show.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: If you remember the golden age of video games you probably know this one.

Looking back on it, it was one boring game but it was exciting at the time. Of course I'm talking about Atari classic hit "Asteroids". A new filing though has (INAUDIBLE) worried -- it could mean game over for the entire company, the Atari company.

Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange to tell us more.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You know it didn't seem so boring when I was playing it, Carol. It looks really boring on the screen. OK, so with Atari, this just really doesn't mean the end of Atari. So it's not the end of the line. What's happening is the U.S. division of Atari is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy so it's going to be business as usual while it undergoes its restructuring.

And what it essentially is trying to do is free itself from its French parents. So this is more of a strategic bankruptcy if you can think of it that way. Atari has really been unprofitable for years. It lost about $5 million last year. It warned of a loss this year.

So now what it plans to do is borrow $5 million to restructure its debt and its costs. So this is all pretty typical of Chapter 11 proceedings -- Carol.

COSTELLO: So what happens next? KOSIK: OK. So what it's looking to do is sell off some of its asset including the Atari logo, some of the game catalogues that it has as well. The video game Pioneer though it still has plenty to offer. It has over 200 game properties including mobile version of those classes like "Pong", and "Asteroids" and "Centipede". Who can forget "Centipede?" You know amazingly people still like to play this game even though you say --

COSTELLO: I loved "Centipede".

KOSIK: I know, I do too, it's really addicting. But I should go back and see just how boring it is compared to, you know -- but, come on, right. Nostalgia, right. Freddy Fish, Backyard Sports all of this. So there is value in Atari. So what you're seeing with the company now is more a shift in focus to mobile games. They're trying to stay relevant when there's Grand Theft Auto out there. This is so nice compared to that, right?

COSTELLO: I know. You were just killing "Centipedes" then, the little leg parts of "Centipedes". Now you're just killing people.

KOSIK: Exactly.

COSTELLO: Weird.

KOSIK: That's what you get.

COSTELLO: Alison Kosik. Thanks so much.

Celebrating the inauguration, the spiritual home of the nation. The National Prayer Service now underway.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Forty-five minutes past the hour. It's time to check our "Top Stories".

Florida socialite Jill Kelley, remember her? She said Paula Broadwell, the mistress of former CIA Chief David Petraeus tried to blackmail her. That's according to CNN host and "Newsweek", "Daily Beast" bureau chief Howie Kurtz who spoke to Kelley at her first interview since the scandal broke. Kelley also tells Kurtz her life is now a nightmare.

Honda recalling 748,000 of its Odyssey mini vans and Pilot SUVs. Some of the driver side airbag may have been assembled without rivets to secure the airbags plastic cover. If those rivets are missing, the airbag may not properly deploy. It's Honda's second recall of those in a month.

And one Utah resident probably wasn't expecting to see this -- a massive boulder crashing into her home. The woman who was home at the time was injured. She was taken to the hospital. She has since checked out but understandably decided to check into a motel to recover. Not known yet what caused that boulder to come loose. Today marks the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade -- the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. Legalizing abortion remains one of the biggest single issues that shaped American culture, both legally and politically. And with the sides still so deeply entrenched, anti- abortion groups are reaching across the divide and harnessing the power of celebrity to sell their cause.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Pressured as a single mom to have an abortion, Patti Mallette; and a pop star was born.

PATTI MALLETTE, MOTHER OF JUSTIN BIEBER: Hello My name is Pattie Mallette. And I'm the mother of Justin Bieber.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today Mallette is pushing an antiabortion message. And she's doing it in a way some say that's quite effective. She hopes to raise $10 million to fight abortion through a movie she produced called "Crescendo".

The movie stars former Miss USA Ali Landry. It will be shown in theaters across the country. It's produced by a former atheist, Jason Jones, whose Web site MovieToMovement promotes faith-based movies. One of Jones's most famous project -- the anti-Obama film, "2016, Obama's America".

JASON JONES: God, if we're going to end abortion we need rich people, powerful people, and famous people. We need Hollywood to step up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jones got his wish in Bieber's mother Pattie. Pregnancy centers will get a boost too. "Crescendo" screenings will serve as fundraisers for these Christian centers which critics say masquerade as all inclusive women's health centers when in reality they don't mention abortion as an option.

Those centers of late have been heavily promoted by another celebrity mom, Pam Tebow, Tim's mom, who often speaks to women in crisis. Here are the Tebows in an interview with a Christian group, Focus on the Family.

PAM TEBOW, MOTHER OF TIM TEBOW: Girls have those options. They have a choice, and God really has his hand on the situation. There are so many people out there willing to help if they give them the chance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First thing I would say to you if you have a surprise pregnancy is God loves you. God loves you, and he loves your baby. There are lots of people that will help you. Don't kill your baby.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But while Tim Tebow has embraced his mother's anti-abortion advocacy, Justin Bieber appears uncomfortable despite his Christian beliefs. According to the "Chicago Sun Times" a long- time Bieber associate says, quote, "Justin is just very uncomfortable about political issues, especially ones like abortion that are very divisive. He's all about entertaining his fans with his music and not interested in pushing a political agenda." (END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: We did reach out to Justin Bieber's mom Pattie. She has not returned our calls.

Let's head back to Washington. A national prayer service getting under way at the National Cathedral; we're waiting the president's arrival along with his wife and of course Vice President Joe Biden and his wife will also attend. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: We have to talk about the weather now. A wintry blast is causing all kinds of problems all over the country. Authorities say one person was killed during this -- it was a massive accident near Cincinnati, Ohio. It involved 86 vehicles. Looks like I-275 to me, major highway there. It was a deadly pileup too. A 12-year-old girl died and this is one of many multiple crashes to happen throughout the state and the country. And guess what, more frigid temperatures and blinding snow on the way.

Meteorologist Jennifer Delgado is here to tell us how much worse it could get.

JENNIFER DELGADO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Carol. We're going to be dealing with the cold temperatures and snow really for a good couple of days. Now, I want to give you an idea how cold it has been. Imagine if you're going outside and it feels like minus 51 degrees. In some parts it felt like minus 42.

That's the reality when you're heading out the door for parts of the upper Midwest, even into the Ohio Valley. You want to make sure you're layering on a lot of clothes because temperatures are going to struggle to get above freezing. This is a look at some of the current conditions right now; it's minus 35 -- that's what it feels like in Duluth; minus 23 in Milwaukee. And these numbers are going to be very slow to warm as we go through the next couple of days.

Right now we still have a winter weather advisory or should say wind chill advisory in place anywhere you're seeing in blue. That means some of these values are going to go down to minus 50 when you're talking about the cold. Say if you're outside for roughly 10 minutes, wind chill value of minus 30, do you know you can actually get frostbite just from being out there for ten minutes if you're enduring even light winds. You certainly want to make sure you're protecting the body, especially your face and hands and of course your head.

Notice this cold weather is in parts of the Mid-Atlantic as well as into New England. Some of those advisories are going to last until tomorrow morning but those wind chill values being bitterly cold.

The other part of the story, of course, the snow. Carol showed you some of the video of some of the car accidents they've been setting. All this lake effect snow. Right now it's fairly quiet but I can tell you we're going to continue to see more of that snow piling up. In fact, some of these locations we can see nearly three feet of snow once everything is done.

We'll see heavy snow from Cleveland into Erie and you can see the video coming out of the region not very far from Cleveland. The kids are actually enjoying the snowfall. They always do because they get that extra snow day, but certainly, Carol, it's going to be very cold out there. Dangerous and it looks like it's not going to be warming up until possibly as we get into later this week or the weekend. That's a lot of snow especially for parts that haven't had to use their shovels in quite a while.

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: Yes. "Eat like Ohio, that's right on the lake. Lake Erie, you know. Ontario.

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: They're used to that there.

DELGADO: Three feet? I know.

COSTELLO: We live in Atlanta. We don't like that.

DELGADO: No, we don't.

COSTELLO: thanks Jennifer.

DELGADO: You're welcome.

President Obama is sworn in for a second term. That wasn't the only thing making news at the inauguration. We'll recap some of the most memorable moments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Politicians, pop stars, and men in trees? Yes. All of that on display during President Obama's inauguration. Jeanne Moos has a look at some of the day's memorable and unscripted moments.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: it was a day that got off with a bang. Not that bang, the bangs on Michelle Obama.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the bangs, let's not forget the bangs.

MOOSE: It was also a day of odd couples. Beyonce and Jay-Z rubbing shoulders with Newt Gingrich and Calista.

Audio difficulties forced Beyonce to pull out her earpiece, but she still nailed "The Star Spangled Banner".

The President, on the other hand, blew one little word as he took the oath.

OBAMA: The office of the President of the United States. MOOS: A little stumbling by Sasha as she literally skipped and ran from place to place. Sasha gyrated, Malia danced as they waited for the festivities to begin. Sasha kept picking at and wiping stuff something off her coat. When the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir Sang --

(MUSIC)

MOOS: The President may or may not have wiped a tear from his face. A second later he definitely winked.

Singer Kelly Clarkson's rendition of "My Country 'Tis of Thee" got a one word review from Senator Chuck Schumer.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: Wow.

MOOS: Of course, there were a few media flubs.

GEORGE STEPHANAPOULOS, ABC HOST: Morgan Freeman, I think. Bill Russell, I'm sorry.

OBAMA: The freedom of every soul on earth.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: It continued. I stopped but it continued. Welcome back to our -- welcome back to our continuing coverage.

MOOS: And, boy, did it continue, from famous faces.

HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Hello. Hey, how are you all? Hi.

MOOS: To the unknown anti-abortion protestor in a tree.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whenever I make important decisions like whether or not get an abortion, I always look to men in trees.

MOOS: When he finally climbed down from a ladder, the crowd cheered his arrest. There were plenty of solemn moments, for instance when the President paused after making his last inaugural speech.

OBAMA: I want to take one more time.

MOOS: Spent almost 30 seconds gazing back at the sea of spectators, but solemnity gave way to fist pumping and the kids taking kissing pictures of their parents. As for Michelle Obama's outfit; it was by American designer Tom Brown. Whether you like it or not, it could have been worse. Imagine these other designs by Brown. Instead of the Obamas, it could have been the inauguration of the Munsters.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Cute. OK. It turns out that the folks in Ottawa actually do have a sense of humor. We misspoke a little earlier in the newsroom that a hockey fan who looked just like Ottawa Coach Paul McClain, he was not actually thrown out of last night's Senators Florida Panthers game. SportsNet reports the man was actually taken away so that refs could get some personal information to contact him in the future. It will be a money-maker for him.

Our apologies to the Ottawa Senator; yes, you do have a sense of humor.

I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me today.

CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Ashleigh Banfield.