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Republicans Delay Hagel Nomination; Barbara Bush Fights for Health Equality; From Purses to First Lady Fashions; Canada Says Zombies Can Drop Dead.
Aired February 15, 2013 - 13:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, it exploded over Russia's Ural Mountain region. The streak of bright light, that is the meteor burning up. And the energy from the detonation equaled about 300 kilotons of TNT. Huge. Blew out windows all over the area. More than 1,000 were hurt, including about 200 kids. Most of the injuries from that flying glass that you saw.
And Carnival's "Triumph" passengers, thank God, going home today. Many ecstatic to be back on dry land last night. We watched them come in. They were drifting for days in the Gulf of Mexico following a fire that knocked out the power to the ship. Passengers who wanted to return to Galveston, Texas, they were taken overnight by a fleet of charter buses. "Triumph" set sail from Galveston eight days ago. The ship was supposed to return last Monday. Glad they're home.
Today, President Obama is visiting Chicago. That's where the Obamas still have a house there. He's pushing the State of the Union agenda, but he's also going to on the violence here, the gun violence, all of the problems that have continued. It was just last weekend that first lady, Michelle Obama, attended the funeral for Hadiya Pendleton. She's the Chicago teen who was shot and killed just a week after performing for the inauguration.
The nomination of Chuck Hagel to be defense secretary hitting another road block. Senate Republicans have stalled his nomination for another two weeks. The Senate could not come up with enough votes to end a Republican filibuster.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On this vote, the ayes are 58, the nays are 40. One senator announced "present." Three-fifths of the Senators, duly chosen and sworn, not having voted in the affirmative, the motion is not agreed to.
SEN. HARRY REID, (D-), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: Mr. President, I enter a motion we consider a vote in which closure was not invoked.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: All right. We'll talk about what this means next.
I want to bring in Dana Bash. Dana, you are all things expert in all these procedures that are taking place. I understand this is a delay. Tell us, first of all, why did it happen, and do we think this will go through?
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Why did this happen, the Republicans who voted against stopping the filibuster said they wanted more time, that many of them, who I spoke, many Republican Senators, said that they were voting no yesterday, but that they would vote yes after the week long recess, which has officially started now, in order to give colleagues more time to look at Chuck Hagel's record, to ask questions of outstanding issues that, many say, about speeches that he gave and how he was paid and so forth. So on paper, he should pass. He should be confirmed in about a week.
However, the reason why I'm hedging a little bit is because we've seen this movie before. We were told when we did our own head count last week or the week before that there were 60 votes to keep him going and to stop a filibuster. But several Senators changed their minds in the last 48 hours or so because they were pressured by their colleagues, who said that they didn't want to just let their former colleague --we should remind people, Chuck Hagel was a former Republican Senator.
MALVEAUX: Republican Right.
BASH: Exactly. He was too controversial to let him go in just a couple of days.
MALVEAUX: So in light of the fact that some of the same Senators say they -- ultimately they will vote for his nomination, what do it they hope to accomplish in this 10-day recess here? Are they going to change the equation, the game in any way?
BASH: It depends who you ask. Let just get real here. There are certain senators who will vote against Chuck Hagel no matter what. And what they hope to accomplish is to torpedo his nomination. They hope some of the outside groups that are well funded and working hard to try to take his nomination down, that they find a bombshell or smoking gun. Other senators say that what they want out of this is just to sort of -- it's push back to show the president that they're not just going to roll over and approve a nominee that they made clear was controversial to begin with.
MALVEAUX: A little bit of grand standing there.
Dana, thank you. Appreciate it.
BASH: Sure.
MALVEAUX: Hopefully, you can take a recess, as well, but I don't think so.
(LAUGHTER)
I think you'll continue. Thanks again. Appreciate it.
So her father was a president, her grandfather, too. But Barbara Bush is not interested in politics per se. Instead, she's dedicating her life to something she calls a key human right.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Living in the spotlight, Barbara Bush, the daughter of George W. Bush. For years, she has been living a very private life, working to shift attention to an issue she cares deeply about, helping people around the world get health care. Five years ago, the former first daughter started an organization to achieve that goal. It is called Global Health Corps. The group pairs young people, who want to help, with health care workers out in the field.
I recently had a chance to talk about her, Barbara Bush, and Adejoke Ogundrinde, about the works that Global Health Corps does.
And I started off by asking Barbara about this trip in Uganda that she took with her parents back in 2003 that changed her life.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA BUSH, DAUGHTER OF GEORGE W. BUSH: My mind was pretty blown when we landed and I saw literally thousands of people waiting in line for drugs that we had in the United States. And I ended up talking to a mother who had brought her little daughter there, and the mother had dressed her daughter up in her nicest outfit. And I thought the daughter was three, and it turns out that she was seven. And she lacked the health care she needed to grow and life a normal life like any kid would want to. And just seeing the hope that this mom had for her daughter because there was now drugs in her community in Uganda, that we had been lucky enough to have in the United States, but her daughter didn't have because of where she was born, it definitely was an eye opening moment for me and made me really realize that we are so lucky to have science and medicine --
MALVEAUX: Sure.
BUSH: -- but it doesn't matter if people don't have access to it.
MALVEAUX: So you actually quit your job in New York at a design museum and you decided you were going to make this your sole focus here? You're pairing up college grads and you're putting them on the front line of the health care battle. Tell us how it works.
BUSH: We mobile recent college graduates up to age 30, and we select young leaders to serve within nonprofits for a year. So they fill whatever guts the organizations have and then, of course, learn a ton from the experience. And throughout the year we provide mentorship and training and leadership development for them because we want to make sure that our Health Corps fellows not only make an impact in this year, we know that we will continue to work on their issues throughout their careers.
MALVEAUX: Adejoke, you're one of those fellows.
(CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER) MALVEAUX: Absolutely. And that's not an easy thing to do. 4,000 applications, 90 spots, you got one of the spots. You're originally from Nigeria. You work in New York. Tell us what's the most important thing that is challenging your country now?
ADEJOKE OGUNDRINDE, GLOBAL HEALTH CORPS FELLOW: Well, mostly, it's maternal child health. And that's one of reasons why I decided to do the Global Health Corps fellowship. It's a couple of emerging leaders coming together toward health equity. And I know if you educate a mother, you educate a nation.
MALVEAUX: Barbara, covering your father for eight years at the White House, he's been, pretty much out of the spotlight since leaving the presidency, but we did see last year, he went to Zambia and did some volunteer work at a cancer clinic. Is this the kind of thing the two of will you work on together, that you share a passion for in Africa?
BUSH: Absolutely. I hope so. Of course, my parents, I do think, influenced me to end up choosing this as my career by exposing me to the huge health issues that exist in the world.
MALVEAUX: How is your grandfather? Former President George H.W. Bush, we saw him recently released from the hospital after battling bronchitis. How is he doing?
BUSH: He's doing well. He is a fighter and is not intending to go anytime soon, he says.
(LAUGHTER)
So we're really thrilled that he's out of the hospital.
MALVEAUX: And I believe you'll be an aunt for the first time soon.
(LAUGHTER)
Twin sister, Jenna, expecting her first baby in a couple of months. Is she ready for it?
BUSH: She is ready. We're all as ready as we can be. But everyone in my family is so unbelievably excited. We can't think of anything else to talk about but that and we can't wait to meet that little baby in the next few months.
MALVEAUX: Does she have a name picked out, do you know?
BUSH: Well, I don't know. They're keeping it secret if they do.
(LAUGHTER)
And we don't know if it will be a boy or a girl. So I think everyone is waiting with excited and anticipation.
MALVEAUX: Any advice for Sasha and Malia? You went through the whole White House thing for eight years. BUSH: I don't think that they need advice, because I think they're doing an incredible job just being kids. I would just encourage them to take advantage of the great opportunities to see their parents and travel with them and learn from those opportunities.
MALVEAUX: All right. Barbara, Adejoke, nice to see you both. Congratulations on the work that you're doing. Appreciate it. We'll catch up again soon. Thanks again.
(CROSSTALK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Big changes in New York City's marijuana rules. Starting next month, people stopped with small amounts of marijuana will not be taken to jail. Instead, they will get a ticket and court date. Mayor Michael Bloomberg says the change will free up police resources.
At least five students and teachers were taken to the hospital after a food fight, right, at a Minneapolis high school turned into a full- scale brawl. As many as 300 students were involved in this lunchroom melay. This was at South High School. They tried to stop it and the violence continued even after the police arrived. Officers had to use mace to break it up.
And if you bought your Tiffany engagement ring at Costco, think you got a deal? No. Think again. Tiffany now says its rings have never been sold at the wholesale club. It is suing Costco for counterfeiting, false advertising and deceptive business practices. We have no response yet from Costco.
And of course, you may not know his face right away, but most women do know his purses. We're talking about the president of Coach, talking about his other job.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: He's the president of Coach, but did you know that Reed Krakoff also designed the blue cardigan sweater and dress First Lady Michelle Obama wore on the inauguration?
Alina Cho got a back-stage pass to his high-design New York home during Fashion Week. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He's the man with the golden touch and two full-time jobs. Reed Krakoff, president of Coach, his own label, handmade works not in fashion, but design.
REED KRAKOFF, PRESIDENT, COACH: I think of myself more as a design architect.
CHO (on camera): Do you spend a lot of time in here?
KRAKOFF: I do. CHO (voice-over): Take a look around his stunning Manhattan townhouse and it's easy to see why. There is an endless staircase.
(on camera): Sort of like the Guggenheim, isn't it?
(LAUGHTER)
KRAKOFF: A little bit.
CHO (voice-over): Museum quality art like this mobile.
KRAKOFF: I love the idea that he had his own word.
CHO: Furniture.
(voice-over) How many people can you fit on that couch?
(LAUGHTER)
KRAKOFF: A lot.
CHO (voice-over): And fixtures.
(on camera): It's very special.
(voice-over): -- including this turn-of-the century Tiffany lamp that serves as the centerpiece of his favorite room, a glossy gray-walled library that doubles as a ding room. For he and his wife, designing is intensely personal.
KRAKOFF: It is a pleasure and kind of a gift to be able to do it.
CHO: Undeniably spectacular, the home is also a laboratory of sorts. The designer takes inspiration from here and uses it here, and maybe even here.
KRAKOFF: Less about a color or about a shape. It is more about how to bring things together and tell a story, whether it's art or design, photography, it creates a dialogue. I think more of that dialogue and relationship is what I bring to fashion.
CHO: Colors in a painting can end up in a shoe or a bag. Stainless steel chairs in his home also seen here in his jewelry.
But what about Krakoff's blue cardigan sweater and dress First Lady Michelle Obama wore to the inauguration?
(voice-over): A lot was made about how the blue matched the drapes and the room. Was that something you were thinking about?
KRAKOFF: No. I can honestly say it wasn't. It was a happy accident.
CHO (voice-over): one that catapulted his name and his 3-year-old label from fashion famous to world famous, at a time when his other company, 72-year-old coach, a $14 billion brand, is undergoing a global renovation. (on camera): That means shoes.
KRAKOFF: Shoes.
CHO: more clothes.
KRAKOFF: More clothes, jewelry, eyewear, lots.
CHO (voice-over): Going beyond the duffel sack into a lifestyle brand, Krakoff jokes he's best suited to do one job. But has shown he can succeed at two.
Alina Cho, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: And you can watch Alina's special, "Fashion: Backstage Pass," Saturday, 2:30 p.m. eastern, right here on CNN.
Canada's parliament has a message for zombies. You got to listen.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: It is Oscar season and Harvey Weinstein has often been called the Oscar king for picking great films like nobody else. His latest movie "Escape from Planet Earth." It is an animated sci-fi adventure that tells a story of comical astronaut aliens, an adventure that takes them to a dangerous planet.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CARTOON CHARACTER: Kip's gone. Kip's gone.
CARTOON CHARACTER: What?
CARTOON CHARACTER: The rescue park.
CARTOON CHARACTER: We have to get to Vasser before he does.
CARTOON CHARACTER: Whoa, whoa, whoa. What are you doing?
CARTOON CHARACTER: We're using the rocket boots.
CARTOON CHARACTER: Are you crazy? The gyroscope is off. The mechanism is broken. They're not ready to fly.
CARTOON CHARACTER: I spent 15 years as a --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Looks really cool. The movie featuring the voices of Ricky Gervais, Sarah Jessica Parker and Jessica Alba, among others. He was very hands on with the film, says the process was also challenging.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HARVEY WEINSTEIN, PRODUCER: This is the first I made from beginning to end, developing the script, working in the studio, and I got to tell you, it is not easy this is two and a half years of my life.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you like it? Why did you do it then?
WEINSTEIN: I did it for the challenge. I see what John Lasseter does and Jeffrey Katzenberg. They're both friends of mine and I have new respect for them. I had one great opportunity. Aliens are trapped in this prison. The American general is taking advantage of them and they say, why don't we tweak all these guys and say the aliens did not -- that the aliens invented computer animation and not John Lasseter. It is in there with a grumpy picture of John. Then we tweak the guys, Eric Schmidt, and my pals from Google, and I tweet Zuckerberg at Facebook and say that "Social Networking" was invented by the aliens. It is probably true.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(LAUGHTER)
MALVEAUX: Looks like a great movie. It opens today.
And Canada, our northern neighbors, thought they had this great idea to train emergency responders. They would pretend that the country was under attack by zombies. I'm not kidding.
Jeanne Moos reports, lawmakers wanted to show, when it comes to a zombie apocalypse, there are no stiffs.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Is there a zombie in the House? The House of Commons.
PAT MARTIN, CANADIAN PARLIAMENT MEMBER: I don't need to tell you, Mr. Speaker, that zombies don't recognize borders.
MOOS: This isn't the latest episode of the walking dead. You can argue some politicians fit that description. This is actually Canada's parliament.
MARTIN: I want to ask the minister of foreign affairs, is he working with his American counterparts to develop an international zombie strategy --
(LAUGHTER)
-- so that his zombie invasion does not turn into a zombie apocalypse?
(CHEERING)
MOOS: it is clear these guys aren't brain dead because they know how to joke.
The minister of foreign affairs reciprocated with a pun that was dead on.
UNIDENTIFIED CANADIAN FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER: Mr. Speaker, I want to assure this member and all Canadians I am dedicated to ensuring that this never happens.
(LAUGHTER)
MOOS: The zombie issue came up because Quebec was supposed to hold a mock zombie disaster training exercise. And while that might sound bizarre, zombie drills are not that unusual. This one took place in Ohio. The idea is to have emergency planners think outside the box, as opposed to dealing with crises they have dealt with in the past.
(SHOUTING)
MOOS: Even officials at the Centers for Disease Control have used zombies to grab the public's attention.
Zombies have no respect for romance. There were false zombie alerts this week at a handful of TV stations in places like Michigan and Montana.
ANNOUNCER: The bodies of the dead are rising from their graves and attacking the living.
MOOS: Hackers managed to temporarily take control of the station's emergency broadcast systems, just as they used to do with far simpler traffic signs.
The zombie debate in Canada's House had members laughing.
(on camera): But, wait, zombie apocalypse training has been canceled. The new scenario will simulate flooding. Flooding? Yes.
(voice-over): All the joshing about zombies had Quebec's government worried the training exercise would lose its serious focus.
UNIDENTIFIED CANADIAN FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER: Under the leadership of this prime minister, Canada will never become a safe haven for zombies ever.
UNIDENTIFIED PARLIAMENT MEMBER: Here, here.
MOOS: Anyway, Canada has nothing to fear. As one guy posted on Gawker, zombies are allergic to maple syrup.
Jeanne Moos --
MARTIN: To the zombie apocalypse.
MOOS: -- CNN --
UNIDENTIFIED CANADIAN FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER: Canada will never become a safe haven for zombies ever.
UNIDENTIFIED PARLIAMENT MEMBER: Here, here. MOOS: New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: That's so silly.
(LAUGHTER)
That's it for me. I'm Suzanne Malveaux. CNN NEWSROOM continues now with Brooke Baldwin.
