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Bachlorette Party's Limo Catches On Fire, Killing Five; Referee Punched In The Face, Now Dead; Israel Allegedly Carried Out Air Strike Against Syria; Congress To Hold Hearings About Boston Bombings On Thursday

Aired May 05, 2013 - 17:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

A look at the top stories we are following right now.

There is a new search in the Boston bombing investigation, plus the father of one of the suspect's friend speaks to us about faith. Those exclusive details are coming up.

A 17-year-old soccer player allegedly lashes out at a referee. One punch and the rest end up in a coma. Now a week later he is dead. What we're hearing from authorities.

In northern California, a celebratory night out has taken a tragic turn. A fire rift to a limousine carrying nine women burst into flames. Most did not survive. Details on that straight ahead.

All right, back to the Boston bombing investigation. FBI agents investigating the bombings carried out a new search today. They went through the apartment where suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev lived with his wife and child in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Susan Candiotti is live for us now in Boston.

So Susan, what more are officials willing to say about this search?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, not very much, Fred. They are not telling us what prompted them to go back to that apartment to have another look. Of course, they have been using search warrants; they are saying that much obviously, as they go back there to look for potentially more evidence to use in their investigation in this bombing case.

As you indicated earlier, sources have told us they did find explosive bomb residue in at least three spots in that apartment. A kitchen table, a kitchen sink, as well as a bathtub. But again, what prompted them to go back there today we don't know nor do we know what they may have retrieved -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Now, tell us more about the conversation you had with the father of one of the suspects who happens to be a friend of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. What was said? CANDIOTTI: Well, this is very interesting because we spoke with the father and he speaks only Russian so through an interpreter this is the first time he has gone into great detail about his visit with his son in jail on Friday. The first time he's spoken about this in detail. He said that his son denied any role in the bombing. His son is Azamat Tazhayakov. He said that his son said that he was simply afraid that his friend Dzhokhar might have something to do with the bombing after he saw his photograph on television and that's what prompted he and another friend to go over to the dorm room and take out things from his dorm room. And then, finally as you know the FBI raided his apartment and he said his son cooperated fully. But, I asked him why did he hide that evidence allegedly?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

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

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: The father of Tazhayakov said his son is a 19-year-old who was simply afraid and did not intentionally, he said, do anything wrong, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Susan Candiotti there in Boston. Thank you.

A youth soccer referee was allegedly punched in the head by a player. The injury later put him in a coma and now the ref is dead. Ricardo Portillo passed away last night in Utah. Police say a 17-year-old player punched the ref at a game last weekend. Portillo had just given the teen a yellow card, which is a warning for breaking the rules. Police say Portillo appeared OK at first but then got much worse. The player is in juvenile detention. Authorities say he was charged with aggravated assault but he's expected to face even more charges this week.

In California, a fun night out with friends turned into a nightmare for a group of women. A fire broke out in their stretch limo and many of them were trapped in the burning car.

CNN's Nick Valencia is following the story. So Nick, what more can you tell us? I know you mentioned this may have been a wedding party.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. That's what local media out lets outlets are reporting. That this was a bachelorette party, Saturday night and Girls night out in San Mateo, California turned fatal. We believe that among the victims, among the deceased was the bride to be.

Now, CNN cannot independently verify these reports. In a conversation I had with California highway patrol they told me that they read similar reports but they could not verify throughout authenticity.

Earlier, when I spoke to the CHP, Fred, they told me they believed that the fire started somewhere outside of the passenger area of the limousine. They are looking at pictures that witnesses took last night. Those flames just flaming from the back of the limousine. They believe the fire started somewhere underneath the limousine or perhaps even in the trunk. About 10:00 p.m. last night as the car was crossing the San Mateo Bridge in the San Francisco area in California. The driver notices flames and smoke coming from the back of the vehicle at which point he pulled over. Now, he was able to get out unharmed, as for four other sitting towards the front of the limousine. Now, this huge tells me those that were seated in the back were not able to get out as fast. The fire spread too quickly and the coroner's office said they were so severely burned that it could take days before they positively identified.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. So, possibly, those that were sitting closest to the front may have climbed into the front -- the driver's area and exited those doors opposed to the door are usually in the rear.

VALENCIA: Right. And we also understand according to CHP, they spoke to a local affiliate KGO, there were good Samaritans on hand that were helping pull victims from the vehicle so that could have been a reason why some of the group was able to get out and others were not.

Now, it's important to note that we did reach out to this limousine company, LimoStop Inc. We called them repeatedly. They have not answered our calls but they did release a statement to the media. I will go and read part of that statement.

They say quote "LimoStop Inc. will do everything possible to investigate and assist authorities in determining the cause of this fire in order to help bring forth answers and provide closure to victims and their families."

It is just such a tragic situation. A bachelorette party out for a good night of fun. I'm sure they could not have expected this to happen.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And this is so unusual. I never heard it. I don't think too many folks have heard about a limo fire to that degree.

All right, thanks so much, Nick Valencia. Appreciate it.

All right, firefighters now have the upper hand on the huge wildfire burning through the Los Angeles hills. Calmer winds, cooler temperatures and rain in the forecast are all helping. The fire is now 60 percent contained and fire crews say they will have it fully under control by Monday. But there's a threat of thunderstorms and with that often comes lightning which could spark more fires. Twenty- eight thousand acres are still burning and thousands of homes are still threatened.

Let's turn to meteorologist Alexandra Steele for precisely how the weather is working in the firefighters' favor -- Alexandra.

ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Fred.

You know, it is unbelievable, the one thing this area of low pressure, the catalyst for this big weather pattern change and thus the change in fighting this fire. Now, almost 60 percent contained. Tomorrow the expectation to be contained. And there it is. It's really changing it on so many fronts.

What we are seeing much calmer winds. Temperatures dropping 20 to 30 degrees. So, a big cool down. And now to a return to this normal damp pattern off the pacific. This westerly wind we're seeing now bringing in all of the moisture. We have the clouds. Temperatures out of the 90s down to the 60s. Rain coming in today, tomorrow and even into Tuesday. So a big-time pattern change is really affecting wildfires, so certainly the containment.

All right, so, they just really needed rain in the west finally getting it. To the east, it's just a deluge. A slow, sluggish system bringing record rain to places like Atlanta, Georgia, almost 3.5 inches back since 1917 topping records.

And with that today a flood threat all the way from St. Louis down to Atlanta. There are records we've seen in terms of rain for this two- day event. Three inches, two inches in some areas, even one inch breaking the record. Tomorrow too though, stubborn area of low pressure really doesn't move much though. That weather bringing it all of the way into Washington and Virginia. More rain coming there for you as we head toward the beginning of the week -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Alexandra Steele, thank you so much.

Syrian officials are blaming Israel for attacking the military's research facility. This report comes after Israel allegedly carried out an air strike against Syria last week.

Fredrik Pleitgen has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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

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

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

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

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

FAISAL AL MEKDAD, SYRIAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER: This is an alliance between Al Qaeda, (INAUDIBLE) and Israel attacking together Syria. It shows common interests. And what Israel and its allies have tried to hide for a long time is more clear. When they attack, this is a declaration of war.

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

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

WHITFIELD: The Deeb family is still shaken by the event.

DEEB: Very scary. There's nothing we can do. It is like we are going to die right now. Stay scared. Sorry.

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

Fred Pleitgen, CNN. Damascus.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: In Madrid, Spain, spectators watched in horror at an air show as a small plane finished what should have been a routine maneuver.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYING)

WHITFIELD: Oh, boy. No one knows exactly what happened or what caused that crash. The pilot died hours later at the hospital. More than a dozen people were injured on the ground. The pilot was a commander in the Spanish air force and a trainer.

Back in this country, were lessons learned from the 9/11 attacks forgotten when it came to the Boston marathon bombings? The chairman of the 9/11 commission weighs in next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Thursday, Congress will hold hearings on the Boston bombings and a big question will be was there an intelligence failure?

Former New Jersey governor, Tom Kean is in New York. Former congressman Lee Hamilton is in Indiana.

Good to see both of you. Both chairing the 9/11 commission which looked into the events leading up to the 9/11 attacks and what was broken in our intelligence and law enforcement agencies at the time.

So gentlemen, thanks so much for being with us.

TOM KEAN (R), FORMER NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR: Thank you.

LEE HAMILTON, VICE CHAIRMAN, 9/11 COMMISSION: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: So, a major revelation from your report to the country about 9/11 was that our federal agencies, the CIA, FBI, ATF, were not talking to each other.

Governor Kean, you first, do we have a similar failure of communication between agencies prior to this Boston bombing?

KEAN: I don't think we know yet. It looks on the surface like there may have been some problems. The communication is much better now, we know, between the agencies than it was after 9/11. But, was it sufficient? Was there still things that one agency knew and didn't pass onto another? My hope is that we will find out in these congressional hearings and if we do, that we will go on to correct whatever the problem is.

WHITFIELD: Congressman Hamilton, what does your gut say?

HAMILTON: I don't think it's clear there was a failure of intelligence or intelligence sharing at least not at this point. Obviously a very, very serious failure to prevent the attack in the Boston marathon and therefore as Tom suggests we have to sharpen our inquiry and learn all we possibly can about the event and make corrections.

I have been impressed, however, so far. I was impressed by the way the event was handled, the emergency response in Boston. I was impressed by the investigation. I was kind of surprised that the two brothers didn't get out of town and get out of the area very quickly. But from the standpoint of intelligence and intelligence sharing, I don't think it's been shown at this point that there is a failure and no one has come forward with a suggestion of major restructuring or additions to the infrastructure of our counterterrorism organizations.

WHITFIELD: So governor Kean, are you surprised at all that especially post-your commission report that even with the Russian government saying we're suspicion of this individual, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, you should look into him, he's been to make a trip to Chechnya, to Russia, keep a close watch on him and there didn't seem to a follow-up upon his return, does it seem as though the protocol or even recommendations from the commission's report were followed?

KEAN: You have to remember first there are millions of bits of information that they are getting every day like that report from the Russians and every one of them has to be followed through. This is a new threat, this idea of people who are native born Americans who can travel around and do whatever they want to under our laws of freedom and yet who are terrorists and have been learned over the internet to be terrorists.

This is a threat that we wrote a report on about a year ago and then another report in December in which we said this is what the government ought to be doing about this. I don't think the government is doing what we recommend as of yet but my hope is that the learning we get from this particular incident is going to make us more alert.

WHITFIELD: What is not happening you wish was happening per your report?

KEAN: Well, as far as I'm concerned, first of all, we suggested that the White House itself get involved and that we monitor what's going on over the Internet. These people were radicalized by radical Islamic websites. And the chat rooms, all of that, and we should train our agents to get on that business, to listen to what's going on to try to intervene where possible and teach in the schools what to be aware of and what to watch out for.

We think there ought to be people tracking these things all of the time and we think there should be people involved in some of these groups that are listening and maybe trying to intervene at some point between somebody becoming just a radical and someone who wants to blow up somebody. There's a period where you can intervene in that period and we have to intervene better than we did in this case.

WHITFIELD: And congressman, what do you hope may come from the hearings this week?

HAMILTON: Look, I think the big lesson that emerges from Boston is complacency. Our record has been pretty good. We've had no bombings since 9/11 until the Boston marathon. And that's a good record.

But it's also apparent if you look back over our recent political debates that homeland security dropped off the board. I cannot remember frankly homeland security being discussed in the 2012 presidential campaign. I can't remember politicians talking about it. I have been saying for years that you must not become complacent. You must not relax. You have to strengthen all of your defenses and you have to maintain them and by that I mean being prepared for emergency response where you are fortunate in Boston because many of the first responders were already on the scene. You have to make sure your surveillance is as good as it can be within the laws of the states which obviously put restraints on law enforcement. You have to be sure that law enforcement officers are not constrained within the bounds of the constitution and privacy. You have to do all you can to have effective community policing.

This maybe is the most important defense against the kind of radicalization that Tom was talking about a moment ago. They have to keep sources open in every community so there are all kinds of things that have to be done but the key thing is you must not become complacent as I think we have until the Boston marathon attack on homeland security. It takes an ongoing ever vigilant effort.

WHITFIELD: Congressman Hamilton and Governor Kean, stay with me. We are going to take a short commercial break. But next, we are going to talk about whether you think Washington given that it is so polarized whether this issue in and of itself will become politicized as well.

Plus, here is the question for everybody out there. Do you know where your clothes are made and how and by whom? Find out why what you buy may put some workers in deadly situations.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: We are continuing our conversation about the Boston bombings and what we learned from 9/11. Former New Jersey governor, Tom Kean and former congressman Lee Hamilton, chair the 9/11 commission.

So, despite lessons learned post- 9/11, Congressman Hamilton, you know, you just said before the break that the U.S. has become complacent and that's among one of the worst things that can happen. Still, is it realistic to even think that every planned attack can be prevented especially when homegrown?

HAMILTON: No. I don't think we should have the expectation that we can be perfect in our safety. These events probably will continue to happen. We have increased our capacity to prevent them very sharply. We have improved a lot. We are a lot better than we were a few years ago even. But these kind of lone Wolf attacks self-radicalized people are probably the most difficult and serious threat that we have.

The threat has obviously evolved since 9/11. Big attacks to small attacks to maybe oversimplified a bit. The way forward now is to make a very careful inquiry about what happened at Boston and analyze what we did right and what we did wrong. Put aside the political shots and the pandering and learn from what happened and try to correct the weaknesses and the strengthen our defenses but we must not have exaggerated expectations about what we can achieve. We cannot achieve perfection.

WHITFIELD: So governor Kean, if the focus during the 9/11 commission was what to do and how to prevent and how to respond to organized group attacks, might this week's hearing that is going to unfold beginning this week in Washington, might that focus be more on the lone Wolf attacks, the homegrown terrorism and the tactics and strategies on trying to prevent and identify them?

KEAN: That is exactly what I hope it will be about and what it should be about. This threat is evolving all the time. We didn't have anything called cyber security as a problem when we did the report. Now cyber security is a big problem. The lone Wolf terrorists that we're talking about like these two brothers, that wasn't a problem on 9/11. Now it is a problem.

And so, the government has to keep ahead and not behind. It can't look at what happened yesterday and preparing for the last event. It has to look at what might the next event be. So, we have to continue to do that.

My hope is this hearing is a good step. Congress has been very good in this particular area in a sense it has not been partisan. Republicans and Democrats have been together.

WHITFIELD: And you think that will continue?

KEAN: I think it's got to. National security is the most important responsibility government has to keep us safe and to do that that's not a Republican or Democratic priority. That's something everybody has to work together on and hopefully they will.

WHITFIELD: Congressman, do you worry about that whether partisanship will interfere with progress here?

HAMILTON: You have to worry about it just because of the general polarization in Washington today. But at the end of the day, look, we have had a pretty good record here despite the politics over a period of time and I think we have to build on that.

And of course, Tom is absolutely right. We have to have absolute effort to get bipartisanship. Now, we still have gaps here. I read the other day that we are still in the planning stages on inoperable communications at the site of the disaster. Well, that is so frustrating to us because one of our major recommendations is that the first responders have to be able to seamlessly communicate with one another. So there are still some gaps here that we have to work on to close and that is one of them. There are several others. There is a lot of work to do. Partisanship has to be put aside.

WHITFIELD: Former congressman Lee Hamilton, Former New Jersey governor Tom Kean, thanks so much to both of you, gentlemen, for being with us.

HAMILTON: Thank you.

KEAN: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: And we will be right back. We've got questions about the clothes that you --

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. It's going to be a busy week in politics. It kicks off when voters turn out for a high-profile congressional contest in South Carolina. CNN's political editor Paul Steinhauser is watching it for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Hey, Fred. Take a former governor whose political career was sidetracked thanks to an infamous affair --

MARK SANFORD, FORMER GOVERNOR OF SOUTH CAROLINA: I've been unfaithful to my wife. STEINHAUSER: -- and the sister of Comedy Central host Stephen Colbert, and you get a congressional race that's captured national attention. Voters Tuesday in coastal South Carolina head to the polls to fill a vacant House seat. Their choices: Republican Mark Sanford, their former two-term governor who is seeking political redemption with his bid for the office he once held.

SANFORD: I'm just tremendously humbled to find ourselves in this spot.

STEINHASUER: And Elizabeth Colbert Busch, his Democratic opponent.

ELIZABETH COLBERT BUSCH, DEMOCRATIC CHALLENGER: My only pledge and my only special interest are to the people of South Carolina district one.

STEINHAUSER: Republicans held the district for three decades, but thanks to Sanford's political baggage, Colbert Busch has a good shot at winning.

Later this week, presidential politics? Two Republicans who may want to run for the White House head to the states to kick off the primary and caucus calendar. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky heads to Iowa to keynote a GOP dinner. And Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal headlines an event for local Republicans in New Hampshire. It's only May 2013, but in some ways it feels like 2016. Fred?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Yes indeed. All right. Thanks so much, Paul Steinhauser.

Witness says hundreds of garment workers killed in a building collapse last month were underpaid and forced to work in deplorable conditions. We'll show you how you can help change things.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: More than 600 bodies have been recovered from the rubble of a building that collapsed in Bangladesh nearly two weeks ago. Most of the victims worked at a garment export factory there. Government officials say substandard building materials combined with the vibration of heavy machinery led to the collapse. Our Jim Boulden takes a look at the garment export industry in Bangladesh.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM BOULDEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The garment industry found a natural home in poor nations. The way to provide an abundance of cheap, ready-made clothing is finding a huge labor pool that's paid little.

Bangladesh is now the second-largest apparel exporter after China. How? Well, unlike some of the competitors, Bangladeshi manufacturing remains dirt cheap, and unions have limited power. The country cornered the absolute bottom of the value chain. JUDY GEARHEART, INTERNATIONAL LABOR RIGHTS FORUM: What's happened to Bangladesh is they have been too successful at this low-road model of development where they offer low-wage labor and have underinvested in their own infrastructure. Underinvested in government regulations and government enforcement of laws.

BOULDEN: And while contracts poured in from the likes of Prymark (ph) Wal-Mart, Carfour, Gap and Disney, buildings went up fast. Filled with workers sometimes housed on illegally built floors. But wages remained low.

NIRMALYA KUMAR, LONDON BUSINESS SCHOOL: You have skill. You have expertise. You have an ecosystem around that industry which has built up in Bangladesh so that even if the wages rise to let's say double or triple from $40 a month to $80 or $120 a month, you still have a thriving garment industry in Bangladesh.

BOULDEN: Bangladesh also benefits from the European Union giving the country extra help. Because it's so poor, Europe allows Bangladesh to ship garments to the world's biggest trading bloc, duty free. A sweetener the EU says it might now suspend. A penalty for the country not cleaning up its garment industry.

On the other hand, the United States still imposes duties on clothes from Bangladesh. The Bangladeshi government says if the U.S. eliminated that tariff, costing as much as 32 cents on the dollar of each garment, the workers would benefit.

MOHAMMED QUAYES, BANGLADESH HIGH COMMISSIONER: If this 32 cents were not an impediment, then it's possible for us to offer the American middle class a lower price. It's possible for us to have a bigger margin. It's possible for us to transfer the biggest chunk of this space to better terms of employment.

BOULDEN: The big brands may not wait for trade sanctions. Disney pulled out before the latest building collapse after a fire late last year. That and political disruptions have made some Western firms look toward higher cost India.

GEARHEART: We would not want to see the brands departing. I mean, they have benefited from the profit margins. Now is not the time to walk away from the mess.

BOULDEN: But more could follow.

KUMAR: A couple more of these incidents, and the foreign brands will run because they cannot afford to take the kind of beating that they are taking right now.

BOULDEN: But then, who would force Bangladesh to change and keep scenes like this from happening again?

Jim Boulden, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE) WHITFIELD: So, how do these disasters in Bangladesh affect you? Executive director of the International Labor Rights Forum, Judy Gearheart, who you just saw in that report, is joining me now live. All right, Judy. So how do we know whether the clothes that you or I are wearing come from a factory under deplorable working conditions?

GEARHEART: You don't know. There is no good way to tell right now and there is no silver bullet. What we need to be doing right now is look to push global brands to take concrete steps. Right now, we're pushing all of the global brands to sign onto Bangladesh fire and building safety agreement -- that is making them take a contractual commitment to welfare of workers making their products.

There are a handful of brands that are really trying to produce in a way that is absolutely ethical throughout their supply chain. They include brands like Ethics Merch (ph) or Union Wear or Alta Gracia (ph). But really getting this to go mainstream will take consumers getting involved and communicating directly to mainstream brands. But they need to make a big change in their apparel supply chain.

WHITFIELD: So, it's incumbent upon consumers as well as U.S. companies who perhaps can do a better job of vetting or maybe even regulating suppliers in countries like Bangladesh?

GEARHEART: Absolutely. What we're asking brands to do is to make a commitment beyond the previous voluntary commitment. Up until now, the global brands had voluntary codes of conduct. They are confidential mechanisms, so what we end up having is brands will inspect a factory, and they can potentially walk away from that factory if they find problems that are too hard to address. And because it's a confidential mechanisms, they're not required to tell anybody about the problems they found.

This system, combined with the fact that it's sideling the roles of workers in their organizations, has made the brand monitoring system just - just fatally flawed, frankly.

WHITFIELD: So, is there anything that socially conscious consumers can do to feel good about the clothes that they buy or learn something about the origin, the derivation of these clothes, anything?

GEARHEART: So, it takes getting involved and it takes looking for those brands. We're putting -- we have a page on our Web site called Shop With a Conscience. Our Web site is LaborRights.org. It's easy enough to remember.

We're also organizing collective action globally where we are communicating with the brands about the need to make sure that the workers are safe. The global supply chains having gone abroad the way they have over the past 20 years, we as consumers need to communicate to brands that it's not okay to just go abroad and not ensure worker welfare.

So, getting involved as consumers, as individuals, and communicating with store managers of your favorite brands, taking action online. Follow us at laborrights.org and you will be able to find a lot of different ways to get involved and also find some of those brands that are really taking the next step.

WHITFIELD: Judy Gearheart, thank you for joining us from Washington.

GEARHEART: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. The Dow cracked 15,000 this week. That's a big number. But should it change what you're doing with your 401(k)? Some great advice from our investment guy next.

But first, this week Anthony Bourdain takes us to Canada and shows us how to survive the cold and of course, enjoy the food. Hot and cold.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY BOURDAIN, CNN HOST: There's no place like Montreal. It is uniquely wonderful in its own way. They insist on speaking French. It does get cold here. Any visiting chef here crawls out of town bloated and begging for mercy, but they do things differently here.

Millions of people come to visit this place all the time, but it feels strangely unspoiled and unexploited. It's always a surprise. If anything truly original is happening in gastronomy right now in North America, a food culture doing things in a completely unique and original way that nobody else is doing, the chefs in Montreal are really, really making a mark. But I suggest before you come here that you train for the experience and cut yourself some downtime for recovery afterwards. So come prepared.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. You can see Anthony's entire trip to Canada tonight right here on CNN at 9:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific. That's Anthony Bourdain, Parts Unknown. Every Sunday night.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The summer driving season is just a couple weeks away. Will it cost you more to fill up your car for that road trip? And what about how much you'll pay to heat your home once fall arrives?

One of the best ways to predict that is to look at how much oil that we've got on hand right now. Todd Shoenberger is managing partner of LandColt Capital. And he's joining me right now from New York. Good to see you.

TODD SHOENBERGER, MANAGING PARTNER, LANDCOLT CAPITAL: Likewise. Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: OK. So, Todd, we're getting an oil inventory report this week. What do we think it will say about where the price of oil is headed and what it means?

SHOENBERGER: That's right. Well, on Wednesday, the oil inventory number comes out. What it should say or what Wall Street is expecting it to say is that we're going to have a very big jump in inventories. What that means is to your viewers is that we have a lot of oil around but demand is not there right. You don't have a lot of people that driving.

So, yes, you're talking about gas prices. Right now, the average price at the pump is $3.50. It's down from $3.80. AAA just last week announced that they expect this summer the average price to be $3.40. So, despite what this Wednesday number is going to be, we at least have some good news coming our way in the next couple months.

WHITFIELD: We like that right in time for those road trips. The Dow jumped past 15,000 on Friday. But is this the point where we need to look at our 401(k)s for encouragement or what?

SHOENBERGER: Well, you should always be looking at that 401(k). You want to keep a close eye on it. However, with that said, yes, we did clip 15,000 on Friday. But that's not the last stop. I think there's a lot of Wall Street economists and strategists -- I'm one of them -- I'm predicting that we'll see Dow at 16,000 by year end. That's excellent news for people with a 401(k) saving for retirement.

But one thing you wanted to keep in mind, if you're close to retirement, maybe a few years away from it, you definitely want to start trimming back. Maybe holding on to some of those gains. And then if you're looking at something at five years out that you're retiring, yes, you can assume that more risk and really start thinking a little bit stronger about the stock market.

WHITFIELD: All right. Todd Shoenberger, always good to see you. Thanks so much.

SHOENBERGER: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: OK, a lot of us shop online. One great perk, avoiding sales tax sometimes. Right? Well, you may have to open the wallet a little wider pretty soon. I'll explain why.

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WHITFIELD: All right More much of the NEWSROOM coming up in with Don Lemon in just ooh, seven or so minutes from now. He has a lot on tap.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: We've got a lot on tap. We'll be talking about homicide, violence. Nationally, homicides are on the decline, but not in Chicago. As you know, over 500 people were murdered there just last year. So what needs to be done? What needs to be done? What's the solution?

At 7:00 Eastern, we'll talk to two guests who had very distinct ideas and very different ideas about what needs to be done. One of those guests is the daughter of boxing legend Mohammed Ali. She has roots in Chicago. She also has a very personal story about the violence there. It's going to be an interesting discussion. You want to stick around and watch that.

But first, in our next hour, Jason Collins is the talk of the sports world for coming out. It's triggered a lot of reaction to his announcement. A lot of people are saying the right things, but are we getting the full picture? We're going to talk about that. WHITFIELD: The full picture about? The way in which he came out?

LEMON: Yes. About the reaction, what happens. I was asked by some folks on the radio what you think about it? I said, you never know what's happening in offices. The executives, what happens behind closed doors.

By the way, had a very nice conversation with him on Friday. He's in good spirits. He's working out and going to the movies with his family. That's all I'll share with you. Hopefully I'll get to do an interview with him. But he's looking to get a job right now. He wants to play and he's continuing to exercise. And again, he's in pretty good spirits. He's surprised by the reaction.

WHITFIELD: He's had an incredible reaction on both ends. So, can't wait to hear more of that. All right, Don Lemon, thanks so much for that. More on the NEWSROOM straight ahead.

And we have a little bit more for you. What do the Internet, Prince Harry and Budweiser all have in common?

LEMON: Oh, no. Should I - should I tell you?

WHITFIELD: No!

LEMON: Don't tell them?

WHITFIELD: It's called a tease!

You are going to find out after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: OK, so the poet Maya Angelou said, quote, "I don't trust anyone who doesn't laugh." And - yeah! You need an excuse to laugh? That would be terrible! You're missing out if you're not laughing today. Because today is World Laughter Day. The idea is to promote world peace through laughing. It actually started in India back in 1988 by a yoga master who also started the worldwide laughter yoga movement.

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WHITFIELD: The followers say laughter promotes joy in your inner self. There's a medical benefit as well. It reduces stress and improves the immune system. Who doesn't like to laugh? There's a problem if you don't like to laugh, right?

OK, so perhaps you're ready for the week ahead. If you're not, here's your cheat sheet for what you need to know, starting right now.

Tomorrow the U.S. Senate is scheduled to vote on a bill that would impose a sales tax for online purchases.

Also Monday, Budweiser introduces its new bow tie cans, designed to hold slightly less beer than traditional cans. The bow ties will be available as eight-packs.

On Tuesday in Washington, President Obama meets with the new president of South Korea.

On Thursday, the House of Representatives Homeland Security committee holds hearings on what intelligence federal agencies had before the Boston Marathon bombings. Also on Thursday, Britain's Prince Harry arrives in the U.S. He's on a six-day tour to meet with superstorm Sandy victims. He'll also be participating in the Warrior Games in Colorado with some of America's wounded veterans.

And on Friday, Senator Rand Paul will headline the Iowa GOP's Lincoln Day Dinner in Cedar Rapids. And that's your week ahead.

All right. Lots coming up this week and lots coming up in THE NEWSROOM, just minutes away.

I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Don Lemon, up next. Have a great week.

LEMON: Thank you, Fredricka.