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Winning Lottery Ticket Almost Tossed; Overlooked Deductions; Bethenny Frankel's New Show; Women in Wal-Mart Suit Seek Class Action Status; New Photo-Sharing App for Smartphones
Aired March 27, 2011 - 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: We begin this hour in Libya where NATO has agreed to take over the military mission. All 28 member nations of the alliance agreed today to support the U.N. Security Council's resolution to protect Libyan civilians.
The first flight under NATO command could happen as soon as tomorrow. Take a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD (voice-over): That is the sound of anti-aircraft gunfire streaking the sky in Tripoli, unclear whether it has anything to do with that announcement about that move about NATO.
Our Nic Robertson says it started about an hour ago. He felt at least six large explosions in the city. He says Tripoli is clearly bracing for more airstrikes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: President Barack Obama will address this nation tomorrow night on the military operation in Libya. We get more details now from CNN's Sandra Endo in Washington. Sandra, what more do we know about what the president is likely to say?
SANDRA ENDO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, we know President Obama is set to deliver that speech tomorrow night regarding the conflict in Libya and the U.S. involvement in the effort.
He's expected to lay out the goals of the mission and give an update as to how it stands right now. The president is facing criticism over getting involved in the conflict in the first place and lawmakers from both parties question the lack of congressional consultation and the price tag of the effort.
Today on the morning political talk shows, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton defended the president's decision to join the international coalition.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: I think we prevented a great humanitarian disaster, which is always hard to point to something that didn't happen, but I believe we did. Now we're beginning to see because of the good work of the coalition, to see his troops begin to turn back toward the west and to see the opposition begin to reclaim ground they had lost.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ENDO: Still, there are a lot of unanswered questions as to if the mission will be successful and if it will be successful if they don't oust Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi. That is not the goal right now of the mission.
Also another question, how long will the U.S. remain involved despite the president saying military action will be limited? Defense Secretary Robert Gates didn't have an answer for that one this morning, but he added this on CBS's "Face the Nation."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Regime change is very complicated and can be very expensive and can take a long time. And so I think the key here was establishing a military mission that was achievable, was achievable in a limited period of time and it could be sustained.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ENDO: And Secretary Gates admitted the Libya conflict and Gadhafi are not a national security concern, but both secretaries Clinton and Gates say the U.S. involvement in Libya shows support for the international community -- Fred.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Sandra Endo in Washington. Thank you.
A look at some of the other top stories. The Syrian government is taking new steps to respond to violent anti-government protests there. A source close to the government says the country's 48-year-old State of Emergency will be lifted. That law gave the government power to override the constitution. Syrian President Bashar al Assad is expected to address his nation this week.
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter is heading to Cuba tomorrow at the invitation of the Cuban government. It's his first visit in nine years. He'll meet with President Raul Castro about possibly repairing U.S.-Cuban ties.
And workers trying to avert a meltdown at the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan are dealing with radiation worries. At least 19 of them have received potentially dangerous radiation doses. Three workers were hospitalized last week after stepping into a contaminated puddle. They are expected to be released tomorrow.
And the company that operates the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan faces increasing pressure to get the crisis under control. Many questions about how honest it is after the disaster persists. Our Paula Hancocks talks to a researcher who warned the company about its vulnerabilities and said the company did nothing. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The destruction a tsunami can wreak on a nuclear power plant is clear. What's not clear is whether the owners of Japan's Fukushima plant could have predicted it. One seismic researcher says yes, telling CNN he warned TEPCO two years ago that there was evidence of an earthquake and a structured (ph) tsunami in the same area in the year 869. He asked the safety committee to consider this when deciding how to protect the plant.
YUKINOBU OKAMURA (through translator): Data on tsunamis can be found in layers of the earth, and my institute has been researching this. Based on this data, it indicates that there was a huge tsunami that occurred previously. That's why I asked the question.
HANCOCKS (on camera): Okamura who heads up a national research institute says that TEPCO instead decided to focus on a 1938 earthquake in which one person died. And he says that they barely mentioned the word "tsunami" throughout the whole meeting.
TEPCO has not responded as yet to Okamura's allegations and although they hold press conferences day and night, direct questions are rarely met with direct answers.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): At this press conference reporters repeatedly asked why there were no preparations for such a big tsunami to hit and called on TEPCO to apologize. The Japanese government has told TEPCO to be open and transparent so as not to lose the public's trust, but the government itself has not escaped criticism.
Fifty-eight percent do not approve of the way they have handled the crisis according to a poll by Kyodo news agency. This man says, "I won't forgive the government for hiding information and the tyranny of the power company." He says, "I'm protesting because the government is not taking action."
But this man tells me, "I can understand the situation. Because with the earthquake and tsunami combined, there was nothing they could do."
Some TEPCO information is even being publicly questioned by Japan's nuclear safety agency several hours after TEPCO announced levels of iodide 134 in the turbine room of reactor two were 10 million times higher than normal. Japan's nuclear safety agency said, "We feel that the data made public by TEPCO today is a bit strange and a bit odd. I have been told TEPCO is going to reevaluate the numbers." Confusing an already confused public.
Paula Hancocks, CNN, Tokyo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right. Now to some severe and potentially dangerous weather in this country, from flooding to mudslides. Jacqui Jeras in the "Weather Center." I'm speaking of those nasty mudslides in California. JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I know. Yes, there's a lot going on. An incredible video that we had to show you as well, Fredricka. We will start out with the pictures out of California. This is in San Pablo. Let's go ahead and take that full so you can get a better look at what's going on.
So much rain here in the last two weeks. The ground is saturated and it's been starting to slide. Several homes are at risk at this time. We've seen some decks and things like that begin to fall but no complete homes. People have been evacuated from that area and the ground remains unstable at this hour.
All right. Let's move on to St. Louis, from mudslides to snow. How about that? Yes, snow yesterday in St. Louis, as much as six inches in the suburbs. A little bit latish in the season, but not unheard of to get this type of snowfall. It's gone today, but you're going to be bitterly cold tonight with temperatures below freezing. Overnight lows this time of the year average around 40 degrees. So, yes, you can go ahead and complain, St. Louis.
All Right. Let's take you to Hastings, Minnesota, where they are continuing to the battle against the flood. This is along the Mississippi River. Hastings is a suburb of St. Paul if you don't know the area. More than 1,000 people showed up to sandbag around over 100 homes which are at risk. The river is already above flood stage expected to crest at major levels as we head into the latter part of this upcoming week.
The other big weather story this weekend is severe weather. We've been really been seeing that focused in on the southeastern parts of the country. We have a new severe thunderstorm watch right there, that yellow box that you see, that's in effect until 10:00 Central, 11:00 Eastern. And these have really been hail-making storms throughout the day today and a lot of lightning associated with them as well.
A little concern about some training taking place here that we could see some flash flooding. Savannah under a severe thunderstorm warning right now. And you can see this cell just off to your west of downtown. You need to get inside and stay indoors until these storms have moved off and out of the area because you could see some real hail with them.
All right. Our weather system here is really just the demarcation line between the cold air and the warm air. Take a look at Atlanta, 52 degrees while it's 81 degrees in south Georgia at this hour. So our frontal boundary is right in this area, and it's not going to budge a whole heck of a lot in the week ahead. So everybody on the northern tier of the jet stream has seen very cool temperatures and on the southern tier we're just seeing this little sliver of that real warm air.
Storm systems travel from west to east within the jet stream so we'll continue to see active weather here as we head through the next week at least or so. I just want to show you a couple of those travel delays which have been ongoing today. Pretty minor. You can't complain too much. About only 15 minutes for you. In Atlanta, we've got volume delays in West Palm Beach, but we're expecting more delays at the airports tomorrow, Fredricka, especially in Florida, including Atlanta and then out West because of the rain and thunderstorms that we'll be experiencing.
WHITFIELD: Wow. All right. Tough week. Thanks so much, Jacqui, appreciate it.
You know, we've been seeing protests all around the world, even across this country. This time we're seeing some pretty volatile protests taking place in the UK. At the root of it, the country's budget.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Outrage over budget cuts is spilling into the streets of London. This weekend tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets, very upset about cuts that could mean eliminating thousands of public sector jobs. The demonstration actually turned violent when reports say a group went on a rampage. They smashed windows, clashed with police, and threw paint at Britain's 2012 Olympic countdown clock. One protester says what happened in London shows just how angry people are getting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It shows just how much people feel and how much people are angry. This really is (INAUDIBLE). This needs to be listened to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So that scene of frustration is playing out across Europe. Let's bring in CNN international correspondent Ralitsa Vassileva to give us a better understanding of what is at the root of this. Why are people so angry about these cuts in particular?
RALITSA VASSILEVA, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Because of the austerity measure, they are very deep cuts. For example, in the UK, these are the deepest cuts since World War II that they are enacting. Three hundred thousand jobs in the public sector.
Students are facing a tripling of their tuition costs. And some say they have no chance of getting an education. They just won't be able to afford it. There will also be salary cuts and bonuses also cut of this huge public sector. Unlike the United States, you know, in Europe there's a huge public sector. A lot of people are impacted. So the pain is stronger. The cuts are very deep. And it's spread out among a larger portion of the population.
WHITFIELD: Do people feel like there are no options. this is the way it's going to be or is there some wiggle room that perhaps those 300,000 jobs might find their way back into the equation?
VASSILEVA: For now, the government has said this is absolutely necessary. They are going through with it. There is no way around it. The economy has to be fixed. They are struggling with a huge deficit, around 10 percent at this time. And that they are going to go ahead with it.
Of course, like in the United States, there's a debate going as to whether this will hurt the recovery, a very fragile recovery just like in the United States. We have the same debate here. Should we cut government spending to fix the economy or will the medicine cause the economy to get sick again? So that is a very similar debate. However, it's different because it's affecting more people.
WHITFIELD: Ralitsa Vassileva, thanks so much. Appreciate that.
All right. Every year, new entries are added to the Oxford English Dictionary. Take a look at this year's additions. We'll tell you what they mean straight ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't say I hate them, I'm just saying we don't need them here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does fear of terrorism outweigh freedom of religion. "Unwelcome: The Muslims Next Door" CNN tonight 8:00 Eastern.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Let's talk money and education. Getting into college is only part of the battle. Paying for it, another. Our Christine Romans looks at what parents need to know about finding financial aid.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OLIVIA POGLIANICH: I'm in the process of waiting. Waiting. That's all I can say.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Eighteen-year-old Olivia Poglianich is waiting to find out if she's been accepted or not.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I got the letter that stated everything they need and they're reviewing and the package hopefully.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, so now they're ready.
ROMANS (on camera): A straight A student, this senior at a Long Island high school has applied to 15 schools. But Olivia, like millions of others, faces another challenge, how to pay for her education. Money matters as much as grade point average.
POGLIANICH: Affordability is a major part of my decision. For the next four years, will the financial aid from the nation, will that continue throughout the four years?
ROMANS (voice-over): Olivia has filled out the FAFSA form which stands for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. It helps decide billions of dollars of student financial aid.
Olivia is also a QuestBridge scholar which helps students apply for various college scholarships, but many don't know about their options. Princeton Review publisher Robert Franek says do as much research as possible and start early.
ROBERT FRANEK, PRINCETON REVIEW PUBLISHER: Lots of students and families were making a mistake early on in their college research. And this mistake was crossing an expensive school off of their list of consideration early on without following through and finding out how much financial aid that school's actually giving out.
ROMANS: Olivia's mother was involved from the start.
CLAUDIA POGLIANICH, OLIVIA'S MOTHER: Everything is very time sensitive and the sooner the paperwork gets in, the money's kind of divvied out on a first-come first-serve basis. So you really have to be on top of your paperwork and your taxes and have everything in on time.
O. POGLIANICH: You just ask every college specifically because even after asking the general questions, the specific requirements of one particular school differ greatly from another school.
ROMANS: As April 1st draws closer, Olivia and her mother are nervous and hopeful.
C. POGLIANICH: Reach for the sky. Reach for the sky.
O. POGLIANICH: I'm excited to be going to college no matter where I go. I'm actually pretty happy about my future.
ROMANS: Christine Romans, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Olivia, her mother and experts say universities do have money to give, you just need to ask. And here are some other tips: discuss financial aid early; do your research, they say; and development a relationship with the school.
All right. This might surprise you. Dog food, of your paperwork and do everything on time. Dog food, lap pool, all, under the right circumstances, you can actually deduct on your taxes. You'll be surprised at what else you can claim.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Breaking news now from Libya. An alleged rape victim in Libya, who was hauled away while reporters watched yesterday as she was telling her story, apparently has been released. She was frantically claiming that she had been beaten and raped by government troops. Let's go to Tripoli right now and Nic Robertson with the latest on her status. How is she doing?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we don't know how she's doing. And we've just heard from a government spokesman, but I think we should be very cautious about whatever we hear from this government spokesman because oftentimes what he says doesn't match reality.
Let's listen to what he said and I'll explain after.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOUSSA IBRAHIM, LIBYAN GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN: This woman has been released because, of course, she hasn't committed, you know, any particular major offense. She just entered a place she wasn't supposed to enter. She made claims about being kidnapped and raped. This is a criminal case against four individuals. They do not present anybody but themselves. The individuals have been investigated. They have their rights as well just like she has her own rights. They have a lawyer. The general attorney is looking after her case. She is now with her family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: Well, we've been told by the government there that she's with the family, with her family. But when we asked could we go and see them? The government official said, well, no, that would be up to the family. And when the journalist said, well, we've been in touch with her family and they say yes, the government official wouldn't say if we could go and see her.
Of course, government officials when control when we're allowed to leave the hotel and when we can't leave the hotel.
And I also asked this government official about his allegations that he had called her a prostitute, that the government here has smeared her on state television. They are accusing her of being a prostitute. And he wouldn't answer that question. He wouldn't back away from that.
So really what we're hearing from the government that she's been released and that her legal case is moving forward against the alleged rapists, I think really needs to be examined carefully, when we met her again, when will we be able to see her and verify for ourselves what the government is telling us is actually the truth this time -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Nic Robertson, thanks so much in Tripoli, appreciate that.
A look at our other top stories right now. Syria is taking new steps to respond to violent anti-government protests. A source close to the government says the country's 48-year-old state of emergency will be lifted. That law gave the government power to override the constitution. The cabinet is expected to resign next week. And President Bashar al-Assad is expected to address his nation in the next few days.
Jimmy Carter heads to Cuba tomorrow. The former U.S. president got the invitation by the Cuban government. He'll be meeting with President Raul Castro to talk about trouble U.S.-Cuban relations. Cuba's Congress is soon expected to ratify sweeping economic and social reform.
The neon glow of the Las Vegas strip lost its luster building by -- or I should say building by building last night during Earth Hour. Hundreds of the world's famous landmarks including casinos turned off their lights. The fifth annual Earth Hour is a symbolic show of support for energy conservation.
There are seven very lucky state workers in Albany, New York, today. They just struck it rich winning Friday night's mega million lottery drawing. The jackpot, $319 million.
All right. Every year new entries are added to the Oxford English Dictionary. Take a look at this year's additions. We'll tell you what they mean unless you know already, straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: LOL.
JERAS: OMG.
WHITFIELD: Do you ever use that in your like day-to-day vernacular?
JERAS: Apparently people do.
WHITFIELD: Yes, so much to the tune now that it's actually in the dictionary -- Oxford Dictionary because they're legitimate. Jacqui Jeras here. Now we're in the "Chatroom." We're going to chat about these things.
The symbol of the heart.
JERAS: I know. So four times a year they add new words and the criteria is basically they have to be common, people have to use them in regular language, and they've had to be around for a little while.
So thanks to things like texting and tweeting, we now have some new vocabulary apparently according to the Oxford English Dictionary.
This one kind of cracks me up because you see this like on bumper stickers.
WHITFIELD: Yes. Forever. It's not new. '
JERAS: I heart you. It's a symbol. This is the first symbol ever that they've put in the book.
WHITFIELD: That's probably one of the first symbols that, you know, kids are learning how to draw when they're in school.
JERAS: Right.
WHITFIELD: So now it's got a place in the Oxford English Dictionary.
JERAS: And it's a verb, not a noun.
WHITFIELD: This is not saying this heart symbolizes the heart but --
JERAS: I heart you. WHITFIELD: Love you or something like that.
JERAS: There you go.
WHITFIELD: They need to consult with us first. We'll tell you what's apropos.
JERAS: So here's another one. Muffin top. You know about the muffin top? You got a muffin top at home?
Of course we don't here. No, I'm just kidding. So it's like when your pants are too tight and you've got a little roll there and it goes over the top of your pants.
WHITFIELD: Oh is that what's going on?
JERAS: Yes. People -- a lot of people have muffin tops. Wear looser pants, something. I don't know. But that's --
WHITFIELD: I was a little in the dark on that one. OK. We know about LOL, OMG.
JERAS: LOL, OMG.
WHITFIELD: That cracks me up.
JERAS: (INAUDIBLE)
WHITFIELD: It has me LOLing.
JERAS: But I've never said it out loud. But I asked your crew because they're a lot hipper, I hate to say it, that you or I happen to be.
WHITFIELD: OMG.
JERAS: They use it in their language. OMG. Which is so much better than saying what it stands for. And if you don't know, OMG.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh.
JERAS: Yes, gosh.
Absolutely. But here's what I didn't know. This one's interesting. Did you know this one?
WHITFIELD: I did not.
JERAS: WAG. I didn't hear this one either. Apparently this was made up years ago, but it's made a comeback now because of the World Cup. All right. WAG stands for wives and girlfriends.
WHITFIELD: WAGs over here. (INAUDIBLE) referred to, WAG.
JERAS: Wives and girlfriends. There you go. And then, FYI. That one I'll use in regular language. On and by the way, FYI, whatever. WHITFIELD: I guess that is a little catchy. So that's in the dictionary now too.
JERAS: For your information.
WHITFIELD: All right. What else do we have?
JERAS: Oh, this is kind of a fun one. The Chicago lottery, did you hear about this guy? Can we move on to that? Do we got it? Yes. Irvin -- Irvin Prizvorsky (ph) -- Irvin, I'm sorry if I got your name wrong.
WHITFIELD: Yes, he's lucky times two in a very big way.
JERAS: So apparently he bought a lottery ticket March 2010. So over a year ago, this close to the deadline, Fredricka, of not being able to cash it in. You have to do it within the first year or whatever. He was going through all of his tax papers and all of a sudden realized, oh, look what's in my tax papers, it's a lottery ticket that he never checked out.
WHITFIELD: He lucked out.
JERAS: He didn't know he was a winner.
WHITFIELD: It's not like he was looking for this ticket, you know, for a year now and then came across it.
JERAS: No, just happened to be there. Went to the store to check --
WHITFIELD: And he then actually checked the number.
JERAS: Oh, I may as well check, why not?
WHITFIELD: And then a winner.
JERAS: Low and behold, nine million dollars later.
WHITFIELD: OMG.
JERAS: Nine --
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: I'm just kidding. We can all say it now because it's legit. It's in the dictionary.
OK, speaking of tax deductions and preparations, that young man was going through his tax papers, found the lottery ticket. OK. As you are now preparing your tax papers, deductions, preparations, all that good stuff. Come to find out there are a few things that you could deduct that maybe you didn't know about.
JERAS: Yes. People are getting rather creative in how to --
WHITFIELD: And it's working. JERAS: It is. These are shocking to me. Go ahead.
WHITFIELD: OK. Weight loss, for one.
JERAS: And how does that --
WHITFIELD: The amount of money that you are spending -- this is a health matter -- the amount of money that you are spending on various weight loss programs. That too can be a deduction.
JERAS: Only if there's a medical justification, apparently, is what they say. So if your doctor says, eat more vegetables, you can't write off more vegetables. But if he says, you have to maybe get lap band surgery, that you're so obese then this is a serious risk to your life, apparently you can write that off.
WHITFIELD: And apparently if you want to get a lap pool, maybe in that effort to lose weight, you can write off your lap pool too for health reasons. You get this installed in your backyard or in some portion of your home.
JERAS: Right. Apparently, there was a case in California where a man had serious neck and back injuries and his doctor said the only way you can really safely exercise and help keep your weight down is to swim. And so he puts a lap pool in his backyard.
WHITFIELD: That's a good 15, $20,000 or something like that.
JERAS: Yes. My neck has been kind of --
WHITFIELD: I know. Me, too! Oh! OMG.
(CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: FYI.
JERAS: One other one really quick -- I just want to mention the dog food because I thought this was great.
WHITFIELD: Oh, yes. What's with the dog food?
JERAS: This is not everybody at home, yes.
WHITFIELD: Oh, OK.
JERAS: This is not you and me writing off our...
(CROSSTALK)
JERAS: A seeing eye dog or a service animal, you can write off their food and medications...
WHITFIELD: Well, that makes perfect sense. Absolutely.
JERAS: -- and that kind of thing. And then also, if you have a dog for security at your business.
WHITFIELD: Oh, OK.
JERAS: But that's all a business expense.
WHITFIELD: I love to claim all the time that my dog is all about security in her own little way.
JERAS: She is! Absolutely.
WHITFIELD: Yes, her way. She's very, very gentle, but you know, she's got a mean growl and bite.
JERAS: Except for when there are thunderstorms.
WHITFIELD: So watch out! Right.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: OK. Thanks so much, Jacqui. Appreciate it.
All right. So perhaps you're a reality TV show fan. Are you, Jacqui? Are you hooked?
JERAS: Some of them I like, some of them not so much.
WHITFIELD: OK, well, one break-out star is hugely, hugely popular because of her boldness, her beauty, and of course, her brand. Any guesses on who I might be talking about?
JERAS: Oh, gosh. Half of them.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: OK. All right. Hint, Bethenny Frankel...
JERAS: OK.
WHITFIELD: -- of "Housewives" fame of New York. And now she's got her own show, "Bethenny Ever After." OK, I'm telling you all this because I sat down "Face to Face" with her. She's actually a very unique individual. And next week, you're going to hear a little bit more about how she's handling fame, a new family and fortune.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BETHENNY FRANKEL, AUTHOR, REALITY STAR: I just think people want someone that they feel that they can trust. If you're going to watch someone on television and you're going to invest your time, you would rather feel like they're really bringing it and giving it to you. I mean, there are a lot of reality shows that are sheer entertainment value and there's a lot of drama. And people, you know, are in full make-up when they're in their pajamas. But my show just isn't one of them.
It's just -- it's a reality sitcom. It's the ridiculous situations that just happen to occur in my life. And it's an emotional roller- coaster. It's crying, it's laughing. You don't know what to expect next. It's life. It's -- I mean, I'm sure it's why I got my own show because my life is just a little crazy. But the truth is, most people's lives are crazy. Women's water breaks and the baby doesn't come out.
(LAUGHTER)
FRANKEL: Most people on TV, it's, like, the water breaks and now the baby out. That's not what happens. You're are sitting in -- you know, eating Italian ices in the hospital...
WHITFIELD: Right.
(CROSSTALK)
FRANKEL: -- for 24 hours.
WHITFIELD: I think I went out to dinner (INAUDIBLE)
FRANKEL: Yes. But every TV show shows that, like, the baby's coming out. You have no idea. We didn't pack a bag for the water breaking. It was, like, you know, We're going. It's happening. So it's, like, most women are going through what I'm going through on some level. Most women have -- forget half the stuff in a car when they go on a road trip. And most women's husbands -- most women's husbands fart, and you're, like, Why are you doing this?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(LAUGHTER)
JERAS: My goodness!
WHITFIELD: This is what I was afraid of!
JERAS: That you were going to lose -- lose it.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh!
JERAS: But it's true. We all have kind of crazy lives. There's no picture perfect.
WHITFIELD: Yes!
JERAS: So I'll look forward to hearing more of that interview next weekend. Can you read our next story? She can't do it! All right. Well, next -- no, we already did that one.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness!
JERAS: So that's the wrong story in the prompter, so I can't really read...
WHITFIELD: She's so funny!
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: We've got a lot straight ahead!
JERAS: All right.
(LAUGHTER)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, let's talk some college hoops now, three quarters of the way to the Final Four. And Butler is headed to Houston. The Bulldogs defeated Florida 74 to 71 in overtime yesterday for a second consecutive Final Four appearance. All right, take a look at these fans in Indianapolis welcoming the Bulldogs home. Also headed to the Final Four, the UConn Huskies. They beat Arizona 65 to 63 in Saturday's west regional final. And VCU just beat Kansas 71 to 61. Later today, Kentucky and North Carolina battle for the last Final Four slot.
The NCAA March Madness continues. Be sure to watch all of the games live on our sister networks TNT and TBS, as well as NCAA.com.
All right. Time to go cross-country now for a look at some of the stories our affiliates are covering. Two weeks after this fatal tour bus crash in the Bronx, 11 bus drivers in the New York City area are under arrest. They are accused of using false identification to get their driver's licenses. The crash, which killed 15 people, led to the crackdown. Police say the bus driver involved in the crash made false statements on his license application.
Reports from Miami say the big fire several days ago at Miami International Airport will cause flight delays and cancellations for some time. The fire was at a fuel depot. Authorities say it will take months to repair the damage.
And crews in Stuart, Florida, have contained a brushfire that broke out this weekend. The flames have caused some property damage at a mobile home park. No injuries were reported.
Wal-Mart wants the U.S. Supreme Court to block a discrimination lawsuit from becoming a potentially record-breaking billion-dollar class action case. Here's CNN's Kate Bolduan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS KWAPNOSKI, FILING LAWSUIT AGAINST WAL-MART: I'm just one little fish in a great, big pond.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It started with six strangers in California. Chris Kwapnoski is one of them.
KWAPNOSKI: I'm a fighter, if nothing else. And so are all the other women that are involved.
BOLDUAN: Kwapnoski has worked at the Sam's Club, part of the Wal-Mart brand, for more than two decades. She says she has been paid less than her male counterparts and passed over for promotions for years.
KWAPNOSKI: They kept hiring men off the street, men who never had even a day's worth of Sam's Clubs experience were coming in, and I was the one training them. I always outworked them, always outlasted them.
BOLDUAN: So Kwapnoski and five other women who worked at Wal-Mart are suing the company in a high-stakes gender discrimination case seeking back pay and punitive damages.
(on camera): Someone says it's just one bad supervisor or it's a couple bad supervisors. Is it worth taking this -- taking the entire company on?
KWAPNOSKI: It's just not one supervisor. It's supervisor after supervisor after supervisor. I mean, one leaves, another one comes in to take their place with the pretty much same mentality.
BOLDUAN (voice-over): A case that started small is now so much more, a class action lawsuit against the mega-retailer employing 1.4 million people in the U.S.
(on camera): The lawsuit began here at this Wal-Mart in Pittsburg, California, a decade ago. Now the original six women in this case could expand to nearly every female Wal-Mart employee past and present, some 1.5 million women, making this the largest job discrimination case in U.S. history.
(voice-over): Wal-Mart is fighting back, arguing these allegations are isolated, that there's no so-called corporate culture or nationwide pattern of gender bias at their 4,300 facilities.
THEODORE BOUTROUS, ATTORNEY FOR WAL-MART: I think Wal-Mart has a very strong policy against discrimination and in favor of diversity. And it -- and it works hard to instill that throughout the company, throughout the stores.
GISEL RUIZ, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, WAL-MART: Our company culture is about providing all associates opportunities to advance and grow.
BOLDUAN: And they've launched a national PR campaign to show that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At Wal-Mart, we're thinking big about diversity and inclusion.
BOLDUAN: The Supreme Court, though, isn't weighing in on whether the women's discrimination claims are valid. Rather, it's deciding the more technical yet closely watched question -- Can they file as a class, or do they have to fight Wal-Mart individually?
KWAPNOSKI: It's just Wal-Mart's way of trying to stalemate us. They know we're right, and they just -- they don't want to admit it.
BOLDUAN (on camera): What the Justices decide could reach far beyond Wal-Mart to companies big and small, some in the business community fearing the outcome could open them up to a flood of frivolous lawsuits costing jobs and hurting the economy. We expect a ruling by the end of June. Kate Bolduan, CNN, at the Supreme Court.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Intolerance can some in many forms. Ever since 9/11, fear about radical Islam has increased around the country. Plans for a mosque project in Tennessee triggered an uproar. As part of her special, "Unwelcome: The Muslims Next Door," our Soledad O'Brien talks to the leader of the mosque protest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEVIN FISHER, PLAINTIFF IN LAWSUIT AGAINST RUTHERFORD CO.: We as citizens, we have families and we have children in this community, and we try to look out for our future.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We thank you for your love! We thank you for your joy!
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kevin Fisher has lived in Murfreesboro for 20 years. He's a corrections officer and a single father. Last May, Kevin was stunned to discover local officials had approved plans for 53,000-square-foot Islamic center in his hometown.
FISHER: Neighbors were outraged that something of this nature was being basically shoved down our throats and we didn't know anything about it.
O'BRIEN: A month later, the typically sleepy county commission meeting was anything but. So many people turned up for the public hearing, authorities wouldn't let them all in.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm very happy to see this many people here that are really standing up.
O'BRIEN: A few residents complained about the lack of notice of the mosque plan.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would respectfully ask for an expanded public hearing again.
O'BRIEN: Virtually everyone else spoke out against the threat of Islam.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everybody knows who's trying to kill us, and it's like we can't say it!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I would encourage the boycott of any contractor associated with the project.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our country was founded through the Founding Fathers, through the true God the father and Jesus Christ.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sorry, but they seem to be against everything that I believe in. And so I don't want them necessarily in my neighborhood. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That concludes our public comment period. Thank you very much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: CNN's Soledad O'Brien chronicles the dramatic fight over construction of a mosque in the heart of a Bible Belt. "Unwelcome: The Muslims Next Door" airs tonight at 8:00 o'clock Eastern time.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Time for a "CNN Equals Politics" update. We're keeping an eye on all the latest headlines at the CNNPolitics.com desk, and here's what's crossing right now. Members of Congress returned to Capitol Hill this week after taking a week off in their home states. Topping their agenda, hammering out a budget to keep the government running. Current federal funding runs out in less than two weeks.
Congresswoman Michele Bachmann is dropping more hints about running for president. The Minnesota Republican is in the process of forming a presidential exploratory committee, and at a conservative conference in Iowa this weekend, she sounded like a candidate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R), MINNESOTA: America has decided they're in for 2012! And so that's my question to you today here in Iowa. Are you in? Are you in for 2012? Are you in?
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
BACHMANN: Are you going to make it happen? Are we going to take our country back? I agree with you! I say we do! I'm in! You're in! We will take this back in 2012!
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: President Barack Obama, meantime, outlines his strategy in Libya tomorrow night at the National Defense University in Washington. You can watch it here live. CNN coverage begins at 7:00 o'clock Eastern time.
And for the latest political news, you know exactly where to go, CNNPolitics.com.
All right. The Sunday news shows talked politics, but they also spent a good deal of time on Libya, Gadhafi and the role the U.S. will be playing in enforcing the no-fly zone. Here's what they were saying on the Sunday talk shows.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB SCHIEFFER, HOST, CBS "FACE THE NATION": NATO is going to take over the operations there, but it does not call for regime change. And the president has said that Mr. Gadhafi has to go. That seems a bit contradictory.
ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY: I don't think so. I think what you're seeing is the difference between a military mission and a policy objective. The military mission is very limited and restricted to the establishment of the no-fly zone and for humanitarian purposes, to prevent Gadhafi from being able to use his armed forces to slaughter his own people.
HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: We have sent a clear message that it is time for him to transition out of power. We believe that Libya will have a better shot in the future if he departs and leaves power.
DAVID GREGORY, HOST, NBC "MEET THE PRESS": Bottom line, the president wants him to go, but the president will not take him out himself.
GATES: Certainly not militarily.
CANDY CROWLEY, HOST, CNN "STATE OF THE NATION": Do you have any doubt that the minute those planes stop enforcing a no-fly zone, he will be back with his troops going after the rebels?
SEN. CARL LEVIN (D), MICHIGAN: The people of Libya can remove their dictator. But we are not going to be the ones to remove him. We are the ones, as part of an international coalition, that are going to prevent him from massacring his own people.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: Gadhafi should be either with Hugo Chavez, with Hitler and Stalin or in the international criminal court, and we should take actions to make sure that happens over time.
JAKE TAPPER, HOST, ABC "THIS WEEK": Do you think Libya posed an actual or imminent threat to the United States?
GATES: No. No. It was not -- it was not a vital national interest to the United States, but it was an interest.
SEN. RICHARD LUGAR (R), INDIANA: Well, I was startled to hear Secretary Gates say that Libya was not of vital interest. Before our nation goes to war or has military action, there must be a plan. There must be objectives, the end game, what we want to achieve, and then at least some means as to how that's going to occur. That has not happened as yet.
CLINTON: I think it's perfectly legitimate for members of Congress and the public to ask questions. The president's going to address the nation Monday night. A lot of these questions will be answered.
SCHIEFFER: There are some people in the Pentagon quoted in various newspapers as saying this no-fly zone may last for three months or so. How long do you think this is going to be in place?
GATES: I don't think anybody has any idea.
(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: All right. Here's something worth talking about. What if you could take a picture with your Smartphone and it instantly downloads the photo to other smart phones around you? Well, it's about to happen.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Remember the Polaroid camera and then the disposal camera? Well, get ready for instant picture-sharing with your Smartphone. Here's CNN's Dan Simon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're in Palo Alto, California, the heart of Silicon Valley. For the last six months, a team of engineers has been developing a secret app, so secret that they put paper on the windows to block public view. Well, now it's being released to the world, and if you believe what they're saying, this application will be as revolutionary as both Facebook and Twitter.
(voice-over): Bill Nguyen is the founder and CEO of Color, a Smartphone app that got some Silicon Valley investors so excited that they wrote some very large checks even before seeing a real product.
BILL NGUYEN, COLOR: We were given $41 million to start our company. It's one of the largest fundings ever for a private software company.
SIMON: What does Color do? It's a new kind of social network, not necessarily for people you know but for people you don't know. It allows users of iPhones and Android devices to instantly share their photos, videos and texts with literally everyone around them.
NGUYEN: We call this multi-lens technology. So we describe it as similar to, like, going to a wedding where you have all these disposable cameras laid out everywhere, and you take pictures and it's great because you share a moment together. Well, we've done that, except with iPhones. So every camera that takes a picture around you within 150 feet is going to be instantly in your application. You didn't have to upload it, you didn't have to download it, you didn't have to share, you didn't friend anyone. It just happens.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In this view, I can see photos and videos being taken by all people using Color on their Smartphone nearby me.
SIMON: And you can keep the pictures forever. If that sounds a bit creepy to you and an invasion of privacy, Nguyen says don't use the app. But he sees it as the next generation of social networking, all on the phone in a post-PC world. The app is free. Nguyen hopes to monetize in a few months through advertising.
(on camera): How do you convince somebody that they should be using this?
NGUYEN: Right. So let's go back to just the basic premise of capturing information. I think today, when I capture pictures with my camera, it's just my single perspective. So we think that by using this application, it's going to be really fun.
SIMON (voice-over): Nguyen's intuition of what users will like has served him well. His last company, a music streaming service, was bought by Apple for a reported $80 million. Before that, he got more than 10 times that amount, $850 million, for a Web messaging service. Not bad for a college dropout with no formal background in computers. He thinks his newest company has the potential to overshadow his other successes, but he admits there's a bit of an unknown.
NGUYEN: It's a very different audience and a very different goal, and we'll see what happens.
SIMON: Whatever happens, with millions in investment, Color has a lot of smart people counting on it to be a hit. Dan Simon, CNN, Palo Alto, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Thanks for being with me this afternoon. Don Lemon's coming up next with more of the NEWSROOM after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Right now on CNN, breaking news on the whereabouts of this woman hustled away by Libyan security officials. We're live from where the confrontation happened in just moments.
Plus, look at these new pictures just in to CNN showing the awesome force of the Japan tsunami.
And look at this, as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRAN TARKENTON, BUSINESSMAN AND INVESTOR: Owners and players, get rid of the anger. Get rid of the ego. Get rid of the lawyers. Take the lawyers out of the room!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: That's NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton giving his take on the pro football stalemate. He'll join us here live in just a few minutes.
