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Libyan Government: Alleged Rape Victim Released; Remembering Geraldine Ferraro; Breaking News: 6.5 Quake Hits Japan, New Tsunami Warning Issued; Libyan Rebels Seize 2 More Cities; Fran Tarkenton has Advice for NF
Aired March 27, 2011 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Don Lemon. The CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.
And we begin tonight with breaking news on a story that captured CNN viewers around the world: a woman with a desperate plea to journalists at a Libyan hotel. She claimed rape and abuse at the hands of Moammar Gadhafi's henchmen. She was roughed up, manhandled by security before being hauled off to possibly never being heard from again.
Tonight, the Libyan government says she has been released.
CNN's Nic Robertson is at the hotel where it all happened. We'll talk to him in just a moment.
But, first, let's play what happened.
(VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And that's the woman right there being whisked off. We're preparing to get ready for CNN's Nic Robertson. He's going to join us from the hotel where it happened.
As Nic is preparing to get ready as to what happened, I want to tell you, we're being told that the woman has been released and they're saying that it is a criminal case against four individuals who have an attorney that they're saying. But, again, the woman has been released, that's according to a government official. She said over the course of two days that she had been roughed up and even raped by the hands of Moammar Gadhafi's militia.
And that woman burst into a Tripoli hotel yesterday filled with journalists who are having breakfast and said that she had been raped and that she had been beaten. Our cameras and many other cameras were broken and virtually just annihilated so that there would be no evidence in this case. But we did manage to save the video. And our Nic Robertson talked to the folks who are there.
As Nic prepares to get ready, we want to also give you the very latest now on our Libya coverage and that part begins with explosion and tracer fire over Tripoli.
(VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: That was just a short time ago in the capital city. It's not clear where the explosions were coming from, but coalition forces continue to enforce a no-fly zone over the country.
I want you to check out this video from a British fighter jet over northern Libya. And you're seeing what the crew saw as they take aim and blast away an enemy target.
This video shows missions against Moammar Gadhafi's forces in Ajdabiya and also Misrata. Libyan rebels are advancing westward, taking control of two key cities. The opposition says Gadhafi's force retreated from Ras Lanuf and rebel fighters appear to have seized the key oil town of Brega.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates is accusing Gadhafi of ghoulish tricks to make it seem like coalition attacks have killed civilians. Here's what he told CBS.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY: The truth of the matter is we have trouble coming up with proof of any civilian casualties that we have been responsible for. But we do have a lot of intelligence reporting about Gadhafi taking the bodies of people he's killed and putting them at the sites where we've attacked. We've been extremely careful in this military effort.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And NATO approved a plan to take over responsibility for the Libya operation. That will happen in two or three days, and then the current coalition led by the U.S., Britain and France can stand down.
And now, we want to go back to CNN's Nic Robertson who joins us now from Tripoli where that dramatic event unfolded in a hotel yesterday.
OK. So, Nic, we're hearing that this woman has been released. Do we know if this is true?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, government officials say she's been released. But, so far, the government officials here sometimes, some of the things they tell us don't turn out to be as they tell us directly. When the government spokesman was asked if we could interview her by some of the journalists who said they talked to her family and who had given the green light to interview her now, he prevaricated and made it sound like it was impossible.
So, it's really not clear if she's actually been released yet or not. Maybe we'll get more information on that tomorrow. But when I challenged him about the fact that he had been accusing her of being a prostitute against the fact that her family says she was a law student, this is what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOUSSA IBRAHIM, LIBYAN GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN: Yes, Nic.
ROBERTSON: The family of this raped law student, you have been describing her --
IBRAHIM: Nic, could we not discuss her -- no, no. Listen, Nic -- Nic -- could we please, this is a very -- Nic, please. Could we just, to respect her, her daughter, her family, to respect -- this is a very conservative society. Could we not expose her in public, please? Could we let -- what do you care about, Nic, OK? Not to embarrass me as I'm standing here on the stand -- what you care about, Nic.
OK, listen, if I said something, I said what I knew. I don't want to repeat anything I said. I'm not withdrawing from what I'm said. I'm saying is I don't want to make it more known, even more public. This is a criminal case. This woman has a family.
We need to protect her privacy, her daughter's rights, when she grows up. We need to make this as criminal case, as legal a case as possible without talking about people's histories, their files, their previous crimes or their lifestyle. Especially, we live in a very conservative society. So, as a sign of respect to this woman, hopefully -- I'm quite sure, by the way, the OK from them will come.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: But the fact is the government here has been involved in a smear campaign against Iman al Obeidi she walked into the hotel and officials bundled her away. They've been trying to make it out like she is prostitute and that she can have no strong voice in the political situation here. The government essentially is trying to silence her and utterly discredit her.
Journalists here are still hoping, we will get to talk to her now she has been, as the government says, released.
LEMON: And, Nic, she has really become the face of this conflict, hasn't she?
ROBERTSON: She has, indeed. The reason for this is quite simple. The government here wants to portray the situation in Tripoli as a place where everyone supports the leader Moammar Gadhafi.
And she was the first person to come into the hotel here, to talk to journalists, to go on camera and speak against the regime, because the regime, according to her, done unspeakable things against her, tied her up after she went through a checkpoint and raped her over the period of several days. She was brave enough to do that.
And we saw the way that the heavy-handed government officials here dealt with her, bundling her up, silencing her, throwing a bag over her head, taking her away from the hotel. And now they're trying to make it all sound better. But at the same time, they're accusing her, and on state television as well, of the worst sort of slander, accusing her of being a prostitute. And then as we heard the government spokesman, not willing to stand up publicly and admit essentially what it had done.
LEMON: All right. Nic Robertson in Tripoli -- thank you very much for that, Nic.
And we wanted to show you what happened at the hotel today where this woman burst in yesterday. Let's take a look. Men and women, excuse me, in Benghazi. Men and women in Benghazi marching in support of this woman, and you see them there. And again, as Nic Robertson said, she has become the face of this conflict so far. This video of the rally is just coming in to CNN.
Let's move on now to Syria, Yemen and Libya, the latest countries in turmoil. Tonight, CNN looks at how the events unfolded, what the future holds for different nations and what it means to the U.S. Make sure you watch "Uprising: Region in Revolt" tonight at 9:00 Eastern right here on CNN.
In Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, hopes for democracy spreading across Northern Africa and the Middle East. And we're going to talk to someone who knows these countries very well, the former secretary of state, Madeleine Albright, and I'm also going to ask her about the passing of her very good friend, former vice presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro.
What you're looking at right there -- amazing new video coming in from Japan on the force of that tsunami. It's going to make you stop in your tracks and watch this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: The sounds of change in Syria. It is the latest Middle East country to face regime-shaking protest and deadly clashes. Here's what a source is telling CNN, that the hated state of emergency that's been in place for nearly 50 years will be lifted. It's an apparent concession to anti-government demonstrators amid accusations that troops opened fire on them.
Facing the biggest challenge yet to his 11-year presidency, Bashar al-Assad is expected to address his nation in the next couple of days. The source says Assad's cabinet could resign next week, as soon as he decides on a new prime minister.
I'm joined from Washington now by Madeleine Albright. She served as secretary of state during the Clinton administration, the first woman ever to hold that post. She also served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Madam Secretary, thank you so much for joining us.
MADELEINE ALBRIGHT, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: Good to be with you, Don.
LEMON: Much has been made of this conflict and how the United States got involved. I have to ask you, do you think that the president handled this properly and should we have intervened?
ALBRIGHT: I think he handled it very well. And the reason we intervened is that terrible things were happening on the ground in Libya. People were being killed. And Gadhafi himself had said that he was going slaughter everybody.
We had international support for it, not only from the Europeans, but from the Arab League and from a number of countries in the Middle East. And so, that kind of combined international support for this, I think, is very, very important, along with the U.N. Security Council resolution, and the fact that as Secretaries Clinton and Gates and the president have said, this is going to be moving towards a NATO operation, with help from the other countries.
LEMON: I know that you think that he's unstable. I think you called him a nut. Should removing him from power be the ultimate goal of this mission?
ALBRIGHT: Well, I think the goal of the mission is in order to protect the civilians. That is what the Security Council resolution says. But, I -- he has lost his legitimacy, as numbers of leaders have said.
And one of the things, though, every situation is a little bit different. I had a lot that I was working on when I was secretary on Kosovo. And we bombed under NATO auspices, with -- NATO did, for 78 days. Milosevic surrendered, but it took a year for him to leave.
LEMON: All right.
ALBRIGHT: He was under indictment for the war crimes tribunal. So, the noose can be tightened.
LEMON: All right. Madam Secretary, thank you for speaking with us about that. But I want to please stay with us because we're going to take a quick break here. And then I'd like to come back and talk about your good friend, Geraldine Ferraro. And I know you have some fond memories that you'd like to share with us. And we're going to do that right after the break.
ALBRIGHT: All right.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GERALDINE FERRARO (D), FORMER VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't make resolutions anymore. I stopped doing that when I was a kid. I used to make all kinds of resolutions -- lose weight, stop smoking, (INAUDIBLE) and all these things. I stopped doing that, have determined that all I'm concerned about now is the future. I wanted to it to be a good future for my kids and my grandchildren.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: That is iconic politician Geraldine Ferraro, of course -- the first female vice presidential candidate from a major U.S. political party, a three-term congresswoman and, for a time, a co-host of CNN's "Crossfire."
Geraldine Ferraro died yesterday at the age of 75 of multiple myeloma. It's a blood cancer. She and Walter Mondale lost in a landslide to Ronald Reagan in 1984. But Ferraro's place in history was secure.
Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright was a close friend and adviser. And she joins me now from Washington.
I want to read a quote. It is from "Always Too Soon" by author Allison Gilbert. She says, "In the summer of 1985, I was out on Fire Island and for a weekend with Madeleine Albright who was then my foreign policy adviser on the '84 campaign. We became good friends.
I got a call from one of my mother's neighbors at 2:00 in the morning. She said your mother is at the hospital. She's having trouble breathing. And Madeleine said, I'm going with you.
We went across the water in my son's boat. We got to the hospital. The doctor told me that it was emphysema. But if my mother stopped smoking, she would be fine. 'My mother doesn't,' I said. And I turned to her" -- meaning you Mrs. Albright -- "and asked, 'Do you know?'"
Can you finish the rest of that story for us?
ALBRIGHT: Well, it was an amazing time and it showed so much how Gerry adored her mother and wondered, you know, why she would be having emphysema. But, mostly, it was a matter of just unbelievable care. She felt that she owed everything to her mother, who was a single mother and had really supported Gerry through school.
And there wasn't a time that her mother didn't call that Gerry answered the phone and would always be there for her. This was a very huge loss for her when her mother died.
LEMON: She was also very close to her father. And in that book, she tells a story. And I'm sure you heard it. She was a young girl and she went into her mom and dad's bedroom in the morning, and her dad said, "Gerry, leave the room." Her mom came out eventually and said, "Your dad has gone to be with the Lord. He's no longer here." And that's how she found out about her father's death.
And then she talks about how -- what she wanted to happen when her father died. A picture on the nightstand and American flag -- she wanted that to be buried with her as well when she died.
ALBRIGHT: Well, she was a great patriot and loved her parents. And so much wanted everybody to understand what a terrific family she came from and what a terrific family she has.
And the quote that you used about caring about the future -- I have never met anybody that was such a fighter for the future, for her children and grandchildren and for America. That's what she was about. She was a feisty fighter and a path breaker, and nothing will ever be the same in American politics once she stepped up on the stage there at the San Francisco convention and said "I'm Geraldine Ferraro, and I'm running for vice president of the United States."
LEMON: Doctors gave her three to five years when they gave her the prognosis, and she lasted much longer than that. That says a lot about her spirit and her tenacity.
ALBRIGHT: Totally. I mean, she lasted 12 years after that prognosis and every single day was a fight. I spoke to her about a week ago, and she was ready to take on the next part of this, to always be ready to try something new. She was such a spirit of life and a desire to live and to really show that she could beat the odds. And she beat them for a very, very long time.
LEMON: Her family and her daughters, how are they doing?
ALBRIGHT: Well, they're obviously devastated. But they are very, very close family. They are going to spend a lot of time crying and laughing over Gerry's stories. We all will.
She talked with a particular speed that many of us had to keep saying "slow down" so we can understand you. She really had so much spirit and love of life. And all of us, while we say that we have lost a friend, we will never have lost her because she's etched in our minds forever with her laughter and her sense of doing the right thing for her family and the country.
LEMON: Ambassador Albright, thank you very much.
ALBRIGHT: Thank you.
LEMON: Let me take a quick break here. But don't go anywhere because just ahead: new video of a tsunami in Japan unlike any you have seen before. I promise you, it is heart pounding.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Just when we thought we had seen all the dramatic tsunami video over the past two weeks, we were wrong. This was recently posted on YouTube. The location is Kesennuma, a fishing port of 75,000 people in Japan's northeast coast. The tsunami traveled about six miles up the bay before reaching the city.
Take a look.
(VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: We're going to have much, much more on that video coming up next hour here on CNN. And, by the way, Kesennuma is about 100 miles north of the crippled nuclear power plant in Fukushima. All of northeast Japan was perilously close to the quake epicenter.
Two weeks after the disaster, the crisis in Fukushima caused by quake and tsunami damage is far from over. The nuclear facility is now a hot pincushion. Sharp spikes of deadly radiation are pulsing throughout the sprawling complex.
Some readings today were so high that even Japan's safety agency did not believe they were accurate. Retesting of those locations showed the earlier readings were in error. But the overall situation is extremely dangerous and uncertain. Ocean water 1,000 feet from the plant today shows radiation levels more than 1,800 times higher than normal, 1,200 yesterday. Wow!
Here in the United States -- flooding, hail, snow and avalanches. Big weather headlines to tell you about. Our meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is here.
Jacqui, as we look at that video, if you have that video, the new video, as you said -- what did you say, it was -- when you see it?
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It gives you chills.
LEMON: It gives you the chill, yes.
JERAS: It's just hard to look at.
LEMON: Hard to look at. Every time I see it, it's -- you know, new video keeps coming in. We will keep bringing it to you here on CNN.
JERAS: Absolutely.
LEMON: But Each one worse than the one before it.
JERAS: I know. Hard to believe that that actually happened, that that was real.
We've had a lot of extreme weather in the U.S. today.
LEMON: Yes.
JERAS: A lot of weather headlines and a lot of weather video to go along with it to help explain to you what's been happening across the country. And we're going to start out in California where there's just been storm after storm after storm hitting your area this week. We'll roll that video.
This is in the San Pablo area where at least three homes we know are at risk from sliding. And this is mud slides, landslides, all happening because that ground is just too saturated, too much rain at one time and it's getting loose. It's a very unstable situation. These people have been told to get out of the area because of that danger.
We'll take you to Minnesota now. This is in Hastings. This is the suburb of St. Paul where the Mississippi River is on the rise. It's already above flood stage but not expected to crest until Thursday at the earliest. So, there you can see all of the volunteers that have been out there sandbagging, trying to protect homes in the area. We'll continue to track this story in the days and weeks possibly ahead.
Now, these pictures, this is come in from Georgia and to the southern suburb of the Atlanta area, where thunderstorms caused lots of hail across the area yesterday. Look at how big that was. There were some reports up to grapefruit size yesterday afternoon. That is pretty large for the Georgia area.
Now, hail continues to be a threat today in southern parts of the state and we're also focusing in here along the I-10 corridor. We've got a lot of thunderstorms which have all been lining up, producing some heavy downpours and some of those reports of hail. We got 113 of them today in Alabama and Georgia alone. This threat is going to be ongoing, the severe thunderstorm watch until 11:00 eastern time for today.
Tough travel conditions, we'll talk more about that in the next hour, for what you can expect for your commute tomorrow.
LEMON: Do you remember when you hooked me up with the NOAA weather radio a couple years back?
JERAS: Did it wake you up last night?
LEMON: All night. The weather, of course, makes you sleep, the rain, when it's not hailing, you know, down in your house.
JERAS: Make sure you'd use that same technology so you code in your county so it doesn't go off for every single thing in the area.
LEMON: Yes, but we needed it. Everyone needs one.
JERAS: Absolutely.
LEMON: Jacqui Jeras, thank you very much.
JERAS: Sure.
LEMON: Dangerous delivery. A California man is in the hospital after his Sunday newspaper explodes? And now, the FBI is on the hunt.
And Operation Odyssey stretches into a second week in Libya. Rebels are taking advantage and taking cities as they push harder against Moammar Gadhafi.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: It's time to check your top stories on CNN.
Libyan rebels are advancing westward, taking control of two key cities today. The opposition said Gadhafi's forces retreated from Ras Lanuf and rebel fighters appear to have seized the key oil town of Brega. Meantime, NATO OK'd a plan to take over responsibility for the Libya operation. That will happen in two or three days. And then, the current coalition, led by the U.S., Britain and France, can stand down.
A terrifying explosion in a quiet San Francisco-area neighborhood today. This is a chopper shot from our affiliate, KGO. A man was getting his Sunday newspaper when an explosive device hidden inside the paper detonated. He was rushed to the hospital. Bomb-sniffing dogs searched the area for more hidden explosives, but didn't find anything. It's not known why the victim was targeted. The FBI and police, of course, are investigating.
A fatal bus crash two weeks ago in New York City that killed 15 people that we reported to you has resulted in nearly a dozen more bus drivers being taken off the road. A state crackdown in the aftermath of the crash found 11 commercial bus drivers were using aliases. The aggressive enforcement was launched after the driver of the fatal bus crash was found to have lied on his license application.
In Athens, Georgia, hundreds of mourners turned out today for the funeral of a police officer gunned down Tuesday while pursuing a carjacking suspect. Officer Elmer "Buddy" Christian had been with the Athens police for eight years. His alleged killer surrendered on live television Friday night after a four-day manhunt.
Former President Jimmy Carter will be back in Cuba tomorrow. This video shows Carter on his last trip there in 2002 when he was greeted by Fidel Castro. He was the only U.S. president, in or out of office, to visit the Communist island. This is not an official visit. It's a private trip. It was at the invitation of the Cuban government.
They don't have the money yet, but today there are unconfirmed reports a group of state government workers in Albany, in New York, bought that winning mega-millions lottery ticket. Lucky devils. No one has officially come forward to claim the $319 million jackpot. The earliest anyone can collect the money is tomorrow.
Back to our Libya coverage. As we reported, rebels seized two more cities in Libya.
Our Arwa Damon visited both areas today, Ras Lanuf and Brega. She'll walk us through the aftermath -- Arwa?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are here on the western outskirts of the oil town of Brega, yet another location now, it would seem, it's firmly in control of opposition fighters. They say, thanks to those air strikes that took out Gadhafi's positions outside of Ajdabiya, clearing the road for them to continue on their march westward.
This here is the gate to Ras Lanuf, heavily damaged in fighting, but this was caused, we're being told, by the initial battles that took place between Gadhafi's troops and opposition fighters. The fighters telling us, when they came through on this day, they encountered no resistance whatsoever. In fact, there was no sign of Gadhafi's military.
Both Brega and Ras Lanuf very critical, not just to the opposition, but also to Gadhafi's government. It is evident why, as we look over here at Ras Lanuf oil refinery.
So this here is Haliz (ph), and he has driven down from Benghazi with the American flag. He says to thank the United States for standing with them.
(voice-over): Driving through Ras Lanuf, it appears as if the damage is not that extensive. But people were telling us that inside some of the homes, it's another story.
This here is Abdel Hakim's (ph) house. He just came back from Benghazi to check it out. And it's been completely trashed inside. It looks like it was set on fire or caught fire somehow.
ABDEL HAKIM (ph), LIBYA HOMEOWNER: This is my room.
DAMON (on camera): This is your room.
HAKIM (ph): Yes. My room.
DAMON: Do you know, Abdel (ph), what happened? (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
He doesn't really know what happened to it, or what would have happened in here.
DAMON (voice-over): Abdel Hakim (ph) is visibly upset. He is showing us family photos he says he managed to salvage. This is a burnt picture of his parents. This one is of his sister.
(on camera): The trunk of this car has just been loaded with ammunition, with rockets. The trunk of this vehicle as well. All of this stuff heading for the frontline. The opposition has encountered very little resistance in getting this far, but with Sirte, Gadhafi's hometown, being their next planned destination, they say the toughest fight could be yet to come.
Arwa Damon, CNN, Ras Lanuf, Libya.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right, Arwa, thank you very much.
Syria, Yemen and Libya the latest countries in turmoil. Tonight, CNN looks at how the events unfolded, what it means for different States, and what it means to the United States. Make sure you watch "Uprising, Region in Revolt," tonight at 9:00 p.m. right here on CNN.
Football Hall of Famer, Fran Tarkenton, has some strong advice for the players and owners over the NFL lockout.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRAN TARKENTON, HALL OF FAME NFL QUARTERBACK: 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. Jerry Jones --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right, here he is, Fran Tarkenton. We'll talk to him about this, right after the break. Man, you went after them.
(LAUGHTER)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: We have some breaking news on CNN. We had just reported on what was happening in Japan, and now, according to the USGS, a 6.5 earthquake has been reported off the Japan coast. A 6.5 magnitude earthquake reported off the Japan coast. And that is -- Japanese coast -- that is according to the USGS.
Here's what our affiliate there, NHK, is reporting. They are saying that there is a tsunami warning after this quake in northern Japan. They're saying it's about 50 centimeters, which is about 19.5, 19.7 inches. But again, that is what is being reported.
Our meteorologist, Jacqui Jeras, on top of it. We'll check in with her in a bit. And also, we're going to go to our people on the ground in Japan to find out what's going on.
But again, an earthquake has been reported by the USGS, and a tsunami warning by our affiliate there as well. We'll get it to you right here on CNN.
OK, let's move on as we wait on the developments on that. Hall of Famer Quarterback Fran Tarkenton is here.
(LAUGHTER)
Fran, you're a business man and you the founder of the web site called onemorecustomer.com, right? On your web site and on YouTube, you let NFL players and owners have it, singling out Cowboys owner, Jerry Jones, and a few players, to get something done.
Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TARKENTON: 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.
Jerry Jones, call Peyton Manning and Ray Lewis.
Drew Brees, Tom Brady, get in a room.
You're a good man, Jerry Jones. These guys are good players and good people. Let's get in a room and get the lawyers out of the way.
This is a big pie to split up. Let's figure out what would be best for the players, owners and fans and get a deal done before it's too late.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: That's part of the six-minute plea to get together -- (LAUGHTER)
-- and settle their labor dispute before it jeopardizes the upcoming season. OK, why you, first? And have you heard from them?
TARKENTON: I haven't heard from them, but, you know, this is a $9.3 billion enterprise, the most successful sports deal going in the world. The players are wealthy. The owners are wealthy. Now they have the lawyers in and they're threatening if de-certification and they're threatening the lock out and all kinds of lawsuits are flowing around. Get the -- lawyers never settle anything. They won't settle this strike.
LEMON: Yes. Can you settle it?
TARKENTON: I can be the mediator, and I can get Jerry Jones and Peyton Manning and Ray Lewis and Drew Brees and that group in a room, and we cannot eat or drink until we get a settlement.
LEMON: What would you say to them?
TARKENTON: I would say, in any partnership -- and they are partners. The owners and players are partners. You want to make sure your partner has a good deal. If your partner has a good deal, you have a sustainable partnership. And the owners have got to make sure it's a good deal for the players. And the players have to make sure it's a good deal for the owners. And come together and just get this thing fixed before it is too late and we have a season delay or cancellation.
LEMON: OK, so you know how wildly it's been seen, how many clicks you've had?
TARKENTON: Yes.
LEMON: And is it working? Is it helping? What are people saying?
TARKENTON: Yes, it is helping. We are getting a lot of feedback. Thousands of people have gone to the video and I've heard from an awful lot of people. You know what? The fans don't have any sympathy in this thing.
LEMON: Yes.
TARKENTON: And things can change. This league is so successful, but if the fans rebel, it's a different ball game, isn't it.
LEMON: You are optimistic?
TARKENTON: I'm optimistic they'll get it done and we'll have a full season and get this thing going.
LEMON: Quick change of topics here. Barry Bonds' trial in the news. Baseball has been hit hard by the steroid scandal. But you don't hear much about it in football. Why is it? Why don't you hear about what's going on with performance-enhancing drugs in football as in other sports?
TARKENTON: I don't know that answer. Here's the tragedy. Whenever you have athletes trying to get an edge -- workouts, vitamins, supplements and so forth. But now we now that HGH, you run faster, you jump higher, you're stronger, you can throw the ball further, and it's all over the NFL. It's all over the NBA. It's all over the college football and even in the high school ranks. We need to make a decision, are we going really test and kick people out for using HGH or are we going to legalize the drugs?
LEMON: Do they test as much in football as in other sports?
TARKENTON: HGH is not being tested right now. You certainly cannot afford to test HGH in high school ranks. and college ranks, I doubt whether it's tested. It's hard to detect, if not impossible right now. But if you're going to -- people are using it because athletes want to be better. We want to be faster and stronger, so we'll use this stuff.
LEMON: Do you think they should be tested and people penalized for it?
TARKENTON: I think they should make up their mind. If you're going to have a rule --
LEMON: One way or the other.
TARKENTON: -- that's against it, then you test them and kick them out if they use it or suspend them if they use it, second time abuse, you're out of football or whatever sport you're doing. But we know that these drugs, they make swimmers swim faster, track people run faster, throw the discus further, maybe hit golf balls farther, all that stuff.
LEMON: Yes. And coffee. How much coffee have you had today that makes you do what you're doing?
(LAUGHTER)
Your energy is off the charts.
TARKENTON: I kind of just wake up this way.
LEMON: Yes. If I was representing you, I'd get an energy drink, you behind it, because you have so much energy and you are so passionate, and we appreciate it. I'm sure the viewers do as well.
TARKENTON: Thank you very much. Good to be with you.
LEMON: Good to see you, Fran.
(CROSSTALK)
TARKENTON: Thank you.
LEMON: Thank you, sir. All right, let's change gears now. The royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton -- I'm sure you're invited as well --
(LAUGHTER)
-- just a little over a month away, but it's not too late to get on the go to London and experience the pageantry firsthand.
Richard Quest has the scoop.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the countdown to the royal wedding. And there's still time to witness the nuptials in person.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The good news is that late April is not peak travel season to London.
QUEST: It's far easier to plan now than in 1981 when Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We didn't have at our disposal a lot of the travel tool we have now, the online travel revolution, the low-cost travel boom.
QUEST: When looking for a hotel, be adventurous. Step outside the city center zones of London.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The further away you are from the city central of London, the more affordable your hotel would be. I would say consider looking at cities an hour or even two hours outside of London.
QUEST: Without an invitation, you won't be able to crash the wedding itself. So plan ahead and pick your spot on the royal processional route between Westminster Abby and Buckingham Palace.
With the government allowing pubs to stay open late on the weekend of the wedding, you won't go thirsty.
(on camera): The streets around London will be packed with revelers enjoying the happy day. But don't worry, you can come too, because there's always room for one more.
Richard Quest, CNN, Buckingham Palace, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: We have breaking news right now out of Japan. A powerful aftershock and a tsunami warning are issued.
We're reaching out to our reporters in Japan, and our meteorologist, Jacqui Jeras, is here. Listen, here's what authorities are saying. Tsunami advisory on Monday morning for coastal areas of Miyagi Prefecture after a 6.5 magnitude quake struck the region. The Japan Meteorological Agency said that. It added, the tsunami height was expected to be about 0.5 meters or 1.6 feet tall. Miyagi is in the northeast part of Japan. These are pictures now from our affiliate, NHK, their live broadcast.
Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras, capable of causing severe damage at 6.5. And considering what they're going through already, it ramps it up a bit.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. At that magnitude, Don, I would be more concerned about any damage to existing structures as opposed to having a real significant tsunami. You mentioned the 1.5 feet or a half a meter, that is what they issue when they issue an advisory of how high they think the water could go. So this is not a widespread Pacific event. We don't need to worry in the United States of America. This with would be a localized tsunami if it occurred.
We saw some of those ripples in the water there. Those could be indicative of some rises in the water. Keep in mind, that first wave is not necessarily always the biggest one. So 1.5 meters is going to cause some damage. But we don't think, at that point, it's a major, major concern. But people should be listening to the authorities there and seeking higher ground if possible.
This is the location of the earthquake. This is very near the epicenter of the big 9.0 magnitude. Let's put this on Google Earth here and put it in perspective. Here was the 9.1 that occurred two weeks ago. And this red dot that you see underneath that is the one that just occurred, about the bottom of the hour. This is 6.5 in magnitude.
Usually, when we talk about a major tsunami, it's about 7.0 or greater. This was about 68 miles, 70 miles or so away from Sendai. This is about 100 miles away from the Fukushima Power Plant. and this was probably somewhere around the range of 200-plus miles away from Tokyo. But probably, those people certainly felt that. and we're reaching out to our reporters who are out there on the scene to find out what kind of damage happened.
LEMON: Hey, Jacqui? Jacqui, as a matter of fact -- I hate to cut you off. Stand by.
When I look at that map and I see Fukushima -- and you said it's not that far away -- of course, it concerns people there because --
JERAS: Absolutely.
LEMON: -- if that plant gets rattled again and shaken, who knows what's going to happen.
You did mention our correspondents. Paula Hancocks joining us now from Tokyo.
Paula, did you feel it? What's going on? What are you hearing from there as we look at pictures from our affiliate, NHK?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, no, I did not actually feel it here in Tokyo. We're about 350 kilometers or 250 miles away from where the epicenter was believed to have been.
But the fact is this was a fairly large earthquake, 6.5 magnitude. This is really what we've been seeing over recent days. Just a couple of days ago we had a 6.6 magnitude. That was certainly felt here in Tokyo. So this is an ongoing, fluid situation that there are constant aftershocks, constant earthquakes that we're still feeling here at the moment.
There was a tsunami alert, which is again quite usual for that particular area. The depth of this earthquake, we understand, was about four miles or less than four miles, so there was a tsunami alert.
At this point, though, it was half an hour ago that this happened. We haven't seen any evidence of that. But I've been in that region when there are tsunami alerts following the earthquakes and people do get to higher ground, obviously. You see the destruction around and people just don't want to take any kind of risk. But at this point, there is no tsunami that we're hearing of.
LEMON: And Paula, stick with us.
Here again, breaking news on CNN. We're getting reports of a tsunami advisory issued for Japan and also a quake. Actually, an aftershock, 6.5, according to the USGS.
Our Paula Hancocks joins us now live from Tokyo.
Paula, as we're watching the coverage, they're doing a weather report, and doing similar to what Jacqui Jeras was doing here on our air just a moment ago. What are the reports coming from on the ground? Is it going to take a while for people to realize what's going on?
HANCOCKS: Well, people will certainly be listening out for anything like this, especially if they had felt the quake. I mean, once you feel the quake or aftershock, then there is an alert, an advisory, either a siren in the area -- or certainly some of the systems have been destroyed in the first tsunami of March 11th, so there will be a loudspeaker. There will be police blowing whistles in the area -- we were in -- trying to get people to higher ground. That's likely to be what's happening.
Of course, in the worst-hit areas, many of these people would be in evacuation centers so they'd have their own system set up so that they'd know they have to get to higher ground. Many of these evacuation centers, though, would automatically be out of the reach of the tsunamis because they are still standing.
But at this point, we haven't heard that there have been any kind of tsunami, any kind of effect. But, as I say, people are not taking any chances at the moment because it is an ongoing situation. These quakes are still continuing, and they are significant sizes. 6.5 magnitude is a significant size, especially when it's less than four miles below us.
LEMON: And Paula, stand by.
Let's take in NHK live now. OK, they're showing us some rumbling, what's going on. We can't show the pictures right now but we'll get some pictures for you shortly.
I want to say we're getting new word as well from the Pacific Tsunami Center. We'll update what they're saying about Hawaii after the break. Our Jacqui Jeras will join us as well. She's checking on this, following it. And our Paula Hancocks is in Tokyo, following the story as well, a tsunami warning and also a 6.5 magnitude quake in Japan.
We're back with breaking news we're getting right after the break. Don't go anywhere.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Welcome back, everyone. Japanese automakers are struggling to get back on their feet in the wake of the massive earthquake. So what's in store for consumers ready to buy a new car? A one-two punch, a supply crunch and rising prices.
And I visited the International Auto Show being held here in Atlanta to hear what's in store for car buyers worldwide.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Japan, the earthquake is affecting car sales, right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to because certain cars like this new Prius B will either be delayed or the shipments will be held up. I think through April and May there will certainly be a shortage of the more popular Japanese models.
LEMON: Are parts made for American cars made in Japan?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a lot of parts. And that is really how this is going to affect almost everybody. It doesn't matter whether you're Toyota or General Motors or Ford, if you're getting a lot of parts from Japan -- it may be electronic chips. It may be transmissions. I don't think anyone has a handle on how bad that situation might get.
Right now, it looks like it's going to affect Toyota more than anybody else. All of their plants in Japan have been down. A couple of them are starting to come back up. Honda is going to be affected. It's definitely going to be --
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Japan -- the earthquake is affecting car sales, right? JOHN DAVIS, HOST, PBS "MOTORWEEK": It's going to because certain cars like this new Prius V are either going to be delayed or the shipments will be held up. I think through April and May there's certainly going to be a shortage of a lot of the more popular Japanese models.
LEMON: Are parts made for American cars that are made in Japan?
DAVIS: There's a lot of parts. And that's really how this is going to affect almost everybody. It doesn't matter whether you're a Toyota or General Motors or Ford, you're getting a lot of parts from Japan. It may be electronic chips, it may be transmissions and I don't think anyone's got a real handle on how bad that situation might get.
Right now it looks like it's going to affect Toyota more than anyone else. All of their plants in Japan have been down; a couple of them are starting to come back up. Honda's going to be affected; definitely going to be pressure at the dealership level to keep the prices up, especially on models that are in high demand.
So I don't expect there will be a lot of bargains for consumers this spring. It'll probably be summer before the situation rectifies itself.
If you're looking for something like a Prius or Honda fit that the supply is going to be limited, wait a couple of months. It will probably get better.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
