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Epic Storms in North Carolina; Donald Trump on Offense; Derrick Rose Leads Chicago Bulls to Win in NBA Playoffs; Gas Prices Rise; Basketball Players at Major University Arrested

Aired April 17, 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.

Mass destruction: 237 tornado reports. And this just in, video that sums it up -- a man, his camera, a parking lot, pounding rain.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The nearest tornado is probably down the road from your house to the corner. And there goes the roof of the house.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Man, I love this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, this YouTube video from Wilson, North Carolina, shows the speed of the storms powering through. Steven Hogue (ph) parked at the Fred Food Club, thinks he's videotaping a bad storm and a dark cloud. And it turns out to be a tornado that misses him by mere feet -- lucky man. And you heard him say -- you heard the "I love you" there. And he should be thankful.

What looks like a record number of tornadoes has killed more than 20 people in North Carolina, 14 alone in one county. Virginia wasn't spared, either. Four people killed, including a child swept away by a flash flood. Another person is missing.

South Carolina, devastated. Six people managed to escape a church when powerhouse winds and rain leveled that building. And in Pennsylvania, flash flooding was the issue. Water poured over banks in the Harrisburg area, soaking streets.

It's a deadly combination to a violent streak that began Thursday, hitting all these states you see there on that map. A trail of death and destruction spelled out by the death toll of at least 40 people.

And Bertie County, North Carolina, took a direct hit from these severe storms. It's about 140 miles east of Raleigh.

CNN's Catherine Callaway is there with the firsthand look.

And, Catherine, what's the extent of the damage? Any idea how many homes were destroyed?

CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. We just got preliminary figures in here for this county alone, this Bertie County. There are at least 85 total structures that were damaged in this, 17 of those were destroyed. The little area we're in here, there were at least five homes that were destroyed.

I'm actually down standing in the dining room of the Horton family, the floor. Unfortunately, the house where this floor was is behind my photographer. The house moved from where it was standing, the floor landed here, the back door landed there, and Mrs. Horton was, Don, found underneath that tree over there. She's now in the hospital. We hear she's doing well.

But this is just a sample of the damage that we've seen here. So many homes, 85, were just totally devastated. Nothing to pick up.

LEMON: And we can see people there, I assume going through their belongings. It looks like total devastation. Catherine, are people able to locate their things?

CALLAWAY: You know, I've been with some of these family members here, including members of this Horton family you see here. They are exhausted, as you can imagine, since this has been going on all day.

We've been digging around all afternoon. And honestly, Don, all we have found on this side of the road were a few pennies, one plate, just nothing. Most of the clothing, personal items, they actually blew and landed across the highway -- I don't know if we can show you -- way out there in that field. A lot of it was found over there and they've been bringing it over and putting in a pile. But most of it was damaged from the wind and the debris flying.

You're seeing this car. Look at this -- a car didn't start out here, this is how it ended. The gentleman only had this car for a short while, also a member of the Horton family. Just complete devastation.

LEMON: It's unbelievable when you see the power of the storm that it's sticking inside of that windshield like a toothpick. Imagine if someone had been inside of that, Catherine.

My question -- look at that -- my question, Catherine, where are these people going tonight? Do they have anywhere to stay?

CALLAWAY: Yes. Well, there's three shelters open. Very small community here, a very friendly community. Everybody has a place to stay. Obviously, the people who were in these homes are all damaged. They're unfortunately in a hospital, expected to be released in a couple of days.

But those families who did -- were able to get out uninjured, they are with family members. No one is in the shelters now. But it just tells you really how close-knit this community is. They all have family and friends here.

LEMON: Yes. And, Catherine, you were going to show me something over there with the car. Go ahead.

CALLAWAY: Oh, well, you know, I'm sort of -- there's so much debris, Don, I actually keep getting hooked on everything.

LEMON: Right.

CALLAWAY: But you see you how this piece of wood is stuck in the car. I wanted to show you how all over the place we're finding things impaled into the ground just from the wind. Bizarre things that really shouldn't be sticking in the ground, don't have enough power, but with that wind gets behind and uplift it. And I just can't tell you how unsettling it is to not be able to find one piece of a home that you can pick up. Honestly, we found maybe one place that wasn't broken, everything else gone.

LEMON: Thank you very much for that, Catherine. We appreciate it.

Let's turn to our meteorologist Karen Maginnis.

You saw Catherine out there explaining how things just dug into the ground, were pushed into the ground and to finish surface. That shows the power of these storms.

KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It is unimaginable, and when you see such extreme pictures like that, it lets you know -- if you had machinery to do those things, you couldn't do it in as quickly as Mother Nature did it in just a matter of hours, a couple of days, from Oklahoma, all the way up to North Carolina and Virginia.

I want to show you where these pockets occurred. These were in populated areas. These weren't in cornfields and wheat fields. These were in populate areas of east central North Carolina, Raleigh, Greensboro, High Point, Thomasville, extending down towards Berkeley County, South Carolina, all stomping grounds there.

Then several days ago we saw the damage done round Jackson, Mississippi, extending over towards Alabama. Hundreds and hundreds of reports of tornadoes, and typically, by this time of year, we would see maybe a dozen or so tornadoes in North Carolina. They saw some 90 reports of tornadoes.

Don, you'll want to take a look at this. This is time lapse imagery coming out of WRAL. They did incredible coverage. Look at this -- coming at the camera. It is a rain-wrapped tornado. And as it comes closer and closer, you just kind of see the debris flying around and then drops of -- rain drops on the camera lens and then things start moving around very quickly.

This is not advisable to do. Nor is it to sit in your car and watch a tornado pass you by. Those are not recommended things to do.

I want to take you to Gloucester County, Virginia. This is tucked into that southeastern corner of the state and some of those coastal areas, Dinwiddie, Isle of Wight -- they also saw severe damage. Three fatalities in three separate incidences. They're going to send out survey crews and look at this -- estimate just what the winds were on this.

This looks to be, in my estimation, an EF-3. That would mean the maximum winds associated with that, 165 miles an hour.

All right. Catherine Callaway showed you this already. But it takes another look and you can see just how powerful Mother Nature is. We see it all the time, when we see these devastating events, hurricanes and flooding.

This stick just jammed into the windshield of this car in North Carolina. In Bertie County, they had some -- dozen or so reported fatalities there. Not just in Wade County, Cumberland County, Robeson County.

Don, we'll be talking about this for many months to come as they start to repair their lives.

LEMON: Man, unbelievable. Thank you. Stand by. We know that you are going to be busy over there.

And I want to tell our viewer this, Karen. We're going to talk about the science of all this and how unusual it is. Mike Maze works at WRAL. He's been there 20 years, one of our affiliates in North Carolina. He says he has seen nothing like this as he's been a meteorologist there.

All right. Let's talk now about Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, also took a major hit from this powerful storm system. A town hall meeting for residents got under way last hour at the Marine base and the latest numbers include 20 to 30 homes destroyed there. Forty to 60 have suffered major structural damage and another 40 to 60 have minor damage such as broken windows and downed trees. Several people were injured on the base, including a 23-month-old child, now hospitalized, critical condition.

And just in to CNN: We have a new timeline for repairing those nuclear reactors in Japan at that crippled Fukushima power plant.

And the royal wedding less than two weeks. Guess who we have live this hour? It is Kate Middleton, a Kate Middleton. That's her name. But this one felt the impact of the upcoming nuptials and she's going to talk to us about that.

And if you want to find out about any of the stories we have online, you have some suggestions or feedback, check us out on any of those social media sites right there. We'll be back in just seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

LEMON: That is the sound of battle in Misrata, Libya, where six people were killed today and another 47 hurt. Control of the city remains in rebel hands, but they were supposedly still fighting 200 to 300 of Moammar Gadhafi's troops.

Meanwhile to the west, in Libya's capital, Tripoli, hundreds of supporters rallied behind Gadhafi after reported NATO airstrikes pounded targets around the city. Despite weeks of strikes by international forces, Gadhafi is still defying demands to stop attacks on his own people.

Rebuilding Japan after the devastating earthquake and tsunami. Now, there is a plan to help do it -- announced today by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during her visit to the country. The fan will form a partnership to encourage American businesses to keep investing in Japan during reconstruction. Clinton says it's only fair after all Japan has done around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: Japan is one of the world's most generous nations, and the dozens of countries that have sent support in the past five weeks are honoring Japan's legacy of caring for others.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, meanwhile, it is going to take six to nine months to stabilize the damaged nuclear reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant. It is the first timetable that engineers have given for ending the crisis. It will take three months to reduce the radioactivity and restore cooling systems. Another three to six months will be needed before the reactors fully shut down so crews can build new shells around their housings.

And the assembly lines will start rolling again at Toyota plants in Japan starting on Monday, but only at half capacity. The automaker had to suspend production at its Japanese plants after the earthquake on March 11th, of course. And Toyota will re-evaluate its production capabilities in June.

American politics now. Donald Trump, at it again, taking on President Obama, Libya and other big issues. And you won't believe what he said about fellow Republican Mitt Romney. We're going to hear it; we're going to talk about it -- next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, CEO, TRUMP INTERNATIONAL: And I have thousands and thousands of jobs that I've created over the years, hundreds of thousands.

CANDY CROWLEY, HOST, "STATE OF THE UNION": You're a bigger businessman. You think that that's a selling point for you over Mitt Romney?

TRUMP: Well, I'm a much bigger businessman. I have a much, much bigger net worth. I mean, my net worth is many, many, many times than Mitt Romney.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: You know who that is. That's the one and only Donald Trump on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" this morning, taking on Mitt Romney, Libya and other -- lots of other topics.

But, a lot of people, including John Avlon, have a problem with a potential Trump campaign for president.

So, John, you're the senior political columnist for "The Daily Beast" and a CNN contributor. All right, we have that out of the way. Let's start with the birther issue. He says it's not a losing issue, he said that to CNN.

So, what's wrong if anything is wrong with his quest to find the president's birth certificate?

JOHN AVLON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Man, I think everything is wrong with it. First of all, this should be a real wake-up call to the Republican Party. Polls have shown that 51 percent of Republican primary voters don't believe the president was born in the United States of America. Simultaneously, let's point out again, that it is conclusively proven that the president of the United States was born in the United States of America.

Yes. A candidate can get a short term bump out of pandering to the lowest common denominator of American politics. But when that works to this extent, responsible Republicans should be really concerned about the forces they have played with. When the fringe starts with the base, things can go off the rails.

At the end of the day, the American people wanted to elect a president who is responsible, not someone who is pandering to the extremes in our politics. And our politics -- one of the reasons our politics have become a little bit like a carnival, we're rewarding candidates for irresponsible and extreme comments. And they just need to be in the clearest terms possible.

LEMON: Yes. And as you said, CNN has looked into this extensively, and we have found absolutely no evidence that President Obama was born outside of the U.S.

So, John, I want you to listen to Donald Trump this morning on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" and hear what he said to CNN's Candy Crowley about Libya.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: If someone said, what would be your theory or what would you do in terms of Libya? I do one thing. Either I go in and take the oil, or I don't go in at all. We can't be the policeman for the world.

CROWLEY: You just take their oil?

TRUMP: Absolutely. I take the oil, give them plenty so they can live very happily. I would take the oil.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AVLON: Is he like learning like foreign policy from playing risk when he was a kid? I mean, look, Candy was great, she's like, hold on, you just go take the oil?

This is where responsible sort of preparation for running for president helps. And Donald Trump is a master of self-promotion. But at some point, you start to look more like Paris Hilton and less like someone who is serious about running for president.

You know, things like contingency plans, fallen proof. So, you're going to give the illusion of decisiveness by going in there and take the oil? You know, come on, let's get real here.

Candy was exactly right. That's an absurd thing for someone even flirting with the idea of running for president of the United States. Libya is going to become our 51st state?

LEMON: He took on George W. Bush yesterday and here's what he had to say about Mitt Romney to our Candy Crowley today. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Mitt Romney is basically a small business guy, if you really think about it. He was a hedge fund, he was a fund guy. He walked away with some money from a very good company that he didn't create. He worked there, he didn't create.

CROWLEY: He did create companies, though.

TRUMP: Look, he would buy companies. He'd close companies. He'd get rid of the jobs. OK?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Is this a battle of rich guys? I mean, what's going on here? My net worth is bigger than his. I mean --

AVLON: Yes. I mean, he really does sound like a cartoon image of a brass businessman at this point, right? My net worth is bigger than your net worth.

I mean, there is a place -- here's the tragedy, is that there is a place for a strong CEO candidate in a political environment, especially in the downtown recession and say, look, I have a record -- demonstrative record of providing jobs.

But, first of all -- I mean, Donald Trump's father begun the real estate empire in New York. Donald Trump has built it up dramatically. Someone gave them a file on Mitt Romney saying that, you know, part of breaking up companies that there are jobs lost.

But, again, the tragedy here is that there is a place for a CEO to make a strong case for running for president. That's what we saw with Ross Perot in 1992. Donald Trump is not making that case. Instead, he is making himself a caricature and playing the lowest common denominator of our politics. And there's something a little pathetic about that.

LEMON: Yes. And he's having a whole lot of fun with the media I think as well.

AVLON: And the media seems to be having fun with him.

LEMON: With him. Yes, it works both ways.

All right. John, from politics of the people to the aristocracy. So, John Avlon, I want you to stick around because we're going to talk to you about why some people are not interested in the so-called wedding of the century. That includes Kate Middleton. You heard me right. Details after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

LEMON: All right, there comes the queen, Harry is behind her and then William and Kate.

Now, I'd be interested in that royal wedding. That's a T-Mobile ad from YouTube. It pokes fun at the royal family and the nuptials set for April 29th. Man, Harry can get down, can't he?

OK. So, I know CNN contributor John Avlon enjoyed that. He's among those who don't care about Prince William getting married, also among the indifferent is Kate Middleton.

No, not that Kate Middleton, this Kate Middleton of Maynard, Mass.

So, thank you for joining us. Why are not interested? After all, it's your name on the wedding program.

KATE MIDDLETON, MAYNARD, MASSACHUSETTS RESIDENT: I've just never been interested in the royal family.

LEMON: That simple?

MIDDLETON: It's that simple. Who cares about all that hoopla?

LEMON: Listen, your Facebook account was canceled and that's really sort of what brought you to the public eye and to the media. What happened?

MIDDLETON: Basically, one day, my Facebook account said it was deactivated for using a fake name, because that's pretty funny, because obviously I was using my own name.

LEMON: So, you've been dealing, I would imagine, with this whole Kate thing for years -- the Kate jokes for years, probably, I think they've been together for, like a handful of years, six years, and it's probably even worse now?

MIDDLETON: Absolutely worse now. But my friends have always thought I'm sort of a princess, anyway.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: All right. So, you don't plan on watching the wedding, right, you said?

MIDDLETON: Well, it's on at 3:00 in the morning. So, maybe I'll set my DVR and just dream about it.

LEMON: All right. So, a lot of people aren't interested, some are. And let's take a look at the people. We went out to try to figure out who's interested and who's not. Take a look and we will talk about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ever since Diana passed, it's nice to see her son in that specific situation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's important to me, how long her train is.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How big is (INAUDIBLE) going to be and big ring that she's -- the rock that he's giving her.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She didn't marry him for money. She loves him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's love in the air.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) Lindsay Lohan. You're going to be watching the wedding?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Probably not.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How about you, you going to be watching the royal wedding?

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Show of hands, who's going to watch the royal wedding in a few weeks?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just beautiful and feels classy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I'm going to watch it, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because it's interesting.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's on at 5:00 in the morning, are you going to watch it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I'm watching it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ambush interview, CNN. Who is that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That is Prince William and Kate Middleton.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And what's happening in April?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're getting married. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tell me how much you care.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not a lot.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'll care. I'll watch it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm more excited for the royal divorce than the royal wedding. They'll be seeing lawyers for prenup, get her to sign. That would be smart.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

LEMON: Yes, John Avlon, I'm going to bring you in now. You recently wrote an article for "The Daily Beast." It's called "William and Kate's royal wedding, enough already." And your first line is, "Who cares?" What's your beef?

AVLON: Look, it's just of all the questions being asked around this news cycle, the real obvious one doesn't seem to being asked, which is, who cares? I mean, they did a poll a little while ago. Sixty- five percent of Americans say they have no interest in this.

And, look, I wish Kate and William all the happiness in the world, but there's just nothing less American than monarchy. That's why we form this country. We shouldn't care about this. It's not the most significant day in history in the world.

Wonderful for the people who enjoyed it and God bless them. But the idea that this is important to us as Americans is just ridiculous. It should be enjoyed as a respectable distance, not a one-month media countdown.

LEMON: You know you stole my line there. Which one was it?

That's why we started this country?

(LAUGHTER)

AVLON: Oh, sorry about that. Yes. It was in the article, too.

But really, I mean, George Washington had the opportunity to be a king, and he wisely turned that down. It's just not what we do. And while I do think it's kind of cool that Kate Middleton in this case is from outside the aristocracy, at the end of the day, you know, the fact she's called a commoner says all you need to say. We're all commoners here and we're proud of it.

LEMON: Yes. It does seem like -- I have to be honest, it seems like a bit of overkill with this.

So, Kate, I hear you'll be using your name for good, but I want you to tell us about a fundraiser that you're doing. I think it's really important.

MIDDLETON: I am doing a bike fundraiser for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. And it's a two-day, 175-mile bike ride from Boston to Cape Cod to Provincetown. And I promised if I raise $10,000, that I will do the entire ride in a wedding dress on a tandem bicycle with a Prince William look-alike.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: Are you married? Are you planning on getting married? Because your name might change.

MIDDLETON: I am not married. And I have no plans to be married anytime soon.

LEMON: Or change your name.

Good stuff. Kate Middleton, Avlon, this is a fun segment, we appreciate it. All right. Best luck to both of you. I'll see you later.

AVLON: All right.

MIDDLETON: Thank you.

LEMON: All right.

Listen, you'll hear ea lot of arguments about the rightful heir to Michael Jordan's throne. LeBron has his supporters. So does Kobe. But check out the cover on the latest "Sports Illustrated." This guy is a killer on the court. It's Derrick Rose, the best player in the NBA right now?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: I want to get you up to speed on the day's news.

People in parts of North Carolina trying to get their lives back together today after a devastating wave of tornadoes killed at least 23 people across the state. As many as 14 were killed in the largely rural Bertie County. People there are struggling to make sense of it all.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHARLES BOND, BERTIE COUNTY RESIDENT: The question you've got to ask yourself, why here, you know? That's a good question. Don't if you can get the right answer, but, you know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: To Libya now where the battles are raging in two cities and rebels are questioning NATO's commitment. Unconfirmed reports suggest NATO called off airstrikes today because of poor weather. The rebels said the weather didn't stop Moammar Gadhafi's forces from shelling their fighters. Some of the heaviest fighting took place in Misrata, the last Western city controlled by the rebels.

The operator of Japan's crippled nuclear plant says it will take up to nine months to end the crisis. Engineers hope to eventually build new shells around the damaged reactors. Japan's government said it will try to decontaminate the widest area possible before deciding whether the tens of thousands of residents if the evacuation zone can return to their homes.

If you are filling up today, expect an average of $3.80 for a gallon of regular gasoline. How much higher can it go? Well, the sky's the limit, according to the former president of Shell Oil, on "CNN's State of the Union" with Candy Crowley.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN HOFMEISTER, FORMER PRESIDENT, SHELL OIL: The top is yet to be determined. Let me say that in two levels. In the short term, like this year, I think we'll see a little more upward movement depending on what happens in the Middle East. I'm more worried about next year. If the U.S. doesn't pick up its contribution to that crude oil production, we'll be looking back at a $5 in a couple of years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Something else that's going to cost you more, because while you weren't looking, the postal rates went up again. A regular stamp will stay unchanged at 44 cents, and that covers at one-ounce letter. But starting today, each additional ounce will cost you another 20 cents, an extra three cents from the current rate, OK? And mailing a postcard will cost you an extra penny, 29 cents now.

He's Prince Harry to his nation but Captain Harry Wales to his fellow soldiers. The third in line to the British throne has earned a promotion in the British army in recognition of his five years of service. Of course, Prince Harry has another important duty coming up. In less than two weeks, he will serve as brother William's best man in the royal wedding. You can keep up with all the news on the nuptials right here on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CHEERING)

(CROSSTALK)

ANNOUNCER: What a recovery. Springs inside. Hello!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Oh! Derrick Rose leading the Chicago Bulls to a win as the NBA playoffs got under way on Saturday. The last time we saw moves like that from the Bulls was when number 23, Michael Jordan, was playing. And with LeBron James' image problems, the NBA is in need of a new superstar.

Jon, one more time from "Sports Illustrated," is there a new hit?

JON WERTHEIM, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: Might be a little premature for that. Let's see how these playoffs go. Before -- no, I think you nailed it. The league is hungry for a new star. Here's a flashy player. He played in the Chicago market. And I think -- I think most of the NBA fans know how good this guy is, but I think to sort of the general population, he's still a little bit of an unknown. Definitely, the player to watch this post season.

LEMON: What about some expectations from you? What do you think, do you think the Bulls or LeBron's team, the Miami Heat, will win the title?

WERTHEIM: No, you can choose from other teams to. This has been a very --- we're only two days into this and already the defending champs -- the Lakers have lost a game. San Antonio's lost. Miami looked a little shaky. Miami and Boston are probably still the choices out of the east. Again, Chicago, as you mentioned, is a real pick. And despite what happened today, the Lakers losing, it's hard to bet against Kobe Bryant and the defending champs. As far as I'm concerned, you have to go with the Lakers until somebody knocks him off.

LEMON: OK, all right, I'll take that.

So, Jon, let's go to baseball now. And the Boston Red Sox finally, finally, finally getting a win after start two and 10.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Learn how to deal with all these starting pitchers and -- on the ground. A base hit! Lowry scores.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So, Jon, with two straight wins now, are the Red Sox back? Will they still win and can they still win the American League pennant?

WERTHEIM: They're cruising. They're -- no, one thing about baseball, people forget, there are 162 games. That's a lot of data points. If this were analogous to a football season, we've played about one game. So not to start anybody in Boston, certainly wanting. But a lot of baseball still to be played and let's see how we're doing in August. But I think these things have a way of evening themselves out. And again, pretty shaky start. Pitching outside of Josh Beckett (ph) a little shaky. This was a team "Sports Illustrated" pick to win the World Series, so we're not talking about the run-of-the-mill team but, at the same time, let's give this some time. We're still in mid April here.

LEMON: Yes. Yes, but you know Red Sox fans, they will take those two wins, because there's been a lot of crying --

(LAUGHTER)

-- in beer lately over their losing streak.

Hey, can we talk about Barry Bonds real quick, being found guilty of obstruction of justice, we know, in his perjury trial? Do you expect him to get some jail time? WERTHEIM: On that one count, he might do a little time. But we talked about this last week. I think "Sports Illustrated" estimated this at about $7 million. It was eight years in the making. We got one count. I just -- he may get a little time, but I think it's certainly a valid argument, was this really worth it in the end?

LEMON: All right, Jon Wertheim, "Sports Illustrated." Good stuff. Thank you, sir.

Are you a Sox fan, by the way?

WERTHEIM: Not so much. Not in New York, I'm not.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: Thank you. Appreciate it.

Next, one country's unique way of collecting taxes.

Take a look at this, a woman putting on her lipstick for a day out on the town. Oh, wait, that's not a woman.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: I want to go now to the stories in the week ahead. From the capitol to Tinseltown, our correspondents tell you what you need to know, starting at the White House.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I'm Dan Lothian at the White House, concentrating on a week that focused heavily on reducing the federal deficit. A light start for the president this week. Tomorrow, he'll honor the Air Force Academy football team with the Commander-in-Chief trophy. And then on Tuesday, he'll welcome Christian leaders from across the country for the Easter prayer breakfast. The remainder of the week, he'll turn his focus back again to the nation's debt and reducing the deficit with town halls in Nevada, California and northern Virginia. He'll also attend Democratic fundraisers while out west.

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Dana Bash on Capitol Hill where members of Congress are heading home after some bruising battles on spending cuts. They'll be gone for a two-week congressional recess. Make no mistake about it, just because they are back home with their constituents does not mean the political fight will let up. In fact, it will probably get more intense, especially over a GOP plan to overhaul Medicare. Republicans say that it is important that it is a bold idea and that it will save the Medicare system. Democrats say it's dangerous. They also say it's a political gift. They have TV ads ready to go against Republicans who voted yes.

POPPY HARLOW, HOST, CNN MONEY: I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. Wall Street is gearing up for a pretty big week, packed with economic news and earnings. On Tuesday and Wednesday, we'll get two key housing reports, including a look at the latest existing home sales. Keep in mind, last month's report much weaker than expected, so everyone is hoping for a pickup in this housing number. Also ahead, a numbers of corporate earnings coming your way this week, including numbers from Citigroup, Wells Fargo, Morgan Stanley, as well as tech giants IBM, Yahoo! and Apple. And, of course, on Friday, the markets are closed in observance of Good Friday, but we'll keep track of all the week's news for you on "CNN Money."

A.J. HAMMER, HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": I'm "Showbiz Tonight's" A.J. Hammer. Here is what we are watching this week. A big Charlie Sheen hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, of course, dealing with Charlie's $100 million lawsuit from being fired from "Two and a Half Men." And we are kicking off our big royal wedding coverage on Friday. Prince William and Kate's wedding just days away. "Showbiz Tonight," live at 5:00 eastern on HLN. And we're still TV's most provocative entertainment news show at 11:00 p.m. eastern and pacific.

LEMON: All right, on to the news of the world now.

CNN's international editor, Azadeh Ansari, is here with the stories that will grab worldwide headlines.

Azadeh, you start in the Ukraine with a nuclear security summit?

AZADEH ANSARI, CNN INTERNATIONAL DESK EDITOR: That's right, Don. So officials, 50 officials actually, from around the world are going to gather at this nuclear security summit. And all of this comes -- it's the dedication to the 25th anniversary of Chernobyl. But again, there's a lot of growing concern about the safety of nuclear power to begin with after the whole incident at Fukushima Daiichi.

LEMON: Absolutely.

ANSARI: And we had, just yesterday, several hundred protestors take to the streets of Tokyo, protesting against the use of nuclear power plants.

And something that was interesting, too, in the medical journal, "The Lancet," a group of Japanese medical expert has urged authorities in Japan to --

LEMON: To bank the stem cells --

ANSARI: To bank the stem cells --

LEMON: Yes, of the workers there.

ANSARI: Yes. As a precautionary treatment in case they're exposed to high levels of radiation.

LEMON: OK, very interesting.

And now, the Nigerian elections. I want to talk about Nigeria now, because there could be a run-off in this election.

ANSARI: That's right. Right now, we're looking at Monday with the election results to come out, and should that be the case, we're seeing right now thought that Good Luck Jonathan is possibly living up to his name. He is coming out ahead in the polls. And if he should win, he'll be his country's first head of the state from the southern Nigerian, the Delta oil region.

LEMON: We're talking about the presidential election.

ANSARI: Yes. Yes.

LEMON: We just want to make it clear.

OK, tax day tomorrow. I'm always down to the wire. Pay them, get them done, but it's always down to the wire. It interesting how they literally embarrass people in Pakistan into paying their taxes. I found this to be a fascinating story.

ANSARI: It was a profile story that our Nick Paton Walsh did. And you can catch it on CNN.com. We're not sure it happens all across Pakistan, but, in Karachi, he followed a team of -- it's transgender tax collectors. What they do is they usually embarrass by clapping into their faces, showing up at their homes or their businesses, and dancing. It's a tactic that they're using to more or less to draw attention to the cause that, you know, you did not do what you're supposed to here?

LEMON: So you see the transgender people in the wall behind, and they're getting dressed, and they go -- what is -- is it -- I don't know. It is some embarrassment to be transgendered in that country, so they feel --

ANSARI: It's more than just drawing attention.

LEMON: OK.

ANSARI: Is drawing attention to a cause that they were trying to go under the radar, but apparently that didn't work.

LEMON: That's very interesting. That one and then the stem cells in Japan, I find to be fascinating.

Azadeh, good stuff. We appreciate it.

ANSARI: Thank you.

LEMON: A fire destroyed an historic landmark in the nation's capitol four years ago, a place which Washington residents had frequented for about 150 years. CNN's Tom Foreman tells us its miracle rebirth in today's "Building Up America."

(BUILDING UP AMERICA)

LEMON: All right, Tom.

Basketball players at a major university arrested.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSHUA ADEL, UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA BASKETBALL PLAYER: Bro, do you know how (EXPLETIVE DELETED) I am because of y'all dumb (EXPLETIVE DELETED)? ERICK MURPHY, UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA BASKETBALL PLAYER: Do you know how (EXPLETIVE DELETED) I am?

ADEL: Do you know how (EXPLETIVE DELETED), I'm fired. Like, you'll have another shot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, that's just a small part of what they were caught saying in the back of a police car. You've got to hear the rest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Those voices you heard before the break belonged to a University of Florida basketball player and a team manager, recorded by police as they sat in the back of a police car last week, arrested for breaking into cars.

I talked about that, about Donald Trump, and toddlers being given alcohol at restaurants. Yes, toddlers. All of it I spoke with CNN's Jane Velez-Mitchell from "Issues" on HLN.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: So Jane, have you seen this videotape from St. Augustine, Florida. It's a University of Florida basketball player, team manager. They had just been arrested. They're in the back of a police car. They're on the phone talking to another player, and it's all recorded. Take a look and then we'll talk about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSHUA ADEL, UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA BASKETBALL PLAYER: Do you know how (EXPLETIVE DELETED), I'm fired. Like, you'll have another shot. I'm done. Like I have no second shot, Bro.

ERIK MURPHY, UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA BASKETBALL PLAYER: I don't have a second shot either.

ADEL: I'm done.

MURPHY: Have you ever gotten arrested before?

ADEL: No.

MURPHY: Then we could get off.

ADEL: There's no getting off.

MURPHY: Bro, I'm telling you --

ADEL: We're not in (EXPLETIVE DELETED) Gainesville. They don't give a (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

MURPHY: We're prior good behavior.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: OK, so, Jane, two things stand out here. One is the rights of these guys while they're in the back of the police car in police custody. The other is they insinuate they would have gotten preferential treatment if they were in Gainesville.

JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, CONTRIBUTOR, ISSUES: First, let me say, boy, this is disturbing stuff to listen to. They've got all the vices allegedly covered between them, from underage drinking to profanity to breaking into cars, lying. Where is their sense of right and wrong? It seems to be absolutely absent. And it's kind of scary that this is what the thinking process is of these young men who are in a position of privilege. It really doesn't speak well for what we're doing in our universities. Is this what we're churning out? It's kind of scary, Don, frankly.

LEMON: I know you've been talking about this on your show. I have seen it. Two kids receiving alcohol at two separate restaurants, one in Florida, one in Detroit, a 15 month-old and a two-year-old. What gives here?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I think our fast-food, fast, fast, fast-paced world has gotten so over-accelerated that now people are juggling so quickly that, yes, alcoholic drinks are ending up in sippy cups and being consumed by toddlers. That's really a bad thing. And we have to do something to change it in the restaurant chains involved. Say, yes, they're going to review their policies and procedures and try to figure out so that these mistakes don't happen again, and give sort of individual servings for kids when they ask for juice. But, frankly, Don, I think it's time for BYOJ --

(LAUGHTER)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: -- bring your own juice to the restaurants.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: Or your own water, right, at least?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes.

LEMON: OK, a man who is running for president, Donald Trump, is saying a lot of controversial things. We know what he said about the birthers and President Obama, about saying he doesn't believe he was born -- possibly not born in the United States in Hawaii. Now he's saying, in an interview, well -- insinuating that most blacks are going to vote for the president. He said, you know, I've always had a great relationship with the blacks.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: This whole "With the Blacks," it's so condescending and offensive. And, Don, I don't know what Donald Trump, "the Donald," is thinking about, running for president because that tough- talking New York -- hey, I'm in your face -- it doesn't play well in Peoria or around the country. I know. I'm a New Yorker who moved to L.A. and had to change my act when I was with Angeleno's, who don't like the New York style. And so he's done already a number of things that have offended people. He said, for example, I don't believe in gay marriage, just doesn't feel right. The guy is on his third marriage. Hello!

I think he's going to run into a lot of trouble because he likes to flap those gums of his. And he's going to step in some deep do-do, I think, before long.

LEMON: He's --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: This is -- this is exhibit A, what he just said about, I get along well with the blacks.

LEMON: What's coming up on your show?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Actually, we have a fantastic show on "Issues" next week on HLN. We're going to talk to a woman who was sexually abused by her nanny. And she kept this toxic secret for years. And now she's talking about it and she's talking about what it's like to be a survivor.

LEMON: Interesting stuff.

Jane Velez-Mitchell, thank you.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank you, Don.

LEMON: "Issues," with Jane Velez-Mitchell, airs every night, 7:00 p.m. eastern on HLN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Caught on tape. A driver tries to get away with a free tank of gas but takes a gas station worker with him. The painful ending to this theft in progress in two minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right, now some stories from across the country.

In Fort Lee, New Jersey, a gas station attendant went on a wild ride when a driver tried to make off with a free tank of gas. Look at the video. The attendant finished pumping and then clung to the car as the driver tried to speed off. The gas station worker was hospitalized in stable condition, we should tell you. The owner of the station blames higher gas prices for a recent rash of thefts.

Crews in Idaho are digging through rocky ground to try to rescue a 53- year-old miner trapped more than 6,000 feet underground. The cave-in Friday night pinned the miner behind 75 feet of earth. Emergency teams have dug out about half of that. Another worker, in the same part of the mine at the time of the collapse, was able to escape.

And facing a plague of wildfires, Texas Governor Rick Perry is requesting a federal disaster declaration. That would make the state eligible for assistance from the federal government. Gusting winds today breathed new life into the wildfires. An area about the size of Rhode Island has been scorched the past week in the drought-stricken state.