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Tornado Slams Airport; Tornado Warnings Right Now; Rebels Take a Key City; Demonstrators Killed in Syria; U.S. Carries Out Drone Attack; Yemen's President to Step Down; Suicides at Sleepover; Fuming Over Gas Prices; Major League Baseball Strips Dodgers from Frank McCourt; Taco Bell Seeks Apology After Lawsuit Dropped; Jury Says Barbie Doesn't Own Bratz; Royal Wedding Guest List is Released; Hat Etiquette for the Royal Wedding
Aired April 23, 2011 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Right now on CNN, caught in the path of a tornado.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get down. Get down. Go to baggage claim.
LEMON: Look at that. Passengers scrambled as a tornado slams into the airport in St. Louis. Nearby homes in some cases entire neighborhoods leveled right now and it's not over. Active tornado warnings right now and we have team coverage for you.
Two developments just in this afternoon from Libya. Rebels run Moammar Gadhafi's forces out of the key city.
And that right there, demonstrators under attack in Syria. Government forces open fire. At least ten people have died.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon. The CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get down. Go to baggage claim.
LEMON (voice-over): Panic inside the terminal at the St. Louis Airport. Running for cover as a powerful tornado bears down. New surveillance video just in to CNN, people inside just barely getting to cover as the winds whipped through the hallway. Look at that.
The airport is closed today. Workers are scrambling to get planes flying again on Sunday and it's going to take a lot of cleanup before that can all happen. The tornado left this bus dangling off the roof at a parking garage. Break neck winds blew out windows and knock o rocked planes on the tarmac.
The airport wasn't the only spot to take a pounding from this. Houses blasted to splinters in the tornado's path, more than 30,000 homes without power at this hour. And the parking lot of a high rides covered in rain and glass and debris. Look at that. The side of the building punched in by winds as high as 165 miles an hour. Incredibly, despite the damage, there are no reports of death or serious injuries, but Missouri's governor has declared a state of emergency.
We're standing by for a press conference. As soon as it happens, we will bring some of it to you. We want to go to our Dan Simon. He's standing by at the airport right now.
Dan, we're awaiting that press conference from the governor and the mayor. In the meantime, what damage can you see there by you on the ground right now?
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'm here in the main terminal. Just behind me, you can see these busted out windows. You can see they've been boarded up. You're talking about some very thick glass, Don and basically, everywhere you look at this airport, you see ginormous windows like that that have been busted out.
You had these powerful winds take those out. Anytime, Don, you have an airport that is shut down, that's a big deal for any community. You have a serious inconvenience here. The last time you had an airport shutdown like this in St. Louis was during 9/11. So that gives you some context in terms of how big a deal this is.
In terms of what we're seeing here, we're seeing a lot of workers trying to scramble here, get things cleaned up, get these windows taken care of, get the debris taken care of, get the streets cleared out.
What they're hoping is they can get the power restored to this airport. If they can do that, and they believe they can, they can get 70 percent of the airport operational tomorrow. So that is the big hope.
And throughout this community, you really have two stories. You have what is happening here at the airport and the impact on travelers. And you have obviously the homes and businesses that were damaged or destroyed. Right now, we're talking about hundreds of homes and businesses damaged or destroyed, Don.
LEMON: Dan, as we await that press conference, can you show us around? Can you guys just pan over and let us look at the damage around you? Because I'm sure our viewers would want to see that. We have been seeing the video, but I want you to show us around.
SIMON: Yes, you know, where we are here, this is the main terminal. Not a whole lot of damage in this area. That's precisely why they put us here, so the media crews and the people who come here are not facing danger.
But just in front of us, you can see the broken glass in the window. Essentially crews are going in there and just pounding the windows out and putting boards. Then we have seen the glass people already here at the airport and you know, kind of measuring things. They hope to get some glass in these windows soon.
Don, one thing I want to show you, and we can talk through this together. We got new video. This is surveillance video inside the airport. Let's go ahead and look at this and talk through this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SIMON (voice-over): These are TSA officers who are in the security area. And everything looks normal, right, you see the lights on. You see a few passengers maybe scattered through there.
Then all of a sudden, the lights go dark. You see debris swirling around, and all of a sudden, the TSA officers themselves run for cover. They didn't know what they were dealing with.
LEMON (voice-over): Yes, and it looked like something just siphoned all the air out. I'm going to bring our meteorologist, Bonnie Schneider in. Standby Dan Simon because, again, we're awaiting that press conference. Dan is at the airport.
When you see video like that, what does it tell you about this? It looks like it just sucked all the air out of that particular terminal.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): Well, what happens is when the windows break, all the debris flies in and it literally becomes like missiles. And that's why tornadoes are normally so deadly and so dangerous.
We have an update on the preliminary storm reports now upgrading this tornado to likely be an EF-4. Now an EF-4 is rare, less than 3 percent of tornadoes that we've seen across the U.S. would be this strong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHNEIDER: We're talking about winds at least 165 miles an hour, gust even higher than that and they could be as strong as 200 miles per hour. When you have winds this intense, anything in the tornado's path will be leveled.
All the windows will shatter and you will see the damage that we've been seeing in our video from the St. Louis area, not just the airport, but many surrounding communities. The homes completely knocked down and flattened to their foundation.
Now it's really miraculous that we didn't see loss of life with this system, and part of the reason, I believe, is the lead time on the tornado warning. Some of the lead times were as much as 20 minutes. It may not sound like a lot, but when you have that lead time.
It is enough time to get to the most interior part of your home or basement if you can, take cover, and you saw, Don, the fly debris for the airport. That's the biggest danger. So always you want to grab a blanket, a pillow, a mattress if you can, put it over yourself, and take cover because it's the flying debris that causes the most damage and the most injury. And just to let you know, Don, we are tracking more severe weather right now. Tornado warnings are popping over parts of Kentucky, across the state from east to west, into Ohio. This is going to be a problem as we go through the afternoon and evening hours.
More tornado warnings are popping up. Severe thunderstorm warnings are popping up. Now, we don't have reports of tornadoes on the ground yet, but anytime a tornado warning is issued, you must take cover.
Here are some of the counties under some of the warnings right now. Severe thunderstorms also can produce straight line winds of 70 miles an hour and large hail. Damaging severe weather including frequent lightning strikes and also, just to let you know going forward, a tornado watch is in effect for the states you see, including parts of Indiana. That goes until 8:00 tonight.
So we're in the heart of severe weather season, but not in the crocks of it. Most tornadoes occur annually in the month of May, not April, let alone to see such strong, intense, damaging ones so early in the season. It is unusual, but very fortunately, no loss of life from the devastating tornado in the St. Louis area.
LEMON: Bonnie Schneider, thank you very much, and also our Dan Simon is standing by at Lambert Field if we can just get back to Dan.
Dan, real quick, we're waiting on the governor and mayor. Do you have any idea what they're going to say and when they're going to have access again to this airport?
SIMON: Well, I think they're going to talk about whether or not the power will be restored because that's the key to getting this airport reopened and getting the community really back to normal.
For those people who aren't dramatically affected if their homes or businesses are damaged in a significant way. They'll be out there shortly.
We'll update you with the latest numbers in terms of statistics, if there are any. Again, they should be here in just the next minutes, Don.
LEMON: Dan Simon, Bonnie Schneider, thank you very much. Also coming up here on CNN --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON (voice-over): Security forces open fire in Syria, killing at least ten protesters. We're going to have an update for you.
Plus, the president of Yemen accepts a deal to step down. A live report from the State Department about what that means. That's coming up next.
And many of you are asking for information on social media. You can reach out to us on Facebook, on Twitter, on cnn.com/don, and also on foursquare.com as well. We're back in a moment. (END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: More people are dying, and more blood is spilling as protests escalate today in Syria.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON (voice-over): Witnesses are telling CNN security forces that security forces opened fire from roof tops today, killing 10 protesters who turned out to mourn dozens who were killed on Friday. Yesterday's crackdown was one of Syria's bloodiest battles yet. Security forces and demonstrators clash in several towns. Nearly 80 people were killed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Meantime, the Pentagon confirmed that the U.S. has launched its first predator drone strike in Libya. Details are scant, but NATO says the air strike destroyed a multiple rocket launcher used by Gadhafi forces. Outside the western city of Misrata, the launcher was being used to target civilians.
And a major victory today for rebels in the key coastal city.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON (voice-over): Opposition leaders say they have successfully pushed Gadhafi's forces out of Misrata's city center. They have also regained the city's critical port. Libya's government admits its soldiers are retreating, but vowed tribal fighters will remain. A rebel spokesman says Gadhafi is simply trying to disguise his army's defeat there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Gadhafi is not gone, but Yemen's embattled leader, well, might soon be gone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON (voice-over): A Yemeni official says President Ali Abdullah Saleh has agreed in principle to a deal to hand over power to his vice president within 30 days. Yemen's neighboring Persian Gulf nation brokered the agreement, which grants complete immunity for Saleh and members of his regime.
Saleh has yet to sign it though. The deal comes after months of mass protests. Anti-government activists are pushing for reforms.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And for more now on the developing story out of Yemen, let's bring in now CNN's senior State Department producer, Elise Labott. She joins us from Washington. Hi, Elise. Now I understand the State Department is commenting today. What are they saying about this?
ELISE LABOTT, CNN SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT PRODUCER: Well, Don, it's a bit of cautious optimism right now because what officials are telling me is that the opposition really hasn't accepted the deal yet, and President Saleh could be betting on that.
You know, he said he would step down before, only to not step down. So, here, a statement right now from Acting Deputy Spokesman Mark Toner saying we welcome the recent Gulf cooperation council initiative to address the challenging political situation in Yemen.
Participations of all sides in this dialogue is urgently needed to reach a solution need by the Yemeni people, Don. And what the U.S. is saying is you really need to begin this dialogue between President Saleh's party and the opposition immediately.
Get it going, as we have seen before, President Saleh is really holding on to the palace drapes, so to speak, but he's really in a box now, really has to set a time and format for getting out.
LEMON: You mention the U.S. and what they're saying. But how worried though is the U.S. about Saleh leaving? Is he critical to the fight against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula?
LABOTT: Well, Don. I think it's a little bit of both. On one hand, I think -- no one is really comfortable about a political transition in Yemen. And President Saleh has done a lot in terms of counterterrorism.
He does deserve some credit and they think that there will be some kind of short term interruption, but in the long term, it may not be so devastating. He's been an unstable ally and the kind of unpredictable and inconsistent ally. What they think is that there will be some political transition, some of the key people of government will stay on, kind of technocrats, professional bureaucrats, so to speak.
And what, you know, officials are saying, Don, is that Yemen isn't really the basket case that a lot of people say it is. Yes, there is a big problem with al Qaeda in the country that the U.S. needs to get a hold of, but there is -- we have seen in some of these other countries, there is not a civil society.
In Yemen, there are some human rights groups. There are women's rights groups. So they think it will be a kind of stable transition. Again, cautious optimism, but the real problems of al Qaeda and then the country is running out of water, running out of oil.
The economy is really bad, so I think as the transition goes on, you'll see more development assistance, political assistance of that nature, Don.
LEMON: Good information tonight from our senior State Department producer, Elise Labott. Thank you, Elise. Two teenage girls, best friends, commit suicide at a sleepover. We'll look at what's behind this terrible event and if something can be learned to help other teens on this. We'll ask our human behavior expert, Dr. Wendy Walsh, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're so young. I just never thought anything could be so bad where you'd think that somebody would do that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You were born for a reason and you deserve to live.
LEMON (voice-over): I want you to take a look at these two germs from Minnesota. They're both 14 years old, best friends, and partners sadly in suicide.
Last weekend, Haley Fintris and Page Marvet hanged themselves at a sleepover at Haley's mom's home. There had been reports of a suicide pact, bullying through Facebook, teasing over one girl's weight, but everyone who love them said they did not think that it was as bad as it apparently was.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: They're still searching for the answer to why. Why all this happened? Some insight and maybe you can help - get some help as a parent.
Our human behavior expert, Dr. Wendy Walsh joins me now from Los Angeles. Dr. Wendy, sad story, but what do you think of the fact that the girls killed themselves together? Is this a suicide pact? Can we read anything into this?
WENDY WALSH, PSYCHOLOGIST: Well, you know, the main thing to say is that suicide never comes down to just one factor. I mean, there are many things to look at. It could be bullying. It could be perhaps there was a parental divorce and stress over that.
Maybe there were substance abuse issues, maybe there's just biological predisposition to depression, but the big piece here is that our friends enliven a part of our personalities. You know you have a friend that you always call when you're feeling down because you get off the phone and you feel so happy because they bring you up.
So if you get two depressed teens together that cannot be a good prescription. Remember column bind. So they could have actually enlivened each other's most depressive -- despite what you hear, to talk it out to somebody who is going through the same thing, no, someone who has recovered from the same thing, not someone in the depths with you.
LEMON: Yes, and also, I mean, you would call a friend because you may want them to re-enforce how you're feeling as well, and maybe it's not a best friend, but if they re-enforce that, I'm feeling down, and they go with you to that point, that's how it can happen.
You know, as journalists, I do have to say it's tough for us to do this story in the news because we know that suicides are often copied when we bring attention to them.
WALSH: Yes, so I think the message is for parents to understand that they have control still, and the control is influencing the peers. At a certain age, your words mean nothing to a 13 or 14-year-old, but you may have to change schools, you may have to move. It's very inconvenient to be a parent of a teen sometimes, but if is saves your child's life, it's what you have to do.
LEMON: You have to be present and talk to the kid and listen. Right?
WALSH: Yes.
LEMON: All right, I want to go to Rockhill, South Carolina now, a gay student beating - stirring a controversy there over acting straight except this time, it's not about fitting in.
It's about safety, not becoming a target. That's really how not to become a target. Is it ever OK to act straight and what does it do to a person's psyche, Doctor?
WALSH: First of all, what is acting straight and what is acting gay? Unless you're overtly coming on to somebody, no one knows your sexual orientation. What we're talking about, Don, is men who may be a little feminine in their mannerisms.
LEMON: I know heterosexual men who are very effeminate and they are heterosexual though. So you don't know what that means?
WALSH: That's my point. That has nothing to do with sexual orientation. I think the issue here is, should we change our mannerisms? Well, most of them are hardwired, a lot of our mannerisms.
Yes, a lot of it is learned in families and groups, and of course, we all know the really gay guy who became more gay when he came out and started hanging out with a very effeminate crowd.
Of course, that exists. We copy our friends, but the basis is just because somebody has feminine mannerisms because they're a guy or masculine mannerisms if they're a woman does not mean it has anything to do with our orientation. Just how we are.
LEMON: You just don't know these days. You can't figure it out. They used to call it gay-dar or whatever. I don't know if --
WALSH: I have lost my gay-dar. I can't figure it out. I keep hitting up on hot guys and I find out they're not in my sandbox, man.
LEMON: You're crazy. I love it.
WALSH: Do we have another story, Don? LEMON: Yes, real quickly. Yes, we're going to move on, but real quick. I'm going to ask you this last thing. I'm going to talk about sexuality and gender this time.
We find this story from the Center of Economic Policy Research. They found couples whose first-borns are girls have a higher rate of divorce. Real quickly, what does that mean?
WALSH: OK, this was a story looking at the labor market and that women who tend to have boys first tend to stay out of the labor market longer, be more fertile, have more kids and have more stable marriages.
But what the researchers didn't expect and found that if you have a first-born girl, you have a higher divorce rate, fewer children overall, and you work harder and longer hours.
Well, I put this out to my Facebook friends. I've got quite a following and in a very engaging conversation and guess what many of them came up with, this interesting theory. Well, since more women file for divorce than men in America, it's two thirds of divorce filings are done by wives rather than husbands.
Then maybe some women say, well, I got my girl and I can make my own living now. I don't need you. In developing countries, of course, it's the opposite. If a first-born girl happens, women have more babies as they're trying for the boy. But we don't have that, women have a lot of power in European and American countries.
LEMON: All right, Dr. Wendy, you're awesome. Come to Atlanta. We need you on set so we can really have a good time.
WALSH: I want to come to Atlanta. It's beautiful there.
LEMON: Come on, I'll split it.
WALSH: Don't temp me, I'll be there.
LEMON: All right, see you. Happy Easter.
WALSH: OK, you, too.
LEMON: The nationwide spike in gas prices. They're taking a chunk out of our wallets, and it could even stall the nation's economic recovery. We'll examine the wider threat of the rising price at the pump.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: The spiking gas prices could stall the nation's economic recovery. It might even could cause a relapse in the recession. Earlier on CNN's "YOUR BOTTOM LINE," Christine Romans talked with Rick Newman of U.S. News and World Report about the painful price at the pump.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CHRISTINE ROMANS, HOST, "YOUR BOTTOM LINE": Rick, while Washington wrings its hands over how to pay over what we spent, you're just trying to dig deeper to fill up the gas tank. So just how high will prices go?
Take a look at the prices over the last 30 years. In 1980, just $1.22 a gallon, by March of this year, all the way up to $3.38 and some analysts say we're on track for $5 a gallon this summer. Why so high?
We'll let's break down what makes up a gallon of gas, 13 percent is taxes. That's why depending on what state you live in. You will be paying a little bit different what you're putting in the tank.
Eight percent is distribution and marketing costs. So don't blame the guy at the corner of the gas station, 14 percent is refining and 65 percent is the price of crude oil.
Now that's got a lot of you screaming that speculators are driving up crude oil prices, and according to a report from Goldman Sachs speculation accounts for anywhere from $21 to almost $27 per barrel of crude. Sound right to you, Rick?
RICK NEWMAN, U.S. NEWS AND WORLD REPORT: It does, but let's remember, they're speculating about something that is a big worry, which there could be some massive unrest in Saudi Arabia.
If that happens, I mean, people are saying oil could go to $200 a barrel or more, which would mean $6 gas I think. Now, that's not seemed unlikely, but we have seen all these things happening in the Middle East that nobody predicted --
ROMANS: A revolution in Egypt, you know, Gadhafi on the run in Libya, right.
NEWMAN: So I think the good news is if things settle down over there and we start to see some resolution in the civil war in Libya, oil and gas prices will come back down.
ROMANS: What's the tipping point for consumers?
NEWMAN: Well, we're going to get a test to that as we get to close to $4 a gallon, and about $120 oil, which is kind of equates with $4 a gallon. That's the point everybody is saying we're starting to worry that people will pull back.
It has a huge effect on the consumer's psyche obviously. They might start to spend less, which I think they're already doing and that could tip us back toward another recession. I don't think that's likely, but that's what we're worried about. And if it goes much above that, the more likely it gets.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get down, go to baggage claims.
LEMON (voice-over): A tornado slams into the airport in St. Louis, forcing passengers to scramble. We have new information about this incredible storm, next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Checking your top stories right now on CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SHOUTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Running for cover inside the St. Louis airport, as a tornado bears down. It was the most powerful tornado to hit the city since 1967. The airport is closed right now. The mayor says it might be able to handle some inbound flights tonight, but planes won't really get back on schedule until Sunday. Other areas got hit badly as well. More than 30,000 homes are without power, but there are no reports of deaths or serious injuries.
Major developments out of Yemen today. A Yemeni government official says the embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh has agreed in principle to step down within 30 days. Yemen's neighboring Persian Gulf nations brokered the agreement which grants complete immunity for Saleh and members of his regime. He has yet to sign it, though. He's been in power for 33 years.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(GUNFIRE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: The brutal government crackdown in Syria rages on. Witnesses tell CNN security forces opened fire from rooftops, killing 10 protesters who turned out to mourn dozens who were killed Friday. Yesterday's crackdown was one of Syria's bloodiest battles yet. Nearly 80 people were killed after security forces and demonstrators clashed across several cities.
Miami Dolphins receiver, Brandon Marshall, is recovering from a stabbing. And his wife has been charged with wielding the knife. Police say Marshall first told them he slipped and fell on a broken vase. But investigators weren't buying it. And then his wife allegedly told them she stabbed the NFL star out of self defense.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING)
ANNOUNCER: Your own license plate and lights that work.
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LEMON: Those are the Bratz dolls heading out for a night on the town. And they have a lot more money to play with than they did at the beginning of the week. Millions more, in fact. The Bratz are just one of the big legal stories I covered with Sunny Hostin, contributor to "In Session," on our sister network, Trutv. Before we discussed dolls, I asked her about problems facing one of the best-known names in American sports.
LEMON: All right, let's start with the L.A. Dodgers. Major League Baseball just basically came in and stripped the team from its owner, Frank McCourt. It's one of the most storied teams in baseball. How can they do this? Is it legal?
SUNNY HOSTIN, LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR, IN SESSION: It's unbelievable? It is legal. He is going to do it. He is going to apparently appoint a representative to take over the day-to-day operations of the Dodgers, even though Frank McCourt is the owner and paid about $430 million for the team. The commissioner has indicated that he's very concerned with the way the finances are being run of the Dodgers. It's, I think, stemming from the fact that Frank McCourt is really in a cash crunch stemming from his nasty and very public divorce from Jamie McCourt, who we all know used to be the CEO of the Dodgers but was stripped of that title during the divorce.
This is all really about money. Frank McCourt has tried to borrow about $30 million, Don, because he needs to money for the day-to-day operations. And the commissioner says this is not a good thing for baseball. This is not a good thing for the Dodgers, and I'm going to step in.
LEMON: I don't even know where I stand on this. I don't even know what's accurate and where they are. I'm talking about Taco Bell. There was a firm that accused Taco Bell -- of its meat of not being more than 35 percent meat. Then Taco Bell started an ad campaign. Then the firm dropped the lawsuit. Now Taco Bell is asking for an apology. What?
HOSTIN: Right.
(LAUGHTER)
What happened? Where's the beef?
(LAUGHTER)
Bottom line here, Don, is that Taco Bell maintained all along that their seasoned beef tacos were 88 percent beef and only 12 percent filler, including sugar and spice, seasonings and oats. This law firm filed a lawsuit saying, uh-uh, these aren't really beef tacos. The law firm, all of a sudden, withdrew its lawsuit, basically saying, well, Taco Bell changed its marketing, changed its disclosure policies, so we're not going to sue anymore. Taco Bell, said, uh-uh, we didn't change anything. We didn't change our product. We didn't change our marketing, and now you owe us an apology. I've got to tell you, when I was pregnant, I ate Taco Bell all the time, and for 99 cents --
(LAUGHTER)
--I wasn't really going to -- I wasn't really eating beef. So I say kudos to Taco Bell because 88 percent beef is significant.
LEMON: Yes.
HOSTIN: Are they owed an apology? Absolutely. I really want to call out that law firm. Lawyers, you have to do your due diligence. You have to do your homework before you file a class-action lawsuit against a business. Taco Bell has lost customers because of it.
LEMON: Yes.
HOSTIN: They didn't lose me, but they certainly have lost customers. I say, hey, just apologize. You may get away with not getting sued by Taco Bell.
LEMON: We were talking about kids. Let's talk about dolls, and these Bratz dolls, you've seen them. They're like the anti-Barbie. Mattel and then this MGA company, they have been fighting over who owns this for a decade. MGA got awarded $88 million. That's a lot of money to be granted from Mattel.
HOSTIN: That's right. It really has been the battle of dolls. It's been an epic battle over seven years actually. And really this Thursday, I would say Bratz kicked Barbies' butt.
(LAUGHTER)
They basically found -- this federal jury, after a full-blown trial, found that actually Barbie did not own the rights to the Bratz dolls. It was the Bratz doll -- it was Barbie, actually, that misappropriated Bratz's secrets. It stems from the fact that the maker, the designer of Bratz was working for Barbie when he dreamed up this incredibly lucrative billion dollar idea. Mattel fought back for years, basically saying we own the rights to Bratz. This jury said, no you don't, not only do you not own the right to Bratz, you stole trade secrets. So major, major victory. But I don't think the battle of the dolls is over. Mattel recently said they're going back to court, probably the end of May, and they're asking for a retrial. So who knows? Epic battle, but a big, big win for the Bratz doll.
LEMON: Thank you, Sunny Hostin.
HOSTIN: Thank you.
LEMON: I bet Sunny Hostin -- I bet Sunny looks great in hats, and I bet Barbie does as well, and probably the Bratz dolls. Take a look at these hats. Any of them catch your eye for Easter or the royal wedding? We're going to talk hats and hat etiquette. Maybe I'll even try some on. If you stick around, you'll see.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: As we all remember, 9/11 was a day of loss and destruction in New York City. And one New Yorker vowed never to forget the help his city received after the attack. Since 2004, Jeff Parness has been saying thank you. And he started a cycle of paying it forward that snowballed across the nation. That's why he's this week's "CNN Hero." (CNN HEROES)
LEMON: Well, Jeff's next project is to rebuild an animal shelter in Georgia, destroyed by a tornado earlier this month. A documentary about his work called "New York Says Thank You" premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival next week.
The guest list is out, and what are William and Kate doing today? An update from London next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EDAWRD GRIFFITHS, DEPUTY MASTER OF THE HOUSEHOLD: For the event, we're going through every single detail that we possibly can so that it's planned in advance and don't leave anything to chance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: I'm just now opening my invitation. Think it's too late to go? I don't know.
Britain's royal wedding now has a classic American twist to it, the image of Prince William and Kate Middleton immortalized on the Etch-a- Sketch. That's right, our affiliate, WJW, reports a London gallery commissioned artist George Vlosich to create the artwork. It's part of the growing craze about the event, now just six days away. Can you believe it?
Are you excited, Thomas?
Oh, man, I can't wait.
CNN's Zain Verjee is in London with the latest on who is invited. Buckingham Palace released an edited guest list just today.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, Westminster Abbey has always been seen as the historical and geographical anchor of the city of London. The last time this abbey saw a big royal wedding was 1986 when Prince Andrew married Fergie. Now it's just a few days go for us to see Prince William marry Kate Middleton. The excitement, Don, is building up.
I talked to a few people today. Listen to what they have to say.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE: Are you excited about the wedding or not really?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm pretty excited. I didn't want to be here on the day because it would be way too busy. I'm having my mom tape it for me, even though I'm going to be in the U.K. when it's --
(LAUGHTER)
VERJEE: What about you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, we're pretty excited. But like she said, a little too busy, a little too crowded. Probably best to see it today.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's going to be very form-fitting, long train. I don't think it's going to be anything like Diana's. I still remember watching Diana and Charles' wedding when I was a little girl and it was unbelievable.
VERJEE: Do you think we need a good story like this, just something happy?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Absolutely.
VERJEE: Yes?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, the world needs it. It's exciting to be here. Everybody is very excited. People are happy, so it's a great atmosphere.
VERJEE: Are you excited about the royal wedding?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I'm excited for them, but I'm here as a tourist, so I'm trying to avoid the royal wedding so that the people from England can have their time with the royals. And we Americans will come in and see the beautiful sights and then we'll be out of town.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE: The guest list also came out today. There are members obviously of the royal family, also foreign royal dignitaries, as well as members of the defense and political establishment in this country. And, of course, I had to pick out the celebrities here. Elton John, a close friend of the late Princess Diana, is invited. Rowan Atkinson, better known as "Mr. Bean," will be here. David and Victoria Beckham are invited. The film director of "Lock Stock" and "Two Smoking Barrels," Guy Ritchie, will be here, too, as will the Australian Olympic swimmer, Ian Thorp, also known as the Thorpedo.
It's Easter weekend here. Where are Prince William and Kate Middleton? They are, according to Clarence House, spending Easter weekend with family, and they're out in the countryside. Just a few more days to go before their big day.
And, Don, everyone here is saying, will the weather hold up on Friday? We're keeping our figurers crossed -- Don?
LEMON: Fingers crossed.
Zain, thank you very much.
We want to remind that you CNN's coverage of the big day, the big event begins at 4:00 a.m. eastern on April 29th. Thomas could not -- he was riveted by that report.
You have your wedding hat? Your wedding hat?
I have mine right here. He's got his cup of tea. And we're excited. We'll be up at 4:00 a.m.
You got your alarm set for 3:55? You're going to be watching.
Also we'll be talking about some hats --
(LAUGHTER)
-- some hats you might see at the royal wedding and you're probably going to see4 a bunch of them tomorrow at church for Easter. Look at that. I might even put on a few if you stick around. We'll talk hat etiquette coming up on CNN.
But first, each week, we like to tell you --
COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(THE HUMAN FACTOR)
LEMON: Incredible report. Thank you very much, Dr. Gupta.
Let's turn to something more fun. We're witnessing a rare combination of some heady events. Easter is tomorrow and that's just days away from perhaps the hat event of the century, Britain's royal wedding, of course.
We have to say hat's off to both occasions here, so, by bringing in a hat designer, Jeannette Gist. She's from the shop called It's Unforgettable.
And you have hats for both occasions, you say for the royal wedding and for Easter. But first, I want you to explain your slogan. You said there's a difference between dressed and well dressed.
JEANNETTE GIST, HAT DESIGNER, IT'S UNFORGETTABLE: This is a difference between dressed and well dressed. You can be dressed it in an outfit, but you can be well dressed when you have a hat on.
LEMON: And hats, I always -- I grew up with women wearing hats for Easter and even men wearing hats all the time. But they seem to have faded away. Have they made a comeback?
GIST: They never really faded away. I think people kind of thought that they were fading away, but they really didn't. But with the upspring of hat shows and the royal wedding coming up, they're bouncing back.
LEMON: Listen, I have to tell you, I know tomorrow -- this is one of my hats. I'm a hat person, by the way. I bought a bunch of them. This is one I had. This is one I wore to an event at Ford's Theater.
GIST: Nice.
LEMON: During the president's and first lady's, when they first got in office. This is a cool little one here that I wear. I love hats.
So let's talk about it, this one. This is something that you'll definitely be seeing in church tomorrow, right?
GIST: And it's one of a kind.
LEMON: Really.
GIST: You won't see another one like it.
LEMON: Is there ever -- my mom will put on hats for Easter or to go to church and it looks like a flying saucer. I go, Mom, where are you going in that hat?
GIST: But I bet you she got lots of compliments on that hat.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: She did. Women loved them.
Let's talk about some of the other hats here that -- you said they're both appropriate for the royal wedding and for Easter.
GIST: And for Easter.
LEMON: It would be the same thing really?
GIST: Basically, yes.
(CROSSTALK)
GIST: Because one thing about hats is fashion.
LEMON: Yes.
GIST: Easter is about fashion.
LEMON: Right.
GIST: Hats are about fashion.
LEMON: Come here, Thomas. Do you want to model this for me?
(LAUGHTER)
No.
So anyway, you can do either one?
GIST: Either one.
LEMON: Either one. So is it more outrageous for church or do you try to be as outrageous at the Kentucky Derby, even for an event where you're -- it's a royal wedding or something.
GIST: Normally, at church, you wouldn't want to be outrageous. You want to be dressed.
LEMON: But they look outrageous. I have to be honest.
GIST: Well --
LEMON: I'm not saying they look bad, but they're -- you know, they're a little -- look at this.
GIST: That's a wonderful hat.
LEMON: You put it on. Do you love it?
GIST: Of course, I do. And I think I look good in it.
LEMON: Tell me about that hat.
GIST: This hat is made of silk lapel. Each lapel has been placed one at a time. Outrageously fashionable. Don't you think?
LEMON: What do you all think? You like it?
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: What do you think, ladies? Do you like it?
All right, come on in here. Let's see. Put this on. I want you to put it on. Sit right here next to me.
GIST: Put it on with style.
LEMON: What do you think of this hat? Would you wear it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, yes, with the head phones and all.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: Would you seriously wear that?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Of course.
LEMON: Young people don't really wear hats, do they, as much as people once they get more mature?
GIST: Yes, to a certain degree. It depends on their taste and it depends on where they're going. That's considered high fashion.
LEMON: All right.
(LAUGHTER)
Mom -- my mom is sitting at home going, saying, I told you, son, I told you.
Is there anyone that you recommend who could not wear a hat? Are some people not hat wearers?
GIST: There are. I get a lot of customers who are just not hat wearers. They don't choose to wear a hat. They choose other types of accessories. A hat is an accessory.
LEMON: All right.
GIST: It completes your outfit.
LEMON: Let's show of the -- can we turn around here and show some of the other hats, because she's got tons of hats that we have here. And you can find them -- again, you can get them for the royal wedding. You can get them tomorrow for Easter. I know that they'll be everywhere tomorrow. And I'll be watching all the ladies in church --
GIST: Yes.
LEMON: -- sporting their hats.
And it's called Its Unforgettable.
GIST: It's Unforgettable.
LEMON: Where's it located again?
GIST: We're located on 2317 Cascade Road in Atlanta, Georgia. And our slogan is, "We are the difference between dressed and well dressed. There is a difference."
LEMON: And what's your web site, real quick?
GIST: Our web site is itsunforgetable.atlanta.com.
LEMON: Thank you very much.
And thank you so much for watching. We hope we gave you great hat tips that you can wear tomorrow at church, and again for the royal wedding.
I'm Don Lemon at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. I'll see you back here at 8:00 p.m. eastern. 7:00 eastern, sorry.
Right now, "THE SITUATION ROOM" begins with Wolf Blitzer.
