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Ten Killed in Florida Accidents; Investigating Police Discrimination; Tough Talk from Gingrich and Romney; RNC Chair's Comparison; Gingrich and Spanish; Chicago Beating Caught on Tape; Screen Actor's Guild Awards Now; "Big Hits, Broken Dreams"
Aired January 29, 2012 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: The next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.
I'm Don Lemon. Thank you so much for joining us here at the top of the hour.
We're going to begin in Oakland, California, where city hall is trashed and hundreds are under arrest after an occupy protest boiled over. Windows smashed, debris all over the floor; even graffiti spray painted on some of the walls. The City Hall was just one of the targets during a day and night of clashes downtown. Protesters also tried unsuccessfully to take over the convention center.
Now according to police, they arrested as many as 400 demonstrators. Police say the protesters pelted them with bottles, rocks, improvised explosive devices and burning flares. In return, officers used tear gas and smoke grenades on the crowds. Look at this video, look at skirmish there.
Well, now we go to Atlanta, a very bold move. An occupier spray paints an anarchy -- anarchy sign right on the window of a police precinct. The movement has been picking up steam in Atlanta in recent weeks. Organizers have been targeting banks in particular.
And in the nation's capital, the clock is ticking for occupiers at two camps near the White House. Police threw down an ultimatum leave or you'll end up in hand cuffs. On Friday, park police put up a notice, telling occupiers they can't camp there overnight anymore. So starting around noon on Monday, officers could start making some arrests, fair warning. And we're keeping a close eye on that situation for you.
A series of accidents on a Florida interstate killed ten people early today. Smoke from a brush fire made the predawn darkness even blacker. People drove blind, some stopped, then in an instant cars and trucks started smashing into each other on I-75 near Gainesville.
Stephen Camps, who survived, says he got a second chance. He told me how he watched a driver who had stopped next to him die.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN CAMPS, SURVIVOR: And I tell you, no later than five seconds later, we heard a crash from the back and I guarantee you in no less than three seconds after we heard that, the driver was under the semi- truck.
LEMON: Wow.
CAMPS: And that experience alone just -- just really blew me and my friend's mind because we were just sitting here talking to this guy and he is under a semi-truck. And after we, you know, we sat there and we were like, you know, we're going crazy, no later than ten seconds later, we get hit by a car going at least 80 miles an hour on the interstate and then literally knocks us into the semi-truck.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: The Florida Highway Patrol had just reopened I-75 when the collision started.
A Canadian jury says guilty. An Afghan family, Mohammad Shafia, his wife and their 21-year-old son convicted of murder in a high profile trial in Canada. They were found guilty of killing Shafia's three daughters and his first wife in his polygamous marriage and so-called "honor murders". Investigators say the three killed these women, punishing them for being rebellious and Westernized. Their bodies were found in a car that had plunged into an Ontario canal.
Four police officers in East Haven, Connecticut, have been arrested and charged with beating and harassing Latinos in their community. The Justice Department has accused the department of supporting a policy of abuse. But a Catholic priest is getting credit for bringing the problem out in the open.
CNN's national correspondent Susan Candiotti introduces us to Father James Manship.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Serving his parishioners is something Father James Manship takes from his office to the streets.
FATHER JAMES MANSHIP, ST. ROSE OF LIMA: Any affront to somebody's dignity to somebody's safety is an affront to God. And it -- it required a response.
CANDIOTTI: So respond he did. Long before four East Haven, Connecticut police officers were indicted for systematically targeting and arresting Latinos, Father Manship picked up a camera to document alleged abuse in his own backyard.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sir, what are you doing? Is there a reason you have a camera on me?
CANDIOTTI: A store security camera also was rolling in this Latino convenience store when the priest saw police order that some old decorative license plate be taken off a wall.
MANSHIP: I began to videotape what was -- what was going on. And -- then I was arrested.
CANDIOTTI: The priest's camera kept rolling on police.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is there a reason you have a camera on me?
MANSHIP: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is that?
MANSHIP: I'm taking a video of what's going on here.
CANDIOTTI: The store's camera shows what happened next. Father Manship is arrested and charged with disturbing the peace and interfering with police.
JOSHUA ROSENTHAL, YALE LAW STUDENT: He's definitely played a critical role in helping people come forward and helping people really stand up.
CANDIOTTI: The FBI used Manship's video to help establish what the Justice Department called discriminatory policing of Latinos. Authorities say more arrests are expected. East Haven's Mayor, who himself has been criticized for insensitive comments about the Latino community, said he stands behind the police department. Father Manship's parishioners say they are blessed to have him speaking out.
"If it weren't for him," she says, "we wouldn't nope what to do. He's the best."
MANSHIP: And this is not -- was not for us, of just simply about a few bad apples. And this was a serious deep cultural issue within the police department that needs to be transformed.
CANDIOTTI: Among Latinos, fear of police remains rampant.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is the reason why you stop me? No reason at all. This is because you are Latino or you look like Latino.
MANSHIP: My hope is that one day that we'll have a police department in East Haven that we can be proud of.
CANDIOTTI: The priest who holds an engineering degree and once designed brakes for a living now finds himself trying to put a stop to alleged racial profiling.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right, coming up, tick tock. Two days until Florida's Republican primary. We're looking at what's at stake, live from Tampa. Two minutes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
Mitt Romney (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: -- Heritage Foundation -- (END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: I'm not in Florida but I can only imagine what it's like. I'm sure people there are getting swamped by political ads. But they can see the light at the end of the tunnel. All the campaigning, all the TV ads will be over in just two days. So hang on Floridians. Hang on.
But it's going to be a full blast between now and Tuesday. CNN's political reporter Shannon Travis joins me now from Tampa. Shannon -- have -- you've seen the ads, haven't you? Have you've been there -- are they just bombarded, over and over -- "This guy is terrible, do not vote for him."
SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Don, you can't even turn on the TV down here and not see the ads. We know that Mitt Romney has been pretty much outspending Newt Gingrich in terms of the ads. So let's just say the Romney campaign and the pro-Romney Super PAC. He's been outspending Newt Gingrich. But yes the ads are -- are pretty, are coming fast and furious and they are pretty brutal already.
Not to mention just the ads, but the actual campaign events. I think we have some pictures that we're waiting for Newt Gingrich to come out. He's got an evening event and Mitt Romney's already pretty much started with his. But let's take a look, a quick little update of where this thing stands right now in terms of poll numbers right. That's kind of the most accurate gauge of who's doing what, who's up, who's down or what have you.
An NBC News/Marist poll from earlier today, and take a listen at this: Mitt Romney, 42 percent, Don; Newt Gingrich, 27 percent; Rick Santorum, 16 percent; and Ron Paul, 11 percent.
There were two other polls, one from ARG and another one from -- the Tampa Bay Newspaper down here that also had similar numbers, so, this thing is looking really good for Mitt Romney, but as you said, anything can happen before Tuesday -- Don.
LEMON: Don't feel bad. I can't keep up with all the polls every time I get a message from Paul Steinhauser here I go, another poll it's only been five minutes. You know, hey. Wow, that is --
(CROSSTALK)
TRAVIS: Yes you've got to keep watching those polls, man.
LEMON: Rick Santorum, Ron Paul where are they today? I know that Rick Santorum had a health issue with his daughter. We're thinking about him. Ron Paul -- tell us what they are doing today?
TRAVIS: That's right I mean, we're watching really closely what's happening with Rick Santorum's daughter. He's back in Pennsylvania, keeping an eye on her. She contracted pneumonia in both her lungs apparently and so he's out of Florida, taking care of her, as he should be.
No word yet on if he'll come back to his event. He has an event scheduled for tomorrow here in Florida. No word yet if he'll leave Pennsylvania and come back and attend that.
In terms of Ron Paul, I actually started my morning in Maine, the State of Maine this morning, Don, because that's where Ron Paul was for the two days. He was campaigning there, their caucuses have started. But he's going to be campaigning in Colorado on Florida primary day and spending his evening, as Florida results come in, in Vegas, another important caucus state, Nevada -- Don.
LEMON: All right, Shannon Travis, get some sleep. And turn the TV off, if you can for the most political ads. We appreciate it. Shannon Travis.
Goldie Taylor -- at Goldie Taylor Project, not that Goldie Taylor. GoldieTaylorProject.com, right and she is always here, she's the managing editor of that -- did you see -- pow on those polls, whoa. What happened?
GOLDIE TAYLOR, POLITICAL ANALYST/CULTURAL CRITIC: Remember the rock them sock them robots when we were kids? You know, Newt had a really good run in South Carolina. He was able to take advantage of the retail voting.
LEMON: Yes.
TAYLOR: The door-to-door, house-to-house stuff.
LEMON: Yes.
TAYLOR: You can't do that in Florida -- too big of a state. So you've got to rely on the money.
LEMON: Ok.
TAYLOR: And Romney has it.
LEMON: Romney has -- ok. This got my attention this morning, I was watching the morning shows for the Chairman of RNC, Reince Priebus, take a listen, Goldie.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REINCE PRIEBUS, CHAIRMAN, REPUBLICAN PARTY: And in the end, in a few months this is all going to be ancient history and we're going to talk about owl own little Captain Schettino which is President Obama, who is abandoning the ship here in the United States and is more interested in campaigning than doing his job as president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: He's compared -- you know, that was -- that was quite a comment to the Captain of the "Costa Concordia." TAYLOR: I run communications for a lot of candidates. I run communications for a lot of Fortune 500 companies. Whoever wrote that talking point for Reince this morning should be fired.
LEMON: Really?
TAYLOR: Whoever made that kind of metaphor --
LEMON: Isn't it fair game? No, no.
TAYLOR: No, no, manslaughter --
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: -- people died.
TAYLOR: Manslaughter is not fair game.
LEMON: Yes, yes.
TAYLOR: Lives are not fair game. There were Americans on that ship. Not fair game.
LEMON: Ok. Stand by. Don't go anywhere, Goldie. Because we're going to talk Spanish, Espanol -- not you and me but we're going to be talking about what Newt Gingrich did or didn't say about Spanish. He's trying to explain himself again. You don't want to miss this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. We're back with Goldie Taylor, one of our regulars here. She's the managing editor of GoldieTaylorProject.com.
Let's talk about Newt Gingrich and Spanish. He gave a speech a couple of years ago about English being the language of success, not the ghetto and he keeps having to fight off claims that he disparaged people who speak Spanish. Listen, here it is this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And I said, we don't want anyone trapped, anyone; this was not a reference to any one language. We don't want anyone trapped in America not able to speak English because English is the language of commercial success. English is the language that gives you a better job.
Now, he turned that on its head and basically suggested something that was simply plain not true.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Is he being completely forthcoming about --
TAYLOR: I don't think so. I don't think he is. I think in the context of things, you know, he has a point about English being, you know, the general language -- (CROSSTALK)
TAYLOR: -- in this country.
LEMON: I'm glad you said that. I thought the same thing.
TAYLOR: He makes a good point about that. But the finer point is, this is a country of many races, many languages. But the second language, the most prevalent language in this country is Spanish. And it happens to be spoken by people who are newer immigrants, people who are older immigrants.
LEMON: But he said -- when he said "language of the ghetto", I said, what -- they're not speaking Farsi in the ghetto. They're not speaking French in the ghetto; Greek in the ghetto.
(CROSSTALK)
TAYLOR: They're not speaking Farsi, French, Greek -- any of those other things. There is one main language -- Spanish.
LEMON: All right.
TAYLOR: So, no, he's not telling the truth.
LEMON: Let's just be honest about it.
Ok, let's talk about Arizona Governor Jan Brewer.
TAYLOR: Sure.
LEMON: You saw the wag of the finger.
TAYLOR: I did. I commented this week on my blog.
LEMON: What's going on?
TAYLOR: You know, the issue here is, you know, when the President comes in on Air Force One on that tarmac, it is a staged event every time. So, every single thing that happens on the tarmac is captured by photographs. She knew that the moment she stepped onto that tarmac it would be photographed.
I think she waved her finger at the President's face on purpose. I think she concocted a story later that she felt threatened by this President in broad daylight as if he was going to snatch her purse or something like that.
But I think it's an unfortunate thing because many people beg off not going to meet the President when they disagree with his politics, whether it's a Democrat or Republican in the White House. She would have begged off if she did not have nefarious means.
LEMON: I was in the gym yesterday and a bunch of people were talking as we were working out, they were talking about the debates and they were talking about this photo capture and they said, I'm a Republican and I don't -- you respect the office. What's wrong? Why would she do that? Even if you don't like someone, you don't do that. That's a general consensus.
I want to go back, Goldie, because I don't want people to misunderstand and I think it's important for people to know, especially young people of color.
TAYLOR: Sure.
LEMON: I think Newt Gingrich does have a point when he says you have to speak proper English if you want to get ahead in this country.
TAYLOR: This is -- this is absolutely true. I teach it to my children, you know, but there are so many Spanish language people in this country who are bilingual. We miss that. That's the lion's share. Or bi-cultural -- that they have a relationship both with this country and with their home country and they speak both languages. It was a broad generalization that did not need -- it was mean spirited.
LEMON: Yes. But there was, as you said, there is a point. If you want to get along in business --
TAYRLO: Sure.
LEMON: -- if you want to get a job. If you want to do what I do, you have to speak proper English. You can't speak slang unless you want to go into the entertainment industry or something like that. And even still, in a business meeting you are going to have to get your point across.
TAYLOR: You're going to have to be able to get your point across. I think that so many people certainly understand that. I think that, you know, Newt Gingrich has a way of demonizing people by using the positives about them to turn it and flip it back on its ear. That's just what's most unfortunate about these comments.
LEMON: Yes. It's the way you say it and what's behind it.
TAYLOR: It's what's behind it, of course. You're right.
LEMON: Good stuff Goldie. We could talk -- I could just sit and talk with you.
TAYLOR: You know, pour a drink. Hang out awhile.
LEMON: All right. CNN. Thank you, Goldie. See you soon.
CNN, of course, is your source for complete coverage of Tuesday's Florida Republican primary. Our special live coverage begins at 6:00 p.m. Eastern.
In other news now: a troubling situation. A Chicago school student ganged up on by other students, beaten and bullied and the incident then posted on YouTube. We're talking about how to stop this sort of thing from happening, with CNN education contributor Steve Perry, next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: We're talking about school education and how to handle challenging high school kids. Well, there may be no better person to turn to than CNN education contributor Steve Perry. His latest book is called "Push Has Come to Shove: Getting our kids the education they deserve".
Earlier, I asked him about a troubling video out of Chicago that has gotten a whole lot of attention.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: I'm not sure if you've seen this video. I think -- I'm pretty sure you have seen it. It's out of Chicago, I'm talking about.
I want to take a quick look at this. Let's put it up now. These teenagers, they gang up on this kid, it is a kid and the kid -- there's a kid that's been charged, one is in jail now. He's charged as an adult, right? Eight kids have been charged, I should say.
This video is amazing. Does this sort of thing surprise you?
STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR: No.
LEMON: Really?
PERRY: Not at all. In fact, unfortunately, it becomes too common. What happens is the typical bullying has gone to a whole different level. You get any kid with a phone and no good sense and they begin to videotape these things.
What you see, really, is that this is an indication, not just of the child who is being hurt, but the hurt children who are around them, because in order for you to cause such harm to someone else, you can't love yourself. That's what we're seeing.
LEMON: As you're talking, I'm looking at this video and they are kicking this kid. You can see, kicking him in the face and in the head. I don't -- I don't understand it. I don't understand it.
PERRY: People don't understand -- things in our schools are so much worse than I think most people realize. It's really bad in many schools because so many children feel so broken inside.
LEMON: So what do you do? I mean we always say, ok, you -- here's the thing that I know. I'm not a parent but I know this.
PERRY: Sure.
LEMON: There's only so much that you can do at a school. Home training, it starts in the home. But what can you do to make kids feel safe when they're --
PERRY: We're the professionals. We're the ones who are trained to make children feel better. We can create a lot. Of course home needs to play a role but we have your children for six and a half to sometimes eight, nine hours a day. We should play a very vital role in that. It's not one or the other.
However, we as educators, I see it as my responsibility. When someone says in Hartford that some kid in a blazer, because our kids wear blazers, is having a fight downtown, we get in the car and we go down there to make sure it's not one of ours. Because if it is, then there's going to be a whole problem; there will be two fights then.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: There's going to be two fights if he finds out it's one of his kids. Never shy with his words. That is CNN's education contributor Steve Perry. Steve, thank you very much.
Coming up, your personal finances. Are you sticking to your new year's resolutions? We'll talk with personal finance expert Nicole Lapin to get answers to your questions.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Coming up on half past the hour and we want to get a look at your headlines right now.
Tragedy on Interstate 75 in Florida before dawn today; cars and trucks piled up outside Gainesville, killing ten people, injuring 18 more. Drivers were blinded by smoke from a nearby brush fire. One survivor called it horrendous. Highway patrol had just reopened the interstate when the chain of collisions occurred.
In Canada, an Afghan family, Mohammed Shafia, his wife and 21-year-old son have been convicted of murdering these four women. The murdered women are Shafia's three daughters and his first wife. Investigators say the three conducted so-called "honor murders" to punish the victims for being rebellious and Westernized.
The government is ramping up the bloodshed on the streets of Syria.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(VIOLENCE IN SYRIA)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: This YouTube video seems to sum it up. A wounded protester shot by soldiers, dragged away in Damascus. An opposition activist group says at least 64 people died in attacks today, nearly 100 Saturday. CNN cannot confirm those numbers nor verify the video, but with Arab League monitors gone, the violence is escalating.
It has been eight months since a monster tornado slammed Joplin, Missouri, killing 161 people. A hospital was heavily damaged and today demolition crews began tearing it down. A four-foot wooden cross that once hung in the hospital emergency department was taken to the new hospital site about two miles away. Demolition crews used a wrecking ball to tear down the hospital instead of explosives. Much of Joplin sits on old mines that have been filled in. They didn't want to take the chance of explosives damaging surrounding properties.
A month into your financial resolutions. How are you doing? How are they going? Here, again, to answer personal financial questions, all of your questions, money expert Nicole Lapin. OK, Nicole.
NICOLE LAPIN, FINANCIAL EXPERT: How are you doing?
LEMON: How are you doing? You all right?
LAPIN: Yes.
LEMON: All right. Let's get right to it. OK.
LAPIN: Let's get to it.
LEMON: Here is what Christina is tweeting Nicole says "I have a money question. If my employer doesn't match 401(k) contribution, should I still invest or are there better alternatives?" Go, Nicole.
LAPIN: Probably not actually, Christina. And contrary to what a lot of financial experts will tell you, there are three types of folks who should think twice about investing in a 401(k). Number one, if you don't have six to nine months of savings, rethink a 401(k). You want to have a cushion of liquidity just in case something terrible, god forbid, happens.
Number two, if you have a boat load of debt. You're going to want to pay that down first, because that debt is going to increase much faster than the savings that you are accruing from that 401(k). And number three, just like Christina said, if your employer does not match contributions. You have to rethink it. Because in the long run, 30 to 40 years out, of course, you are susceptible to the whims of the stock market. So if your employer is not helping you double down on that, that's a risk that you want to really think about.
LEMON: All right. Here's what Stephen says he wants to know, "Are you an overall fan, Nicole, of mutual funds?
LAPIN: Yes. Yes. Why not? But here's the thing. Fees, fees, fees. This is the biggest part of this. You have to really watch these fees, because study after study will show if you keep those in check, that is the best way to grow your nest egg.
Now, you have to look for stocks below one an below 1.33 percent in terms of the expenses. So that's 1.33 percent or in the bond category you would want to keep that lower than 0.9 percent. Vanguard, Fidelity have some less expensive mutual funds that you can look into. T. Rowe prices automatic asset builder program is another good one, because that automatically deducts every month and you can get in, kind of sneak attack under that $2,500, for 50 bucks a month.
And look, Don, if you don't feel it coming out of your paycheck, it doesn't really hurt that bad.
LEMON: OK. An anonymous Facebook user asks, what do I do with unwanted gift cards? Regift them, right? I don't know.
LAPIN: Is that - that's what I got in the mail from you? Thanks so much, Don. I was wondering, what is this Flying Biscuit gift card that I get from Don Lemon? You are probably the easiest person to get. You are always going to want, you know, a tie of any color. You are going to be that guy that is like so appreciative of that. But it's a serious, you know, question, when you are looking at all these gift cards.
There are a couple of really great sites where you can swap them. So let's say you got a Shake Shack card and you are really a vegetarian and you want a Whole Foods card. So you can look at gift card rescue.com. You an also look at swap a gift. And you can potentially find somebody virtually that you can swap with. Or you can sell them on different auction sites like card hub or plastic jungle. You can also donate them to charity, if a charity accepts in kind gifts. You can write that off your taxes. You can also, remember, you know, if you got a Macy's card and you think it must be nice to have some incense for the house - yes, forget the must be nices and save them for a time of must haves. Like, when you are moving and you need towels or something, because they do last for five years.
LEMON: Nicole Lapin, appreciate it.
LAPIN: I'm going to get you a tie next year.
LEMON: All right. Thank you. I appreciate.
I owe you one too.
LAPIN: Good to see you.
LEMON: Hey, we want to get now out to the West Coast, where the Screen Actor's Guild Awards are going on right now. There's someone there, I don't know, I kind of recognize this guy and young lady, I think it's George Clooney and (INAUDIBLE) Kareen Wynter. Hello, Kareen.
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: And Don, I haven't stopped laughing. George is such a comedian. George Clooney and his beautiful date Stacy Keibler. We are so thrilled to have you here with us, talking about the big night ahead with "The Descendants." How fabulously thrilled are you? I just made that up, by the way.
GEORGE CLOONEY, ACTOR: Well, fabulously thrilled I am. But I'm a little disappointed that Don couldn't make the show.
WYNTER: Don, what do you have to say about that?
LEMON: I'm very disappointed, as well. I didn't get George's invitation.
WYNTER: George, Don said he didn't get your invitation. So he's very disappointed, as well.
CLOONEY: Oh, I'm sorry. It's in the mail. WYNTER: I love it. Let's talk quickly with you about the big year that you've had. You just won at the Golden Globes. You are a favorite going into the Academy Awards, George. Does it ever get old?
CLOONEY: It doesn't ever get old when people are very nice to you, when you do things and people like them because it's not all that often you get to do that. But no, it doesn't get old, it's nice. I enjoy what I do for a living and it's nice when people enjoy it, too.
WYNTER: What's up with this friendly competition going on between you and your best bud, Brad Pitt, up for "Moneyball"?
CLOONEY: There's nothing friendly about it. I'll say that right now. No, listen, Brad is my buddy and I do wish him nothing but the best and I hope, you know, I actually think he's probably going to win tonight and I will be the first one cheering for him because he's my pal.
WYNTER: Of course, you are all winners. We are CNN, we are heavily focused on politics, not just great award shows like this. I know you've been keeping your eyes on the Republican primaries. What would you say, you know, about what's happening with those presidential hopefuls and Obama. Is he going to have a tough time again this year? You know, four years ago, he really had the backing of liberal Hollywood. Where does he stand today?
CLOONEY: He had a tough time until the economic crisis, I think, and that sort of changes his election in 2008 and I think every election is going to be tough. It's going to be tough with 8.5 percent unemployment. It will be difficult but you know, you look at the other field and, you know, you - we'll wait and see who they come up with the nominee and everything starts from there. It will be interesting to see.
WYNTER: You are watching it closely.
CLOONEY: Sure, I like watching it. It's fun.
WYNTER: All right. We're not going to leave Stacy out. You look beautiful in your gown. Tell me the designer again? Was it Marchesa?
STACY KEIBLER: Yes, it's Marchesa.
WYNTER: And you are a fabulous date. But I have to ask you what is the best part about dating George Clooney?
CLOONEY: Yes.
KEIBLER: How long do you have?
WYNTER: All the time in the world.
CLOONEY: Good answer.
WYNTER: All right. Thank you so much guys. Have fun, George, always a treat talking to you and I get a kiss. LEMON: Oh, Kareen, you are starting trouble on the red carpet!
WYNTER: I am. You know I have to, you know I have to. George made it really, really fun, though. You know, he's up against Brad Pitt but a lot of the other films that we're watching out for tonight, an outstanding cast performance by a cast in a picture category, "Bridesmaids." You know, the breakout film from last year, Don. Some people are saying that could be a favorite, just because it was so hilariously funny. It grossed $170 million at the box office. It proved that hey women can be funny, too. So a big night ahead. A lot of favorites like George. He's making his way down to the fan stand. So you're about to get a little bit of noise, it's about to be a little crazy in here. So, again, the show is about to start at the top of the hour and we can't wait, Don.
LEMON: It's very interesting, George Clooney, Kareen, the style of old school movie stars, Cary Grant, what have you but it's interesting how unassuming he is and just when you meet him in person, he's sort of a nice guy. Really unassuming.
Look at the beautiful people on the red carpet as well.
WYNTER: Every time I have interviewed him, Don, always so down to earth, so humble and he really means when he says, "When I win, I'm kind of floored." He is that kind of guy. He loves his craft. He takes his profession very seriously and I think that's why America's fallen in love with him.
LEMON: Thank you, madame. You look lovely. And as we're looking at some of the live pictures there, the folks at the red carpet, they too, as well. We will be watching. Kareen Wynter again, thank you very much. Screen Actors Guild Awards, red carpet, live in L.A. at the Shrine Auditorium right now.
Next weekend, though, the Super Bowl will do something it's never done before. It involves a command center and new technology. Live report, straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Fans of the NBC comedy "The Office" know actor Rainn Wilson as the egomaniacal Dwight Schrute, but unlike his character, Wilson is committed to helping others. In 2007, he saw a story about one of our CNN heroes, an every day person changing the world, and he was moved that he decided to lend a hand. And five years later, he is still involved and inspired.
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RAINN WILSON, ACTOR: I was literally sitting in my trailer at "The Office" and I was looking at the CNN Web site and I had CNN Heroes. I think it was the first year and I saw this story on this guy Aaron Jackson. This is a young kid from Florida who grew up on a golf course. You know, didn't really have much direction in his life and then he went traveling in the third world and he saw poverty and he decided to just devote his life to making the world a better place. AARON JACKSON, CNN HERO: Today, we've dewormed a little over 100 people.
WILSON: It's been great to be able to help out Aaron Jackson in planting peace by doing some fund-raisers. I got to introduce him to people and help raise money and just help his organization really get moving. He's the amazing guy who is doing all the really hard work and, you know, give him the cash and just let him go down what he does best.
They have four, five orphanages in Haiti and I also went out when they distributed the deworming medication, out in the rural villages and towns. You are distributing food, aid, all around the country. So many kids can be, you know, eating their fill but because they're so filled with worms, they are unable to process that food so it's really just kind of a waste.
You deworm a kid and the worms shoot out usually in 24 to 48 hours. It's amazing. You see a kid that is highly anemic, not alert at all and once you rid them of worms they come back to life. And that's what, to me, is the most amazing. You see an immediate impact.
Since the heroes segment in 2007, we have actually raised enough money with Rainn's help to deworm every child in Haiti, all 3.2 million kids.
WILSON: Any one can be a hero. It just takes a little bit of work.
OK, all right. Au revoir.
Ah! If there's one thing you can take away from my experience with CNN Heroes, the stories are incredibly inspiring. They inspire me to step up my game and try to do more to help the world.
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LEMON: We're here to tell you the Super Bowl is getting an upgrade. Next Sunday, it's the Patriots against the Giants. And not only is it the first Super Bowl streaming live on the internet, it will also be the first to have its own social media command center. Tech reporter Katie Linendoll has all the cool details for us. So tell us about this command center. Sounds like war.
KATIE LINENDOLL, TECH REPORTER: It does sound like war. As you know, this is the first time any big event has ever created a social media command center. Here's the deal. Super Bowl host committee, they tapped (INAUDIBLE) an interactive agency to not only handle the official Super Bowl Twitter account, they're also going to and handle the Facebook account, the YouTube account, the Flicker account and the blog site.
And to do this, they wanted them in the area. They have given them a 2,800 square foot facility that's going to operate like a mini CNN Newsroom. Producers are going to be running around grabbing content from on site, also all audio and video is going to be controlled off of iPads. They've also tapped local universities to pull in students to be extra journalists and new media advocates alongside a 16-person staff.
But I think this is interesting, Don, because if they execute this properly, I think this sets the precedent for a lot of big events to come. We know social media is huge. You think of events like the Oscars and the World Cup. Growing that brand on all sites social media, that's where it's headed.
LEMON: Cool. OK. Let's move on to some changes that will affect a lot of our viewers, many of our viewers. First, Facebook says it is pulling the trigger on a new design for everyone.
LINENDOLL: Yes. Let's talk about Facebook Timeline. Coming to your Facebook page. So, once optional in terms of layout, Facebook Timeline will actually be mandatory for the near 800 million Facebook users in the next few weeks. You probably popped on one of your friends pages and seen Timeline. All it is, is a chronological list of every single thing that you posted to Facebook ever. Now, this is also a gold mine for HR or crazy boyfriends or crazy girlfriends in terms of stalking.
So, don't panic. You know you're going to get timeline. What I recommend you do is get on there now. You have seven days to hide anything you don't want seen and also with timeline they have also announced 60 apps that allow you to share in real-time what you are doing at any given moment from listening to music to traveling to checking out new food. Make sure, Don, your permissions and your privacy settings are set on Facebook.
LEMON: You got to go in and check out my Timeline. I was one of the test people that Facebook uses and I've got some 1980s hair on my timeline. So, check it out. All right. Thank you Katie. We appreciate it.
LINENDOLL: Yay. Talk to you soon. Thank you.
LEMON: All righty.
One week ail way from the Super Bowl and suddenly the question is being asked. Is football too dangerous a sport? Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins me next to talk about the dangers of concussions. His CNN special report "Big Hits Broken Dreams" airs at the top of the hour. It's a conversation you do not want to miss.
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LEMON: CNN has spent over a year investigating the danger of concussions in sports, and coming up at the top of the hour, we will bring you "Big Hits, Broken Dreams." It's hosted by our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta. He talks with athletes, young and old, with a special look at football's central role in one North Carolina community.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Football in North Carolina is really big.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you're from around this area, you know JH Rose, a four-time state champ.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pumped up, excited, ready to go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's all I thought, every single day. Football, football, football.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Football's a tough sport. You know, it isn't for everybody. There's collisions in this sport.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) is my little brother. He's not moving. He needs help breathing. I mean, I just lost it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Waller was tackled, walked to the sidelines, and then he collapsed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Friday night's death of Jakwan Waller is being felt across -
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a very tough time for the whole community. I remember getting (INAUDIBLE) actually rang my bell.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For the first three weeks (INAUDIBLE) the trainer was asking me questions and I was answering them all wrong.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are a small percentage of impacts that simulate that car crash.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He does have symptoms of a concussion.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If a parent came to you and said, "Coach, my kid really wants to play football, but I want you to tell me that he's going to be safe."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't guarantee that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is a violent game. That's always going to be there. Can you make this game safer?
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LEMON: Dr. Gupta joins me now to talk about tonight's special. And we're also joined by former NFL player, Lamar Campbell, he hosts an internet radio show, it's called "Life After the Game." Good to see both of you. I have to say, I went to the screening the other night, great work.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Thank you, thank you very much.
LEMON: It's great work. And I think it's going to be impactful. This is a huge issue. And I know you're hoping as well that it's going to make a difference.
GUPTA: There is so much that has emerged in terms of science over just the last couple of years. It was almost one of those things that we felt that we couldn't do. Because you watch football, I'm a football fan, you see the hard hits and you thought to yourself, anecdotally, that doesn't look good. I don't know for sure what it does to the brain, but it doesn't look good.
Now there's science to actually say what it does to the brain specifically, and I think most importantly, what people can do about this. This was supposed to be very solutions oriented, Don.
LEMON: Yes, and it was. And what was interesting is that you and your producers anticipated every question. As I was watching it, I started to ask questions, and then you would come along and answer them. So it's great. And listen, you know, I always tell the truth. You have to watch this. It is one of the best documentaries I've seen here.
Lamar, you play football, highest levels, NFL players, you know they take blows to the head, many, many times. Did you realize at the time that you were suffering from concussions? You knew it.
LAMAR CAMPBELL, RADIO HOST "LIFE AFTER THE GAME": No, I thought we all thought we suffered from was basically diggers, and it's something you'd grow up in the game with. Let's just start with the issue that you play the game because you love the game. We all know it's hard to walk away from something that you love, without regard for how painful it might be. I think that's a great analogy for what we felt playing the game.
LEMON: Here's the thing, Dr. Gupta, do you have to suffer from a concussion to have brain damage, or can it just be a really hard blow to get long-term damage?
GUPTA: It could be a hard blow or it could be a series of like subconcussive blows. Things that you'd never think about. Lamar, you know, knows this but on average, a high school player takes about 650 of these hits a season. That was quite striking to me. We now know, pretty definitively, and again, this is emerging science that's happening right now, Don, we know that the impact of those blows can be something called CTE, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy.
You don't need to remember the name but know this, it looks like Alzheimer's disease, except it's happening in teenagers, 20s, 30-year- olds as opposed to 70, 80s, 90s.
LEMON: There's a young man in the documentary who has - I think the doctor says, the researcher says his brain looks like that of an 80- year-old or someone who has Alzheimer's disease or dementia.
GUPTA: That's right. A 17-year-old. It was the youngest person ever diagnosed with this and he's a high school football player. So people think, look this doesn't happen to people that young. Not only does it, but sometimes young people are more vulnerable to these types of changes.
LEMON: And let's talk about changes, these are the newer type helmets they have made --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Since the days of Fran Tarkenton. LEMON: Fran brought his old helmet into me you know, a couple months back, and I mean it was like the toy helmets that we used to play with as kids. Is this making a difference, do you think, having these?
CAMPBELL: I think it does make a difference, but concussions will never be 100 percent, especially in the game of football, it will never be 100 percent free of concussions. I know for myself, I was a pre-game ritual to pump as much air as possible into my helmet. Because I knew it's a half day that I was in for. So hopefully, you know, there's never any judgment in brainstorming. If anyone can come up with any ideas that can help youthful players be protected as they continue to play the game. I think we should definitely (INAUDIBLE).
LEMON: You're considering donating your brain to research. There are people who donate their brains to research in your documentary and you're considering donating your brains too. So they can study former NFL players.
CAMPBELL: Yes, I mean there's definitely something there. When I look at the people that I've had the chance to be with in my life, Andre Waters who committed suicide in 2006, I had a chance to spend a summer camp with him, and to see how vibrant he was at that camp and then turn around and committed suicide. Now that the internet and the media is involved, the information is readily available.
So when I looked at the symptoms and I see similar symptoms in my case, I contacted the Sports Legacy Institute at Boston University and I got the paperwork. I haven't signed it as of yet but I look at it every day to motivate me for what I'm doing as far as teaching kids on playing football as safely as possible.
GUPTA: And Andre Waters was diagnosed, the first player ever diagnosed with CTE.
LEMON: Let's talk about the dangers. Is it more dangerous than people think? And can it be - I mean, after all, it's sports. It's football. You're hitting. That's the nature of it.
GUPTA: It's a violent sport. And it's always going to be that way, I think. There are a lot of things in the documentary, but two things I'll share with you quickly. One is if you get a concussion and then you get a second concussion while the first one is healing, you turn a bad situation into potentially a catastrophic situation. You have a bruise on your arm and somebody hits you, the next day somebody hits you again in that same spot, it would hurt a lot more. It's going to heal from the first hit, no doubt. But that second hit (INAUDIBLE) much more. Think of your brain the same way. Inflamed, swollen after that first concussion, it will heal, but if it gets a second hit, it becomes a really bad situation. Number one.
And number two, you know, those 650 hits a season, when we really dissected a season of a high school football team, we found the vast majority of those occur in practice. No question these players have to learn skills and some of that does involve hitting, but so much of that can be dialed back, as they're starting to do in states like North Carolina and other states around the country. LEMON: I'm going to ask you a question. If you had a teenage son, would you let him play high school football?
CAMPBELL: No. No, I would not. I'm very conscious of how I feel today. But if he did decide to do that, he would be armed with one thing I did not, which is the education and the knowledge of what the game can do to you down the line, I think that's the important thing.
LEMON: Dr. Gupta, same question?
GUPTA: You know, I think, I might, surprisingly, but - and the but is, the awareness for sideline exams, athletic trainers at every practice and game, and also this idea that they don't have to hit their head 650 times a season.
LEMON: Thank you very much, Lamar. Thank you, Dr. Gupta. Of course and we appreciate you joining us and answering all the questions. Dr. Sanjay Gupta's special coming up right now. It's called "BIG HITS, BROKEN DREAMS" on CNN.
