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Death Toll and Violence Spike in Syria; Three More GOP Contests; Obama Now Backs Super PAC; Same-Sex Marriage Ruling in California; Burmese Pythons Destroy Everglades; BP Bounces Back from Oil Spill; Death Toll, Violence Spike in Syria; Dems in a Losing Battle; Giants Ticker Tape Parade Today; Pig Image Ends Up on Police Cruiser

Aired February 07, 2012 - 09:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Soledad. Thanks so much.

And we begin this hour with the heart-breaking violence in Syria and a crisis that's both political and all too human.

You can see right there through video that's sent into us that innocent families are caught in the crossfire between the government and opposition forces desperately trying to crush this.

Some 6,000 people have died since the uprising began less than a year ago. An exact number is impossible to tell you because Syria bans international journalists.

And Russia's foreign minister is in Syria this morning trying to keep its ally from becoming the latest Arab government to fall. Many world leaders say Moscow is just ignoring the slaughter of civilians.

CNN's Ivan Watson is in Istanbul, Turkey, covering this for us.

So, Ivan, is there any optimism that Russia can rein in this violence?

IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's a big question. I mean the Russian foreign minister definitely got a hero's welcome, Kyra, as he arrived in Damascus. He seemed to be one of the biggest allies and friends of the increasingly isolated Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, right now. And the Russian line has been that the Western governments have not been putting enough pressure on the opposition groups to stop violence as well.

If you want to know how wide the differentiation is between the two sides in Syria, just about 100 miles away the artillery shells continue to rain on the opposition held city of Homs where hundreds of civilians are believed to have died in just the past couple of days -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Now you're also seeing a growing divide across the region. What can you tell me about that?

WATSON: Well, just today a couple of hours ago the Turkish prime minister -- I'm here in Turkey -- he called for a new initiative that would put countries that are with the people of Syria and against the Syrian government together to try to come to a resolution here. So you're seeing Sunni Muslim governments, like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, lining up against Syria's predominantly Shiite Muslim allies -- Iran, the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah, and the Shiite dominated government in Iraq.

Many analyst tell me, that is a bad sign for increasing polarization and tension in an already turbulent Middle East -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Going to keep talking about this story throughout the morning with you, Ivan.

You know the world is paying very close attention to this crisis in Syria.

CNN's Max Foster is joining us in London now. He's been following the global reaction.

Hey, Max.

MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Yes, Kyra. There's been a lot of frustration with what happened at the U.N. of course. So I spoke to a spokesman from the State Department and the French Foreign Ministry. And it's clear that they're discussing things and speaking to the Syrian opposition to try to find an alternative way ahead. But they were withdrawn on the details of that.

Newspapers making much of this around the world. "South China Morning Post", their headline, "After Libya, No Vote is No Surprise" actually. "China and Russia went along with the rest of the Security Council on Libya and then had to watch as Western governments overstepped their mandate to protect civilians. Is it surprising that they're not quiet this time?"

Lots of parallels being made, Kyra, with what happened with Libya and the next steps as it were.

"Today's Zaman" says that the "Arab League Got It All Wrong." "A civil war in Syria is likely to cause much trouble in Turkey," where Ivan is. "Clearly it would be to the benefit of all players in the region if Russia finds a formula that can secure its own strategic position."

"The Wall Street Journal Asia" says that Obama is falling into a U.N. trap. "Americans are preoccupied by domestic issues, but Syria is a good test of President Obama's foreign policy. With each week of Mr. Assad's brutality, the cost in lives and the odds of civil war will continue to rise unless Mr. Obama does more than bow before the false moral authority of the United Nations."

The question is, will the United Nations be the route map ahead, you know, they're discussing alternatives.

PHILLIPS: We'll talk about those alternatives as well. Max, thanks.

Now let's talk about presidential politics here in the U.S. Three more Republican contests today, 70 delegates at stake, none will be awarded today, though, so the big prize really is momentum.

CNN political editor Paul Steinhauser live in Washington.

So, Paul, Mitt Romney hoping big wins today will make him even more unstoppable. But challengers are, you know, saying not so fast.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Yes, here we go again, Kyra. I guess you'd call it game day one more time. You know this is the first time we've gotten multiple contests on the same day. Let's go back to the map again real quickly. We've got three contests as you've mentioned and we've got 70 delegates at stake in Minnesota and Colorado between them, between those two caucuses.

And you got that nonbinding primary in Missouri. Sure, if Romney wins all three contests it's going to seem more inevitable that he already does seem. But two of the other candidates really feel they could do very well here tonight.

Take a listen to what Rick Santorum, the former senator from Pennsylvania, told our John Jing on "JK, USA" last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think we can do very well there. Yes, I think we certainly have a chance of winning one or more of those states tomorrow, but, you know, a strong showing is a strong showing. And we're very encouraged that we're going to have a strong showing in all three states and we'll go from there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEINHAUSER: Santorum has been campaigning in all three of those states. Ron Paul's been campaigning pretty heavily as well in Minnesota and Colorado. And Ron Paul has got a pretty good grassroots effort in both those states. Paul would like to pick up some delegates tonight -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: OK. Well, Paul, Gingrich, we haven't heard much from him.

STEINHAUSER: You're absolutely right. And what about tonight? Listen, Newt Gingrich isn't even on the ballot in Missouri for that -- it's a nonbinding primary, but still he wasn't able to get on the ballot. And he's trying to play catch-up, it seems, in Minnesota and Colorado. So if it is a troubling night for him, if he doesn't do well, it could be a problem.

Listen, Newt Gingrich says he's going to -- he's looking ahead to the Super Tuesday states on March 6th when you've got a lot of southern states that are voting that he could do well in. But, you know, a portion of tonight definitely will not help his cause. We'll keep our eyes on Newt Gingrich, we'll keep our eyes on everything tonight -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Indeed. Paul, thanks so much.

And don't forget, tonight live coverage of state primaries and caucuses beginning at 6:00 Eastern with that special edition of "JOHN KING, USA," and that's followed by CNN's complete live coverage of the results at 7:00 Eastern with the best political team on television.

Now this morning a reminder of just how powerful super PACs are when it comes to fundraising. President Obama is actually reversing course, dropping his opposition to the shadowy fundraising tactics of super PACs and now nudging his donors towards an outside group.

Priorities USA is run by two former Obama aides. Brianna Keilar is at the White House.

So, Brianna, why the reversal?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, I think in a phrase it would be if you can't beat them, join them. This is big change from the Obama campaign. They'll be allowing campaign aides as well as administration officials to fund raise for this super Pac, Priorities USA. Now that said, the first lady, Michelle Obama, will not participate nor will the vice president, Joe Biden or his wife, Jill Biden.

But this super PAC which, as you mentioned, is run by former Obama administration officials, had found itself very much neutered because President Obama had come out against super PACs, specifically against the Supreme Court decision Citizens United that arguably spawned them. And we'd heard from President Obama even as recently as Sunday when he did that interview with Matt Lauer from NBC, kind of lamenting the effects of these super PACs and the negative advertising that we've seen on the campaign trail for Republicans.

Super PACs have some advantages compared to, say, the DNC or the RNC. They don't have to -- they don't have limitations on donations. They don't have to report who their donors are. They can run negative ads and then the candidate doesn't have to have that message at the end saying, I endorse this message.

So it sort of allows to not have the fingerprints on some of this negative advertising. I think what this means is that you'll be seeing more of a two-way street kind of really bitter battle as we expected, but even more so here going into the general election -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Brianna Keilar at the White House. Brianna, thanks so much.

Well, we're expecting a ruling today on California's prop 8 but could the decision mean that guys can marry each other in the state.

We're going to talk about that right after the break.

Also the Florida everglades are being overrun with pythons. And that's just when they thought it couldn't get any worse.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here's one of the problems with trying to completely eradicate the python. You probably don't even see it. It's right here, a six footer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: A look at how these snakes are destroying a delicate habitat right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, about four hours from now we expect the same-sex marriage ruling from a federal appeals court. At issue, California's Prop 8. Now the state voters approved the 2008 measure banning same- sex marriage but a judge's ruling to overturn it was challenged because he's gay.

Let's talk about the case with our Ashleigh Banfield.

So, Ashleigh, what's today's decision going to mean in California and will gays be able to marry each other or not?

ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, ANCHOR, CNN'S EARLY START: That's a great question. Because I think for a lot of viewers, this is a very complicated story, Kyra. We hear so many headlines, it's legal, it's not legal, it's been challenged, the challenge, you know, prevailed but it's still not legal.

And the story is this. It is not legal right now only because there's this legal thing called a stay and that's in place protecting Prop 8 which was the ballot initiative that said, sorry, that gay marriage thing that you all decided upon in California, no, not legal.

Today's decision could go either way. It could decide decide Prop 8 is just, I'm sorry, unconstitutional. It doesn't allow people equal protection under the law. Or they could decide it's constitutional, and you know what, Prop 8 is the law of the land. No gay marriage.

But here's the little hitch. And there's always a little hitch, isn't there? Even if the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decides that prop 8 is not constitutional and that gays should be allowed to marry in California, don't go breaking out the champagne if you're planning to get married because it's highly likely that the challenge is right behind them and another stay might be put in place. So tomorrow we might be in the exact same position we're in today regardless of what the Ninth Circuit said?

PHILLIPS: So how do analysts feel that the Ninth Circuit will rule on this?

BANFIELD: Well, you and I have covered a lot of the stories of the Ninth Circuit. And it usually gets the wrap that it's a pretty liberal court, it's a pretty liberal panel. This is a three-judge panel. And a lot of the analysts are saying it's likely that they will side against Prop 8. And again, it's the double negative. So you've got to decide if you're against prop 8, it means gay people should be allowed to marry.

And the only reason that that is also sort of backed up is that the judge who decided this originally, that Prop 8 was not constitutional, was a Republican judge as well in California.

PHILLIPS: We're going to follow it right along with you. Thanks, Ash.

BANFIELD: OK. Sure.

PHILLIPS: All right. Checking stories "Cross Country" now.

In Portland, Oregon, "Occupy" demonstrators marching against what they call police brutality. Police warned them to stay out of the street. When they didn't, 10 people were arrested for allegedly harassing and interfering with an officer.

In Fort Smith, Arkansas, cops are having a tough time getting a description of this local bank robber caught on surveillance tape. He's wearing a pillow case over his head with a couple of holes so he's able to see. He had socks on his hands trying not to leave any fingerprints.

And in Georgia people are going nuts for pecans as prices soar. Police are reporting a huge spike in pecan fest. Some farmers have even set up surveillance cameras around their orchards and hired security guards to patrol their properties 24 hours a day.

Well, thousands of Burmese pythons are lurking -- lurking, rather, in the Florida everglades basically wiping out other species, but what happens when the python's food source runs out?

John Zarrella reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Florida's Everglades, home to an incredible cluster of species. But some are disappearing and disappearing quickly.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Raccoons were such a problem that we had to put a policy in place to try to manage them.

ZARRELLA: No policy needed now. Scientists believe this invader to the Everglades, the Burmese python, is responsible for nearly wiping out several species.

For eight years, researchers drove back and forth over two main roads in Everglades National Park. They compared the number of dead animals they found, road kill, to the numbers recorded in past decades. In areas inhabited by pythons the longest, the findings were stunning -- rabbits and foxes gone, raccoons and opossums down 99 percent.

SKIP SNOW, NATIONAL PARK BIOLOGIST: If a bobcat is looking for something to eat, those are no longer available. What does a bobcat do now?

ZARRELLA: And scientists worry what will the snakes eat next?

Even more frightening, these non-venomous constrictor snakes may be here to stay. No way to get rid of them all.

SNOW: No example we can turn to that they've ever been eradicated by any of the tools and techniques we have.

ZARRELLA: It's a problem that has frustrated park biologist Skip Snow for years.

Poison would kill native creatures, too. Traps would catch others besides pythons, and visually hunting them down across a million plus acres, next to impossible.

(on camera): Here's one of the problems with trying to completely eradicate the python. You probably don't even see it. It's right here, a six-footer. You could walk up on this and you wouldn't even know it's sitting there.

(voice-over): There may be as many as 100,000 pythons slithering throughout the Glades. The perception they are everywhere rangers say before is flat out wrong, but it is a perception not lost on park visitors.

SUSAN BUCK, TOURIST: I don't know if I want to stop there because I was afraid that there'd be snakes everywhere, pythons and everything.

ZARRELLA: It's no great mystery how the pythons got here. People bought these exotic pets and when they got too big, they got rid of them. No one would have guessed just a decade ago, snakes in this river of grass might upset the balance of nature here forever.

John Zarrella, CNN, Everglades National Park.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: BP marks a big profits report as a turning point. Less than two years after the Gulf oil disaster, the company's net income surges. That story after the break.

And celebrating 200 years of one of the world's best loved writers. We're going to go to London to see how the royals are remembering Charles Dickens.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: It's a happy homecoming at the Norfolk naval station. This video just coming in to us moments ago, 2,000 sailors returning to home port. The Bataan Amphibious Ready Group is back from the longest U.S. Navy ship deployment in nearly 40 years. The USS Bataan is the flagship. So, also returning, the USS Mesa Verde and the USS Whidbey Island.

During the 11-month deployment they supported the NATO-led operation in Libya. They also supported U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Well, celebrating 200 years of Charles Dickens. The British novelist is being honored worldwide. But the biggest events are taking part in Britain.

Atika Shubert joins us from Westminster Abbey with all the details.

Hi, Atika.

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi.

As you can imagine, Britain is definitely celebrating 200 years of one of its greatest authors. In fact, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla came here to Westminster Abbey where they laid a wreath at his grave. This is where Charles Dickens is buried.

And they were joined by filmmakers, writers, but also more than 200 direct descendants of Charles Dickens. In fact, it was the largest Dickens family gathering. And they did so to commemorate his works. And they say really that his themes of poverty, social injustice are still very much echoing today.

In fact, as part of that, the cabinet ministers are being given each a book of Dickens' work reflecting not just their personality but their jobs. Prime Minister Cameron for example today received a copy of "Great Expectations" and "Hard Times," apparently to inspire him in dealing with the political and economic recession ahead for the country.

PHILLIPS: Writing so much about poverty, sort of ironic. We're celebrating his life and sort of seeing his writings play out right now in 2012.

Atika Shubert, thank you so much.

Well, Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange following a turnaround at BP. The oil giant is making millions of dollars. That's really hard for a lot of people to watch, Alison.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it is kind of interesting. You see BP, you know, in terms of its financial health back on its feet, but in terms of its reputation. That's a little questionable. The environment, of course, and, of course, all those lives lost.

But let's go ahead and focus on its finances. In fact, BP says in the third quarter, that was the turn around, the tipping point for the company to get back on its feet, because by the fourth quarter, BP was marked by growing profits, more oil production. In fact, in the fourth quarter, BP made almost $8 billion. That's up 37 percent from the fourth quarter in 2010.

And BP is clearly confident at this point, at least for its finances. It's raising its dividend. It plans to drill more exploration wells, increased a number of rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. So it's on its way financially. But as I said, it's clearly questionable what it means for its reputation.

PHILLIPS: Well, and there's all the costs associated with the spill, the cleanup, the lawsuits. BP isn't finished with all that.

KOSIK: You're absolutely right about that, because it's a huge concern for Wall Street. And that really hits at BP's bottom line as well because BP's U.S. shares actually are right now down 2 percent just before the opening bell right now.

Investors are worried about BP's liabilities relating to the spill. That's still a big question mark, especially with the civil trial that's going to begin at the end of this month. Analysts say, you know what, BP could be on the hook for tens of billions of dollars in fines, and this comes after the company lost some recent decisions that looked to hold Halliburton and Transocean responsible. So, that trial is going to be interesting to watch as well.

As for the broader market, Kyra, we are looking at a weak open. You guessed it. Investors still nervous about Greece's debt problems -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Alison Kosik, thanks so much.

Straight ahead, if outside military action is taken to stop the deadly violence in Syria, would the U.S. play any role?

And a bill to ban getting welfare money out of the strip club ATM. Lawmakers didn't want people using taxpayer money for that. Some Democrats voted against the bill. L.Z. Granderson lets them have it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, check out these crazy-looking clouds in Florida. The sweeping formations actually look like waves washing over those condos.

Rob Marciano, tell us what's going on.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: How cool is that?

PHILLIPS: Yes.

MARCIANO: This was posted by a helicopter company, Panhandle Helicopter. They took the picture around noon on Sunday on their Facebook page. And then it started going all over Twitter. And here it is, just a still shot.

But you see just how those clouds really just a little bit of moisture down here. Very, very light fog. But as that on shore flow hit the buildings, they kind of acted lake a mountain and lifted that air up and just condensed it even more to form these more dense clouds, because you only se it over top of these buildings along the Panama City shoreline. So, very, very cool stuff.

Here's a little bit more descriptive analysis of what happened there. Light winds in the morning, real light. As the air heated the ground here, we got a little bit of an on shore sea breeze. The winds off the water was lifted by the buildings themselves, maybe a little bit of convergence as well at the base of those buildings.

And then on the back side of this you get an eddy that flows here. That's why you see that curvature of the clouds coming down the back side of it. So, vertical circulations develop on the back side.

So, a little bit of fluid dynamics for you early in the morning, I know. But the bottom line is, cool pictures. And we love that the modern technology allows us to get those from folks who are just flying choppers over Panama City beach.

So, have a look down there, beautiful emerald coast line. Also affected by that is the weather across Lower Manhattan, Kyra, as you well know when you're down there. But the weather perfect for the Giants ticker tape parade later this morning.

PHILLIPS: We're excited about that.

Back to those pictures, though -- oh my gosh, you would see that and have a total panic attack. And then --

MARCIANO: (INAUDIBLE)

PHILLIPS: Exactly. Seriously. I mean, you have visions of tsunami and then it's pretty fascinating to learn what really caused those.

MARCIANO: You can get clouds that look like this a little bit higher up. They've got a fancier name, slightly different process that happens, and even more rare. But if you get a treat like this along the coast line, soak it all in.

PHILLIPS: What's the fancier name?

MARCIANO: Kelvin-Helmholtz. I always mess up the pronunciation. We call them K.H.

PHILLIPS: That's easier. Thanks, Rob.

MARCIANO: See you.

PHILLIPS: All right.

Well, checking top stories now.

Investigators in Washington state say it was the boy's father who struck them with a hatchet before all three of them died in a house explosion. Cops say that Josh Powell had planned the murder suicide for some time. Powell had been a suspect in the 2009 disappearance of his wife as well.

Florida lawmaker plans to introduce a bill to put up electronic warning signs at this I-75 crash sight. You may remember at least 11 people were killed in a multi-vehicle accident last week. That area is prone to very dangerous fog.

And voters go to the polls today in three Republican contests. There's caucuses in Colorado, Minnesota, and a nonbinding primary in Missouri. Colorado and Minnesota won't award their delegates into later in the year.

Martial artist and actor Chuck Norris endorses a GOP presidential candidate. We'll tell you which one, next, in showbiz headlines.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: In Syria, desperate pleas for international help, and this is why. Families being forced to run for their lives as gunfire and explosions just erupt around them. It's almost a year into this uprising, and U.N. officials estimate 6,000 people have now died in this ongoing violence.

Now, Russia's foreign minister is in Syria this morning, trying to keep its ally from becoming the latest Arab government to fall. Many world leaders say that Moscow is just ignoring the slaughtering of innocent civilians.

You know, U.S. leaders are also considering their options. And President Obama is trying to downplay military action.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Not every situation is going to allow for the kind of military solution that we saw --

MATT LAUER, NBC NEWS: But would you consider military action with our allies without U.N. approval? Especially considering that China and Russia vetoed this latest resolution at the U.N.

OBAMA: I think it is very important for us to try to resolve this without recourse to outside military intervention, and I think that's possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Mark Kimmitt, retired Army general, and former assistant secretary of state, joining me from Washington.

All right. You heard what the president said, General. But give me a reality check from your experience. It is possible we could see the U.S. play a military role here starting out with an air campaign.

MARK KIMMITT, RETIRED ARMY GENERAL: Well, that's true, but I think the president was very clear that that probably wouldn't be done until all other options failed, diplomatic, coercive. And I think also he was very clear that this would require a U.N. Security Council resolution which at this point, the Chinese and Russians don't appear to be likely to permit.

PHILLIPS: But we also have seen in the past how a U.N. resolution can be bypassed if a president wants to go to war. So, looking at this scenario, how many people have died? In your opinion, is it more possible to see an air campaign or is it more likely that this will stall and stall and stall for a number of months, maybe even more than a year?

KIMMITT: Well, again, I think that until there's an international consensus expressed through the United Nations in the form of a Security Council resolution, there are very few countries that are going to either act unilaterally or in combination with other states to do anything about Syria. This is not a situation that a lot of countries want to get into. And without a U.N. mandate, it would be unlikely to see any type of actions either on the ground or in the air.

But if, in fact, there was, it would be a tough campaign.

PHILLIPS: Well, we saw what happened in Libya, and that wasn't necessarily a tough campaign militarily because we saw the way the bombs dropped and how quickly that went down. Syria is another story, correct? Not so easy to hit your target.

KIMMITT: Well, it's not just the issue of hitting the target. It's the fact that the Syrian air defense system is probably one of the best inside the world. It's been heavily supplied by the Russians. They have some of the most advanced early warning radars, have some of the most profoundly effective surface-to-air missiles, and they've got, quite frankly, one of the largest air defense systems in the region, if not the world -- over 4,000 missile launchers, over 4,000 guns.

PHILLIPS: So making the point that Syria is backed by Russia, we see that the foreign minister is there in Syria this morning. Behind closed doors there could be some interesting conversations going on, do you agree, at the Pentagon?

KIMMITT: Well, I suspect that the military at the Pentagon and places such as Central Command are doing exactly what we want them to be doing, preparing a series of options so if the president says I need some options and I need some courses of action, they don't get caught flat footed. And there will be options and there will be great plans put forward.

But the fundamental question of what we can do and what we should do really has to be addressed before we contemplate any operations inside Syria, either unilaterally or with our allies.

PHILLIPS: General Mark Kimmitt, thanks for coming in for us this morning.

KIMMITT: Increasing violence in Syria has led to powerful calls for international intervention. We've been talking about that all morning. So, next hour, what the world is saying about that situation. We'll get the global reaction.

And right now we want to take you live to Cincinnati, the latest stop on Newt Gingrich's presidential campaign. He's reaching out to Republicans taking part in Ohio's early voting. We are going ahead of the March 6th primary there. Ohio is a key battleground state in presidential elections.

Also coming up, welfare money in strip clubs. L.Z. Granderson tells Democrats this is a battle they shouldn't fight. And he quotes Kenny Rogers to get his point across. L.Z.'s next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, Beyonce stepped out on the town last night to attend her hubby's concert. And we got to see the first picture of the new mom since giving birth.

And, A.J., no surprise, she's still gorgeous.

A.J. HAMMER, HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Yes. I don't think we should be shocked at all. All new moms look gorgeous to me, Kyra.

But, Beyonce, she was looking good last night. This was her first public appearance since she had a baby. She had her daughter exactly a month ago. It was January 7th. But she felt it was time to put on a sexy outfit, have her picture taken for the world to see, as you now see.

Beyonce was attending a Jay-Z benefit concert. It was at Carnegie Hall. And they went to the after party which was at a club owned by Jay-Z, who is, of course, her husband.

This event was a benefit for the United Way and the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation. Shawn Carter, Jay-Z's real name.

But, Kyra, good to see the two of them not letting all that new parent exhaustion get in the way of helping others out. I mean, I believe they have some help at home, but it's just in the first month. It's tiring. You know that.

PHILLIPS: Oh, yes, indeed. You got to have your date night too. Can't let that marriage suffer.

All right. What's this about Chuck Norris getting all political?

HAMMER: Yes, Chuck made a presidential endorsement. He did it on the conservative Web site "World News Daily". He has a regular column there. Norris getting behind Newt Gingrich.

Let me read to you what Chuck Norris is saying about Newt. "As a six-time undefeated middle weight world karate champion, I have a pretty good idea what makes a warrior. There's presently one particular presidential candidate in the political ring who wears those gloves better than the others. Even when he is knocked down, he has astounding agility and rebound."

So, that is what Chuck Norris wants in a candidate apparently. I'm sure Newt appreciates his support, but he probably wishes Chuck Norris actually had those super natural powers that everybody jokes about these days.

And, Kyra, you know when the boogie man goes to sleep every night, he checks his closet for Chuck Norris.

PHILLIPS: Yes. There's just something about him. You just want to go ahead and do what he says.

A.J., thanks.

HAMMER: Yes.

PHILLIPS: And A.J.'s going to be back with us next hour to explain what singer M.I.A. was thinking or not thinking when her gesture during the Super Bowl half-time show occurred.

All right. Checking stories cross-country now.

In Sanford, Florida, DEA agents raid two CVS pharmacies. They say stores ordered more than 3 million units of the painkiller Oxycodone from a pharmaceutical wholesaler in one year. Distributor's license has now been suspended.

In Saginaw, Michigan, a terrifying circus act crash all caught on cam. Motorcyclist fell 25 feet to the ground after his bike hit a wire. He suffered some broken bones but is expected to recover.

And researchers in Boston are trying to find out why dolphins are becoming stranded on Cape Cod. A record 129 dolphins have beached themselves since January 12th. Thirty-seven of the, have been successfully rescued and released.

Eli Manning's not just Super Bowl MVP, he's a good brother, too. He had a chance to turn on Peyton but he wouldn't do it. We're going to show you in sports seven minutes from now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well CNN.com contributor L.Z. Granderson says the great American philosopher Kenny Rogers gave the world a solid piece of advice.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KENNY ROGERS, SINGER: You've got to know when to hold on, know when to fold up, know when to walk away, know when to run --

(END VIDEO CLIP) PHILLIPS: So how do Kenny Rogers, L.Z., and a House bill to stop people from spending welfare money on strippers, booze and slot machines tie together? L.Z. is here to tell us because Kenny is not available this morning. Your new opinion column actually calls out Democrats who oppose the bill, L.Z.

L.Z. CNN.COM CONTRIBUTOR: You know what; this -- this Congress, so many people focus in on President Obama's approval numbers that have been up and down and now they're up again. But this Congress has consistently had some of the worst numbers we've ever seen. And this is one of the examples as to why.

This is a very simple bill. We don't want you making it rain with taxpayers dollars in strip clubs so we are putting this bill into place. And because Republicans came up with this idea, there were 26, I believe 26 or 24 Democrats who actually opposed it and voted against this bill.

And this is the reason why Washington is broken, because there are some things that just makes common sense and just because the other team put it up means -- doesn't mean you have to fight it all the time. They just look absolutely ridiculous.

PHILLIPS: And so bottom line you're saying that this is a battle that just undermines Democrats cry that the GOP doesn't care about the middle class?

GRANDERSON: Absolutely. I mean, seriously, as taxpayers who are actually footing the bill right, for this welfare money. And you know there's only, we're talking like what, two percent of people who receive aid actually receive this money. So it's not a lot of people, but it's the principle of it, right? If you're a taxpayer, you don't want to think about people using your money to go to strip clubs with.

And you would think that would just be a common sense thing. You can't say you're fighting for the poor while deflecting any opportunities to -- to defray or move away from any fraud that could happen with welfare. The Democrats just look really foolish with this.

PHILLIPS: What about drug testing for welfare recipients, do you support that?

GRANDERSON: I do. And I also support drug testing for legislators as well. You know I believe that what's good for the goose is definitely good for the gander. And I think it's very interesting that the Republicans who did propose this idea of drug testing for -- for welfare recipients backed away from the idea of testing for legislators.

So I think we should probably be more aggressive in wondering why they're deflecting that as well.

PHILLIPS: You can read L.Z.'s column at CNN.com\opinion. It's called "Strip Club Bill, A No Brainer". And you can look for those timeless Kenny Rogers lyrics near the top. L.Z. Thanks. All right: stories that we're working on for you later today.

At 11:00 Eastern in New York a Ticker Tape parade for Super Bowl champs, the New York Giants.

Then 11:25, President Obama speaks at the Second White House Science Fair celebrating winners in science, technology, engineering, and math.

And then at 1:00, Ohio Governor John Kasich gives a historic address at Wells Academy. It's the first state of the state speech given by an Ohio Governor outside the Capitol.

We're following lots of developments in the next hour of the CNN Newsroom. Let's check in first with our Mark Preston. Hey, Mark.

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Hey Kyra. You know, the race for the Republican presidential nomination has gone national. Voters in Missouri, Minnesota and Colorado all weigh in today in what can only be described as a fight for math and momentum. I'll have more at the top of the hour.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Max Foster in London. Many Syrians say they feel abandoned by the United Nations. I'll have details in the next hour on a possible alternative plan being discussed behind the scenes by diplomats.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: And I'm Christine Romans in New York where we're waiting finally for a very big deal between 40 states, the federal government and also the big banks to make homeowners whole again. Maybe a million homeowners who are under water could get up to $20,000 off their principle. I'll have more at the top of the hour -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right guys, thanks so much.

Also next hour, Occupy the classroom. The movement that started on Wall Street is now a college course. We'll talk with the professor who's teaching it and the students who's taking the class.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: New Yorkers lining up the sidewalks for a big celebration. I wonder what that could be, Jeff Fischel?

JEFF FISCHEL, ANCHOR, HLN SPORTS: Yes. Talk about a city that loves to celebrate a winner. We're expecting over a million people for the parade today in New York.

PHILLIPS: Wow.

FISCHEL: The ticker tape parade honoring the Giants kicks off in an hour in lower Manhattan. The site is dubbed the Canyon of Heroes for all those titles that have been celebrated in the Big Apple.

Super Bowl MVP, Eli Manning already got a hero's welcome on David Letterman's show last night. Letterman tried to get Eli to stick it to his older brother Peyton, but Eli wouldn't bite.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID LETTERMAN, TALK SHOW HOST: Now, how long will it be before you feel comfortable in your new role as two-time Super Bowl MVP winner to start teasing your brother?

ELI MANNING, SUPER BOWL MVP: Never.

LETTERMAN: Never?

MANNING: Never, never. This is --

LETTERMAN: Well, I'd give it a week and go right to work on the guy. Look at this -- what do you think, Peyton? Oh, look at there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FISCHEL: Eli has two, Peyton only has one. Sunday's Super Bowl was the most-watched show in U.S. television history. Nielsen says it reached a total audience of 166.8 million viewers. That's more than half the country. The Giants/Patriots game topped the previous TV record set just last year. For the fifth straight year the Super Bowl has set the record for the most viewers.

Patriots may have lost Super Bowl XLVI but they're already favorites to win Super Bowl XLVII. MGM Grand Sports Book makes New England a 5 to 1 shot. The Packers have the second best odds followed by the Eagles and Steelers. Then you see the Giants there at 8 to 1 -- getting no respect even though they just won the title.

All right. Well, after Sunday night's game there was a surprise visitor on the field. Jimmy Kimmel spotted it -- i did, too. This actually really happened. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY KIMMELL, TALK SHOW HOST: It was supposed to be an interview with Giants Coach Tom Coughlin.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nice man. Nice. They just didn't pay the man -- just to let you know. I mean --

KIMMELL: Flavor-flav. He has the Vince Lombardi trophy in his mouth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FISCHEL: That's a great line. I truly have no idea. I spent all morning looking on the Internet. Why would Flavor-Flav know Tom Coughlin? Tom Coughlin known as serious coach, doesn't mess around. 65 years old, the oldest coach ever to win a Super Bowl title. Then there's Flavor Flav -- giving -- yes, boy. I have no idea why those two might know each other. Maybe Coughlin was being polite and giving the man a hug.

PHILLIPS: That's what I'm thinking. Well stay tuned. It will be interesting if there is a connection.

FISCHEL: I'll keep digging, yes.

PHILLIPS: Thank you.

FISCHEL: All right.

PHILLIPS: All right.

Well, it's one thing to call a cop a pig. It's another to put an image of a pig on a policeman's car. Here's CNN's Jeanne Moos.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Forget pigs in a pen. This is about a pig that came out of the pen as in penitentiary and ended up on Vermont State police cruisers. The cruisers are decked out with decals based on Vermont's coat of arms. But at a correctional facility print shop where female inmates make the decals, someone changed the spots on the cow. The pig ended up on as many as 30 police cruisers, and you know from the movies what pig means to police.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bacon, pig, oink, oink, police officer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're going to jail (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

MOOS: In this case the perpetrator was already in jail. It's believed an inmate doctored the image at the printing shop four years ago. Though the pig wasn't noticed until an officer saw it on a cruiser just last week.

(on camera): Next thing you know, people start spotting pigs in places other than the cow's spots. They're seeing a pig's head formed by the cow's shadow. It may be a stretch, but do you see two ears and a snout?

(voice-over): Vermont's state senator John Campbell laughed off the incident.

JOHN CAMPBELL, VERMONT STATE SENATOR: It's just like "Where's Waldo", we're going to say "where's the pig".

MOOS: But Vermont's corrections commissioner, Andy Polido (ph) wasn't so jolly about the police being slipped a pig.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I apologize to them.

MOOS: A spokesperson for the state police says they understand the humor in this, but the prank does come at a cost to taxpayers. New decals will run about $800.

But using the term "pig" isn't what it used to be.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I smell bacon. Does anyone else smell bacon?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. I definitely smell a pork product of some type.

MOOS: Nowadays, police themselves call their own sporting events the Pig Bowl. And while everyone was looking for more pigs, some wanted to know what the weird yellow mushroom phallic things are. Get your mind out of the gutter. They're bundles of grain. Stop being a pig.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)