Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Court Rules on Same-Sex Marriage; Obama Campaign to Back Super PAC; Lifeline for Troubled Homeowners; Rising Number of Sex Offenders Not Registering; Syria Welcomes Russia's Foreign Minister; Ticker-Tape Parade for Super Bowl Champs; Obama Speaks At White House Science Fair

Aired February 07, 2012 - 11:00   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Live from Studio 7, I'm Suzanne Malveaux.

I want to get you up to speed for this Tuesday, February 7th.

This just in -- Karen Handel, the vice president of Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation, has just resigned. This is after she came under fire for taking away funding from several Planned Parenthoods. Komen reversed its decision to withdraw last week. "The Huffington Post" reported Handel had expressed anti-abortion views in the past.

A huge decision on same-sex marriage. We are waiting on a federal court ruling from California on the constitutionality of Proposition 8.

It is the 2008 voter initiative that said same-sex couples could not get married. Well, a federal judge struck down Prop 8 two years ago, saying gay couples were being unfairly denied the right to marry. The people behind Prop 8, they appealed it, which brings us to today's milestone decision.

And what we're seeing on the ground in Syria right now could be a turning point to ending the bloodshed or just more of the same.

So, Syria's president wants to show he's got support, too. The thousands of people waving the Russian and Syrian flags welcoming Russia's foreign minister. Well, this comes just days after Russia threw a lifeline to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by vetoing a U.N. resolution that would have condemned him for killing his own people. But since then, the government attacks have intensified.

Unbelievable video we are watching there. Syrian opposition activists say 128 civilians died in those rocket attacks on the city of Homs yesterday. Today's death toll has reached 21 so far. The sheer desperation and determination of one Syrian activist stopped us in our tracks.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

ZAIDOUN, SYRIAN ACTIVIST: We might just face our death tomorrow morning or even after half an hour, or get arrested and die under torture. But this doesn't mean we're going to retreat. This doesn't mean we're going to give up.

We will stay even if it takes us just another 10,000 people killed or 100,000 people killed. We'll not stop.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Protesters back on the streets of Greece today. Now, they are furious over cuts in government spending.

And traders on Wall Street, they're taking notice. For months now, Greece has been at the center of a chaotic battle between European leaders who want to see the country get itself back on budget and Greek workers who think that these cuts are unfair.

Presidential politics now. Three states and 70 delegates up for grabs in today's Republican match-ups. Colorado, Minnesota hold caucuses today. Missouri holds its primary, but delegates are going to be decided later.

Rick Santorum says he has a shot at winning one or more states. He campaigns in Colorado Springs this hour. Mitt Romney is holding a rally in Loveland, Colorado.

We're going to have updates from the campaign trail and complete election results tonight.

We are now getting gruesome, new details in what police are calling a murder/suicide. Investigators say Josh Powell attacked his own sons with a hatchet before setting his house on fire, killing them and himself. A judge had denied Powell custody of his children, and he seemed consumed by the decision in a chilling voicemail left moments before he killed the boys.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

JOSH POWELL, KILLED HIS SONS AND HIMSELF: Hello. This is Josh, and I'm calling to say good-bye. I am not able to live without my sons, and I'm not able to go on anymore. I'm sorry to everyone I've hurt. Good-bye.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Imagine if President Obama was judging your science fair project. For some lucky students, it's happening today. It's the second annual White House Science Fair.

The president also expected to speak about ways to help American students be more competitive in math and science. We're going to bring you that speech later, live.

And we want to get you a closer look at now just how desperate this situation is in Syria.

Women and children are among those being killed and injured as the government unleashes relentless attacks on its own people. This is the hardest hit city of Homs. Syrian activists say a weekend bloodbath there was followed up yesterday by government rocket attacks that left 128 people dead.

One activist explained the slaughter in very chilling terms to CNN. Just listen to this.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

ZAIDOUN: Let me say one word -- I think the entire world should be ashamed of what's happening here. Everybody is just silent and looking at us being slaughtered every moment for no reason, just for asking for our freedom. Everybody's just looking at us like this.

We are slaughtered. Russia has gone for veto. China has gone for veto. The rest of the world are condemning this veto.

And what else -- looking at us -- (INAUDIBLE) for watching us so silently. We are getting killed every moment.

We are not able even just to get some basic medicine to injured people. Children are really hungry. I swear, children are hungry.

No power, no fuel, it's too cold. It's too much. For God sake, this is too much.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: That is so touching.

Russia's foreign minister is in Syria today for an emergency meeting with President Bashar al-Assad. The Russians say they have a proposal that could end the crisis in Syria. They have not yet revealed it.

Here's your chance to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. Everybody is still talking about the Clinton Eastwood commercial that aired during the Super Bowl. A lot of people think that this commercial had a political message behind it.

And Carol Costello, a little bit more about all of that. It's interesting, because some people don't know which way it fell politically. Some people think it was for Obama. Other people think it was for the GOP.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I know. I mean, I guess I should ask our audience, are you tired of talking about Clint Eastwood's ode to Detroit? I'm not. I'm sorry. It's endlessly fascinating politically, whether Eastwood meant it to be or not.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINT EASTWOOD, ACTOR & DIRECTOR: How do we win? Detroit's showing us it can be done. And what's true about them is true about all of us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Of course, Detroit still has a long way to go. The city teeters on the edge of bankruptcy. But the big three are thriving, thanks in part to a government bailout.

President George W. Bush seems on Eastwood's side. His administration gave the auto industry $25 billion in emergency aid. According to "The Detroit Free Press," Bush told the National Automobile Association Monday he'd do it all again, because "sometimes circumstances get in the way of philosophy."

It's a sentiment the Republicans running for office do not share. Mitt Romney made that quite clear in a "New York Times" op-ed entitled "Let Detroit Go Bankrupt." He was confronted by voters last month.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Bankruptcy is not going under and losing jobs. I believe the market works better than a president stepping in to take care of his friends.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Friends as in union friends. President Obama is all for the auto bailout. His administration also lent billions of dollars to the auto industry.

He often appears in Michigan touting the big three's comeback. After all, GM and Chrysler are turning profits. But Ford rebounded without government help. And last year, the Treasury Department reported taxpayers would lose $14 billion because of the bailout.

But does it matter? As Clint Eastwood said in that TV ad, Detroit is showing us it can be done.

So the "Talk Back" question today: Have you changed your mind about the auto industry bailout?

Facebook.com/CarolCNN. I'll read your comments later this hour.

MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you, Carol.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: A milestone moment today in the legal, cultural and political fight over same-sex marriage, a federal court ruling from California on the constitutionality of Proposition 8. It's the 2008 voter initiative that said same-sex couples could not get married. Now, a federal judge struck down Prop 8 two years ago, saying gay couples were being unfairly denied the right to marry.

So, while we wait on the ruling, I want to bring in our senior legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin.

So, Jeff, essentially what is at stake from today's decision?

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: This is really actually a very simple situation here. The decision today will determine whether same-sex marriage is legal in California. Those are the stakes of today's decisions. The implications may be bigger, but today's decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals will solely determine -- it's a big thing, big state, almost 40 million people -- whether same-sex marriage exists or shall exist in the state of California.

MALVEAUX: So, Jeff, is today's ruling by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, is it the last word on whether gays will be able to marry in the state of California?

TOOBIN: Probably not. There are a lot of legal machinations left to spin in this case.

This is a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit. The losing side, whichever side it is, will have a choice. Will they appeal this to the full Ninth Circuit, a bigger group of judges, or will they go to the United States Supreme Court?

The United States Supreme Court has never issued a ruling on whether there is a constitutional right to same-sex marriage. If this case goes to the Supreme Court -- we'll see whether it does -- it will be certainly one of the biggest cases in many years. And that's something to look at, listen to, the losing side, after today's decision about how they plan to handle this.

MALVEAUX: Jeff, being somebody who follows the Supreme Court for years and years and years, do you believe that this is the kind of case that will go to the Supreme Court ultimately?

TOOBIN: You know, I actually don't think this case is going to go to the Supreme Court. This is not a straight-up test of the constitutional right to same-sex marriage.

There are procedural issues in this case about legal doctrines called standing, things that are not terribly important to most people, that actually complicate the case in a way that I don't think the Supreme Court is going to want to get involved one way or the other. So my own sense -- and we'll see -- is that today's decision is really going to be the last word for California and the last word in this case. Don't know if that's going to happen, but I don't think this case is going to wind up in the United States Supreme Court.

MALVEAUX: And Jeff, do we think that this is the kind of case that is going to be partisan or political in any way, or does it cross party lines when you take a look at this three-judge panel?

TOOBIN: I think this will be a pretty political case. I think in most federal judges in this country, you can tell a lot by which president appointed them.

In this case, there are two Democratic-leaning judges, one more Republican-leaning judge. In the oral argument of this case, it seemed that the Democratic-leaning judges were inclined to overturn Proposition 8. So I think most people who followed this case think today's decision will be in favor of same-sex marriage, against Proposition 8, but predictions are just predictions.

MALVEAUX: All right. We'll see what the prediction -- how it goes --

TOOBIN: Suzanne, it should be 1:00 Eastern Time, 10:00 Pacific time. That's when the decision should be coming out.

MALVEAUX: OK. And we're going to bring you back the next hour. We can talk a little bit more about what we're expecting there in the next hour or so.

Thank you, Jeff. Appreciate it.

TOOBIN: OK.

MALVEAUX: The so-called super PACs pumping millions of dollars into the presidential race. Well, now the Obama campaign changing its position on super PACs in response to the massive amounts of money raised by those Republican groups.

Obama campaign aides, they're going to help raise money for PACs supporting his reelection bid. Joining us more to talk about that, CNN contributor and Democratic strategist, one of my favorites, Donna Brazile in the house, in Atlanta.

DONNA BRAZILE, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: How you doing? Absolutely. It's great to be on your set. I bought you a gift, too.

MALVEAUX: You bought me a gift?

BRAZILE: Well, two weeks from now we have the Mardi Gras. I have the music ready for you.

But look -- I got this from a friend yesterday here. And he's part of the crew. It's going to be a very historic year.

MALVEAUX: All year.

BRAZILE: So happy Mardi Gras.

MALVEAUX: Happy Mardi Gras.

BRAZILE: Two weeks from the day, there you have it.

MALVEAUX: You know I love this.

BRAZILE: I know you're going to be stuck here in Atlanta working. I'll be in New Orleans. I'll have one of those snowball treats for you, but I wanted you to have some fun.

MALVEAUX: Please. Please.

BRAZILE: I also have some music, too, the Mardi Gras music. But I'll get you that.

MALVEAUX: All right. Well, we'll get to a couple questions. This is great though, because you and I, we're New Orleans folks here. BRAZILE: Yes.

MALVEAUX: Tell me a little bit about the Obama campaign here. This is a president doing a 180 on super PACs here. And this is not a president who said, yes, we can, if it's financially convenient. He said, "Yes, we can."

How do you justify that? How do you back this?

BRAZILE: Well, as you know, when the Supreme Court ruled on Citizens United, the president condemned what they did. It is a threat to democracy. But I believe the Obama campaign people were alarmed by the increasing amount of money that's coming from the right, from the Republicans, and especially what we saw in Florida, when 92 percent of the ads were negative.

The Mitt Romney campaign, for example, ran all of those negative ads against Newt Gingrich. The campaign decided that they're not going to sit and simply allow these super PACs to overwhelm the Democrats this year. And that's the reason.

Look, I oppose all of this. I also believe we need more transparency. But there's no question the campaign decided that they had to make sure that they had enough money to compete against all of the negative money that's going to come up against the president this year.

MALVEAUX: Do you think it's good enough that the president, the vice president, they've said, OK, well, we're not going to be participating or showing up at some of these events supported by the super PACs? Do you think that's a reasonable compromise in some way?

BRAZILE: Well, I think it's a compromise, but, you know, our democracy's up for sale. I mean, last year we saw millions of dollars in ads spent, and President Obama wasn't on the ballot, both in 2010 and 2011. So there's no question that the campaign has to be prepared to defend itself.

And these super PACs, while I disagree with them and I wish that the nonprofits would have more transparency, disclose their donors, I would hope that after this election cycle we try to figure out some way to get rid of all of these crazy, you know, machines that really destroy our democracy and participation in our electoral process.

MALVEAUX: Let's talk a little bit -- a policy, the fallout over a new policy requiring employers, including religious hospitals and schools, to cover contraceptives to employees. This seems like a gimme, just a gift to the Republicans.

Here's how Mitt Romney responded to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: This is a violation of conscience. We must have a president who is willing to protect America's first right, a right to worship God, according to the dictates of our own conscience.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: To give himself his own political cover, why didn't he just offer exemptions to, say, religious institutions? I mean, this is something that might have actually helped him win over some of the Independents and even some of those conservatives.

BRAZILE: Well, you know, he based this, the administration did, on some of the exemptions that states already grant to religious institutions. And you know, Mitt Romney's the last one who should talk about this. As governor of Massachusetts with his health care mandate, I mean, he had a similar policy that the president and the administration is pushing.

I'm Catholic. There are many of us are very concerned about this policy, of course. But I'm also a woman, and I care -- I believe that women should have the access to the full range of reproductive health care, especially women who work at these institutions and may have to use birth control pills not to prevent pregnancy, but really for health care reasons.

There are many women in our society today that need birth control for other purposes. But I know that the political implications, the timing, it was complicated. But I do believe at the end of the day, the president will be able to explain his policy to the American people so that they see the big picture. And it's not an infringement on the church and, of course, church-based institutions.

MALVEAUX: All right. Donna, thank you for this.

BRAZILE: Happy Mardi Gras. Let me see if I can get Professor Longhair.

(MUSIC)

MALVEAUX: There you go.

(CROSSTALK)

BRAZILE: Two weeks, folks.

MALVEAUX: Donna, you know what? I'm inviting you back.

BRAZILE: OK.

MALVEAUX: You've got to come back.

(MUSIC)

BRAZILE: I'm getting in the groove.

MALVEAUX: I don't want to stop, but I've been told I got to continue. I got to move on.

BRAZILE: We'll do this in the break.

MALVEAUX: All right. BRAZILE: All right.

MALVEAUX: Tune in tonight, "America's Choice 2012." Special live coverage of these primary/caucuses begins at 6:00 Eastern with a special edition of "JOHN KING USA," followed by complete coverage of the results beginning at 7:00 Eastern.

So, it could be a lifeline for homeowners who are under water on their mortgages. A deadline to agree on a massive mortgage deal, it has come and gone now. We're going to get an update on where things stand.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Banks and states working on a deal to help homeowners who owe more than their homes are worth. Now, these negotiations stem from allegations that mortgage companies cut corners, used robo- signing to foreclose on homeowners. Well, yesterday was the deadline for the states to sign on to this massive mortgage deal that could generate as much as $25 billion.

We want an update on where things stand today. Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange.

Is this a done deal? Where are we in this?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: OK, Suzanne. So it's not a done deal yet, because state attorneys general, they're still negotiating with banks. But at this point, 40 states have signed on to this $25 billion deal. And if this deal goes through, what it would wind up is doing is that it could help people who owe more on their mortgages than their home is worth.

It would basically give them money to pay down their principle. It could also give money to people who lost their homes but shouldn't have because of these banks making these mistakes. But here's one of the big issues here, at least for the banks.

Some key states, they're not sure about the settlement at this point. CNN Money is reporting that California, New York, Delaware, and Nevada, they're holding out at this point, because these states want to have their own separate legal proceedings to try to get a better deal. They want to try to get more money that way. But it's those states that are still at the bargaining table, so that is where we are at with this deal -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And let's take a look at what's happening in Greece. We're talking about a lot of demonstrations, the unions protesting.

Where is that now? What is that about?

KOSIK: Exactly. So, what you're seeing are unions protesting those austerity measures that Greece essentially has to accept at this point if it wants to get that bailout. So, what these unions are protesting are more job cuts than they expected, deeper pay cuts, and these pension reforms. Now, what Greek leaders are doing is they're meeting today to discuss those cuts. And these stakes are high at this point, because if Greece doesn't cut spending at this point, it's not going get its next bailout from the EU, the IMF and the ECB. And we're talking about a lot of money here, $170 billion bailout. And Greece needs this money, Suzanne, to pay its bills -- Suzanne.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

MALVEAUX: Alison, thank you.

President Obama is hosting a science fair at the White House today. Science champs from around the country, they're meeting in the State Dining Room to show off their projects. The president also expected to talk about making American students more competitive in math and science.

We're going to bring you his comments live, up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Here's a rundown of what we're working on next. We'll take you on a bus with U.S. Marshals tracking down sex offenders. CNN has rare access.

Then invasion of the pythons. That's right. They've got a stranglehold on the Florida Everglades.

And later, giant parade for New York's Super Bowl heroes. Check it out. Registered sex offender could be living right next door to you without you even knowing it. A new report shows that the number of registered sex offenders is now going up. And a lot of them are not complying with the rules that they have to comply with once released from jail.

Sandra Endo, she went along with a team of U.S. Marshals to find out what is being done to make sure that these sex offenders are following the law.

Sandra, let's start off with the basic question here, how big a problem is this?

SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, according to this new report by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, over the past five years, the number of registered sex offenders went up 23 percent. Now out of the nearly quarter of a million registered sex offenders out there, actually there's three-fourths of a million according to this new report, 100,000 of them are in noncompliance with the registry. That means they give false addresses. They're not at the addresses they should be according to the registry. They flee the state. And that is why U.S. Marshals team up with local law enforcement to try to find these people who are in hiding.

Now we got an exclusive inside look at a recent bust with marshals in Baltimore. We went to address after address, about seven locations, no luck. Not finding these registered sex offenders who were supposed to be there. Now finally after knocking on a lot of doors, there's a lot of investigative work that needs to be done, finally marshals got a lead on one alleged fugitive. They found him. They arrested him. They told us that this registered sex offender was convicted of statutory rape a few years ago. He has not been complying with the law, and he actually admitted that to us when we talked to him later after the bust.

Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ENDO: You have to notify officials where you move too. And you weren't doing that, right?

ROBERT STANKIEWICZ, REGISTERED SEX OFFENDER: No. I didn't do that.

ENDO: Did you think you could snide what were you thinking?

STANKIEWICZ: No, I didn't think I could hide. I was trying to stall until I got money together. That was -- I wasn't trying to hide from the law or nothing. I was going turn myself in and everything --

(CROSSTALK)

ENDO: Why didn't you just register and comply with the law, let them know where you are?

STANKIEWICZ: Because the last time I missed my appointment, they locked me up down there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: He told CNN also that it's very hard to comply with the registry and that it's like wearing this -- a scarlet letter. And he'll have to do that for at least 25 years.

MALVEAUX: Is there anything about this particular group that makes them able not to comply with these registries? How do they do that?

ENDO: Yes, it's something because law enforcement officials we spoke to, the U.S. Marshals say that this group of registered sex offenders are really unique because they are transient in nature. They can range from a very affluent person, who you may never suspect committed a crime like it, to somebody who's homeless. And that's what makes these numbers very hard to really nail down and have concrete numbers as to who's complying and who's not. Really, it's a cat-and-mouse game of chase. Trying to find these registered sex offenders to make sure they're in compliance.

MALVEAUX: What should people do to protect themselves and their families?

ENDO: Really, you should be armed with information. All these registered sex offenders are listed on state data bases. Every state has a registry so you can look up on line where they're living. And there's a picture and name associated with their offense, as well. So even if they aren't at the address on the registry, you can be armed with information to know who to look out for because that name and picture are on the registry and on the Internet.

MALVEAUX: All right. Sandra, thank you very much.

And you can actually go inside that raid with Sandra and the U.S. Marshals. That's at 1:00 eastern in the newsroom.

The slaughter in Syria intensifies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(GUNFIRE)

(SHOUTING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: No one is spared as rocket fire and gunshots rain down. We've got a live report on what's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Syrians turn out to welcome Russia's foreign minister. The government report seen on state TV in Damascus starkly different from the bloodshed seen across the country. 11 months into the uprising, the slaughter now is intensifying.

CNN's Jill Dougherty joins us live from the State Department.

Jill, Russia says it's got a plan end to the Syrian crisis. Some believe that Russia essentially has given Bashar al Assad a green light to violently crush the opposition. Where does it leave the United States?

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: You know, just a couple of minutes ago, Suzanne, there's a statement that came from Mr. Lavrov saying what had been accomplished at the meeting. And essentially what they're saying is President Assad has assured him that he supports ceasing of the violence, stopping the violence wherever it comes from. And he also says the Arab League should come back to start their mission again, and register any violations that they see.

Now the problem with this is that phrase, "wherever it comes from." Obviously the Russians have pretty much gotten what they have said they were going get, which is they believe that what the government is doing, what the opposition are doing is pretty much the same. The violence is coming from both sides. So if they got Assad to say we're going to stop the violence no matter where it comes from, it's unequal as you see. Where this leaves it --

(CROSSTALK) DOUGHERTY: Go ahead. I'm sorry.

MALVEAUX: Obviously, that is a problem when you have that kind of statement. It says that they're equally culpable. You see the video. That is clearly not the case. What is the United States going do? What kind of position is the Obama administration in now?

DOUGHERTY: So farm the Obama administration is trying to rally the world community outside of the United Nations, which is pretty much, at this point, a lost cause. You can see what's happening with Russia and with China. Rally the international community to really push with sanctions, push with anything they can. We already have the gulf -- the Gulf Cooperation Council, which just this morning said that they were going to pull their ambassadors. We have the U.K. pulling their ambassador. The United States pulling the ambassador. Essentially, it's sanctions, pressure, and unmasking countries like Russia that are helping supply weapons to Syria.

MALVEAUX: All right. Jill Dougherty at the State Department. Thank you very much.

All eyes on Syria, what is taking place there on the brink of civil war.

President Obama at this hour hosting a science fair at the White House. Science champs around the country meeting in the State Dining Room to show off their projects. The president also expected to talk about making American students more competitive in math and science. We're going to bring you his remarks live up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: In our "Talk Back" question, in hindsight, was the auto bailout a good idea or bad idea?

Carol Costello with responses.

Hey, Carol.

COSTELLO: Hi, Suzanne. It's a "Talk Back" question, Have you changed your mind about the auto industry bailout?

This from Paul, "It was a good idea then and it's still a good idea now. It averted a cascading economic collapse, and it's gradually employing more people again. A better expenditure than to the banks to be sure."

This from Chris, "No, it was a bad idea, and it was money wasted that we'll never see again. Giving money to companies that produce crappy products benefits no one."

This from Kenny, "I've changed my mind about the auto bailout. Even though I'm in from Michigan, can you imagine what would have happened to the families of those who worked for the auto industry and those who lived in the city of Detroit"? From Basil, "Clint's message proves bipartisanship can work. When his words can be taken by both sides as true, maybe he's on to something."

Please continue the conversation. Facebook.com/carolCNN. I'll be back with you in about, oh, 25 minutes or so.

MALVEAUX: All right. Carol, I don't know who you were rooting for, but Super Bowl champs Giants, getting a hero's welcome in New York. We'll be live from the massive ticker-tape parade along Broadway in moments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: All right. Check it out. Super parade for a team of Giants. Thousands of New Yorkers -- looking at it live -- welcoming home their Super Bowl champs. Ticker tape flying over Broadway. Crowd, a sea of blue. Turns out that a record 111 million people watched the Super Bowl on Sunday. That is the most-watched TV program in American history, if you can believe that.

Richard Roth is joining us live from the New York Giants parade route.

Richard, what's going on?

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: It's a very excited crowd here. People are in the windows. People are on the streets. Obviously, when you turn the TV camera on, this is what you're going to get. I've been ducking toilet paper all day.

Why are you here today? You can look at me -- why are you here today?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Giants number one Super Bowl champions! Yea!

(CHEERING)

ROTH: What does the parade mean to you? And were you at the last one four years ago?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Giants won the Super Bowl, baby! Number one!

ROTH: Who are you waiting for? Who is this crowd waiting to see?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eli Manning!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: MVP!

ROTH: I see Tom Brady in a helmet, but it looks like he --

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tom Brady --

(CROSSTALK)

ROTH: He doesn't look very well.

Anyway, this crowd is -- well, let's say they're not exactly a Patriots fan here.

(LAUGHTER)

I'm not even sure they're a Gisele Bundchen fan.

There's a real lull in the trucks, the Giant players Suzanne, where players have come already. The offense of the receiving corps. Some of the defense. But they're all waiting for Eli Manning -- Suzanne?

MALVEAUX: That's pretty cool. You're in the middle of all that. Where is the parade headed? Where are you going?

ROTH: I think your question was where they're going. They're going to go to city hall to get the keys to the city. This is the second Giants parade in four years down the Canyon of Heroes. A million people estimated last time, who knows this time. A lot of people don't seem to be in school or at work, so they say.

Back to you.

(LAUGHTER)

MALVEAUX: They've all got sick notes for today.

All right. Enjoy the parade there. Looks like a lot of fun. Thank you, Richard.

Wildlife biologists think that there are 100,000 pythons in the Florida Everglades. That's right. And they are feasting on a lot of other animals. We'll tell you why it is so hard to get rid of them.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Want to give you a closer look at just how desperate the situation is right now in Syria.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(GUNFIRE)

(SHOUTING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Women and children are among those being killed and injured as the government unleashes relentless attacks on its own people. This is the hardest-hit city of Homs. Syrian activists say a weekend bloodbath there was followed up yesterday by government rocket attacks that left 128 people dead.

One activist explained the slaughter in very chilling words to CNN. Just listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED SYRIAN ACTIVIST: Let me say one word, I think that the entire world should be ashamed of what's happening here. Everybody is just silent, and looking at us being slaughtered every moment. For no reason, just for asking for our freedom. Everybody is just looking at us like this. We are slaughtered. China is going for veto. The rest of the world are condemning this veto, and what else? Looking at us. I condemn the entire world for watching us so silently. We are getting killed every moment. We are not able even just to get some basic medicine to injured people. Children are hungry. I swear, children are hungry. No power. No fuel. It's too cold. This is too much. For god's sake, this is too much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Just very compelling video and story there.

Russian foreign minister is in Syria today for an emergency meeting with President Bashar al Assad. The Russians say they have a proposal that could end the crisis in Syria. But they have not yet revealed it.

We are watching another story, as well. President Obama celebrating science today, the second annual White House Science Fair. The president also making a push for new tests he says will help make American students more competitive in math and science.

Let's listen in.

(BEGIN LIVE SPEECH)

(APPLAUSE)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My science advisor -- there's John Holdren. My science adviser, John Holdren, is in the house.

(APPLAUSE)

And we've got a couple of people who've dedicated themselves to making science cool for young people. We've got Neil DeGrass Tyson (ph) and Bill Nye, the science guy.

Now, it is fitting that this year's fair is happening just two days after the Super Bowl. I want to congratulate the New York Giants, and all their fans. I just talked to Coach Coughlin. I'm looking forward to having the Giants here at the White House so we can celebrate their achievements.

But what I've also said, I've said this many times, is if we are recognizing athletic achievement, then we should also be recognizing academic achievement and science achievement. If we invite the team that wins the Super Bowl to the White House, then we need to invite some science fair winners to the White House, as well.

(APPLAUSE)

And now I'm going to talk about how great all of you are in a second.

But before I do, I want to give the parents a big round of applause, because they work hard to help you succeed. And I know this is their day. They're really proud of you. As a parent, I know that seeing your kids do extraordinary things is -- brings the greatest happiness that a parent can have. So, congratulations to all the parents of all these assembled young people.

(APPLAUSE)

But parents aren't the only ones who helped you get this far. Every one of you can think of a teacher, or maybe a couple of teachers, without whom you would not be here. So I want you to promise that the next time you see those teachers, that you give them a big thank you, not just for yourselves, but also for me, because teachers matter. They deserve our support. And I want to make sure that we are constantly lifting up how important teachers are to making sure that, not only you succeed, but this country succeeds. So give teachers a big round of applause.

(APPLAUSE)

Now, as I was walking around the science fair, I was thinking back to when I was your age, and basically you guys put me to shame. What impresses me so much is not just how smart you are. But, it's the fact that you recognize you've got a responsibility to use your talent in service of something bigger than yourselves. You know, some of you that, that means developing new products that will change the way we live.

So Haley Hoberter (ph) -- where is Haley? There she is right over here -- invented a new type of sugar packet that dissolves in hot water, it's flavorless, it's colorless, and potentially could save up to two million pounds of trash each year, and that's just at Starbucks.

(LAUGHTER)

So MasterCard has already awarded her $10,000 to help turn her idea into a business.

Some of you are here because you saw a problem in your community and you're trying to do something to solve it. Benjamin Hilack (ph) -- where is Benjamin? He's right here -- was worried that folks at his grandmother's senior center were getting lonely (ph), so he built a robot with a monitor and a video camera. So it's like a moving Skype and it moves around the center. It allows seniors to talk to their kids and grand kids, even when they can't visit in person. So inventions like Benjamins could make life better for millions of families.

For some of you, the journey you took to get here is just as aspiring as the work you brought with you today. There's a rocketry team from Texas. Where's my team? Stand up, guys. Stand up. This is part of the fourth poorest school district in the state of Texas. And I was told the teachers cooked food to sell after church. Supporters drove 200 miles to pick up doughnuts for bake sales. They even raffled off a goat.

(LAUGHTER)

Is that right?

Just so they could raise enough money for the rocketry team to compete. And the majority of kids after school are ESL, English as a second language. And the presentation they made could not make you prouder. So way to go.

(APPLAUSE)

There's a group of young engineers from Paul Groats (ph) and Malcolm X Academy, and nobody needs to tell them the kinds of challenges that Detroit still faces. Where's my team from Detroit? In the house? There they are.

Stand up.

(APPLAUSE)

They believe in their city, and they're coming up with new ideas to keep Detroit's comeback going.

And there's Samantha Garvey.

Where's Samantha? I just saw Samantha. There she is.

Stand up, Samantha.

(APPLAUSE)

Samantha spent years studying mussel populations in the Long Island Sound. And when she learned that she was a semifinalist for the Intel Science Talent Search, when she found this out, her family was living in a homeless shelter. So think about what she's overcome. She wants to, by the way, work maybe for NOAA or EPA.

So, this is Dr. Lubchenco. She's the head of NOAA.

Lisa Jackson, right there, head of EPA.

You might just want to, you know, hook up with them before you leave.

(LAUGHTER)

(APPLAUSE) The young people I met today, the young people behind me, you guys inspire me. It's young people like you that make me so confident that America's best days are still to come.

When you work and study and excel at what you're doing in math and science, when you compete in something like this, you're not just trying to win a prize today, you're getting America in shape to win the future. You're making sure we have the best, smartest, most skilled workers in the world, so that the jobs and industries of tomorrow take root right here.

You're making sure we'll always be home to the most creative entrepreneurs, the most advanced science labs and universities. You're making sure America will win the race to the future.

So, as an American, I'm proud of you. As your president, I think we need to make sure your success stories are happening all across the country. And that's why when I took office I called for an all-hands- on-deck approach to science, math, technology and engineering.

Let's train more teachers. Let's get more kids studying these subjects. Let's make sure these fields get the respect and attention that they deserve.

But it's not just a government effort. I'm happy to say that the private sector has answered that call, as well. They understand how important it is to their future.

So, today, led by the Carnegie Corporation, a group of businesses and foundations is announcing a $22 million fund to help train 100,000 new science --

(END LIVE SPEECH)

MALVEAUX: So, congratulations to all those kids.

How do American students in general stack up against those in other countries when it comes to math and science? In the most recent breakdown, the United States was behind 30 other countries in math. We were 23rd when it comes to science.

So we've still got some work to do. But congratulations to those young students.