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Seven Dead in Marine Chopper Crash; Santorum on Defense at Debate; Quran Burning Protests Escalates; Former Lacrosse Player Sent to Prison; Jobless Claims Steady, Gas Prices Jump; Chemical Sites Vulnerable if Assad Falls; Seven Dead in Marine Chopper Crash; In Depth: "Cold Turkey" in a Pill; Knicks Now 9-2 with Lin Starting; Tiger Advances in Match Play
Aired February 23, 2012 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN HOST: It is time to get to "CNN NEWSROOM" with Kyra Phillips. It begins right now. Let's see everybody back here at 7:00 a.m. tomorrow morning.
Hey, Kyra.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, guys. Good morning. Thanks so much.
We actually begin with breaking news this hour. We are learning of a Marine helicopter crash in Arizona. Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr joining us now.
Barbara, what exactly have you learned?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Sad news, Kyra. Overnight two Marine Corps helicopters crashed during a training exercise near Yuma, Arizona. The Marine Cops now reporting that seven Marines, all the Marines on board, both those helicopters were killed when there was that mid-air collision last night.
Of course a full investigation underway. Families being notified today, receiving the sad news. One was a UH-1 helicopter, one an AH- 1W helicopter. A very routine training exercise by all accounts and sadly a mid-air collision killing all seven Marines on board both helos overnight -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, we will follow all of the breaking details that we get from you, Barbara, and also the investigation now taking place.
Barbara Starr at the Pentagon, thanks.
STARR: Sure.
PHILLIPS: Well, look, it's no surprise when you reach the top, you get a target on your back. And poll-surging Rick Santorum found that out last night at CNN's debate in Arizona.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: While I was fighting to save the Olympics, you were fighting to save the bridge to nowhere.
NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You're entitled to your opinions, Mitt, but you're not entitled to --
ROMNEY: I've heard that line before. I've heard that before.
GINGRICH: Misrepresent the facts and you're misrepresenting the facts. You don't know what you're talking about.
RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yes, Governor, you balanced the budget for four years. You have a constitutional requirement to balance the budget in four years. No great shakes. I'm all for -- I'd like to see it federally but don't go around bragging about something you have to do. Michael Dukakis balanced the budget for 10 years. Does that make him qualified to be president of the United States? I don't think so.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Political gurus Mark Preston and Paul Steinhauser were at the debate.
Mark, let's go ahead and start with you. I guess, you know, Romney and Santorum definitely throwing heat, but it looked like Santorum felt the burn maybe a little bit more.
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Yes. You know, and I wrote yesterday right before the debate, Kyra, that Rick Santorum does very well when he's the hunter but how would he do as the hunted? And he was the hunted last night. And I've got to tell you what, I think it was very unsettling for him to really be in the middle of it all. For someone that was taking heat not only from Mitt Romney, but, boy, he took it from Ron Paul last night as well.
So this morning as we wake up here in Arizona, and as people wake up across the country after watching the debate, the question is, will Rick Santorum continue to have the momentum that we've seen him build up over the past 10 days or so? And I think last night was not his greatest night. In fact, I think it might have been -- probably a win in the Mitt Romney column because he did very well as the hunted -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: And Paul, I mean, Romney also throwing a little heat at our John King. Let's take a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROMNEY: We're going to have to create more jobs, have less debt, and shrink the size of government. I'm the only person --
JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: Is there a misconception about you? The question is a misconception.
ROMNEY: Lack -- you know, you get to ask the questions you want. I get to give the answers I want.
(LAUGHTER)
KING: Fair enough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Tell you what, Paul, I mean, it's like Romney sees Gingrich go at John last time around. Now decides to do the same thing. Is this going to become a -- you know, beat up on John King?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: You know, take a page out of the Gingrich playbook. Kyra, listen, Newt Gingrich is very effective in the debates up until now in going after the moderators, in going after the mainstream media. So maybe Romney taking a page out of it.
You know, I was writing yesterday on CNN.com that Romney had to go on the attack against Gingrich just what Mark was talking about. He was -- he was pretty effective.
Listen, was it Mitt Romney's best debate? No, it wasn't. But he did what he needed to do. He needed to bring Rick Santorum down to size. After the debate was over Mark and I were in the spinroom, I was talking to some top Romney advisors. They were really pleased, they were very pleased with what happened and they're confident.
Kyra, they say they're confident they're going to win not only here in Arizona but also that close contest back in Michigan.
PHILLIPS: All right. Rick Perry also in Mesa making a pretty bold prediction?
PRESTON: Well, yes --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. RICK PERRY (R), TEXAS: And we may have two or three more frontrunners before August gets here. It won't surprise me for this to go all the way to the -- to the convention.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: What do you guys make of that? Mark Preston?
PRESTON: Well, I think that Rick Perry, of course, is a Newt Gingrich supporter and Newt Gingrich was talking about going all the way to the convention, right?
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: So what's the reality? What's the reality of that?
PRESTON: Well, the reality is, first of all, we have to say at least Rick Perry was on message last night which some would say during the debates when he was running he wasn't on message.
STEINHAUSER: For the first time. PRESTON: For the first time.
(LAUGHTER)
PRESTON: But look, the reality of that happening, it's not going to happen. There are four men running for president right now. Two of them who are really locked in the knife fight right now for the nomination. That, you know, of course that's Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney. And it's going to play out over the next, you know, four or five months.
STEINHAUSER: Yes, and Kyra, listen, on Tuesday, if Romney does stumble in Michigan or Arizona or on Super Tuesday, yes, this thing is going to go on for a little while longer. But if Romney does very well on Tuesday and then on Super Tuesday, on March 6th, maybe this thing doesn't go as far as we thought.
PRESTON: Could wrap up quicker than we thought -- Kyra.
STEINHAUSER: Stay tuned.
PHILLIPS: And -- there you go. And on top of that Rick Perry was very nice to our John King.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Mark, Paul, thanks so much.
Well, join us Tuesday night for "AMERICA'S CHOICE 2012." We're going to be following the Arizona and Michigan primaries with a special edition of "JOHN KING, USA" at 6:00 Eastern. Then complete live coverage of results starting at 7:00 Eastern with Wolf Blitzer and the best political team on television.
Syria's government is offering condolences now to the families of two Western journalists. But it denies reports that it was responsible for the attacks in Homs that killed them.
Meanwhile, we continue to monitor the amateur video that comes in from Syria and a report in a British newspaper is saying that intercepted military communications suggest that Syrian troops targeted the journalists that were killed. Opposition protesters in the battered city of Homs honored American Marie Colvin and Frenchman Remi Ochlik with a makeshift memorial and tomorrow world powers will meet in Tunisia to hammer out a plan to get humanitarian aid to the civilians in Syria.
Meantime, the protests over the Quran burning by NATO troops in Afghanistan continue and so does the violence. U.S. soldiers and demonstrators have been injured while President Obama apologizes to Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
Zain Verjee following that out of London for us.
So, Zain, what exactly did the president say? ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Good morning, Kyra. The president says this. We will take the appropriate steps to avoid any recurrence, including holding accountable those responsible. He apologized and said that handling materials, religious materials like the Quran, was just unintentional mishandling. At the same time today, Kyra, U.S. diplomats in Kabul as well as both in the north and south of Afghanistan are on total lockdown because of the increase in protests that have been going on.
Now what the Taliban have come out and said that these are just so-called apologies, they mean nothing. So what they have done, Kyra, is to call for more attacks on NATO troops, on NATO military bases as well as to inflict the most amount of violence possible because of what they see as intolerance and bigotry and the treatment of the Quran.
You mentioned there was some violence today. There were two demonstrators killed outside a military base when there was gunfire, a couple of U.S. soldiers were also injured and seven Afghans, too -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Zain Verjee out of London for us. Zain, thanks.
And still ahead a former lacrosse player faces years behind bars just after a jury found him guilty of killing his ex-girlfriend. Details ahead.
And talk about someone who's pretty cool under pressure. A TV reporter in Tampa reporting live -- see what happens right behind her? Two cars collide. You'll see the live shot next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Update now on that breaking news we told you about 10 minutes ago. A Marine spokesperson now confirming that seven Marines have been killed after two helicopters collided last night. It happened during a routine training operation near Yuma, Arizona. The training complex right there in that area. No word yet on what went wrong. We are on the investigation. We'll bring you the details as we get them.
All right. Checking other stories "Cross Country" now.
Boulder, Colorado. Winds reaching 80 miles an hour. Strong enough to flip cars, as you can see here, and even knock a person of his feet. Some homes were damaged. And a number of trees and light polls snapped as well.
In Sacramento, California, a fast-moving grass fire suddenly engulfs hundreds of beehives overnight. Firefighters faced two immediate problems -- putting out the flames and trying not to get stung. Now watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Light costs go up, too, so we could see fewer people driving.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Calm as a cucumber. The live reporter in Tampa didn't even flinch as you saw the car and cab slam right into each other. She did make sure, however, that the drivers got out moments later. She wanted to make sure they were OK and they are.
Former University of Virginia lacrosse player faces up to 26 years behind bars in the death of his ex-girlfriend. A jury found George Huguely guilty of second-degree murder for the death of Yeardley Love in May 2010. A judge will sentence Huguely in April.
Ashleigh Banfield live in New York with more on this case.
So, Ashleigh, is the verdict a surprise?
ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, ANCHOR, CNN'S "EARLY START": You know, I stopped getting surprised after O.J. and Casey Anthony, I'll be quite honest with you. But in this one I really felt it could have gone either way. Could have gone felony murder, could have gotten life for that. But second-degree sounds like it's appropriate given a lot of the evidence in this case. Some people may disagree, and that's the American way.
However, second-degree can carry up with it this very large penalty of up to 40 years. So 25 for that and then the additional one year for the additional conviction is sort of a middle of the road thing.
PHILLIPS: What do you think? Will Huguely appeal?
BANFIELD: You know, that's a great question because at first I thought, why would he appeal when the other option is so much worse? He could actually go to trial again and someone might consider him -- a panel might consider him guilty of first degree. It's probably a no loss situation for him to appeal this because, you know, he's already had the recommendation for 26 years so he can't get a recommendation for any more than that.
The only thing he can hope for is that maybe another jury down the road might consider this a manslaughter. That's if, if they can find some problem with the case that reaches an appellate level.
PHILLIPS: All right. So the jury recommended 26 years in prison. Can the judge change that?
BANFIELD: Yes. You bet. The judge can downward depart from that and judges do really remarkable things. I have learned never to expect anything when judges actually take the bench on sentence day. This one is so political though and this one is so scrutinized, I wouldn't -- I wouldn't -- well, I would be surprised if he departed too much from it, but it will be a day that we should all watch very carefully to see just what he does with that jury's recommendation.
PHILLIPS: All right. Ashleigh Banfield, thanks so much.
BANFIELD: Sure.
PHILLIPS: Well, prices at the pump rise again. They've hit a record for February. We're talking about that next.
And no more mademoiselle? We're going to explain why feminists are forcing some changes on the French government.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: No more mademoiselle. That's right. Feminists went to war over the word and they won. Zain Verjee has that from London.
Now, Zain, I always thought it was such an elegant, sophisticated way of addressing a woman.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: It was, absolutely, Mademoiselle Kyra Phillips.
No, madame, we cannot do that, OK? We have to now use the word madame, which is now seen as a lot more neutral, because the feminists in France are saying how come all the men get to be called monsieur whether they're married or not, and the women are mademoiselle or madame.
So, it's kind of like what happened with fraulein Germany. They said we won't use it for official use because it means little women or little woman. And same with seniorita for the Spanish. It's kind of seen as old-fashioned.
So, now, mademoiselle is out. What's happening is that the government's officially banned it. When you fill out all the official documentation and go through the French bureaucracy, there will no longer be the option to say mademoiselle or madame, they're saying you can't discriminate, be condescending or sexist to reveal a woman's marital status.
So, that is what has happened in France today. And it's been a big deal for feminists. They're claiming this is a huge victory and they're saying this is way more than just symbolic.
And, P.S., Kyra, the French first round of voting elects is just around the corner, a few weeks away. And so, this may do something a little extra to get the women vote in there. Oui, madame?
PHILLIPS: I understand now. What about the magazine? "Mademoiselle," the magazine?
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: What are you going to do with that?
VERJEE: Well, they're going to have to call it madame. I think that this only relates to the official use in the French bureaucracy. So, you know, fashion magazines and other popular culture things, they'll still do whatever they want.
PHILLIPS: Not an issue. All right.
VERJEE: I prefer cherie actually.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: So does Stevie Wonder.
Just don't mess with the crocque-monsieur, OK? My favorite sandwich.
Bye, Zain.
VERJEE: All right, Kyra. Bye, darling.
PHILLIPS: I know that you don't want to hear this, but gas prices keep rising. Should I call Alison Kosik mademoiselle, madame. Maybe I'll stick with darling. But Zain says it in such a romantic way.
Alison, how about Ali?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Ali, you know, a lot of people call me Ali. You can call me Ali, took, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: There we go.
KOSIK: All my friends call me Ali. So --
(LAUGHTER)
KOSIK: And let's go ahead and talk about jobs first, shall we? So, the number of people filing for first-time jobless claims, they held steady last week at 351,000. Analysts had been expecting a modest rise. There's a little good news there. And it looks like claims are holding close to a four-year low. It's a good sign for the jobs market.
OK. So we got the good news out of the way. Now let's get to the bad news.
Gas prices -- according to AAA -- they jumped by 3.3 cents overnight. No, it doesn't sound like a lot, but it actually is a big jump. And it brings the national average for a gallon of regular to $3.61 a gallon. It's the 16th day in a row prices have gone up.
All right. So, why is this happening? Analysts are pointing to tensions with Iran which have caused a big run up in crude oil prices. And crude accounts for more than half the price of gasoline.
You know what, Kyra? We're actually getting reports about gas stations near Disney World that are charging almost $6 a gallon. How to ruin a vacation. Right when you're on your way in the rental car to the airport, bam, $5.79 a gallon. Nice.
PHILLIPS: Not nice. Alison, thank you.
Well, if you had one word to describe each of the GOP presidential candidates, what would it be? You're going to love what Gingrich said. That's coming up.
A little note on Google Web sites say that their privacy policy is changing. They mean it. Now it's got some privacy watchdogs sounding an alarm. We'll go to Silicon Valley to find out what it's all about.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, if Syria's President al Assad loses power, that opens up a whole new can of worries, like who will guard Syria's chemical warfare sites?
Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr says U.S. military leaders are working on options.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What if it all gets even worse in Syria?
The White House is still pinning hopes on a diplomatic solution.
JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: In terms of a military action to a secure part of the country, that is not currently a policy we're pursuing.
STARR: But as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton heads to Tunisia for Syria talks, the idea of arming the rebels isn't going away. A State Department official said arming the opposition will likely be discussed, but the U.S. position is it's not a good idea.
One worry: Iran and Russia. Both still support al Assad's regime and no one is sure who the opposition really is.
GEN. MARTIN DEMPSEY, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: Until we're clearer about, you know, who they are, I think it would -- it would be premature to talk about arming them.
STARR: Then there's concern about al Qaeda's presence.
JAMES CLAPPER, DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: Another disturbing phenomenon that we've seen recently, apparently, is the presence of extremists who have infiltrated the opposition groups.
STARR: The U.S. military is preparing options for the president, should it be requested. One nightmare scenario they are considering -- what to do if the regime falls and Syria's stockpile of chemical weapons is looted.
CNN has learned a classified military analysis estimates in a worst-case scenario, it could take more than 75,000 troops to secure the sites.
LEONARD SPECTOR, MONTEREY INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: That's a very large number.
STARR: The U.S. military believes there's more than 50 chemical weapons sites across the country.
SPECTOR: Syria probably has one of the largest programs in the world. It has multiple types of chemical agent, the World War I gases like chlorine and phosgene and also the more modern gases, the nerve gases.
STARR: The worries range from al Qaeda to Hezbollah getting their hands on the weapons.
SPECTOR: What would worry me the most is that artillery shells with chemical weapons would be sold or moved to Hezbollah. And that would really alter their capabilities against Israel substantially.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: So, Barbara, it seems like we always hear that the military is going to need tens of thousands of troops for pretty much any mission. Is this even realistic?
STARR: Well, you know, that is the key question here, Kyra. It's one of the reasons they're pressing, the Obama administration is, for diplomatic solution because any military intervention very quickly really does become a nightmare scenario. Seventy-five thousand troops very, very unlikely.
But it's the kind of options planning that the military does so they can present what they believe is the worst case scenario. They know they're not going to get it if it comes to that, they just hope it doesn't come to that; that there is a diplomatic resolution to this crisis very soon -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon -- Barbara, thanks.
Let's check other top stories now.
President Obama's apologizing to Afghan President Hamid Karzai for the burning of Korans by NATO troops. The incident has sparked protests and the Taliban is calling for Muslims to attack NATO military bases and convoys now.
Seven Marines are dead after two helicopters crash. The accident happened last night during a training exercise near Yuma, Arizona.
And with gas prices skyrocketing, President Obama will talk about reducing dependence on foreign oil. President's speech is in Miami this afternoon. He'll also touch on ways to expand oil and gas production.
OK. Presidential campaigns and debates are al about selling yourself. Talking about how great you are, how dreadful your rivalries are. The egos come out. Humility is left at the door.
Case in point: last night to date in the desert. Each candidate was asked to describe how fabulous he is in one word. Let's start with Ron Paul.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. RON PAUL (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Consistent.
JOHN KING, DEBATE MODERATOR: Senator Santorum?
RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Courage.
KING: Governor?
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Resolute.
KING: Mr. Speaker?
NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Cheerful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, resolute Robert and consistent Cain are here with us this morning.
Whose self-description was most accurate last night, gentlemen?
Robert, let's start with you.
ROBERT ZIMMERMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: You've got to give it to Ron Paul. Without question, he's consistent. He hasn't changed his positions since the 1800s.
But, in fact, realistically, neither has the Republican Party changed their positions. They're still debating against -- they're still advocating against contraceptive rights for women. They're still defending the gilded age in terms of their economic policy. And it really reflects how out of touch not just the Republican Party is but how hypocritical the conservative movement has become.
PHILLIPS: Shame on you picking on the older guy in the race, Robert.
Will, what's your take?
WILL CAIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: What am I supposed to do here -- answer your question or rebut everything Robert just said?
The answer to your question, Kyra, is Ron Paul. Undoubtedly. He is unwaveringly consistent on any position, regardless how popular it might be. And he deserves a ton of credit for being so consistent.
I just have to say with Robert -- come on. I mean, at least we have to recognize that there's a legitimate debate going on about religious liberties. Or whether or not it's really about contraception -- I mean, I'm not going to debate you about those principles right now, and I think we should at least be able to agree. One side seems to think this is about contraception. The other says it's religious liberties. We might want to start there.
ZIMMERMAN: Will, there is no debate amongst the American people about contraceptive rights for women. Every poll that you've seen conducted not just about the American people at large but about Catholic women in particular shows they believe they are entitled to and they respect the right of contraceptive care being provided for insurance.
CAIN: No one on that stage last night, not one man on that stage and I'll probably include John king in this as well, is looking to ban the ability of women to find access to contraception.
ZIMMERMAN: That is actually false, Will. Will --
CAIN: Not one man wants to make contraception illegal. This is about who pays for contraceptive use. That's it, Robert.
ZIMMERMAN: No, it's not, Will.
CAIN: Religious institutions be forced to pay for a health care service they want to. That's it.
ZIMMERMAN: Will, that is not the issue at all.
PHILLIPS: Robert, final thought here. I want to move on.
ZIMMERMAN: OK. Will, that's not the issue at all because the accommodation the Obama administration reached protected the religious institutions from paying for contraceptive -- contraception and the insurance companies were footing the bill.
PHILLIPS: OK. Let's talk about Santorum, all right? The Jeremy Lin of politics right now, the sensation, shall we say, of the GOP. Say that five times really fast. He's also the big target, OK?
Case in point: Ron Paul saying will the real Santorum please stand up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KING: We have a new television ad that labels him a fake. Why?
PAUL: Because he's a fake.
SANTORUM: I'm real, Ron. I'm real.
PAUL: Congratulations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Uncomfortable moment there. A fake or not, guys? Will?
CAIN: Well, I'm not going to call him fake, but let's say this. He's earned this reputation as the conservative purist, the conservative pure play in this election and I don't think that's an earned position. I think whether or not he's talking about favoring certain industries in the economy by providing lower tax rates to manufacturers or kind of just generally ignoring the Tenth Amendment on so many issues he might find are moral or righteous regardless of where it falls within that content of federalism, he doesn't deserve the mantle of conservative purist?
But is he fake a conservative? I'm not going to go that far.
PHILLIPS: Robert?
ZIMMERMAN: Well, I would agree with Will. I wouldn't call him a purist. But I certainly think he's cornered the market on the zealot movement and represents that wing of the party without question.
But can you imagine how galling it's got to be to be called fake on the stage with Mitt Romney next to him? That has to be a bit frustrating, I'm sure, in Rick Santorum's defense.
PHILLIPS: Robert and will, there's one thing you guys are not, you are not fake. That's for sure. Thanks, guys.
ZIMMERMAN: Thank you.
CAIN: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Well, Google is making some big changes to its privacy policy. This one's a doozy.
It allows the company to have a complete profile of everything we do on Google.
Dan Simon shows us why this gold mine of user data for Google may not be so good for your privacy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN SIMON, CNN SILICON VALLEY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the morning I check the headlines on Google news. Send some personal e-mail using Google's Gmail. I may check Google maps for driving directions.
Later at work, I remember to do a Google search for plumbers. I also need to do research for this story. More searches.
Later, I'll glance at my Google calendar for appointments. Upload some videos to YouTube. And maybe I'll log on to Google Plus, the company's growing social network.
And some variation of this happens almost every single day.
PETER ECKERSLEY, ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION: Google knows almost everything about you.
SIMON: That's why privacy watchdogs like Peter Eckersley are sounding the alarm about Google's new privacy policy. Beginning next month, the company is going to keep track of your activity across all of its sites and build a profile of you. Google says it will use the information to improve its services. Services where, for example, a user is more likely to get better search results.
VOICE: We'll understand when you search for jaguar, you're looking for a jaguar.
SIMON: Critics say the company is stomping on privacy to bolster its advertising and in turn increase profits.
ECKERSLEY: If there are things that you want to keep private about your life, those records are all in there. If there are things that you actually need to prevent other people from knowing about you, those will be in there.
SIMON: Those already nervous about the company's influence pounced when it became known last week that Google exploited a known weakness in Apple Safari browser bypassing the browser's privacy settings.
JONATHON MAYER, STANFORD RESEARCHER: When I first found what Google was doing I thought I had it wrong. I thought I had to have it wrong.
SIMON: Jonathan Mayer is the Stanford researcher who uncovered the safari breech. On the surface, he says it may not seem like a serious transgression. Google's code was being used only to target ads and user's personal information was never collected. But for some web searches believed to be private were not. And that, Mayer says, opens the door to private information being exposed by rogue employees, Internet hacking and more.
MAYER: Doesn't get disclosed because an employee is evil, because the company messes up? Does it get disclosed because the government demands it?
SIMON: As for the new policy, Google acknowledges that, quote, "people have different privacy concerns. Our goal is to be clear about what information we collect, so that you can make meaningful choices about how it is used."
The bottom line, people use Google because it offers important and useful services that are also free.
ECKERSLEY: At this point, absolutely have to trust Google. And in a sense on one hand Google is probably more trustworthy than a lot of these other big technology companies. But because they know so much about us, we have to hold them to a higher standard of trust.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Dan Simon joining us live now.
Dan, if consumers are concerned about their privacy on Google, what can they do about it now?
SIMON: Well, the first thing I would suggest they do, Kyra, is actually take the time to read Google's new privacy policy. I would probably guess that most people have never read a privacy policy.
This one is actually pretty easy to understand. They took 60 policies, threw them all in the garbage, and wrote one up. So, take the time to actually read it.
But there are a couple things that you can do. The privacy controls that Google has had for years, they remain unchanged. You can actually go in and edit or delete the web searches that you've done. But the most crucial thing that you can do, Kyra, is if you have a Google account, you can sign out of it and then do your searches and your searches will remain anonymous.
Obviously, this is a very important issue. It's a growing issue. And people should really take the time to learn about it, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Thanks so much, Dan.
We've got an update now on that breaking news we brought you about 1/2 hour ago, those seven marines that were killed when two helicopters crashed last night in Yuma, Arizona.
On the phone with me right now, First Lieutenant Marine Dooley. She's the spokesperson from Miramar, out of San Diego.
Maureen, what can you tell us about this crash? It was a training operation I understand? What details can you tell us of what happened?
MAUREEN DOOLEY, 3RD MARINE AIRCRAFT WING (via telephone): Good morning, Kyra. Thanks for having us on here. It's never fun to talk about things like this.
Really, all I can tell you is that we did have two aircraft collide last night. One was an AH1 Whisky Cobra and one was a UH1 Yankee Huey. And the UH1 Yankee Huey is actually one of the updated, new Huey helicopters we have in the Marine Corps fleet.
They were conducting routine training operations. It was nothing really out of the ordinary. We have aircraft going out to Yuma training ranges on a weekly basis. They go out there primarily because the aircraft minimum mimics what they will see in Afghanistan, so they get familiarization with training on that training.
PHILLIPS: So, were these Marines actually training to get ready to go overseas to Afghanistan?
DOOLEY: Yes.
PHILLIPS: OK.
DOOLEY: It was a training -- training exercise to prepare them to deploy.
PHILLIPS: Gotcha. And are you able to confirm if it's something that went wrong technically with one of the helicopters? Do you know if it was a mistake made on behalf of one of the pilots or crew?
DOOLEY: You know, right now we can't confirm any of that, mainly because the investigation has just started. We've got some folks out there on the ground who are going to be assisting with the investigation. Things like that take months so we won't know exactly what happened until the investigation is complete, and we can't make any assumptions right now as to what caused it to happen.
PHILLIPS: Well, what we can say is this a tough time for a number of families right now.
DOOLEY: It is.
PHILLIPS: Yes. Maureen Dooley -- appreciate you calling in, Maureen. Thanks so much.
Quick break. We'll have more from the CNN NEWSROOM, straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, the Academy Awards celebrate the movies, but the people in charge of the Oscars are actually telling actor Sacha Baron Cohen not to use the red carpet to promote his movie.
A.J. Hammer, OK. What's up with this polite warning?
A.J. HAMMER, HOST, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: Yes. Well, it looks like what they're doing is cutting it of at the pass. That may be the best approach with Sacha Baron Cohen, Kyra. We can all remember the way he promoted his previous films "Borat" and "Bruno," he publicly ran around in character. And it looks like that was his plan for the Oscars.
He plays a sex crazed Middle Eastern despot in his new film. So, we can understand why the Academy might not have wanted him do that on the red carpet. And the Academy has let him know we don't want a part of it.
A spokesperson for the Academy is saying this to "Showbiz Tonight": "We would love to have him at the Oscar show. We have expressed to him that we don't like our red carpet to be used as a promotional stunt. We're waiting to hear from him. We put the ball in his court."
Now, apparently, they can't simply pull his ticket as has been reported. Cohen was in "Hugo," of course. The way it apparently works is the Academy allots a whole bunch of tickets to each film. The film distributes those tickets to whomever they want.
Here's the thing, I don't know that Sasha Baron Cohen actually ever planned, Kyra, to show up as a sex crazed Middle Eastern despot. Maybe he just wanted us to be talking about it right now, which we're doing. Well done, Sasha. Well done.
PHILIPS: On the note of "Hugo,'" you and I loved the movie. We'll take a second to give that a shout out.
All right.
HAMMER: Yes.
PHILLIPS: The "Friends" reunion movie, OK, a lot of people waiting for this. They're going to have to wait a little longer, I understand?
HAMMER: Or it may never come. If we're going to go by what Jen Aniston just told "The Hollywood Reporter," Kyra, I'm he going to say, no, this thing is never going to happen. "Friends," of course, is considered a classic TV series now. And since the show ended in 2004, rumors have always been flying around that the show could actually get the big screen treatment one day.
It seems kind of right, doesn't it? A lot of fans would certainly love it. But Jen Aniston doesn't love the idea so much. She, of course, played Rachel Green on the show. And she was asked about it. She doesn't seem so keen.
Let me read to you what she said, "I can't imagine how you would do it unless you did it years from now. I can't imagine what it would be. It's not normal. 'Friends' is in your living room. 'Friends' is not in a movie theater.
It doesn't make sense to me. I think it would be going against its authentic self."
Which actually kind of makes a whole lot of sense when you think about it. It is the kind of show you want to slump back in your living room love seat or whatever you have and watch the show. But who knows?
So, Jen Aniston, not so hot on the idea. We'll see.
PHILLIPS: Now, I know how A.J. watches TV, in his love asset. All right.
HAMMER: Slunk.
PHILLIPS: You slunk.
HAMMER: I don't know what that word means.
PHILLIPS: It works. It's a combination of a few. See you next hour.
Entertainment world, as we told you, gearing up for the 84th Annual Academy Awards this weekend. We can all slunk in our love seats with A.J. He's actually going to be on the red carpet for this, though.
So, watch Sunday night, 6:30 Eastern for "Showbiz Tonight's" "Road to Gold." That's right here on CNN.
Now, it's one of the hardest things to do, ask any addict who quit cold turkey. Now there's pills that can actually help. One man's story just ahead in our "In Depth" series on addiction.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Let's make something clear. Addiction is a brain disease. It's not a failure of will power. There are medicines that actually shortcut that addiction, too, but why aren't they used more often? We're going "In Depth: Cold Turkey in a Pill."
CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta now with the third part of his series. And I've got a lot of people actually asking me about your series. And if you don't mind (INAUDIBLE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Is your show this weekend going to incorporate these pieces?
GUPTA: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Good. Because that's what I've been asked.
GUPTA: Everyone from the stories but also the science now which you're alluding to here.
PHILLIPS: Ok.
GUPTA: It's constantly developing. And I'll tell you before you watch this, it is controversial still, exactly how you treat this disease. If -- should medications be on the table? If you think of this as a brain disease, should this be an option?
It's not for everybody. But I want you to meet Walter Kent who had tried everything to stop drinking until he found this. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GUPTA (voice-over): This is the last place you'd expect to find a recovering alcoholic.
WALTER KENT, RECOVERING ALCOHOLIC: One of my old favorite watering holes.
GUPTA: But this is where Walter Kent hangs out, a bar called "Goobers." Walter is a giant of a man, but for most of his life he couldn't find the strength to put down that bottle. KENT: I was the type of person that the only time I drank was when I was alone or with somebody. Other than that, there was never a problem.
GUPTA: He tried rehab and AA. Nothing worked.
KENT: Nothing seemed to get rid of that urge. I couldn't get rid of the craving.
GUPTA: But then in 2000 he tried again, an experimental program at Brown University. This time he got counseling once a week and a daily pill, a medicine called Naltrexone. And this time it worked.
KENT: When you can lose the total urge, total craving for alcohol, you can -- you can beat it. There's no doubt in my mind because I'm living proof.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUPTA: Now you know it's not for everybody, to be clear, and Walter, nothing else had worked for him. The way this works really quickly is that it basically tamps down that euphoria that you get from taking a drink. It makes you want to have more and more and you want to replicate that feeling. You don't get as much of that with this.
But it has side effects. People get nauseated, they don't have pleasure in other parts of their life. So their -- people can't get to the treatment but it does improve, as you saw there, Walter's life.
PHILLIPS: I'll tell you what; like I said, a lot of people have been asking about this. So I want to go ahead and plug that you're going to deal with all of these issues that we've talked to -- talked about rather on a special edition of "Sanjay Gupta MD" it's going to be Saturday and Sunday mornings --
(CROSSTALK)
GUPTA: Right.
PHILLIPS: -- 7:30 Eastern, right?
GUPTA: That's right, you got it.
PHILLIPS: All right, thanks, Sanjay.
GUPTA: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: You bet.
A quick break. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well what could be the first prescription weight loss pill in 13 years moves a step closer to government approval. The obesity drug Qnexa is touted as helping patients lose at least 10 percent of their body weight. An outside panel is recommending that a drug for FDA approval saying that the benefits outweigh potential risks including heart problems and birth defects. An FDA decision is expected by mid April.
All right now some stories that we're working on later today in the CNN NEWSROOM.
11:00 Eastern an arraignment is scheduled for Bradley Manning who is charge with the biggest Intel leak in U.S. history. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Then at 1:00, "Pray without Ceasing" movement is going to try to pray away impending gas hikes. Their prayer vigil will be at a Washington gas -- be at a Washington gas station rather.
Then at 2:30 President Obama expected to speak at the University of Miami on gas hike fears and improving energy-efficiency standards.
All right we're following lots of developments in the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM. Let's go and start first with our Nick Paton Walsh -- Nick.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: President Barack Obama issued an apology over the burning of religious texts on an air base here in Afghanistan but that's doing very little to calm popular fury and protests across the country.
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: I'm Mark Preston in Mesa, Arizona. Political knife fight took place last night between the four remaining Republican candidates seeking their party's nomination. We'll have the winners and losers at the top of the hour.
PHILLIPS: All right. Thanks, guys.
And we all know how real reality TV is, but what used to actually reflect the diversity of American life, some say has degenerated into straight up sleaze. The story in next hour on today's installment of "I Am America."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Just because Jeff makes fun of us now about our puns, our cheesy puns, we're keeping it up.
JEFF FISCHEL, HLN SPORTS: I'm all --
PHILLIPS: Are you ready for this?
FISCHEL: I'm all in or I'm all Lin.
PHILLIPS: Oh.
FISCHEL: I'm cool with it.
PHILLIPS: He didn't put up a ton of points, Jeff, but he did Lin.
FISCHEL: There you go.
PHILLIPS: I like yours better, though.
FISCHEL: All right.
PHILLIPS: Take it away.
FISCHEL: I'll keep working at it. It's Lin-escapable. Lin- sanity level may have been down a notch last night but just wait until tonight. Jeremy Lin and Carmelo Anthony were leading the Knicks at home against the Hawks. The Knicks running the floor. It's Lin who gets it to Melo. This could be a match made in heaven in New York. Melo finishes 15 points just in the second game back from injury. Lin had 7 assists, he scored 17 in the game.
This game was never close. Knicks win by 17. Lin sat out most of the fourth quarter.
Tonight, the big duel at South Beach, Lin and the Knicks take on Lebron and the Heat. Miami's won seven straight. Courtside seat for tonight's game is going for as much as $10,000. Come on.
Moms and dads know what it's like to catch a cold from your kids. That's what Tiger Woods is dealing with right now at the Match Play championship in Arizona. He really struggled with the cold in yesterday's first round. The last hole needs to get up and down from the beach to beat Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano.
But he leaves some meat on the bone, I would say. Ten-foot putt for the win. And he does get it. He faces Nick Watney in today's second round. Maybe the cold won't be quite as bad. Tiger took some Nyquil maybe last night to get a good night's sleep. Hopefully no Ambien though.
To the NHL, Washington Capitals forward Matthew Perreault takes one for the team. Ouch. Ricochets off his face for the goal. Perreault later said it went off his tongue so I guess scoring tastes like chicken.
Perrault will be fine but the Caps aren't. They fall to Ottawa, 5-2.
The Boston Red Sox have a brand new spring training stadium. One problem, though, they didn't get the domain name for JetBlue Park. A guy named Eric Engelmann, he told WINK he bought it for eight bucks and he's a prankster. So you know he set it up so when you go to the site the Red Sox Spring Training Park you're automatically sent to the New York Yankees Web site.
Arch enemies. That's not funny, that's cruel. Actually it's funny. They're not sure he's a Sox fan. He's not even a fan. He just thinks it's really funny.
PHILLIPS: He likes the Cubs. FISCHEL: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Thanks, Jeff.
FISCHEL: All right.
PHILLIPS: All right.
