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Two Americans Killed in Afghanistan; Nelson Mandela Hospitalized; Homs Siege Continues; Gasoline Price Climbs up 30 Cents in a Month; Movie Critics on Oscar Academy Winner Predictions

Aired February 25, 2012 - 16:00   ET

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

RICHELLE CAREY, CNN ANCHOR: I am Richelle Carey in for Fredricka Whitfield. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM on this Saturday, February 25th.

Two American officers have been shot dead inside a highly secured government building in Afghanistan. The gunman got away. The Taliban saying the Americans were killed in retaliation for the burning of Korans in a NATO base earlier this week. Protesters have been packing the streets for five days now, furious over the Koran burning.

Former South African president Nelson Mandela spending the night in the hospital. He had a hernia operation today. A family member tells us he is resting comfortably. Nelson Mandela is 93 years old now and could leave the hospital in a couple of days.

A huge explosion rips through a neighborhood at the Syrian city of Homs. People there have been trapped by shelling and sniper fire for three weeks now. Syrian officials agree to a ceasefire yesterday to let wounded people and some women and children get out. At least 75 people have been reported killed today.

A voluntary recall is under way for about 40,000 Goodyear tires. The Wrangler silent armor tires made in 2009. The company is offering customers free replacements.

Now to that story out of Afghanistan, CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has more on the shooting deaths of two American officers shot dead in Kabul.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What we do know is there are two dead Americans killed inside the Afghan interior ministry. We understand from a senior Afghan police source actually in a more secure compound within that already very secure interior ministry. We understand from an ISAF source that the gunman is not thought to be a westerner and is currently at-large, which would suggest that he is perhaps an Afghan citizen if not a member of the Afghan security forces.

The Taliban have leapt forward to claim responsibility for this naming this man as Abdul (INAUDIBLE) saying he was acting in revenge for the American burning of the Koran, entirely by mistake, the Americans say, on an air base just east of where I'm standing here in Kabul. This really plays towards the issue of trust between Afghans and Americans. A statement from the U.S. Department of Defense saying that the Afghan defense minister has pledged cooperation in this investigation and apologized for the incident that might suggest to some that maybe the Afghan security forces had some kind of role or perhaps responsible for the gunman being able to infiltrate that particular part of the ministry.

But also we've seen General John Allen, head of ISAF here withdraw NATO advisors from key ministries in and around Kabul. That could potentially if it goes on for a long time, hamper the vital training mission which NATO IS undertaking with Afghan security forces to get them ready to take over security of the country so NATO can begin to withdraw.

So deep concerns here really at how this incident in this climate of mass Afghan fury because of the Koran burnings, how this instant may impact upon that vital relation of trust between Afghans and Americans. Rochelle.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAREY: Nick Paton Walsh.

The Pentagon released a statement today this comes from Pentagon press secretary George Little. "This act is unacceptable and the United States condemns it in the strongest possible terms."

Turning to politics and the GOP race for the White House. Let's take a look at the latest poll numbers coming out of Arizona. It's pretty much a dead heat. Mitt Romney leads with 39 percent in this poll by the American Research Group. Rick Santorum is close behind with 35 percent but that four-point difference is within the margin of error. Newt Gingrich trails with 11 percent. Ron Paul comes in last with just nine percent.

Arizona is just one of two battleground states voting this Tuesday with Santorum and Romney in a dead heat in super Tuesday around the corner. It is getting tense. CNN's Joe Johns is in (INAUDIBLE) Michigan. Joe, I thought it was intense at the debate. Is it more tense than that?

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's funny. Midwesterners don't get that intense. I come from Ohio, so I'm sort of familiar with the scenario here in Michigan though there is a certain degree of competition. But people pretty much take it in stride. You know, one more point about, Rochelle, about that Arizona poll, I think it's probably important to say that the polling suggests that something like 200,000 people early voted, 200,000 people actually cast their votes and what we are hearing is among those who have already cast their votes, the numbers apparently are trending in favor of Mitt Romney, but among those who haven't voted yet, the numbers appear to be trending in favor of Rick Santorum.

So it's going to be real interesting to see what happens on the 28th when people finally start pouring in for the primary proper, if you will. Here in Troy, Michigan, we got to see both of those candidates as they rolled in here with their campaigns to speak to a fairly receptive conservative audience, 1,200, 1,500 people here in Troy. You know, it's interesting to look at the contrast, but the other thing that was fascinating today was that the Romney campaign brought out what has been referred to as their not-so-secret weapon. That would be Ann Romney, the candidate's wife, who is also born, raised right here in Michigan just like Mitt Romney. She brought a certain amount of energy to the room with her humor. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANN ROMNEY, WIFE OF MITT ROMNEY: A year ago when we were making that final decision whether to step forward and do this again was a tough decision. Let me tell you because I told Mitt four years before, I was never going to do this again. He laughs and said, "You know what, Ann, you said that after every pregnancy." So maybe I should just do all the talking and let him stand here and watch me. I've also decided no more debates. If we are going to do another debate, he is going to sit in the audience and watch me. That will be it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: So funny. A lot of people have debate fatigue, I think. There's been an awful lot of them, 20 now. All right. Good grief.

CAREY: It was like a weekly TV show.

JOHNS: I know. Yes, it's unbelievable. But you know, a different way of doing elections. And at least everybody knows what they heard once the debate is over. It's fascinating stuff this election year.

CAREY: Well, if Ann Romney were the warm-up act for all the debates, then I don't think people would complain. She is fantastic.

JOHNS: Yes, she is. Well she is. I mean she has a great sense of humor. The other thing that's important about Ann Romney is a lot of people say Mitt Romney doesn't do a great job of connecting with his audiences, but when you see her in front of an audience, she really connects. People sort of drink up every word that Ann Romney says. So she really is in a lot of ways a secret weapon for that campaign.

CAREY: Absolutely. OK. Joe Johns, thank you so much.

And speaking of debates, tune into CNN at 5:00 p.m. Eastern today for an encore presentation of the CNN Republican presidential debate from Mesa, Arizona. People love those debates. They do.

OK. You're about to get a frightening close look inside the deadly battles in Syria. Keep watching.

A freelance cameraman goes to work inside the fighting in Homs. His footage shows the street battles up close and very personal. That is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAREY: A concrete reminder of Osama Bin Laden's life is going away. It's kind of difficult to make out what we're about to show you. But in the distance that's the three-story building where Bin Laden was hiding and where he was killed by U.S. special forces last May. Cranes and heavy machines are working through the night to knock down the walls around that compound and the building itself. A Pakistani official says they don't want that place to become a shrine who may still be followers of Osama Bin Laden.

In Syria, at least 94 people were killed today. Dozens of them in the besieged city of Homs.

Wow. Armed groups fighting against the government say Syrian troops are shelling homes and terrorizing the residents with snipers. Humanitarian groups and aide workers say the situation in Homs is worsening with food and water supplies running out and also there's a lack of medical supplies. At the moment, CNN has no reporters and no cameras inside Syria.

The government strictly limits access from outsiders. But I want to show you one way we are able to get images of the fighting. Freelance film makers, sometimes amateurs with video cameras release their material for the world to see. So watch this amazing footage. It was recorded in Homs by a French filmmaker named "Manny" (ph).

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Urban guerrilla warfare like this it's relentless and terrifying. The fighters appear fearless and take crazy risks. They still find time to look out for Manny.

Back at (INAUDIBLE) headquarters, the battle is raging. Three Syrian forces have detonated a bomb below the roof top position where government snipers are trapped. After more than 12 hours, the snipers are still putting up a fight. Casualties are mounting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAREY: One more note from Syria today. CNN just learned American journalist Marie Colvin who was killed Wednesday in Homs will likely be buried in Syria. That is according to her mother who said aide workers have been trying to get Colvin's body out of the country, but it's just too dangerous.

OK. Not enough money in your nest egg? Coming up - excuse me - career and financial tips to maximize your retirement account.

And each week, CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta profiles innovators from all walks of life and all fields of endeavor. The program is called "The Next List," tomorrow at 2:00 p.m.. He talked to (INAUDIBLE) the industrial designer of creative things like the $100 laptop and the wireless speaker Jam Box. Here is a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

When we started designing the $100 laptop, we were just looking at how do you protect the keyboard and the screen? How do children carry it around. We set aside between 10 and 30 percent of our work hours towards those kind of projects.

I can't tell you that that's just what made business sense every month, but I can tell you that it made human sense every month.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAREY: Imagine you could help save 30 lives with one unselfish action. One man did by donating a kidney. He was the first link in the longest kidney donation chain ever. This is a fantastic story. I get to talk to him tomorrow.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAREY: Every day it seems like we wake up to higher gas prices. In a few moments we're going to show you how to find the lowest prices around. You don't want to miss this one but first this.

With a tough economy and the downward trend in pension plans many workers are having trouble saving for their retirement. 59 percent of American workers say they are currently saving for retirement, but 56 percent say they have less than $25,000 in saving and investments. I spoke earlier with Valorie Burton, author of "Successful Women Think Differently."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALORIE BURTON, AUTHOR "SUCCESSFUL WOMEN THINK DIFFERENTLY": We always think of baby boomers because there are so many people in the last few years who were kind of planning for retirement and they had to change their plans.

CAREY: Sure.

BURTON: But there really does need to be a wake-up call for generation X and younger because if you really think about it half as many people are having pensions as 30 years ago. There are a lot more independent contractors. Those people don't even have 401(k) plans. So it's really, really important that you begin thinking about what do I need to do in order to make sure I can retire? Otherwise 30 years from now we'll be -

CAREY: We're all going to be in a world of trouble.

BURTON: We'll have a crisis.

CAREY: OK. So what choices can you make in your career and with your jobs that can help you when it comes to retirement?

BURTON: Yes, well, the first thing that is really important is to just get a reality check.

CAREY: That's good.

BURTON: Get a reality check. You know what? It does look different. And even when we look at, you know, social security, the increase in taxes, we don't know what it's going to look like 30 years from now. So I always say plan as though you're entirely responsible for your retirement. And a part of that reality check is the fact that really we don't learn these things in school. Employers are not required to teach them. So you want to invest in your own financial education.

CAREY: OK. You also say do the math. What does that mean?

BURTON: Well, a lot of people never do the math. They never say "Well, how much do I need."

CAREY: That's true.

BURTON: And what is it going to take for me to be able to get there? When it comes to, for example, getting a job offer, a company that is going to give you a match versus one that perhaps isn't or the match is going to be less, what is the long-term difference going to be for you 10 years down the road or 30 years down the road if you take one job over the other. You got to sit down and do the math.

CAREY: And actually that should be a factor in deciding whether or not to take a job?

BURTON: Absolutely. Because your career is not just about the title you get or moving up the ladder. It's about securing your financial future.

CAREY: OK. I like that. You also say set a goal date.

BURTON: Yes. Have a dream. You know, we always joke that baby boomers thought they would be forever young. But you know what? You're under 40, there is a high likelihood that you haven't really thought about what is the dream? When am I going to retire. So set a goal date. And that will force you to be able to see what the actual action steps will be. So have your goal date in mind and then kind of back into those action steps. What will you need to do a little bit differently than perhaps your parents or your grandparents did in order to be able to retire?

CAREY: OK. And if you are lucky enough to still have a 401(k), you say figure out a way to maximize your company match.

BURTON: Yes. So a lot of people just kind of ignore that. But if your company matches, you want to make sure that you're maximizing that. It's free money. And we hear it over and over again. But too many people really are not maximizing it. And when we look at retirement savings, for example, this is amazing, almost half of people say they figured out how much they need for retirement by guessing. So again this goes back to doing the math.

CAREY: You can't do that. I've also found, I think we all have, the thing that you procrastinate about the most, the most scared of once you tackle it, it's not that bad.

BURTON: That's right. That's right.

CAREY: Valorie, thank you so much.

BURTON: Thanks Rochelle.

CAREY: Chances are you never had a teacher who was a black man. We'll tell you how the Department of Education hopes to change that. Next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAREY: A member of the Kennedy family is in a bit of trouble, very unusual trouble. We'll tell you why he's facing charges. Next.

And it's a fundamental question especially during an election year - what does it mean to be American? We've been asking our i-reporters to share their personal stories how they've seen the country change ethnically, religiously, economically and we are sharing some of their stories with you, like the story of a Washington, D.C. teacher whose passion transcends his kindergarten class. Statistically he's only one of the few African-American men in the classroom and he says more black men need to step up to the plate and teach. George Howell explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEORGE HOWELL (voice-over): In the heart of (INAUDIBLE), one of Washington, D.C.'s toughest neighborhoods.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not talking so you should be talking.

HOWELL: Teachers are sometimes the last line of defense for children.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of them don't have a man at their home. A lot of them don't have a man to go to and talk to.

It's going to be hard, guys. We have to focus OK.

For a lot of them, I'm big brother or dad, but it's important -

HOWELL: Dad?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, for some of them. For some they don't have a father figure at home. And so when they get to school, for some of them I am that figure.

(INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

They need someone in their lives who is strong. They need an African- American male in their lives.

You can start on the second line.

HOWELL: Terence King not only teaches the basics, but also finds himself teaching life lessons to the kindergarteners here at Bishop Walker School for Boys, a school that serves just over 50 children from low-income homes. Statistically, King is what the secretary of education describes as a rarity in American classrooms. ARNE DUNCAN, U.S. EDUCATION SECRETARY: About 17 percent of our public school students across the nation, African-American, about 17 percent of our teachers are African-Americans. So less, you know, very disproportionate. But if you look just on the male side, less than two percent, less than one in 50 of our teachers is an African- American male.

HOWELL (on camera): So a few years back you launched this campaign to recruit more black male teachers. Has that been successful?

DUNCAN: Well, we have a long way to go. But it's been encouraging. So I think again - the goal is not to have a black male teacher, the goal is to have a great black male teacher or great Hispanic male teacher, or a great whatever teacher.

HOWELL (voice-over): To that end, Duncan says in his new budget the Department of Education will offer brand-new incentives to encourage school districts to raise the pay scale for starting teachers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All of our estimation is going there. (INAUDIBLE) teacher training course.

HOWELL: As a teacher himself, working to recruit graduates at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Shandon Gillespie believes more pay is only part of the solution.

SHANDON GILLESPIE, TEACHER, SHADY HILL SCHOOL: Some are pretty hesitant based on the salary. But at the end of the day, salary shouldn't be one of the hugest factors. We should give back to our communities and educate our community.

HOWELL: Back in Washington, Terence King says he is trying to do just that.

KING: They love to learn. As you can see. My goal here every day is to make sure they love to learn and that they are having fun.

At the same time, making sure that they can compete with anyone across the country when it comes to academics.

HOWELL: And King believes through his work here, he is preparing his boys to change their community.

KING: And I am Terence King and we are America!

HOWELL: George Howell, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAREY: How precious is that? For more for what it means to be an American, go to i-report.com/Iamamerica.

OK. Gas prices are on the rise. The politics heat up in Washington. Coming up.

Plus - gas prices are spiking. What's going on, Josh? JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, I'm going to tell you where your dollar goes when you buy that gasoline. And have a break down plus how to find the cheapest gas near you. All that as we promised - it's coming right up.

CAREY: All right.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAREY: Let's get you caught up on our top stories.

In Afghanistan, two high-ranking American officers have been shot and killed inside the interior ministry in Kabul. The shootings came as rage grips the country for a fifth day over the burning of Korans at a NATO base earlier this week. In response, all military advisors for the international security forces are being pulled out of Afghan government ministries.

A huge explosion rips through a neighborhood in the Syrian city of Homs. People there have been trapped by shelling and sniper fire for three weeks now. Syrian officials agreed to a ceasefire yesterday to let wounded people and women and children get out. At least 94 people are reported killed just today across Syria.

Nelson Mandela is spending the night in a hospital. A family member tells us he had a hernia operation today and is resting comfortably. The former South African president is 93 years old.

Paying at the pump got even more painful today as gas prices climbed again. Those prices will no doubt be a hot topic when Congress returns from recess next week. CNN's Athena Jones reports from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As prices at the pump rise, so does the political rhetoric on the campaign trail.

RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They are saying by the summer drive time in areas of this country it will hit $5 a gallon.

NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I've developed a program for American energy so every American can look forward to 2.50 a gallon gasoline.

JONES: And in Washington -

REP. JOHN BOEHNER, HOUSE SPEAKER: Gas prices more than doubled since the president took office.

JONES: Average gas prices have risen some 40 cents a gallon over the past year and boosting domestic energy production is an increasingly important topic of debate on Capitol Hill.

NATHAN GONZALES: Gas prices are so important because it's such a tangible and real impact on people's lives. They can feel it. It affects their everyday life. That's why it's such a political issue when it comes to fighting between the two parties.

JONES: The Republican-controlled House passed a bill that would increase offshore drilling, open the Arctic National Wildlife refuge to drilling, develop U.S. oil shale resources and fast track approval of the keystone XL pipeline.

These would not bring down gas prices immediately. Experts say the only way to do that would be to cut the gas tax. But they say that's not necessarily a reason to reject them.

This would not bring down gas prices immediately. Experts say the only way to drive down prices would be to cut the gas tax. But they say that's not necessary a reason to reject them.

JOHN KINGSTON, PLATT'S ENERGY: To judge the merits of a long-term project on the basis of whether it would have short-term impact is not saving for retirement now because you're not retired.

JONES: The measure, part of a larger transportation bill that is yet to meet the house floor, faces stiff opposition in the Senate where democratic law makers are working on their own bill without the drilling measures.

President Obama touted way calls an all of the above approach energy policy. One focused on increasing domestic production, improving car and building efficiency and developing alternative energy sources. He says America can't drill its way to lower gas prices.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: While there are no short-term silver bullets when it comes to gas prices, I directed my administration to look for every single area where we can make an impact and help consumers in the months ahead.

JONES: On Wednesday three house Democrats sent the president a letter asking him to develop a, quote, "aggressive strategy for releasing oil from the strategic petroleum reserve to ease oil prices." The White House says they've taken no response off the table.

Athena Jones. CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RICHELLE CAREY, CNN HOST: OK. Let's talk more about this fight gas prices. The national average right now, $3.67 for regular unleaded. That's up 30 cents in a month ago.

Our Josh Levs is back to show us where all the money is going, where you can find the cheapest prices, Josh. Because my plan of driving by and then driving by and then driving by saying I'm not going there, that is not working. We are going to come up with a strategy now, right?

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In the meantime, you're wasting gasoline. Then you need another gallon when you get somewhere.

CAREY: So, what's your plan? LEVS: I know.

Let's do this because we've been promising that we are going to show you ways to save money. Let me tell you of the basic idea. This is my favorite online site to use to start with. It's called gas buddy. You don't need to write this down. So, I'm going to show you all where everything are link for you in one place.

But basic on when you look at this map, its look a traffic light. Red means it's so expensive. You want to stop. Green means you can go. Yellow is somewhere in between. What gas buddy does is it allows you to click on an area. I got a little sentimental here. I typed in my hometown, Albany, New York. Take a look at what it does. It shows some gas stations throughout the area and what their prices are or were at the time they were updated. And this is where these websites get a little bit tricky. They are not always immediately updated. They can't be guaranteed but they can sometimes serve as a guide post where you might want to try first.

The federal also has a Web site called fueleconomi.gov. And this is a map on that Web site. And basically, you click on any state and it can lead you to a series of websites that will give you cheaper gas in a city. So, I randomly typed in Lexington, Kentucky. Unless you weigh in to this middle here, when I type that in, this is what it gave me prices and a whole bunch of different gas stations, the address and the amount. You can click on map and try to find it. All this is helpful.

There are also, I mentioned, a bunch of apps. I'm going to jump over this quickly that we have linked for you at CNN.com. There's a map from gas buddy that are a series of apps that can either help get you a gas or could actually help you find ways to improve your route or save on gas in general. All of that is linked up at my pages.

But I want do here also is help you understand, when you buy that gas where your money is going, so let's got to that screen. I just want you to have a sense of what happens to your dollar here. By far, you are paying for crude oil. That is the biggest amount. Some say the gas station is adding a lot to prices, it's virtually almost the vast majority crude oil, then you got refining, marketing, that's where the gas station get their money, taxes which we talked about last hour, they changed and gets out you know a little different in each day.

But Richelle, basic idea here, it's good to use the web. It's also good to check it for yourself. And one more thing I'll mention, twitter, you type in hash tag cheap gas, sometimes you'll find people who either look for you or will tell you places they've seen cheap gas. You've got my twitter right there. Everything I just show you are linked on all the pages, facebook, twitter or CNN.com/josh. Because Richelle, I don't want you or anyone just to drive over town looking those things.

CAREY: I like this twitter idea because we have to help each other out. We are all in this together.

LEVS: Well, you know what, I like that idea. We are in this together. Let's all support each other and find the cheapest gas. Plus, get business for the places that are willing to go cheaper.

CAREY: And you can just give me a ride to work. Thanks, Josh.

LEVS: I got you.

CAREY: All right. Can you name the best movie of 2011? The academy will name its choice tomorrow night. But our movie critics are ready to name their choices after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAREY: Welcome back. We'll take to you a live event right now Republican candidate Newt Gingrich is in Burlingame, California. It's the state's Republican convention. Let's go ahead and listen in for a little bit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I want you to know that as the nominee, I will campaign consistently in California and I think there are five basic themes that will enable us to appeal to a vast majority of Californians. The first I'm going to spend a good bit of time on today is a choice. It's all a question of choices because in the end, it always comes down to choices. If you would like to have national energy and American energy policy, never again bow to a Saudi king and pay $2.50 a gallon, Newt Gingrich will be your candidate.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAREY: Of course, the next big events that are coming up are Tuesday in Michigan and Arizona and then Super Tuesday the week after that, Newt Gingrich.

OK. The 84th annual academy awards are tomorrow, but today we are making predictions. I'm joined again by our movie critics, Grae Drake from movie.com and Matt Atchity from rottentomatoes.com.

Last hour we talked about actor and actresses. It's about movies right now.

OK guys. We are going to start off with animated picture category. We will get to the big, big, category. We are going to save that for the end just like they do on the night of the Oscars, OK.

So, let's start with animated picture first. They are spy in this category. I haven't seen any of these either. That's what the Oscars does for me every year. It reminds me of all the movies that I haven't seen, OK.

So, we are going to start "A Cat in Paris," "Chico and Rita," Kung Fu Panda 2," "Puss in Boots," and "Rango." First of all, these names do sound like so much fun.

Matt, I'm going to let you go first. Tell me about this category. MATT ATCHITY, EDITOR IN CHIEF, ROTTENTOMATOES.COM: We've got great stuff in this category now. In years past, Pixar has tends to do very well but "Cars 2" in their movie this year didn't do well. I predict actually I think that "Rango" is going to be the big winner here from DreamWorks animation. That's my prediction.

CAREY: That is your prediction, OK. Grae, what is your take?

GRAE DRAKE, FILM CRITIC, FANDANGO & MOVIES.COM: OK. This is why Matt is wrong. "Rango" was way too logical -- excuse me, illogical and crazy. It's like a lizard philosopher and I don't think academy voters will get it.

Now, what they do get are pandas that do kung fu. Now, this was the second movie in that series and it was every bit as good as the first one. And DreamWorks is really establishing itself as quite the animation studio. So, that one is definitely going to take it home tomorrow.

CAREY: OK. We'll have to check back and see. OK, let's get to the big category. Now, the biggest probably the biggest category, best picture, they have expanded this category. It's so big now there are nine to choose from. So, let's get started on this list because I will be reading it all day. OK, there's "the Artist," "the Descendents," "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close," "Hugo," "Midnight in Paris," "the Help," " Money Ball", "War Horse" and "the Tree of Life." I'm not sure if I read them all in order. There's "the Descendants" right there obviously.

OK, guys. Grae, you get to go first. Who do you think will win and who should win?

DRAKE: All right. Well, I will give you the correct prediction for this category and tell you that once again France is going to be celebrated at tomorrow's awards because "the Artist" is definitely going to win.

Now, the Directors Guild of America recently gave the director Michel Hazanavicius his directors award which is -- it's only six times in history that hasn't predicted the movie that is going to take home huge awards at the Oscars.

So "the artist" is going to win. But if I had it my way, I would give the award to the "Tree of Life" because love it or hate it, that movie had everybody arguing and talking which is exactly what's great about cinema.

CAREY: Let me ask you.

DRAKE: And plus, if Terrence Malick won, hopefully he would show up and bring a dinosaur with him. That would just be great.

CAREY: OK, Matt. Before I let you get in, Grae, let me ask you something. I haven't seen "the Artist" but I heard a lot about it. Is "the artist" one of those things that, you know, snobs in a Hollywood like but and people that really go to the movie are like, what is everybody talking about? Tell the truth.

DRAKE: Well, unfortunately. "The Artist" is very representative of something that Hollywood does all the time which is they don't let people in America see the movies before the award. Now, "the artist" just had a small release all over the country. And it still hasn't even made that much money. So most people, I think, don't care about the Oscars for this reason. They haven't seen the pictures. Now, you know for "the artist," they absolutely should see the movie because it will expand the horizon and remind them why silent movies are great.

CAREY: OK. OK, Matt, your take now on the movie of the year.

ATCHITY: I agree. I think "the Artist" it is going to walk with it. It won so many awards. It's got the momentum and it's a movie from the Weinstein Company which you can't overestimate the amount of lobbying that that organization could get out within the academy. They go all but door-to-door to get the vote out. So, I think that is going to get the big award.

But, if I was voting, I would actually probably vote for "Hugo" from Martin Scorsese. If you asked me if anyone could make a 3D kids' movie about the need for film preservation, I did told them you were crazy. But, that movie is amazing. I think it's one of Scorsese's most personal films. And I would love to see that get the award. I don't think it is going to win but that's what I love to see.

CAREY: Guys, I enjoyed this conversation all day today. We'll have to circle back and see how you did.

Remember, you could get Grae's movies, movie Grae in a Fandango and movies.com and to get all of Matt's great interviews by going to rottentomatoes.com. Thank you all though, good stuff.

DRAKE: Thanks.

CAREY: All right. A member of the Kennedy family is in a bit of trouble. It involves a maternity ward, two nurse s and surveillance video. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAREY: A member of the Kennedy clan is fighting accusations he got into a scuffle with two nurses in a maternity ward. Douglas Kennedy is the son of the late Robert F. Kennedy.

CNN's Susan Candiotti has more on this. A very unusual story that I'm sure took a while to piece together, Susan. So, what do you know?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Richelle. It's strange and in many ways sad, too, right?

What you have is a father, in this case a son of Robert F. Kennedy facing criminal misdemeanor charges after trying to take his newborn baby from a maternity ward outside for some fresh air. This is a family photo that was just given to us by a Kennedy spokesperson. Now, according to court documents, the baby was almost 3-days-old when this happened last month. Douglas Kennedy was visiting his wife who was recovering from a c-section. He was holding his baby boy swaddled in a blanket and cap. Nurses told him he needed permission to leave the maternity ward. Kennedy's lawyer says trouble started when another nurse told Kennedy he could not go outside.

In sworn depositions to police, the nurses said they talked Kennedy out of an elevator, but then he headed into a stairwell with the baby. A nurse tried to stop him from leaving. Here is the nurses' attorney.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELLIOT TAUB, NURSE'S ATTORNEY: This particular father grabbed her wrist and arm and twisted it so severely that she had tremendous pain in her arm. She then backed off with the other nurse standing right there. This gentleman then proceeded to kick her and kick her so hard with so much violence that she flew through the air and landed in the middle of the corridor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: Now, Kennedy is not charged with assaulting the nurses. In a sworn statement to police, the nurse's say the baby's head was quote, "shaking violently from side to side." Kennedy's lawyer said that did not happen and the baby slept through the whole thing. The newborn, he says, is not injured and the nurse's attorney agrees with that. Here is Kennedy's lawyer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT GOTTLIEB, ATTORNEY: The only aggressors were the nurses. An in fact, initially the nurses said that he could go outside. And it only changed when another nurse and then another nurse after that became aggressive and blocked Douglas from walking with his baby outside to get fresh air.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: And emergency room doctor, a family friend of the Kennedy's who said he saw the whole thing issued a statement. His words, "I can state unequivocally that the nurses were the only aggressors. To charge Mr. Kennedy with a crime is simply incomprehensible."

The local D.A. investigated and more than six weeks later charged Kennedy with child endangerment, that's misdemeanor and two harassment violations.

Now, we have no comment from the hospital or district attorney. And during all this, one nurse called for a code pink. That's a signal for possible child abduction. In a statement, the Kennedys call the allegations absurd.

CAREY: Two completely different versions of what happened, completely different. Susan Candiotti, thank you for your reporting on that. Appreciate it.

CANDIOTTI: You're welcome.

CAREY: OK now, something a little less serious. Have you had your cute animal fix for today? Stay here. I've got one for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAREY: OK. It's cute animal video time. Times two, right, Jacqui, times two. OK, let's take a look at this. This is absolutely adorable video. It is one animal feeding another, right?

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You knew that cats and birds were enemies, right? But apparently cats and dogs or birds and dogs, good time friends.

CAREY: OK. It is a bird feeding a dog noodles from its beak. I don't know how this happened. This is a delicate operation.

JERAS: Look at how delegate. I mean, it's just so gentle taking that noodle.

CAREY: It's got 600,000 hits on you tube.

JERAS: I think it's adorable.

CAREY: Very, very nice. Now, I'm not really sure why the bird --

JERAS: Someone had to train it. Don't you think?

CAREY: I think so. I don't know why the bird is on somebody's cabinet though. That's a little odd.

JERAS: That might have been better.

CAREY: I don't know because my cats are never on my cabinets, never. I only have two cats. I'm not the crazy cat lady. I just feel like -- two cats.

JERAS: Everyone needs a friend, right? Dog/bird, cat/cat. We thought that was worth sharing.

CAREY: How cute is that?

JERAS: I'll tweet it out, too.

CAREY: It could go horribly wrong, couldn't it?

JERAS: Small beak in a big dog mouth.

CAREY: All right. I've got other amazing video to show you. People really do really unusual things but sometimes for very good reason, OK. This guy spent 94 days on a roof top, Jacqui, right?

JERAS: Ninety four? CAREY: Ninety four days. But, Tyler Perry paid a $98,000 to come down. We'll tell you why after the break.

(CROSSTALK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When she was a few years into her 40s, Robin Kahn notice a change in her eyesight.

ROBIN KAHN, HAS NEAR VISION PROBLEM: I always had perfect vision and I noticed about a year ago that I was having difficulty reading smaller print.

COHEN: The condition is known as prebiouphia (ph). Ophthalmologist Dr. Barry Lee says nearly everyone develops it.

DOCTOR BARRY LEE, OPHTHALMOLOGIST: At age 40, that is probably the main thing we see is people complaining of decreased near vision.

COHEN: But there are other reasons to get an eye check-up when you enter middle age.

LEE: A lot of things we can do in eye exams to pick up early predictors of eye disease later in life.

COHEN: Disease is like glaucoma and macular degeneration and conditions involving the cornea. An eye exam can also pick up early sign of cataracts. So know your risk factors beneath diseases. Smoking and diabetes raise you risk of eye problems and so does your family history.

LEE: It's important to know if your family has eye diseases and that you go to your eye doctor and let them become aware of these conditions.

COHEN: Bottom line, ophthalmologists recommend a baseline eye exam at age 40.

LEE: Just make sure that the eyes are normal. And if are not, a lot of times, we can actually create measures to help prevent vision lost.

COHEN: With this week's heath for her, I'm Elizabeth Cohen.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COREY BROOKS, REVEREND: Ninety four days on the roof!

CAREY: They're cheering in Chicago because reverend Corey Brooks finally came down from the roof. He was on the roof to draw attention to gun violence and raise money for the cause. Actor and producer Tyler Perry put up $98,000 and the pastor came down.

All right. Let's take to Jacqui Jeras again for a look at the weather -- Jacqui.

JERAS: My God. It's been a mild winter in Chicago, Richelle. But, I'm just saying, 94 days in Chicago? Weather not so great across the northeast and this is our big focus here. The winds really driving in snow showers here. The wind advisories are in effect. They are going gusting 50 to 60 miles per hour. We've got more than 1,000 people without power in Connecticut from these high winds. And if you're trying to travel today, take a look at delays. We have got a ground stop in Denver, delays in Newark and Washington, Dallas over an hour - Richelle.

CAREY: Ok. Jacqui. That will for it for me. I'm Richelle Carey.

Coming up next, the full replay of Wednesday night's Republican debate in its entirety. It's a great way to see the GOP contenders one more time before Super Tuesday.