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Apple Announces It Will Pay Dividends; Gunman Kills 4 at Jewish School; Staff Sergeant's Lawyer Meet Today; Giving Condoms to 12-Year- Olds; GOP Attention Shifts to Illinois; Apple's Plan for Its $100 Billion; Obama Fundraising Tour; Protesters Demand Justice for Slain Teen; Police Release 911 Calls in Martin Case
Aired March 19, 2012 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I think the fun is going to continue after you get off the air, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: No.
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: Yes. Always.
COSTELLO: All right.
O'BRIEN: We'll just hang out for the next four hours together.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: Good morning. Good morning to all of you. I'm Carol Costello. Stories we're watching in the NEWSROOM right now.
All eyes on Apple. We have just learned what the company plans to do with the nearly $100 billion it has in cash. Our Christine Romans is working the story. She got the live report.
Other stories we're following, the U.S. soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians will meet with his lawyer for the first time today. Staff Sergeant Robert Bales arrived at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, a military prison over the weekend.
And in Afghanistan, people are outraged. Now there's speculation U.S. troops may be leaving the country even sooner.
Officials in France are warning Jewish organizations to be vigilant because a killer could be targeting Jews. Today a gunman opened fire on a Jewish school, killing four people. It is the third shooting in the area in just 10 days by a man riding a motor bike. Police say the cases may be related.
Threat of severe weather again today in the Midwest. Photographers caught this thin white funnel cloud touching down in Oklahoma. Severe storms roared through the area over the weekend. Officials think several tornadoes touched down.
And think about this. Schools giving free condoms to kids as young as 12 years old. The Springfield, Massachusetts, school district is one vote away from approving a policy to do just that. Officials say more than a quarter of 12-year-olds there are having sex. The new policy would also offer education about abstinence.
We begin with this in depth. This just in to us. Apple is sitting on top of a big load of cash. We're talking about $98 billion. And we just found out what Apple is going to do with all that money.
Some context to why Apple is so important. It sells more than 16,000 iPhones per hour. And its stock just hit $600 per share. The conference call is just starting. But Christine Romans already has some information about the announcement.
So, Christine, fill us in.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: All right. Carol, Apple is going to give some of that money back to its shareholders. It's also going to buy back some stock. Here is exactly what it's going to do over three years, $45 billion. It's going to spend by giving a dividend to you, the shareholder, a dividend yield on the stock now about 1.8 percent, meaning you would be paid every quarter that you hold Apple shares. You get a little money in your pocket.
Apple is going to give that money back to its shareholders. $2.65 a share to be exact every quarter and $10 billion in its stock it's going to buy back. So it's going to take some of those shares off the market which also makes your shares more valuable again. So that's what the big plan is. We're waiting to hear from Peter Cook -- Tim Cook, rather, and Peter Oppenheimer. They're going to have some opening remarks on this call any minute now.
It's interesting. Did you look at the stock, Carol? $600 it hit last week. It hit it again in premarket trading this morning. Although it's unclear if the stock will be halted -- is halted right now on the premarket. It unclear how it will actually open.
But look at what it's done over the past five years, Carol. It's up 486 percent. The company is a cash machine. We buy its stuff all the time. We didn't even know we needed some of the stuff. Now it's changing the world.
COSTELLO: I know.
ROMANS: And it makes a ton of money. Now it's going to give a little bit of that money back to its shareholders.
COSTELLO: I know. So we'll assume most people can't afford to buy a share of Apple stock right at this moment because it's --
ROMANS: You'll be surprised.
COSTELLO: Well, I made the --
(CROSSTALK)
ROMANS: Probably in your 401(k).
COSTELLO: But tell me -- tell me how it will affect people who don't have all of that money to invest in Apple?
ROMANS: If you have a plain vanilla mutual fund, you own Apple shares. If you have any kind of random S&P-based stock investments in your 401(k), you are benefiting from rally in Apple shares. So if you can't go out and spend $600 on your e-trade account or whatever for one share of Apple, a lot of fund managers have been putting this in their portfolios for a long, long time because they like what the company is doing.
So you probably -- if you don't buy the product and if you don't buy the stock, you probably have exposure to it somewhere.
COSTELLO: All right. I know there will be more later. Christine, thank you.
ROMANS: Sure.
COSTELLO: The market does open in less than 30 minutes and we are keeping an eye on Apple stock and the impact on the overall market. A live report from the New York Stock Exchange coming your way in just about 30 minutes.
Now to a developing story out of Toulouse, France. That's where an assassin on a motor scooter opened fire at a Jewish school. Four people are dead including a 3-year-old. This is the third such shooting this month. And now French authorities are warning Jewish organizations to increase vigilance.
Jim Bittermann is in Paris. And, Jim, we understand the French president, he just left the school?
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: -- for re-election to fly down to Toulouse along with the Interior minister to, first, like take a look at the school where the shootings occurred. The school where the shooting occurred. And he says that the Interior minister is going to stay there for as long as it takes -- not exactly defining what that might be. And also he suggested, as others have here, that there may be a link between this shooting this morning and the attacks earlier in the Toulouse area.
There have been now three attacks over the last 10 days or so in which four military were shot dead in sort of random attack in two separate incidents. And then the one this morning in which three children died and an adult at the Jewish school this morning. So authorities are taking this very seriously indeed. President Sarkozy said it is a national tragedy and he said that tomorrow in schools across France, there will be a moment of silence for the victims of today's shooting -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Jim Bittermann live in Paris for us this morning.
To Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, now and Sergeant Robert Bales, his lawyer will meet face-to-face with him later today. Bales' attorney telling us it's a tough case because of the political, legal and social issues involved. The case is already affecting the U.S. mission in Afghanistan.
Casey Wian is at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state where Bales lived.
What can you tell us, Casey?
CAROL WIAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, Carol. That's right. For the first time since John Henry Browne, the Seattle-based high-profile defense attorney, was hired to represent Staff sergeant Robert Bales, he will actually meet with him face-to- face today at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Here is what that attorney had to say about the difficulties of trying this case.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN HENRY BROWNE, ROBERT BALES' ATTORNEY: Political ramifications, it has legal ramifications. It has social ramifications. So, you know, you couldn't really imagine a bigger case with so many problems.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIAN: Now, yesterday, the attorney's office released a statement saying that it was too early to tell what factors may have led up to this shooting. But in the past several days, we have spoken with Mr. Browne and it is very clear that one of the areas he's going to explore is whether the staff sergeant should have been sent to Afghanistan. After three tours of duty in Iraq, during two of those tours, he was actually injured. One time a traumatic brain injury.
Also the fact that the attorney says that the family was told he was not going back to Afghanistan and then he did end up going. So that will clearly be one of the avenues that the defense is going to be exploring in this case -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Casey, CNN has been talking to some of Sergeant Bales' friends and family members. They say this is -- this is so out of character for him.
WIAN: That's absolutely right. Those who have served with him, those who knew him in his neighborhood near Joint Base Lewis-McChord and those who grew up with him who have been in touch with him over the years from his hometown in Ohio, all say that they are having a very, very difficult time reconciling the man that they know with the man who is accused of committing these horrific acts, mowing down 16 Afghan civilians -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Casey Wian reporting live for us from Seattle, Washington.
In the next hour we'll talk with a military law expert and ask him why it's taking so long for the military to actually file charges. The Bales case, of course, is already changing the U.S. mission in Afghanistan. After the killings, President Hamid Karzai demanded the troops go back to their bases. Retired General James "Spider" Marks tells CNN that U.S. troops could start coming home within weeks if they are not allowed to go back into those villages.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. JAMES MARKS, U.S. ARMY (RET.): The United States mission is fundamentally changed. And our commanders on the ground will determine that probably within about another week. So within a couple of weeks, it would not be unusual if there has not been a change in our posture inside those bases that you could see U.S. forces coming back. It's not inconceivable that that could happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Right now, the White House is sticking to a 2014 deadline for the troops to leave but Karzai wants them out sooner.
Turning now to politics. The Puerto Rico primary went into Romney's win column over the weekend. Now the fight is on for tomorrow's primary in Illinois. Fifty-four more delegates at stake there and as you'd expect both leading Republican candidates in the state with a full day of last-minute campaigning.
Mitt Romney spoke about a half hour ago to voters at Charlie Parker's Diner in Springfield.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I need only one thing from you this morning. Number one, I need some pancakes. And number two --
(LAUGHTER)
ROMNEY: Number two, I need you to go vote tomorrow. I need you to get out of -- we used to say in Massachusetts, vote early and vote often. And --
(LAUGHTER)
ROMNEY: That happens to be -- that happens to be a Chicago line as well, isn't it? Yes, yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Coverage of tomorrow's primary begins right here at 7:00 p.m. Eastern with Erin Burnett "OUTFRONT." That's followed by CNN's complete live coverage of the results at 8:00 p.m. Easter with Wolf Blitzer and the entire CNN political team.
Some incredible pictures to show you now. This is a tornado touching down in Oklahoma and it wasn't not the only wild weather across the nation over the weekend. It's been such a weird winter. And early -- spring is tomorrow.
Plus some parents are outraged that a school district is considering giving free condoms to children as young as 12. And you may be surprised to hear who supports this idea.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Well, here's a doozy of a question for you this morning. Should children as young as 12 be able to get free condoms from the school nurse. That's what Springfield, Massachusetts, school district is considering. And as you might expect, it has some parents really upset.
Here's Reid Lamberty from our Boston affiliate WWLP.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REID LAMBERTY, REPORTER, WWLP: Condoms may soon be available for students as young as 12 in Springfield public schools. The school committee voted 5-1 in favor of the new policy in an effort to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where they have instituted this program, the incidents of not only sexually transmitted diseases but sexual activity itself has decreased.
LAMBERTY: Springfield has the fourth highest teen birth rate and the second highest sexually transmitted infection rate in the state and it's happening to students who aren't even teens yet.
CINDY MILLER, TAPESTRY HEALTH: The thing is that 12-year-olds are sexually active, so we are -- we didn't make up an age. We are looking at an age where we feel that the need starts.
LAMBERTY: Cindy Miller from Tapestry Health said research shows 27 percent of 12-year-olds in Springfield have reportedly having sexual intercourse. That number jumps to 51 percent by ninth grade. Under the new policy, a student can walk into the nurse's office and ask for a free condom. But, at the same time, they would be educated about abstinence, how to use a condom and the consequences of having sex. But not all parents are on board.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think that's a good idea right now. I think when they get a little older, maybe high school, not that young. I don't think that's a good idea. I wouldn't want them giving them to them.
LAMBERTY: But others say it's a reality that parents now have to face.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I really don't agree with it, but you know, these days, that's how it is, a lot of young women is over there experimenting with it.
LAMBERTY: Parents are allowed to opt out of the policy. (END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Reid Lamberty reporting.
Now the policy still needs a second vote for approval before it's adopted. Springfield's mayor is calling it a smart idea.
The first day of spring is tomorrow. But who cares? For many of us, spring sprung a long time ago, although today and over the weekend the weather was even stranger. Snow in Arizona? And more tornadoes?
Storm chaser were out when this tornado moved through Willow, Oklahoma, yesterday. It was one of several tornadoes reported, but it left behind little damage. More severe weather could move through today, though. And this is what people in Arizona are dealing with this morning.
People in Flagstaff are digging out from more than a foot of snow, the snowstorm over the weekend. Authorities closed nearly 200 mile stretch along Interstate 40 to get a handle of them, (INAUDIBLE) accidents. Some schools are closed today because of the late winter storm.
Snow and a tornado out West and warm temperatures out East.
Reynolds Wolf is here.
Didn't Atlanta have the highest pollen count in its history yesterday?
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I think we are still feeling it coming through the vents, as we speak, absolutely. I mean, the atmosphere in Atlanta is almost yellow at this point. It's just crazy with al the pollen.
But, you know, when it comes to really crazy weather, it's not unusual for things to get a little bit of bizarre as we get closer to the change of seasons. You mentioned we are coming to an end of winter. Spring is beginning. That's basically what's happening right now. And all is blamed on the jet stream.
Let's go right to our weather maps so you're going to see the big change we have in temperatures. You look into the center or the eastern half of the U.S., take a look at those highs we are expecting today in the 80s. Then you go back out towards the West, the situation is incredible. Someplace, there's 40-degree differential.
And again we blame the jet stream. It's basically atmosphere, ribbon of air. That area you see to the east where you have your high. That is a ridge of high pressure that allows all the warm temperatures to go from the South to the North. On the other side, where you see the cold, where you got the cold air coming in from the North to the South.
But we do expect some changes as we fast-forward into Tuesday. And even longer as we go into Wednesday. So, there will be some fluctuations in terms of those temperatures. It's going to be choppy for the next couple of days and weeks as we see again those temperatures swing back and forth.
So, as we take look at the 90-day outlook, we're going to stay above normal. No big changes there. Thankfully, the pollen, we're going to have some fluctuations with that above normal conditions in parts of the Desert Southwest, but equal chance of both in Central Plains.
Also, we got to mention today, a chance of severe storms that we could see in the Southern Plains, also for Texas and back into Oklahoma and maybe even Louisiana. If we get some rain here in the Southeast, that will help knock out some of the pollen that we get in the atmosphere. That will be good.
COSTELLO: I'm just imagining summertime temperatures in the 90s and 100s.
WOLF: Yes, it's coming.
COSTELLO: In the 200s. Who knows?
WOLF: You never know.
COSTELLO: OK. SO, what's been harder for you? Predicting March weather or March Madness?
WOLF: To be completely honest with you, the way things were this past weekend, I have to say basketball. I mean, just ridiculous. I mean, we saw especially yesterday, of course, the big difference with N.C. State and Georgetown. A lot of people were expecting Georgetown.
COSTELLO: It's great you can do it all -- weather, sports, sports, weather.
WOLF: It's easy transition because both are crazy. Look, raining three-pointers. Look at this one. This one didn't go well for them but you got a lot of happy fans, of course, with N.C. State.
Another huge shocker earlier this weekend, Duke and Lehigh. Hard to believe but typical for March Madness. Here's the big upset -- of course, Lehigh did not make it to the next step, but still knocking out the Blue Devils that early, hard to believe.
COSTELLO: I think the Duke haters are pretty darn happy about that.
WOLF: Well, love to believe that was. I can't help it. I'm feeling my bias, but it's true. I love the ACC. Can't help it.
COSTELLO: Well, tell us what the sweet 16 some of the surprises there. Four Ohio teams still in the tourney?
WOLF: I know. And you know, one of them, of course, is Ohio University. And we got a lot of Bobcats here at CNN. A lot of our photojournalists, Steve Sorde (ph), one of our good buddies, a huge Bobcat fan. I know we got a lot of fans here with a big thumb's up on the green and white. So, it's going to be fun to watch them play the next couple of days and weeks.
COSTELLO: Oh, yes. Ohio State, go. That's my pick to win it all.
WOLF: OK. Well, there you go.
COSTELLO: Yes. Thanks, Reynolds.
WOLF: You bet.
COSTELLO: Still to come: President Obama is in full campaign mode but it seems some donors with deep pockets are not ready to fork over any cash. We are looking at why just ahead.
And are hearing the shocking 911 calls from a night of Florida neighbor watch captain shot and killed an unarmed teenager.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
ZIMMERMAN: This guy looks like he is up to no good or he is on drugs or something.
DISPATCHER: Are you following him?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes.
DISPATCHER: OK. We don't need you to do that.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
COSTELLO: More tapes for you in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Gas prices have now gone up for 10 straight days. The national average this morning: $3.84 per gallon.
But, hey, one lawmaker says it's time to raise the federal gas tax. Senator Mike Enzi, a Republican from Wyoming, says the 18 cents per gallon tax hasn't been touched in nearly 20 years and needs to be indexed to inflation. Otherwise, the highway fund could go dry.
He also claims he barely notice the increase. Enzi's colleagues weren't exactly thrilled with his timing. Actually, his proposal never made it to a vote. Wyoming, by the way, has the cheapest gas, relatively speaking, in the country.
Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum are in Illinois fighting to win votes in Tuesday's primary. Santorum is attacking Romney's business sense and Romney is blaming President Obama for high gas prices.
Our political editor Paul Steinhauser joins us from Washington.
Good morning, Paul. So --
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: Who's got the edge?
STEINHAUSER: Yes, yes. Another Tuesday, another showdown. This one, I know we keep saying they are important but this one really is important.
Santorum on the attack, spending the whole weekend in Illinois and basically saying that Mitt Romney doesn't have a core and he's also criticizing Romney for kind of flip-flopping as Santorum says on the issue. Santorum says if he wins in Illinois, he says big things are in store for him.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If we are able to come out in Illinois with a huge or surprise win, I guarantee you, I guarantee you that we will win this nomination. We will nominate a conservative and if we nominate a conservative, we will beat Barack Obama in the general election.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEINHAUSER: That's a guarantee, huh? OK. Well, we'll remember that one.
But take a look at this. Here is where the delegate count right now, and this is after Puerto Rico is a factored in. Remember, Romney had a landslide victory and grabbed all 20 delegates up for grabs there. Look at that -- more than a 2-1 advantage over Santorum. But remember, Romney not to the half way point for 1,144 delegates needed. Carol, this thing is going on for a while.
COSTELLO: You're not kidding. I understand Romney in Illinois is trying to appeal to women for obvious reasons. Tell us about that.
STEINHAUSER: Yes, trying to appeal to women and most polling indicates he does have an advantage over Santorum and the other Republicans running when it comes to women. He is also talking a lot about gas prices and the economy.
And you know what? I guess it shows that Illinois really matters because he changed his schedule a little bit. He went to Illinois on Friday morning, was back there all day yesterday. Normally, he doesn't campaign that much on Sundays.
Here is what he is saying.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I believe I have the best chance and perhaps the only chance of actually replacing Barack Obama as the president of the United States.
(APPLAUSE)
ROMNEY: And I say that, in part, because I don't think we're going to replace an economic lightweight with another economic lightweight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEINHAUSER: He's been using that lightweight line a while a lot lately, criticizing both the president and Rick Santorum.
Listen, Carol, we said Romney had to win Michigan, he did. We said he had to win Ohio, he did. Now, we're going to say he needs to win Illinois. Stay tuned tomorrow. We'll see if he does.
COSTELLO: All right. Paul Steinhauser, live in Washington.
Coverage of tomorrow's primary begins right here at 7:00 p.m. Eastern with "ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT." That's followed by CNN's complete live coverage of the results at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, with Wolf Blitzer and the entire CNN political team.
Right after a break, a new twist in President Obama's fundraising machine. Why are the big donors with deep pockets staying away?
Also, the list of electronic devices that you can use on a plane could be changing soon. Yes, the FAA is taking a fresh look at the current list. We'll tell you what's on the table.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Oh, poor Apple. It's got a problem. What do you do with $98 billion in cash?
Less than an hour ago, we actually learned the answer to that question. Apple will issue its first dividend in 17 years.
Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange with that.
It's just hard to wrap your mind around $98 billion and extra cash laying around.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So, they've kind of figured out what they want to do with some extra cash.
First of all, let's focus on the stock price right now. We're 20 -- about 20 seconds away from the opening bell. Stock price already trading about 1.6 percent higher. You can get a share of Apple, Carol, for $595. Do you have that sitting around?
So, separate from announcement, you know, Apple, obviously, had its big product announcement. The new iPad came out. That helps to boost shares as well.
Well, now, this dividend that Apple has announced it's going to be issuing, it makes shares of Apple an even more attractive buy. That dividend now means that Apple can be included in a whole bunch of mutual funds that wasn't included before it made this announcement.
We just heard the opening bell. Apple shares up more than 2 percent, trading at $597 apiece. Now, investors, because of this dividend, if you've got shares in Apple, you're going to be getting a check in the mail later this year.
Apple is also planning to buy back its stock, so what that does it continues to create shareholder value. But look at that shareholder value. Look at this stock over the past year. Apple shares are up 80 percent over the past year. We even saw shares hit $600 during the trading day last week.
You know, for the company when you look at it overall, Carol, this dividend marks a new era for Apple. You have to remember Steve Jobs, he was against paying dividends. He favored hoarding lots of cash instead. But the new CEO in town, Tim Cook, he's been open to it clearly. In fact, last month, he said this pile of cash is more than money we need to run the company -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Wow. Alison Kosik live at the New York Stock Exchange -- thank you.
Checking other top stories now.
The Army staff sergeant accused of gunning down 16 Afghan civilians will meet with his lawyer face-to-face today. Robert Bales is being held at Ft. Leavenworth in Kansas.
Dramatic video out of Oklahoma this morning as a string of storms march across the Midwest. Parts of Texas under a severe thunderstorm watch.
And the FAA is taking a fresh look at what electronic devices you can use on flights during taxiing, takeoff and landing. They are testing the new tablet and e-readers to see if they interfere with the plane's navigational equipment. One device they refuse to even consider, that would be your cell phone.
President Obama has been in a fund-raising frenzy. Tonight, he'll be at the W Hotel in Washington, D.C., to raise some more cash. Over the weekend, Mr. Obama hit Chicago and Atlanta. Five stops: 5 million bucks.
Well, it sounds like the president's re-election team is drowning in dollars. In reality, it's kind of not. The question is why.
CNN political contributors Will Cain and L.Z. Granderson are here to talk about that.
Welcome you two.
WILL CAIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning.
L.Z. GRANDERSON, CNN.COM CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: Good morning.
So, in 2008, then-candidate Obama raised $750 million. The Obama campaign may fall short this time around. I think they are up to $300 million so far.
So, L.Z., do you care to expound on why?
GRANDERSON: Well, you know, I think there are two main reasons you can look at.
Number one, Senator Obama was running against Hillary Clinton. He was in a primary. And so, there was a lot of money raised early on because he was in the middle of a heavy battle.
Back in 2007, the first quarter, Hillary Clinton made big news because she actually had the record for the amount of money raised by any candidate at that time back in 2007 for the first quarter. So, what you're looking at is a candidate who's not running against anyone else right now.
And then, two, the reality is that there is some lack of enthusiasm. They are not necessarily lack of enthusiasm for President Obama and his policies, but just the fact that they've already made up their mind. A lot of his supporters know who they are voting for. So, there's no need to vote with their money yet, because they're going to vote with their votes later.
COSTELLO: Interesting. Another reason may be -- and, Will Cain, I want you to address this -- big money donors are just not giving as much to the Obama campaign. Small donors, they're giving, but they're not giving very much. In fact, the Obama campaign is asking them for $3, or $5, not $25 or $50, rather.
Why do you think that is?
CAIN: You know, I don't know. Karl Rove suggested, you can only go to these Hollywood and entertainment celebrities so many times and ask them for, you know, big donations.
I actually think L.Z.'s analysis is spot on. Absolutely right. Both of those factors, both the fact that he's not participating in a competitive primary and the fact that enthusiasm are affecting them. So, we talked about the enthusiasm gap on the conservative side all the time legitimately.
But I think President Obama is going to have an enthusiasm gap as well come the fall. That is largely reflected in how much enthusiasm there was for him in 2008, the first time to vote for an African-American president in a general election battle -- hope, change, charismatic man. There was a lot of playing into his hands in 2008. And some of those people, those that really had that enthusiasm just aren't going to muster it for a second time.
COSTELLO: You know, I just have to throw this in, because according to the "L.A. Times," the Obama campaign still has staff right now in every single state in the nation. It has 15 field offices in Florida and 10 each in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
So, we say, you know, he's not raising enough money as fast and there's an enthusiasm gap. But this is pretty impressive, isn't it, L.Z.?
GRANDERSON: Oh, yes, absolutely. It speaks to his ability to organize and his ability to motivate people. We can't just look at the numbers because the fund-raising numbers, as you said, are impacted by different things, such as enthusiasm with your wallets. But doesn't mean supporters, independents as well as Democrats, who don't like what the Republican Party has to say about the future of this country are not motivated to what to make sure that President Obama stays in the White House.
CAIN: We'll see about -- we'll see about that. I don't know. That's a leap.
But the infrastructure in place, the people in the offices on the ground, it's absolutely impressive. And I'll say this: we always over emphasize the impact of money because we like to pretend money is the root of all evil and super PACs are the devil and yada, yada, yada. When the truth is, the current Republican primary election shows there are limits to the effects of money.
Romney is outspending Santorum vastly in all theses states. And the election is pretty tight in most of these states. So, you know, there are other things that are going to impact, such as Obama's ground game, such as -- guess what -- also their messages. That might actually have an effect as well.
COSTELLO: Oh, those messages? Woo!
Although, you can't argue, money does matter, even though Mitt Romney's money doesn't matter as much as it should be right now, right? But it still matters.
CAIN: We're not --
COSTELLO: The interesting thing about this is the super PACs, I mean, they seem to be raising money for Republican candidates but the super PACs on the Democratic side don't seem to be doing as well, L.Z.
CAIN: We're not under -- I'm sorry.
COSTELLO: No, go ahead. You can answer.
CAIN: I'm just going to say we are not under any threat of underemphasizing the effect of money in politics. So, you know, I'm not worried about somebody thinking, oh, money doesn't have an effect. We are we seem to think money is determinative right now and that's the point I'm making. It's not determinative. It's contributing, but not determinative.
COSTELLO: OK. Last word, L.Z.
GRANDERSON: The super PACs, President Obama kind of hurt himself saying he didn't want one and now he does. And so, he's kind of lagging behind what the swift voters are initiating for the GOP. That's why you're seeing this little lag time.
But once there's a clear-cut GOP candidate, I think you'll see the fund-raising numbers, I think you see the fund-raising with the super PACs, as well as the enthusiasm for President Obama resurge themselves.
COSTELLO: L.Z. Granderson and Will Cain, thanks as always for joining us.
CAIN: Thank you.
GRANDERSON: Thank you.
COSTELLO: Oprah is pulling the plug on Rosie. Why Rosie's show is being canceled after just eight months on the air. Our showbiz headlines are coming your way next.
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COSTELLO: OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network, has canceled the Rosie show after only five months on the air.
Showbiz correspondent Nischelle Turner is in Los Angeles. Why?
NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, it all comes down to what we all know, right, Carol? Ratings. After months of pretty bad ratings on this Oprah struggling OWN network, she decided to pull the plug on Rosie O'Donnell's talk show. Now, this came actually as a surprise, like you're surprised, because there was a lot of hype surrounding the Rosie/Oprah partnership.
It was Rosie O'Donnell's big return to TV talk and it was seen as a linchpin for Oprah's struggling new network. Now, Rosie even moved to Chicago to tape the show at Harpo Studios. It started off OK when it launched in October, drew about 500,000 viewers. But the show lost half of that audience within a week.
Now, here's what Oprah had to say in a statement announcing the cancellation. She said, quote, "I thank Rosie from the bottom of my heart for joining me on this journey. As I have learned in the last 15 months, a new network launch is always a challenge and ratings grow over time as you continue to gather an audience. I'm grateful to Rosie and the dedicated Rosie Show team for giving it their all."
Now, Rosie's final episode will tape on March 20th to air on Friday, March 30th. And O'Donnell said in the statement that she loved working in Chicago but she's headed back to her home in the Big Apple after the show's finale, Carol.
COSTELLO: Wow. Apparently the only person who gets ratings on OWN is Oprah and she can't be on 24/7, right?
TURNER: There you go.
COSTELLO: It's difficult times for Oprah.
TURNER: Exactly.
COSTELLO: Let's talk about Lady Gaga, though. She's apparently take ago vow of silence which is hard to believe.
TURNER: That's what she is saying that she won't be saying anything more, you know, as part of her rapid rise to stardom. Lady Gaga has always chatted with media outlets. And she's' done some pretty outrageous stunts to get coverage. Remember, she wore that dress made of meat to the MTV VMAs, and remember the egg on the carpet, right? Well, not any more.
She is apparently desperate to regain her privacy and she's going into a self-imposed exile. Now, at least that's what she told Oprah Winfrey during her one-on-one interview on "Oprah's Next Chapter" which aired Sunday night. She told Winfrey, "Other than this interview, Oprah, I do not intend to speak to anyone for a very long time. No press, no television." That's what Gaga said.
But Gaga's indefinite rate from speaking to with media outlets doesn't mean the pop star is going to disappear from the scene completely. She's going to set up her "Born this Way" world tour in South Korea on April 27th, Carol. So, we'll be seeing a lot of her still. I'm sure that we'll be seeing a lot of Gaga still.
COSTELLO: All right. Nischelle, thank you.
More showbiz headlines with Nischelle in the next hour. She'll tell us a lesson Tiger Woods learned from his sex addiction therapy.
Some say the 911 calls from the night a Florida teenager was shot by a neighborhood watch captain shows it was definitely a crime. But others say the tapes prove the shooter acted in self-defense. Listen and decide for yourself next.
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COSTELLO: Church members and protesters in Florida are rallying for justice for Trayvon Martin.
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PEOPLE: No justice, no peace. No justice, no peace.
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COSTELLO: Martin was shot and killed last month by a neighborhood watch captain who thought he looked suspicious. Police say they believe George Zimmerman's story that he acted in self- defense but some say it's a case of racial profiling and they want Zimmerman to face charges. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On that 911 tape you hear him hollering, you know. I mean, come on, now. Do you know what I mean? That's just not right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need to speak up. We need to let people know you cannot do wrong and get away with it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Quite frankly, I was in tears when I heard the young man crying for help.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would like to see an arrest. I would like to see this man brought to justice.
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COSTELLO: Florida State Attorney is looking into the case. Sanford Police stand by their investigation and say the 911 calls don't disprove the shooter's account. They have released seven 911 tapes from that night.
CNN's David Mattingly listened to the tapes and pieced together the series of events.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 911. Do you need police, fire or medical.
UNIDENTIFIED EMALE: Police, I just heard a shot right behind my house.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Shock, confusion and fear. You can hear it in the voice of every caller in the final moments of Trayvon Martin's young life.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He just said he shot him. Yes the person is dead laying on the grass.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just because he's laying on the grass --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my God.
MATTINGLY: Seven 911 calls in all beginning with this one from Neighborhood Watch Captain George Zimmerman.
GEORGE ZIMMERMAN, NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH CAPTAIN: These (EXPLETIVE DELETED) they always get away.
MATTINGLY: That is Zimmerman's first impression watching Trayvon Martin walking alone and acting strangely.
ZIMMERMAN: This guy looks like he's up to no good or he's on drugs or something.
MATTINGLY: Zimmerman says Martin then comes toward him. ZIMMERMAN: Something is wrong with him. You know? He's coming to check me out. He's got something in his hands. I don't know what his deal is.
MATTINGLY: Less than a minute later, Martin is running away. Zimmerman gets out of his car.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you following him?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ok. We don't need you to do that.
ZIMMERMAN: Ok.
MATTINGLY: But then just a few minutes later, there's another call.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 911. Do you need police, fire, or medical?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maybe both, I'm not sure. There is just someone screaming outside.
MATTINGLY: In the background, listen for the sound of a fight and a panicked voice yelling for help.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And is it a male or female?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It sounds like a male.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you don't know why?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know why. I think they're yelling "help", but I don't know. Send someone quick please, God.
MATTINGLY: Ten seconds later, the shrieking continues. Then a gunshot.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So you think he's yelling "help"?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right. What is your --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's gunshots.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You just heard gunshots?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How many?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just one.
MATTINGLY: The identity of the person pleading for help is in dispute as well as the number of gunshots. But there is no doubt the calls captured the sounds of a deadly end to a tragic encounter.
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COSTELLO: David Mattingly is with us now. This doesn't really prove anything. We don't even know who was screaming in the background for help for sure, right?
MATTINGLY: We don't know what Trayvon Martin sounded like and we don't know exactly whose voice that is. It was in the background and of course it was under duress; you could hear somebody obviously panicked. We don't know who that is, so it's open to interpretation. We've got people who believe it's either Zimmerman or Trayvon Martin. It settled nothing.
COSTELLO: So explain to us again why a neighborhood watch captain is carrying a loaded weapon?
MATTINGLY: I talked to people who live in the neighborhood and a couple of years ago they voted because this man stepped up and said, I want to be in-charge of the neighborhood watch so they applauded him for his volunteerism and they were happy to let him do it. They didn't know that he was carrying a weapon.
COSTELLO: Is he allowed to carry a loaded weapon? I mean does he have a permit and --
MATTINGLY: He does have a permit for -- to carry a weapon yes, but again people did not know he was doing that as part of his duties on this neighborhood watch program.
COSTELLO: And going back to the voices on the tapes, I mean, you know, you watch these TV crime dramas all the time and it's easy to determine whose voice it is on the tape.
MATTINGLY: Yes.
COSTELLO: Is it that easy in reality?
MATTINGLY: Well, I had some headphones on. I was listening very closely. You know it sounds like it could be Zimmerman but again we don't know what Trayvon Martin sounded like. So we can't compare there. And we had witnesses on the 911 tapes saying they heard two shots instead of one. So this is all something that's still fueling the controversy, nothing is settled here.
COSTELLO: So toxicology tests on the young man, I mean was Trayvon high? I mean was he on drugs, I mean, because you heard Zimmerman, "he doesn't look right to me".
MATTINGLY: Police have been careful about what they've been talking about here, they have decided to release the 911 tapes, big part of their evidence after the mayor got involved and said we need for the sake of the community to put this out and actually the people who have been complaining about this, the attorneys for the family of Trayvon Martin, they applauded that decision but when they listened to these tapes to get that information that the city was releasing they reached different conclusions.
Now the other evidence that's all in the hands right now of the state's attorney, so at this point we're waiting to find out what the state's attorney is going to do. What kind of charges are going to come out of this.
COSTELLO: And I know you're going to stick with this story. David Mattingly, thanks so much.
A retired general tells CNN that the killings of 16 civilians could change the U.S. mission in Afghanistan. And part of that change could mean troops coming home within weeks, not years. We'll have the latest from the Pentagon coming up in our next hour.
Plus, Ohio isn't just a swing state in politics, it's a swing state in the NCAA too. The state has four schools in the sweet 16. Bob Cats, Bear Cats, Buck Eyes and Musketeers more on that in a few minutes.
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COSTELLO: Stories we're working on in the CNN NEWSROOM.
At 3:00 p.m. Eastern, the House Subcommittee on Health will meet to review efforts to prevent and treat traumatic brain injuries.
Then at 4:00 Eastern, Republican House freshmen are holding a news conference on their efforts to repeal President Obama's Medicare cost-cutting commission. Critics have referred to it as the death panel.
And tonight at 11:35 Eastern you can watch First Lady Michelle Obama's first visit to "The Late Show with David Letterman."
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COSTELLO: Oh, let's talk a little sports.
It's turning out to be a very Ohio NCAA men's basketball tournament this year. Ohio has four -- count them -- four schools in the sweet 16; that has never happened before. One of them, Ohio University has never made it this deep into the dance. The 13th seed Bobcats from Athens are in, so are the sixth seed Bearcats from Cincinnati. They'll face the Ohio State University, the number two seed from up the road in Columbus and the fourth Ohio team still in the dance is Xavier, this is the musketeers' sixth trip to the sweet 16.
11th seed North Carolina is in it too. The Wolfpack upset the number 3 seed Georgetown Hoyas. Lorenzo Brown sealed the win deal with three free throws in the last ten seconds of the game. Georgetown had a chance to tie at the buzzer but missed. NC State will face Kansas.
Lehigh, the team that dropped Duke in a huge upset Friday and had Cinderella written all over them couldn't quite repeat the magic against Xavier. The slipper just did not feet. Musketeers won by 12; Xavier faces Baylor on Friday.
And it might be a bittersweet 16 for one seed North Carolina, the Tarheels won handily over Creighton but a key player who was really getting hot, point guard Kendal Marshall fractured his wrist. That might hurt the Heels' chances. It's not clear if he'll play. UNC faces Ohio University.
And if your brackets are in shambles go to cnn.com/brackets, maybe you will a feel better. You could see my picks and how I'm doing or not.
And good morning to you. I'm Carol Costello.
Just ahead in the Newsroom, new calls that American troops could be coming home from Afghanistan a lot sooner than planned. But is that really the case. We're live at the Pentagon with a reality check.
Tragedy and heartbreak at a Jewish school where a gunman opened fire, killing four people including a father and his two sons.
Rick Santorum drops the Shamus bomb again. Crate-gate is in full effect this Monday after presidential candidate Rick Santorum says that Mitt Romney's treatment of his dog is a factor in the 2012 race.
The Big Apple, the maker of Macs deciding what to do with the nearly $100 billion extra it has in cash. Our Alison Kosik is tracking the story. She'll join us in a few minutes.
We start in-depth though with the face-to-face meeting in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The staff sergeant accused of killing --
