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Murder Charges Reach 17 Counts; Houston Fans and Family React to Autopsy; Protesters Rally in Sanford, Florida; GOP Primary Goes to Louisiana; Interview With Florida Stand Your Ground Co-Author; Mississippi Attorney General Wants Pardons Tossed; Long Lines, Huge Hype for "Hunger Games"; Armed Man Threatens News Crew; College Sues Over Contraception Rule

Aired March 23, 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: And good morning to all of you. I'm Carol Costello. Stories we're watching right now in the NEWSROOM.

Afghanistan massacre suspect, Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, is going to be charged in a matter of hours. But there are new questions this morning about those charges and why some are saying the numbers just don't add up.

Closure and questions. The Whitney Houston toxicology report.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cause her to go down and we know that when she slipped under the water she was still alive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: New details and new reaction coming out this morning.

It's being called a temporary resignation but Trayvon Martin's family calls it absolutely nothing. Sanford Florida police chief, Bill Lee, stepping aside saying he's a distraction. This morning, though, new efforts by the state to calm the outrage.

The Obama contraception mandate at college. One school this morning is threatening to shut down if it is forced to comply and now they're taking the White House to court.

And sketch-gate. Moving into overdrive this morning. Mitt Romney looking like he can't shake the erase controversy. Rick Santorum now drawing himself into the story. Did he really say Obama should get another term?

Hungry for the "Hunger Games"?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Make sure they remember you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just keep wishing I could think of a way to show them that they don't own me if I'm going to die. (END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The blockbuster busting presale records. If you're going tonight, we've got the top five things you have to know before you step foot into that theater.

But we begin this morning with a case of Sergeant Robert Bales. The army staff sergeant accused of a mass killing in Afghanistan. We'll hear the charges against him sometime today. Here's what we know right now. Bales faces 17 counts of murder, 16 Afghans, though, reportedly were killed.

Prosecutors plan to explain that discrepancy. Bales also faces six counts of assault and attempted murder. His attorney tells CNN that prosecutors have no murder scene and no forensics. Bales is being held at Fort Leavenworth, Texas.

CNN's Ted Rowlands is there. So, Ted, Bales is accused of killing 16 people. So why are there 17 murder counts?

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we don't know, Carol. According to a senior U.S. official, there are 17 murder charges against him. We're expecting to get the official charges from the United States government at some point today. That's also when Bales' attorney John Henry Browne is expecting to get the official charges.

Clearly what possibly happen here is another person who was wounded in this tragedy may have died over the past few days. It just hasn't been reported out of Afghanistan. But that would be with conventional wisdom as to why 17 over 16.

COSTELLO: I'm also wondering, Bales' attorney is saying that there's not much of a case here. Something that's pretty hard to believe actually.

ROWLANDS: Well, yes. I mean, he was out this morning talking about it. We talked to him here at Fort Leavenworth after he was discussing the case with his client over a two-day period. Take a listen to what he's talking about. And basically he's looking at it from an attorney's point of view saying that this case could have some issues. Take a listen to what he says.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN HENRY BROWNE, ROBERT BALES' ATTORNEY: I don't know about the evidence in this case. I don't know that the government is going to prove much. There's no forensic evidence. There's no confessions. You know? I don't know. I'm not assuming -- I'm not saying that we're not taking responsibility for this in the right way at the right time. But right now, you know, I don't -- I'm interested in what the evidence is.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: There's no confession after the surrender?

BROWNE: No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROWLANDS: Basically, Carol, John Henry Browne is saying these witnesses are going to be tough to corral. Will they be able to identify Bales and the bodies are gone because they were buried without an autopsy within a day. He's looking at it from that point. But if you look big picture, you got 17 people that were murdered in the middle of the night, innocent people, nine children, and nobody is saying hey, Robert Bales is the wrong guy. So you have to take what he is saying obviously with a grain of salt.

COSTELLO: Understand. Ted Rowlands reporting live from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Anger, frustration and sadness. A range of reaction for family and friends of Whitney Houston after the release of her autopsy report. Coroner says Houston drowned in the bathtub after using cocaine, also found in her system, marijuana, Xanax, the muscle relaxant Flexeril and Benadryl.

CNN's Kareen Wynter is in Los Angeles for us this morning.

So, any reaction from family and friends yet?

KAREEN WINTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: What's interesting, Carol, is that the reaction has been rather muted from family and friends alike. You would expect this big news to have just exploded on Twitter but, you know, we've just heard from celebs like Holly Robinson-Pete, La Toya Jackson, echoing the same thing, rest in peace, Whitney Houston.

It doesn't seem like a lot of people are surprised to find out that cocaine played a factor here. We also received a statement from Patricia Houston, Whitney Houston's sister-in-law and former manager. Let me read that to you, Carol. Saying, quote, "We are saddened to learn of the toxicology results, although we have -- we are glad to now have closure."

Now you mentioned those two contributing factors. Heart disease, as well as cocaine. So how does that play a role into the accidental drowning? We posed that question to coroner's yesterday. This is how they broke it down, Carol. That it appears that Whitney Houston had a bad heart and that the drug use over time just made things worse.

And that it's unclear whether or not she's had a heart attack. They know that there is some sort of cardiac event that took place that perhaps triggered the heart attack, and caused her to become unconscious, go under water and it was just a combination of several negative factors there. The cocaine, her health that was -- you know, her heart that wasn't in great shape and that's what caused her to drown in just a foot of water.

Very, very sad ending to a woman who had so much promise and such a huge legacy and this unfortunately will be a part of it -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Kareen, there was cocaine found in her system. Was there any cocaine found in Houston's hotel room? WYNTER: That's where the focus now shifts, Carol, to Beverly Hills police. Their investigation continues. They're not commenting right now on whether or not there was evidence like cocaine found in the room. They said they're not actually releasing anything to the media for another couple of weeks now that they have the coroner's report and that's because that's when the detailed toxicology report will have everything regarding the doctor's findings here, the autopsy, the drug levels.

They want to make sure they have that first before they comment to the media. But, you know, there are so many questions. Was there cocaine in the room. Who supplied it to Whitney Houston and we're hoping to have some answers to that in a couple of weeks, again, when Beverly Hills police releases more information on that.

COSTELLO: Kareen Wynter live in Los Angeles for us.

The parents of Trayvon Martin want justice for their dead son. What they're getting is a temporary leave of absence from the Sanford, Florida, police chief. Bill Lee -- Bill Lee led the initial investigation into Martin's death at the hands of a neighborhood watch captain, George Zimmerman.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF BILL LEE, SANFORD, FLORIDA, POLICE: While I stand by the Sanford Police Department, its personnel and the investigation that was conducted in regards to the Trayvon Martin case, it is apparent that my involvement in this matter is overshadowing the process.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: There's also a new prosecutor in the case. Angela Cory is taking over Florida's probe of Martin's killing. The previous prosecutor said he hopes the mood will preserve the integrity of the investigation.

Also expected today, a meeting to discuss the Trayvon Martin case at the White House. Attorney General Eric Holder, black ministers and others will meet with senior administration officials. President Obama is not expected to attend. In the meantime, the anger over the case continues to mushroom. Al Sharpton led a rally at a church in Sanford. His message was simply arrest Zimmerman now.

CNN's George Howell joins us now from Sanford, Florida.

George, you were at that rally last night. The police chief stepped down. He stepped down temporarily. Is that appeasing critics somewhat?

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That news, Carol, came as a big surprise to the thousands of people who attended this rally in the park here in Sanford. A big surprise but many people say it's not enough. They wanted to see the police chief either resign altogether or be fired. Again, the wording in his plan to step down was that he temporarily removed himself from office. People here say that that is not enough. We also know before the rally Trayvon Martin's family members, they got to meet with members of the Department of Justice, and the overall theme of that meeting I'm told was to be patient. To be patient as this investigation continues.

But throughout the rally we also learned that Governor Rick Scott appointed that new special prosecutor who you mentioned, Angela Cory, will now look into this case. And she explained how she plans to investigate this case. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANGELA CORY, FLORIDA STATE ATTORNEY: It requires a thorough investigation. Extensive interviews of every witness and extensive review of all physical evidence and then a determination as to how we apply Florida's law to the facts of any case.

We don't worry about backlash from cases. What we worry about is seeking the truth. That's our mission. That's the United States Supreme Court defined mission for prosecutors, is to seek the truth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: The other side of this story is George Zimmerman. And at this point we have not heard anything from George Zimmerman. Again, he's essentially gone into hiding since the shooting he claims that it was self-defense. And many in the community believe it was murder. And I also learned through the city manager that if police need to get in contact with him, they are able to. They know exactly where to reach him -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. George Howell reporting live for us from Sanford, Florida.

The court battle over Barack Obama's sweeping health care reforms is on. The Supreme Court will spend three days hearing arguments on the law. On one side the president, on the other 26 states and a handful of private groups who all want the law struck down. They're saying the whole thing is unconstitutional because of what's called the individual mandate, the clause which requires Americans them to get some form of all health care.

The White House says it is well within Congress' power to regulate the national health care market.

It's also the second anniversary of the president's broad health care reforms today and Mitt Romney, who is in a dogfight for the Republican presidential nomination, wrote an op-ed in "USA Today" slamming the reform saying he would repeal the whole thing root and branch. He also says it's, quote, "An unfolding disaster for the American economy." And he wants each state to be allowed to pursue its own version of health care reform.

You can catch that op-ed in "USA Today," as I said. Next week, by the way, we'll have special coverage of the challenges to the health care reform law before the U.S. Supreme Court right here on CNN NEWSROOM. We'll take a look at individual mandates, are they attacks or a fine? Our "In Depth Special Reports" start Monday right here on CNN.

Tomorrow's Louisiana primary could answer key questions in the GOP race like can Mitt Romney avoid a shut-out in the south.

Our Joe Johns is in Metairie, Louisiana, where Romney is speaking in the next hour.

Hi, Joe.

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Carol. A lot of polling out there suggesting that Rick Santorum is actually running very strong in the state of Louisiana. Some of the polling even suggesting Santorum has a double-digit lead in the state. The good news, if any, for Mitt Romney is that if you look at it very closely, when the awards -- when the delegates are assigned over the weekend, they're going to have about 46 delegates to start out with.

Only 20 of those are actually going to be assigned as a result of the primary on Saturday. The rest assigned in June. And so we're not talking about a lot of delegates here right now. And that of course is the big issue -- Carol.

COSTELLO: A lot of people talking about what Rick Santorum said. Did he really suggest that President Obama would be better than Mitt Romney as president?

JOHNS: Yes, I think so. And probably the best thing for us to do is just look at the sound bite and take away what you will. Let's listen and talk about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You win by giving people a choice. You win by giving people the opportunity to see a different vision for our country, not someone who's just going to be a little different than the person in there. If they're going to be a little different, we might as well stay with what we have instead of taking a risk of what may be the Etch-A-Sketch candidate for the future.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: He had that Etch-A-Sketch, didn't he?

JOHNS: There you go, Carol. It does sound like he suggested that. Yes. I mean, and for some Republicans, of course, that's the kind of talk that is heresy, because if you look at exit polling again and again from a number of primary states, it suggests the most important thing for conservative and Republican voters is finding someone who they believe can beat Barack Obama.

So for Rick Santorum to say that, of course, a problem. And I also have to point out, I think, that Mitt Romney put out a statement right after we aired that last night on CNN. He put out a statement essentially condemning Santorum for what he said. The problem with that, of course, is that in order to raise the issue, you have to disseminate the message that Santorum was bringing.

So there's some Republicans saying, look, these guys need to act a little bit more presidential on both sides and there's the other question, of course, about Rick Santorum sort of preparing himself to bow out gracefully if he can't win this race and apparently showing simply no signs of doing that right now.

COSTELLO: Joe Johnson -- Joe Johns, live for us in Louisiana. Thanks, Joe.

While the candidates set their sights on the presidential tickets, millions of Americans are focused on getting a ticket to the "Hunger Games." Did you like that segue? Moviegoers are lining up outside of theaters across the country to catch the first showings. Advance sales for the debut weekend, well, they're through the roof.

The online site Fandango says it's selling 10 tickets per second. The "Hunger Games" is based on the bestselling trilogy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a great cast and it looks like it's going to be a really good movie. From the reviews, it looked like everything is -- they followed the book for once.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was on my tippy toes the whole time when I was watching the movie. It was very good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The editor of the "The Hunger Games" book will join us live in just about 30 minutes. And he will explain why the series is so popular and exactly why the author, Suzanne Collins, is staying out of the spotlight.

And Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law offers George Zimmerman a legal defense that some find offensive. We'll talk to the representative who co-sponsored the law and ask him if it needs to be changed after the killing of Trayvon Martin.

And 200 people pardoned by the Mississippi governor as he leaves office. I'll tell you why the state attorney general is trying to get all of them to turn around and head right back to jail.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Before the killing of Trayvon Martin, many people had never heard of "Stand Your Ground" laws. Florida is not the only state with this law. Twenty-one states have some form of it.

In short, the law expands a citizen's right to use deadly force if he reasonably believes it's necessary to defend himself. Since it was passed in 2005, justifiable homicide have nearly tripled in Florida. Florida's governor wants a task force to study the law.

The Florida State Representative Dennis Baxley co-authored "Stand Your Ground" and he joins us today.

Welcome.

DENNIS BAXLEY (R), FLORIDA STATE REPRESENTATIVE: Hello, Carol. Thank you.

I'm really looking forward to this discussion because we really want to know what this law is about and what exactly it says. I just want to tell you what critics are asking.

This is the way critics would ask it -- a boy is dead and your law may help the killer escape justice. Is that fair?

BAXLEY: That's not what this law is about. And that's the real problem is there's a lot of misconceptions about how to apply this law. There's nothing in this statute -- this is self-protection statute. Nothing in the statue that authorizes anybody to pursue and confront another individual on the street and instigate any kind of altercation.

And that's the problem. I don't think law enforcement is applying this correctly and have done their job correctly, to be honest.

COSTELLO: So, you don't feel the law needs to be changed at all or reviewed even?

BAXLEY: I never have a problem with reviewing things. But I do feel good about the statute because since 2005, we've actually seen a serious decrease in the amount of violent crime and I'd like to think we were a part of good policy helping that to happen.

And as far as the statistics you quoted, that means that law is working, that, in fact, people who were defending themselves are not now being prosecuted for simply defending themselves from harm. If somebody was trying to enter their home, their car or attacking them some place they had to be like a parking garage or a park.

COSTELLO: I think the Tampa paper did a study on this law. And 138 people have invoked the law for self-defense. Nineteen of those people were charged, weren't they?

BAXLEY: Yes. I think that's the idea is that this law helps you sort it out. If you were strictly defending yourself from a violent attack, then we're going to stand with you. And what we've learned is that if you empower people to stop bad things from happening, they will and they did.

And it's unfortunate in this case that all of the signals were there. We see a lot of things that went awry. I'm grateful that we'll have this grand jury. I'm very grateful for this prosecutor -- special prosecutor because it indicating to the community and the family that something is going to happen and what was happening was nothing.

And never was this law intended to allow people to pursue, confront and instigate incidents with other people.

COSTELLO: Well, there is at least --

BAXLEY: And you don't have protection of this law to do that.

COSTELLO: Some people say that because you kind of forcing police to read someone's state of mind, because -- what is reasonably believes? What does that mean? It's because of that phrase within the law that maybe police could not charge George Zimmerman with any crime.

BAXLEY: Well, as the legislature processed this information, what it came down to was realizing that a victim of a violent attack only have seconds to respond and whether they want to be a victim or not. If they try to escape, they may get shot in the back or attacked. We've helped a lot of people avoid being maimed, harmed, raped or murdered.

And I think that if we empower people to stop those bad things, they do stop them. So, we can Monday morning quarterback about well, could you flee, or did you -- were they armed or were they bigger than you, that's fine for us as we sit back and analyze. But realize that law abiding citizen who is a victim of a violent attack, they only have moments.

COSTELLO: In your mind, George Zimmerman, should he -- should he be charged with a crime?

BAXLEY: I don't like to speculate. I think it's the grand jury's responsibility to sort all this out. But quite frankly anyone who steps out in a pursuit in confrontation mode with a firearm, they're not covered. That's not a self-protection act. You've initiated something.

This -- and there's a lot of different indicators that have risen in this situation. I don't think what's going on in Sanford is just about two men on a street.

COSTELLO: Police across the country don't like this law saying it makes it more difficult for them.

BAXLEY: Well, I think it's because they don't understand it. But we're not an outlier.

COSTELLO: But isn't that a problem that the police don't understand the law? They're the people that should easily understand the law so they can apply it when they're thinking about placing someone under arrest?

BAXLEY: That's a good thing that could come out of this very tragic situation. That's a clarification of how this law is to be applied.

And again, I think there may be some other legislation that the task force could look at. Maybe we do need some direction into law enforcement as to how to understand the application of this law.

Maybe we need to give direction to crime watch. Really all they need is a telephone. They are to be the eyes and ears of the community and call law enforcement to alert them to come and investigate.

But when you have someone carrying firearm on a crime watch mission and then actually ignoring the dispatcher's guidance that we don't need you to do that, then I think that's a very different situation. And I think it's been misapplied.

COSTELLO: Representative Baxley, thanks for joining us this morning. We appreciate it.

BAXLEY: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Homeowners facing foreclosure might have another option where they don't have to move. One lender is willing to let them stay in their homes as renters. More on that coming up later.

And 200 pardons by the Mississippi governor as he leaves office including murderers. Now, the state's attorney general wants all of them overturn. Coming up, we'll have more on the arguments he's using.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: A slew of controversial pardons by former Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour could still be overturned. The state's attorney general is now going to the Mississippi high court for a second time. He wants some 200 pardons, including those of murderers tossed because they violate the state's Constitution.

CNN producer Rich Phillips is here.

And remind people first what these pardons were all about and why this is still going on.

RICH PHILLIPS, CNN PRODUCER: Well, this is something that took place back in January as a lot of people remember. It involved several murders. Just over 200 other people who were pardoned in the waning days of Haley Barbour's administration.

Now, as a lot of people probably remember, the Mississippi Supreme Court heard the case. They ruled against Attorney General Hood. But now, you know, for a lack of better word, he's going back to the well. He's got another motion. He says right now that crime victims' bill of rights has been violated and he's going to take another shot at it.

He filed a motion yesterday. We're going to show you right now just a quote from that motion where he said that among the rights guaranteed to victims is private personal right of each victim of the crimes of potential pardonees to notice of the impending pardon. Each victim also has a right to submit a written or recorded statement.

Now, that didn't happen. He says victims' rights were violated and he's going to take another shot at it.

But we still have to see whether the Supreme Court of Mississippi will hear the case.

COSTELLO: That's right. They decide that, right?

So, the victims must be happy about this.

PHILLIPS: To say the least. You know, they thought this was, you know, dead and buried and, you know, they were upset certainly. A lot of these old wounds are wide open now.

And I spoke to one of the victims yesterday, Randy Walker, who's been a frequent guest here on CNN. And one of the things that he said was, "Quite frankly, I am so happy that Jim Hood is not ready to roll over and die yet."

So, they are living to fight another day and we'll just have to see what the Mississippi Supreme Court has to say.

COSTELLO: Will do. Rich Phillips, thank you so much for filling us in. We appreciate it.

The killer of Trayvon Martin has been painted as a vigilante, but his neighbors describe a very different person. We'll see what public records tell us about Mr. Zimmerman.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: The opening bell rang minutes ago. The Dow down just a few points after the open.

The soldier accused in massacre of 16 Afghan civilians will be charged today. The attorney for Staff Sergeant Robert Bales says they have no murder scene and no forensics.

The final coroner's report on Whitney Houston's death is due out in two weeks but the preliminary autopsy finds the singer drown in her hotel bathroom. It lists cocaine and heart disease as contributing factors in her death.

Protesters in Sanford, Florida, are pressuring Florida authorities to arrest Trayvon Martin's killer. Civil rights leader Al Sharpton led a rally at a church in Sanford and demanded the arrest of George Zimmerman.

Florida's governor has appointed a new state's attorney to investigate the case.

Zimmerman actually is the invisible character in this case. Family and neighbors have leapt to his defense but he has been silent. Still, the public record offers hints of who he is.

Sunny Hostin from "In Session," our sister network on TruTV. She joins me from New York with more.

What have you found out, Sunny?

SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR: Well, we found out, Carol, that there are some legal findings involving George Zimmerman. One, he was arrested in 2005 it appears, July 16th, and he was arrested for resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer. He entered into a pretrial diversion program, pled guilty and his record was somewhat expunged because of that pretrial diversion program.

We also now know that there was some domestic violence allegations against him by a former girlfriend and fiance. He also the next day after that filing filed a domestic violence charge against her as well. And so, we're learning a bit more about George Zimmerman. We're learning that he had some brushes with the law.

And I think what's so interesting about that, Carol, is because apparently the police department told Trayvon Martin's family that George Zimmerman came back squeaky clean and that was one of the considerations in not charging George Zimmerman. But now, we're learning there have been some scrapes with the law.

So, this is really quite a revelation I think not only for us that are following this case but certainly also for Trayvon Martin's family.

COSTELLO: And we know he's been attending a community college, right? I don't know exactly what he's studying. Maybe you know the answer to that question. But a lot of us are wondering what he did for a living.

HOSTIN: Well, that's right. We do know that he was at a 2-year college, getting an associates degree in sort of general studies. Prior to that, he was also there getting some other training, sort of vocational training.

But many people are reporting that he had to sort of long standing desire to become a police officer, to be involved with law enforcement. And that he was in fact enrolled in a program learning about law enforcement.

He's no longer enrolled at that community college, Carol. The community college issued a statement and said that they have removed him from their program in protection of the student body as well as George Zimmerman. He's no longer enrolled at that school.

COSTELLO: So, with all that you have told me and you're a former prosecutor -- does it surprise you that he wasn't charged in the Martin case?

HOSTIN: You know, it does surprise me actually because it seems to me having been a former prosecutor that this investigation has been unusual. We are learning that the police department allowed George Zimmerman to leave the police department with these very clothes that he had on. Then we also learn that no blood tests, no drug and alcohol test was performed on George Zimmerman.

So, a lot of things typically done during the investigation of a shooting death in my view, Carol, just haven't been done. The police also indicated they were prohibited by law from arresting George Zimmerman. That doesn't sound accurate to me because the police make the ultimate decision as to whether or not there's probable cause to arrest after an investigation.

The fact that it's been almost a month and George Zimmerman has not been arrested, has not been charged and in my view, given the evidence that is coming forward, I find it highly unusual.

COSTELLO: Sunny Hostin, thanks so much.

HOSTIN: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Finally, an answer to a mystery that's been keeping people in Wisconsin awake at night. Scientists think they now know where those booms are coming from.

And let the games begin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just keep wishing I could think of a way to show them they don't own me. I'm going to die.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The bestselling book "The Hunger Games" hits the big screen and millions line up to see it. We'll talk to the book's editor. That's live, coming your way next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: A new craze is sweeping the nation this weekend. Thousands of people are waiting in long lines no matter the weather to catch the debut of "The Hunger Games." The film was a huge sensation, with advance tickets selling at a rate of 10 per second.

Here's a sneak peek.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Make them remember you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just keep wishing I could think of a way to show them they don't own me. If I'm going to die, I want to still be me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just can't afford to think like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So, the movie is based on a book and you'd think the author of that book, Suzanne Collins, would be basking in the spotlight this debut weekend but she's lying low.

You can see her on YouTube a couple years ago, she talked about why it was difficult to write parts of the book. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUZANNE COLLINS, AUTHOR OF HUNGER GAMES: The book has so many dark passages that are emotionally difficult to write. So, when you are done, you feel satisfied that you finished them. But they're not in and of themselves particularly fun things to write.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Joining us from New York, the editor of "The Hunger Games," David Levithan.

Welcome, David.

DAVID LEVITHAN, EDITOR, SCHOLASTIC PRESS: Hi.

COSTELLO: First of all, let's talk about the craziness surrounding the movie. You edit this hugely successful book. Now it's a movie. Tickets are selling at 10 per second.

Did you ever imagine?

LEVITHAN: I mean, I think it would be hubris to imagine something this phenomenal. I mean, from the get-go when the book came in, everybody was so, so excited about it. It's been amazing to see the excitement spread and spread and spread. But to see this and to hear ten tickets a second, it's pretty extraordinary.

COSTELLO: So, is it the marketing or is the book really that good?

LEVITHAN: I mean, I think the book is really that good. I mean, it's something that people have really latched onto and it's been again from the very beginning just a huge word of mouth success. And so, the word of mouth is now spreading to the movie.

COSTELLO: OK. So, you'd think the author of that book, Suzanne Collins, would be in the spotlight basking in glory. But she is nowhere to be found. Where is she?

LEVITHAN: She's at home. I mean, like many authors, she's a private person. And I think what's most important for her is words and books get out there. She doesn't need to get out there.

So, I think she's letting the books and movie speak for themselves.

COSTELLO: We have another YouTube clip of Suzanne Collins talking about how she got the idea for the plot. So, let's listen and then we'll talk on the other side.

LEVITHAN: OK.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: The first inspiration of "The Hunger Games" came from a Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. When I was a child I was a fanatic about Greek mythology. And this was one of my favorite myths.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: OK. So, just tell me a little bit about her. She just looks like an ordinary person who just happened to write a hugely selling book and now has a blockbuster movie to her credit.

LEVITHAN: Well, I think in one sentence, she's a momma, too, who just lives at home and writes. But I think she also has been incredibly engaged with these themes. I mean, she grew up as an Army brat. And then went to entertainment in play writing and television. She wrote a hugely successful series for us called "The Underland Chronicles" for younger readers and then wanted a challenge and decided to really write this hard edged trilogy.

COSTELLO: It is a hard edged movie. I don't think many parents realize what exactly the movie is about and that it involves children killing.

So, explain to us if you can in a nutshell, what the movie is about so that parents know what their kids want to watch.

LEVITHAN: Well, it is about a girl Katniss who was forced into the "Hunger Games" where 24 kids must fight to the death basically with only one survivor as a way of sort of keeping society in check. The government does this to keep districts and government in check. And Katniss has to fight to survive.

So really the violence is a critique of violence. It is not meant to entertain. It is not meant for you to go rah, rah, rah. It is meant to find it deplorable. And I think that's really what "The Hunger Games" is about.

COSTELLO: So is it suitable for kids under 12, under 10?

LEVITHAN: No I mean, we've always said the books are for 12 and up and we think that really is the audience. I think, certainly there are kids who are younger who are more mature but I think -- I think really 12 and up is the right age. And the movie is PG-13 so I think the movie 13 and up seems to be the right age.

David Levithan thank you for joining us. We appreciate it.

LEVITHAN: Thanks.

COSTELLO: Mysterious sounds and vibrations have kept people up at night in one Wisconsin town since Sunday and now the experts think they have found the answer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Checking stories cross-country now. Reporting the news has its risk. In Joiner, Arkansas, a man pulled a gun on a TV news crew as they tried to get information on a story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were just trying to find out what was going on. That's all.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody has learned my best friend saying, (inaudible) get the camera away from me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, you can't touch the camera, man.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You really --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ok.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're leaving. We're leaving.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: There you see that gun. WREG says the man has turned himself into police. The station -- television station is pressing charges.

The mystery of the booming noises in Clintonville, Wisconsin may have been solved. Geologists say the sounds people have been hearing probably came from a small 1.5 magnitude earthquake. The granite rock beneath the town magnified the minor rumbling and the sound.

Talk about brave. A 25-year-old woman paralyzed in a bicycling accident bungee jumped off a bridge in Whistler, Canada as you see in her wheelchair. She won a contest sponsored by a company that helps people with disabilities live out their extreme sports dreams.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Louisiana College is suing the Obama administration over a controversial health care provision that requires insurance coverage for contraception. College president is so opposed to the rule he says he may shut the school down rather than comply.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE AGUILLARD, LOUISIANA COLLEGE PRESIDENT: It's as much murder as if I took a gun and shot someone right there. If President Obama chooses to force the government to take over our religion in this institution and to force us to cause murder to happen, we will no longer exist. We will not do it. He'll have to walk up here and board up the doors of this college before we will participate in murder. We will not do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Reaction from students is mixed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Pretty insulting. I mean, you just don't say that kind of thing if you're a man, and you say that, you're -- you have the entire women's community pretty much against you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's not thinking about his students, he's thinking about his personal beliefs. And as the Dean of Students that is his responsibility to take care of his students.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our school is built on those beliefs, and so I think that that would not be outside the realm of possibility for that to happen, I -- I am against abortion.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would probably agree with that in -- with this particular incident, it's a drastic overstep of the government boundaries in what is defined in the Constitution as their role.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Well, next week we'll have special coverage of the challenges to the health care reform law before the U.S. Supreme Court right here on CNN NEWSROOM. We'll take a look at the individual mandate. Is it a tax or a fine? Our in depth special report starts Monday on CNN.

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COSTELLO: The first number one seed has fallen in the NCAA tournament. Jeff Fischel is in bracket lounge at CNN Center with all the highlights and lowlights if you were actually for that team. Hey, Jeff.

JEFF FISCHEL, HLN SPORTS: Carol, hi. I am in the bracket lounge, you know, after dark the lounge gets really cool. But yes, I'm in front of the big board. And let's take a look at what happened in the West Regional last night.

Michigan State, it's very tough for the Spartans to get through what I thought would be the toughest regional in the tournament. The West was just a beast this year, top to bottom and sure enough, last night against Louisville the Spartans found it very tough going. The Cardinals suffocated the Spartans without standing defense. Michigan State scored just 44 points.

MSU star Draymond Green scored 13 but he really struggled throughout. Louisville coach Rick Patino is now 10-0 all time in sweet 16 games; 57-44 the final. I love this now. Louisville and Patino face Florida in the Rest Regional final. I'll explain why it's so great in just a second.

Because it will be a battle of the teacher and the pupil. Florida beat Marquette, The Gators Kenny Boynton gets the four point play so he connects beyond the arc, gets fouled, makes the free through. Boynton was great. The Gators and their coach Billy Donovan win 68-58.

It was 25 years ago Donovan was the star at providence for Rick Patino's first final four team. So now it's Donovan going against Patino. The winner heads back to the final four.

All right. let's talk about the East Regional as well, the number 1 is Syracuse. The Orangemen trying to live up to that seed, taking on Wisconsin last night out of the big ten. And you know what; Orange coach Jim Boeheim said it was one of the most exciting games he's ever coached in the tournament. Dion Waders was great; the Orangemen need him. Remember they're playing a little short-handed this tournament. This put the Orange up on front. The Badgers were hitting three-pointers all night but they came up just short. A great game, came down to the final second. Orange win 64-63. For Jim Boeheim clear win number 890. That's number three on the all-time list.

All right. So Syracuse playing in the regional finals. It's Ohio State; The Buckeyes, they beat Cincinnati using a 17 to 1 run in the second half. By the way, Carol, I'm going to brag a little second here. Ohio State my pick out of the regional I'm doing very well in the east. Jared Sullinger added 23 points and 11 rebounds.

The Buckeyes are back in the regional final for the first time since 2007. That is when they made it to the national championship game but lost.

What about tonight? Four more big games to finish off our elite eight. Let's find out who's going to be battling tonight.

In the South Regional, Xavier takes on Baylor. And it's Indiana taking on Kentucky. These two teams battled earlier this year, it came down to a buzzer beater, Indiana giving Kentucky one of its just two losses all season.

In the Midwest region, North Carolina and Kansas are the favorites, but you never know we could see a Cinderella out of the Midwest.

Carol, a great night of hoops last night. Another great night tonight as well, we're expecting

COSTELLO: You're not kidding Jeff. Thank you so much. I'm glad Ohio State is still in it too because I think -- if they win it all then I can say my bracket will have been a success.

FISCHEL: That's it. That is what it's all about. Forget about the early rounds. Doesn't matter.

COSTELLO: I like your style. Thank you, Jeff