Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Interview with Sanford, Fla. Mayor Jeff Triplett; Obama Setting Sights on Romney?; Bill Clinton to Participate in Obama Fundraising; Brittney Griner Changing Face of Women's Basketball; Could Loss in Wisconsin Seal Rick Santorum's Fate?
Aired April 03, 2012 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. It's 11:00 on the East Coast, 8:00 out West. We've got a busy hour ahead, so let's get straight to the news.
We're learning more chilling details about the suspect and his possible motive behind the shooting massacre in California. The police chief calls what happened at Oikos University a calculated, cold-blooded execution in the classroom.
A quiet, small religious school in Oakland, now in turmoil. Seven people were killed, three others injured. Police say at the hands of 43-year-old One Goh, a former student.
Well, investigators say Goh was angry and wanted revenge for being expelled earlier this the year. He allegedly lined students up against a classroom wall and shot them, one by one.
We are taking you live to Oakland for the latest in just about ten minutes.
And voters are heading to the polls today in three contests. Wisconsin, Maryland and the District of Columbia are holding Republican primaries. Mitt Romney has predicted a win in Wisconsin and holds a big lead in Maryland polls.
Wisconsin is important because it'll be a key swing state in November. It's one of the few winner-take-all states in the Republican race.
Rick Santorum seems to be looking beyond today's contests. He says May will be his big month for delegates.
And the world wants clarity in the Trayvon Martin case and now there is a little bit more. It's in the form of higher resolution video of George Zimmerman's arrival at the Sanford, Florida, police department the night he killed Trayvon Martin.
As you know, the neighborhood watch volunteer claims he fired in self-defense after Trayvon hit him in the nose and banged his head against the sidewalk. The clearer footage does appear to show some kind of mark or gash on Zimmerman's head.
Tending to a city in crisis is a full-time job for Sanford's part-time mayor. Jeff Triplett joins me live a quarter past the hour.
And opposition forces in Syria see no signs that the government is honoring its day-old pledge to back down. If anything, the military onslaught is said to be heavier than ever in parts of the north.
Random shelling of opposition strongholds with helicopters firing on people who try to escape. Dissidents say at least 11 people have been killed. Just yesterday the world learned that Syria supposedly had agreed to a U.N. envoy's time table to remove troops and tanks from population centers by April 10th. That's one week from today.
And it's the battle of the morning shows. While Katie Couric co- anchored "Good Morning, America," former Alaska governor, Sarah Palin, co-hosted "Today" on NBC this morning.
Palin started off poking fun at herself holding a stack of newspapers. You may remember her interview with Couric four years ago when she asked which newspapers Palin read and she couldn't name one.
And the jokes kept coming.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH PALIN, FORMER VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The nicest lady in the world, she stopped me, asked me where I was headed. I said 30 Rock and she said, "Honey, come here. I told you, Tina Fey is here."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Well, Palin also co-hosted a couple of segments, one focusing on celebrity gossip. She admitted to never seeing "Game Change" and said Julianne Moore's impression of her doesn't even compare to Tina Fey.
Mitt Romney snaps at a Ron Paul supporter after a question about his Mormon faith.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFED MALE: And in the Mormon book, it says there were a blackness came upon all the children of Canaan that they were ...
MITT ROMNEY, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm sorry. We are just not going to have a discussion of religion in my view, but I could - if you have a question, I would be happy to answer your question.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I guess my question is do you believe it's a sin for a white man to marry and procreate with a black?
ROMNEY: No. Next question.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: The Ron Paul supporter had said the Mormon religion says interracial marriage is a sin, but it doesn't. Mormons actually preach interracial marriages are discouraged because the challenges could lead to divorce. They equate it with a poor person marrying a rich person or an uneducated person marrying a PhD.
Rick Santorum's roots are in Pennsylvania, but will his home state support him in the Republican case? A new poll says yes, but maybe not so enthusiastically as he might have hoped.
The poll from Quinnipiac University shows Santorum with a 41 percent to 35 percent lead over Mitt Romney, but nearly 40 percent of those likely Republican voters say that they could change their mind before the April 24th primary.
And this just in to CNN. Former vice president, Dick Cheney, has just been released from the hospital, ten days after having a heart transplant.
In a statement, the 71-year-old Cheney thanked his doctors for their care. His family also wanted to thank the family of the anonymous donor who made that heart available.
The fallout from Britain's phone hacking scandal is far from over. Rupert Murdoch's son, James Murdoch, is now resigning as the chairman of BSkyB.
Murdoch has been under intense scrutiny for the phone hacking scandal at NewsCorp's "News of the World." Murdoch made it clear that he was trying to shield the satellite broadcaster from the fallout.
The 39-year-old will stay on as a non-executive director of BSkyB.
Mind readers, lavish meals, even a clown, all adding up to more $800,000 and a resignation. Martha Johnson, the head of the General Services Administration, is out after an investigation revealed massive overspending for a training conference in Las Vegas.
Johnson fired her top two deputies and then resigned just ahead of the report being released.
We still don't know who bought a winning Mega Millions ticket in Maryland, but could it be this woman? Merlande Wilson told the "New York Post" she is the winner.
But co-workers at the McDonald's where Wilson works told "The Post" she was among a group of them who went in on the tickets together. Wilson says the winning ticket she bought was separate from that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have the ticket and it's yours?
MERLANDE WILSON, CLAIMED MEGA MILLIONS JACKPOT WINNER: It's my ticket. This is my ticket.
(END VIDEO CLIP) PHILLIPS: The owner of the McDonald's e-mailed us saying nothing has been confirmed about anyone there being involved.
A transgender beauty contestant kicked out of the Miss Universe Canada may get another shot at the title after all. Twenty-three- year-old Jenna Talackova was disqualified when organizers found out that she was born male, saying she didn't meet pageant requirements.
Well, now the Miss Universe organization run by Donald Trump has reversed the decision and says she can compete as long as she meets the legal gender recognition requirements of Canada, but it didn't explain just what they are.
Still ahead, seven people lined up in a classroom, shot execution style. We are learning more about the alleged suspect in that college shooting spree, including what he told the victims just before he pulled the trigger.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: The police chief calls it a calculated, cold-blooded execution in if the classroom. What went down inside this small religious college in Oakland is chilling.
Police say the suspect, 43-year-old One Goh, was out for blood for being expelled earlier this year. The gunfire recorded on a cell phone.
And, inside, police say a secretary and several students were lined up against a classroom wall, shot one by one, execution-style.
Let's get straight to Thelma Gutierrez who's at the scene in Oakland. Thelma, what more can you tell us about this suspect?
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, we know that 43-year- old One Goh was born in Korea. He was a naturalized citizen of the United States. He lived with his father in an assisted living facility, according to police, here in Oakland, a facility for senior citizens.
And, recently, just a year ago, Kyra, he had lost his mother, also his brother who was a United States Army sergeant who was training for the special forces and he died in a vehicle accident.
PHILLIPS: The police chief also talked with us on CNN this morning about Goh. Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF HOWARD JORDAN, OAKLAND POLICE: He was there specifically to look for someone. I can't reveal who that person is that. That person was not there. Once he realized she wasn't there, he first shot the secretary and then began to shoot the other members in the classroom.
(END VIDEO CLIP) PHILLIPS: And as the story has been unfolding all morning, we talked about the fact he was looking for an administrator. When he didn't find that administrator, why would he go after the secretary and all these other students and just shooting them one by one?
GUTIERREZ: The police chief says that he does not know why he actually focused on these people. He says that he went after them, they seemed to be random victims. He started shooting, possibly because he was angry that he didn't find that one particular administrator. That woman was not here. She has not been identified. He says that she is a very lucky person because he came in with a mission looking for this woman. He was very angry at her because she had dismissed him from the university earlier this year.
PHILLIPS: And Goh fled in one of the victim's cars, was arrested at a grocery store. Did he actually confess to all the murders?
GUTIERREZ: The police chief told us this morning, Kyra, that the detectives talked to him and that when they talked to him he was very calm.
What was chilling is that he recounted in detail everything that had happened. And he said he had this very keen memory of the way that this rampage went down.
PHILLIPS: We mentioned Oikos caters to the Korean-American Christian community. Anything more that you can tell us about these victims or this school, Thelma?
GUTIERREZ: Well, Kyra, the victims were from countries like Nigeria, Korea, Nepal. We've been told the school plans to bring in multilingual grief counselors to help some of these students deal with this terrible tragedy that they witnessed and the tragedy that unfolded here.
Also, later on today, Kyra, there is a memorial service that is being planned in the evening to, again, remember the victims.
PHILLIPS: Thelma Gutierrez, thank you.
And what used to be a part-time job has turned into pretty much a full-time nightmare.
Up next, the mayor of Sanford, Florida, embroiled in the national saga of the Trayvon Martin shooting. What he's doing to calm the tensions and soothe the city in the spotlight.
Mayor Jeff Triplett joins me line, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: You can clear up the video, but the facts behind the killing of Trayvon Martin are as foggy as ever. Police in Sanford, Florida, have put out higher resolution images of George Zimmerman's arrival at Sanford P.D. the night of February 26th. The block watch volunteer was questioned. As you know, not arrested in the shooting death of an unarmed teen who Zimmerman says attacked him.
Now, the sharper video reveals what looks like some sort of injury to the back of Zimmerman's head, which could back up his claims that Trayvon slammed his head against a sidewalk.
On another front, the local prosecutor who's since been replaced on this case says he's outraged by assertions from the Trayvon family that he overruled a detective who wanted Zimmerman arrested.
Norm Wolfinger says this: "I encourage the Justice Department to investigate and document that no such meeting or communication occurred. I have been encouraging those spreading the irresponsible rhetoric to stop."
Well, nobody wants an end to this national firestorm more than this man, Sanford Florida's mayor, Jeff Triplett.
Mr. Mayor, thanks for being with me. I appreciate it.
And before we get into more details, I'm curious, how is your city doing? Would you say it's in healing mode or as divided and angry as ever?
MAYOR JEFF TRIPLETT, SANFORD, FLORIDA: There's a lot of the big portion trying to get to healing mode. There is trepidation as to what is going to transpire, how things are going to come down.
I think the citizens of Sanford are ready to truly begin the process and are relying on us to see what that process is going to be and how we are going to get there.
PHILLIPS: And just to give our viewers a little bit of background here, you moved to Florida with your family for a better life, especially for your 11-year-old. You are working for a bank. You decide to take this on as a part-time job.
Why did you want to do it?
TRIPLETT: For a better community. You know, I always said that I plan on living here the rest of my life. This is my town. This is my city. I love it here.
And I tell you what, I want my boys when they get done with college or whatever they decide to do, I want them to live here.
And you know, it's time to make some decisions and do what I thought was best for the city of Sanford, create some economic development opportunities, to shake hands and kiss babies, so to speak, and be the face of the city so that we can make a place where they can come back, have a good living, and hopefully see my grandkids at some point in time every day.
PHILLIPS: The face of the city. Wow. You definitely imagined something totally different. My guess is you never expected to be involved in something like this.
I've got to ask you, do you regret taking on this job? Are you going to stay in for the long haul?
TRIPLETT: I am going to stay in for the long haul. That hasn't even been a thought of mine. You know, regrets? You know, you always second guess some of your decisions every once in a while.
But, you know, I've truly got to think I was put here for a purpose, that I'm walking this path for a reason. You know, whether it be a higher order or whatever you believe and, you know, I'm going to make the best decisions that I'm capable making based on all sides of the issues.
And right now, that decision is to make sure that everyone understands that Sanford is a great place to live. It's a great place to come. It's a great place to visit, to play, to work.
And we are not, the city of Sanford is not what is being portrayed by us right now. We've got some great men and women in our police department that are suffering because of this, also.
So you know, it's my -- part of the reason why I stepped aside from my daily job as a banker is to make sure that that message gets out.
PHILLIPS: Well, Mayor, let me ask you, you had to know that the police department was a sore point in this community.
And I remembered -- I was reminded actually of this video that we had talked about here at CNN back in 2010 of this homeless guy that was beaten by a cop's son. It wasn't until this video hit YouTube and aired on local TV that this guy was dealt with.
You had to know you were coming into a community where the police department was controversial.
TRIPLETT: Yes, and I think, you know, it's not just our city. It's across a lot of cities that there are some animosities or some thoughts that police haven't handled certain items or issues as well as they could or people feel like they've been lost in the shuffle or their file set off to the side.
You know, we were working down that path. We were really going with some community efforts to truly start and continue some of the dialogue that had been out there. We started under the interim chief doing a true community policing-style enforcement.
And our police department, we truly have been on the streets and talking to individuals and in those meetings, a lot of things have come out. I want to say we were truly working down the path of regaining some of that trust until this incident.
PHILLIPS: I want to - and I'm going to ask. Jason, do we have this video of the mayor casting that deciding vote to oust the police chief? We do? All right, Mayor, I want to ask you about this moment. You have been vilified by so many people. At the same time, you cast that deciding vote to oust the police chief. Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRIPLETT: All those in favor of vote of no confidence signify by saying aye. Opposed? 3-2.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Just the look on your face. What were you thinking? What were you going through? Why did you go that way?
TRIPLETT: Government is not perfect. In a perfect world, to be honest with you, I would rather that vote have never taken place.
There were a lot of discussions between city manager and I as to what the next steps would be. Commissioner McCarty thought that that was an important position to take and I understand that.
My position on that in the discussions that I had with the city manager were simply to the fact of not the investigation in itself, but really some of my true concerns with how it was handled, how the dilemma was handled when it truly came to light.
As I said during that meeting, which is online for everyone to listen to, I couldn't sit there and say that I had 100 percent had a true feeling that he was going to take us to where we needed to be through this crisis.
PHILLIPS: Mayor Jeff Triplett ...
TRIPLETT: That was probably the toughest vote I've ever made.
PHILLIPS: And we could see it in your eyes. Mayor, thanks for your time today.
TRIPLETT: Thank you for having me.
PHILLIPS: You bet.
A check of the stocks is next.
Plus, if you're sick of spending a fortune just for food, you're not alone. We've got some super tips for you, including - get this -- avoiding grocery stores with counterclockwise shopping.
Sounds strange, right? But Alison Kosik promises that it works. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: So have you paid attention to the price of milk? Around four bucks. And then cereal, in some cases, five bucks a box. And beef, a dollar more per burger if you're grilling. And I know a lot of you are pretty fed up with the prices and it's impacting what you can eat.
However, Alison Kosik does say we can get more for less. Alison?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: There are ways. There are ways.
So, Consumer Reports, Kyra, says that Americans actually make an average of 88 trips to the store each year and spend an average of $5,060. Seems kind of low to me, but anyway, there are ways to save hundreds of dollars a year, if you shop smart.
You want to start by actually taking one of those fliers when you walk inside the store. Consumer Reports says that stores will often sell items for less than they pay for them to draw you into the store to try to get you to buy the more expensive items.
But keep in mind that just because an item is in the flier, it doesn't mean it's on sale.
Coupons, yes, they are a great way to save. Newspaper inserts, though, are still the main source for coupons, but you can also find coupons online. Go to the store websites and also the manufacturer websites for those products you're looking for.
Loyalty. Yes, loyalty pays when you walk into the grocery store. Consumer Reports says stores are increasingly saving the best deals for their customers who have their loyalty cards, but be sure to check the store's privacy policy before you give up your personal information.
Finally, you may not want to keep your age a secret. Some stores actually offer extra savings to older shoppers on certain days. So, getting old helps, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: How do you define old? At what age do we admit that we are old?
KOSIK: Depends on your grocery store.
PHILLIPS: Depends on where you're shopping.
All right, so, you are also mentioning interesting things about what we should look out for in this store and I'm curious on some of these items. Explain.
KOSIK: OK, so, before you walk into the store, really think about how you're going to shop. Many consumers actually shop on autopilot. I know all about that. You take one thing from each aisle, you know, on each side of you.
But stores like you to take advantage of shopping on autopilot. Researchers found that shoppers who began on the right hand side of the store and shopped in a counterclockwise direction spent more on average than shoppers who started on the left. Now, Consumer Reports says stores use displays that stick out because it makes the products look more tempting, so keep that in mind.
And manufacturers pay stores to place their products in certain areas, so be sure to check the shelves that are actually below eye level.
And those items at the end of the aisle that you see? You know what? They may not actually be on sale, so check that out, too. Make sure you realize what you're grabbing and how much that product really is for, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: So, what if two products look identical?
KOSIK: And that's a good question. You know, don't compare the item price. Go ahead and check the unit price instead because that's the cost per ounce or cost per pound.
And Consumer Reports recommends giving the store brand a try. Over three-quarters of respondents to this survey said they bought store brand product and 89 percent of those respondents reported that the store brands were as good or better than the national brands. So, what's in a name, right, Kyra?
PHILLIPS: There you go. Yes, I do it a lot.
All right, quickly, before I let you go. Stocks? How are they looking?
KOSIK: Stocks are looking mixed. Right now, the Dow is down about 45 points. Nasdaq/S&P are mixed.
Right now, really, investors are waiting to hear from the Fed minutes that are coming out in a few hours.
Also, automakers are reporting their March sales results. Chrysler came in with strong results. We are waiting to hear what other automakers are reporting for their March sales.
Kyra?
PHILLIPS: Alison, thanks.
Mitt Romney hasn't clinched the Republican nomination yet, but don't tell that to the president. Up next, Candidate Obama slams the Republican frontrunner with a nasty new ad. We'll show it to you after a quick break.
But first our political junkie question of the day. In what year did Wisconsin hold its first presidential primary?
Tweet the answer to me @KyraCNN. I'll give you a shout-out to the first right answer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) PHILLIPS: Before the break I asked you what year Wisconsin held its first presidential primary? It was 100 years ago yesterday, April 2, 1912. Senator Bob Lafayette beat President William Taft that day. Taft went on to win the Republican nomination but finished third in the general election. Congrats to Mike from Florida for tweeting me the right answer.
There are three Republican primaries today, Wisconsin, Maryland and the District of Columbia. We are monitoring all those contests. But it seems President Obama already picked a winner and that makes him "Fair Game."
Joining me is CNN contributor, Maria Cardona, and also Republican strategist, Boris Epshteyn.
President Obama rolled out this new ad. Good morning. It's all about gas prices, oil and taking down Romney. Here's a piece of it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AD NARRATOR: He's raising mileage standards and doubling renewable energy. In all these fights, Mitt Romney stood with big oil for their tax breaks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: It's playing in Florida and Ohio. Too early or smart move? Boris?
BORIS EPSHTEYN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: It's not a bad move. What it does is send a message that Democrats, with Barack leading them, have decided Mitt Romney will be the nominee. Republicans decided that, as well. This should send a message to Republicans not coalescing behind Mitt Romney, saying, if the president is focusing on backing him, let's defend Mitt Romney and make sure he's as strong as candidates can be in early November for the general election.
PHILLIPS: Maria, what do you think?
MARIA CARDONA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I think that this is an indication that the president is starting to fight back. Mitt Romney, for months, has been hammering this president, not just him. The rest of the Republican field has been hammering this president. All of the super PACs have been aiming at this president. It's a great move. Voters like to see a fighter. They want to make sure this president sets the record straight from the myths and the lies that the other side has been telling, especially about energy policy.
(CROSSTALK)
CARDONA: Mitt Romney is bought and paid for by big oil. You can see it in the differences between their energy policies. This president is fighting for real energy independence with an all-of-the- above approach.
PHILLIPS: Speaking of money -- (CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Go ahead, Boris. Go ahead.
EPSHTEYN: Real quick, first, Mitt Romney isn't bought and paid for by anybody except his own success.
CARDONA: Ha. Yes.
EPSHTEYN: As Democrats like to point out so much. Let's not forget that. Second, in that ad, Barack Obama is trying to go out and attack Mitt Romney. Let's not confuse the two. It's a blatantly negative ad. That's all it is.
CARDONA: Setting the record straight on what they have said myths and lies about what his record has been. Yes, it is setting the record straight.
PHILLIPS: Obama campaign announcing former President Bill Clinton will take place in this campaign fundraiser in late April.
How big will his presence be in this election? What kind of impact will it make? Maria?
CARDONA: President Clinton is still an incredibly popular figure, not just among the base of the Democratic Party but Independent voters. Let's not forget the last time a Democratic president was president for eight years, we had the greatest economic expansion in a generation. That's exactly what this president is trying to do. He's implementing the same similar policies President Clinton did. The recession that President Obama inherited was a worse one. He needs four more years to make sure that that economic expansion continues to happen. I think it's a great move.
PHILLIPS: Boris?
EPSHTEYN: Well, if you look at the policy, they are not the same. Bill Clinton cut taxes. Barack Obama wants to raise tax. Bill Clinton is a great asset if he actually believes that Barack Obama should be president for four more years. In 2008, when I was on the McCain/Palin campaign, we thought Bill was on our talking points when he was talking about how great a man Senator McCain is. "SNL" even spoofed him on the issue. Bill Clinton is a good asset. He is popular, much more popular than Barack Obama. Barack Obama should use him, but only as far as Bill Clinton actually believes Barack Obama should be president.
PHILLIPS: All right.
(CROSSTALK)
CARDONA: President Obama cut taxes for 95 percent of middle class families. Now I'm setting the record straight.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Shall we talk about Sarah Palin?
EPSHTEYN: Sure.
PHILLIPS: I know Boris wants to talk about Sarah Palin.
Maria, I know you do, too.
CARDONA: Absolutely.
PHILLIPS: She joined in as host of NBC's "Today" show. Rating stunt or political stunt? Maria?
CARDONA: Probably both. Rating stunt for NBC. We'll see how it played. I have to say I didn't tune in because I wanted to go to Katie Couric to get the real news. But I did watch one segment when she was talking to Tori Spelling, and it was a little painful to watch. I have to give her kudos for doing it. It was a good move on her part. We'll see if it works personally and see if it works for ratings for NBC.
PHILLIPS: Boris, Sarah Palin saying -- she always blamed the mainstream media. Lame-stream media --
(CROSSTALK)
CARDONA: The lame-stream media, right.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Pointing the finger. Now here she is hosting the "Today" show.
EPSHTEYN: Kyra, we know, from our time in Alaska in 2008, the Palin family is full of good surprises. This was a good surprise for me. I thought she did a great job. She is absolutely apolitical and entertainment rock star. It's good for her and expands her brand. She is not a novice to entertainment. She had other own TV show that wasn't political based.
Her daughter has been on "Dancing with the Stars." They are very well entertainment. This was another notch on her belt, and for NBC a huge bonanza. I've never seen or heard as much written about the "Today" show as I did for this one guest host. It was a great success. I think it was a success. We'll see where it goes. Maybe next thing you know she'll have a permanent job on the "Today" show.
(CROSSTALK)
CARDONA: I don't know about that.
PHILLIPS: Katie Couric on GMA or Sarah Palin on the "Today" show, we are watching the ratings.
Maria, Boris, thank you.
EPSHTEYN: Maybe they should switch and see what happens. Do a flip-flop.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: There you go.
Thanks, guys.
CARDONA: Thanks, Kyra.
EPSHTEYN: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Forget about the men. That's now history. Up next, we'll talk of hertory (ph) in the making. The women vie for the NCAA title. Can the Baylor make it one for the record books?
But first, what would you do if you got a slice of the Mega Millions jackpot? Would you do what these five firefighters did? These awesome guys from Albuquerque, New Mexico, won $10,000. But forget cars or a nice vacation. In true firefighter fashion, they are using the money to save a life, a fellow firefighter. Their $10,000 will help pay for his brain surgery. We already know that every time you go out on a call, you're heroes. But this call to duty takes you to a whole new level. That's why all of you are today's rock stars.
(SINGING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: She is 6'8" and, yes, she want dunk. Right here in slow-mo. That is Brittney Griner. That is only practice. She is changing the game for women's hoops. Griner hits the court tonight when Baylor faces off against Notre Dame for the women's basketball NCAA title.
Joining me, master of all things sports -- we had to bring him back -- Len Berman.
Len, for all disclosure, Christine Brennan brought up Britney yesterday. It got me looking into this young lady.
(LAUGHTER)
I knew you'd be able to weigh in on this. She is changing the game.
LEN BERMAN, SPORTS WRITER: Yes. Tonight's her official coronation of the Baylor women will win and they will go 40-0 capping their perfect season against defending champ Notre Dame. She is something with her block shots and with her rebounds and with her dunks. She is tremendous. And unlike the men, who will leave school after their freshman year and go to the pros, she has already vowed she will be back next year to complete her college education at Baylor.
PHILLIPS: Why is that? So many males take off and go pro.
BERMAN: Right.
PHILLIPS: My guess is the women probably don't pay as much, right?
BERMAN: Kyra, whenever you ask a question why in sports, the answer is always the same. It's money, yes.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Dollars.
(CROSSTALK)
BERMAN: The men will make millions and she may go on to the WNBA where the maximum salary for a rookie is in the thousands, not the millions. She says she vows to continue to play. That makes the women's game so good. Teams can grow and mature and get together as a group. They can have rivalries with other colleges. Men's game, it's one and done. They don't see a classroom again. Who are the players next year? A whole new score card.
PHILLIPS: What more can you tell us about Brittney besides the fact she is amazing on the court?
BERMAN: She is a monster. I don't know if that is politically correct to say.
(LAUGHTER)
She dominates the game. These two teams did play back in November. Not only did Baylor win, but you she was the star of the game, over 30 points and all sorts of rebounds and blocks. She is great. Tremendous player, best player in the game. I would be shocked if they didn't win tonight in Denver.
PHILLIPS: They're your favorite?
BERMAN: Absolutely. They're everyone's favorite. Ask a Notre Dame team and they say, of course, Baylor is the favorite.
PHILLIPS: What did you think of Kentucky last night?
BERMAN: I thought they did what everyone said they would do. Christina and I said yesterday they would win, not to pat ourselves on the back. Anthony Davis is tremendous. What other player can take 10 shots, just make one of them, which he did last night? He was only 1- 10 shooting, yet he totally dominated the game.
16 rebounds and six blocks. Altered any number of shots. He's a wonderful player who will never see the inside of a classroom again because he is a freshman and he is adios. John Calipari mastered the system, which is totally legal. Players can't join the NBA until they are 19 or have completed one year in college. All these freshmen last night, they're out of there. It'll be a whole new team in Kentucky next year. PHILLIPS: Interesting how you mentioned he will no longer be in the classroom, which leads me to a basic spelling here. I know you caught this.
BERMAN: Yes.
PHILLIPS: The men's basketball, speaking of that. It looks like, if you look at the rotating message board here at last night's finals -- do we have it, guys?
BERMAN: Aha.
PHILLIPS: They are looking for it. They're searching for it.
(LAUGHTER)
BERMAN: Still to come.
PHILLIPS: Exactly. This is how long it took me to realize it was misspelled.
While we wait for the rotating message board, why don't we talk about the fact, you mentioned while a lot of people were celebrating the big blues win, others were fighting. There were gun shots reported. We showed the images this morning on our newscast near the University of Kentucky. Does that happen often?
BERMAN: It's become a pattern, unfortunately, in many cities around the country. Los Angeles, for example, had cars overturned and set on fire when the Lakers won a championship a few years ago. Most recently in Vancouver when they lost in hockey there were riots. There have been riots in Montreal, a team that certainly had success in hockey. Riots when they won the championship. If I can give a plug to my hometown they talk about the tough New York City sports fans. They don't have any problems when the Yankees win the World Series or Rangers won the Stanley Cup in '94. No arrests. A little plug for New York.
PHILLIPS: There you go. Not bad.
Len, we got the graphic. What is missing here? Let's take a look at the rotating message board.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: -- final four in Atlanta.
BERMAN: You know, this is final picture proof for all the student athletes out there, spelling is not a prerequisite in college.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Len Berman, thanks for stalling with me while we got that up. Appreciate it. Great to see you.
BERMAN: Thanks, Kyra. Any time. Nice to see you. PHILLIPS: Likewise.
Imagine flying in a twin engine airplane, and just you and the pilot. All of a sudden, the pilot passes out. That is what happened to a Wisconsin woman. Wait until you hear what she did, midair. Did I mention, she's 80?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Time now for stories making news at "Street Level."
Let's start in Deland, Florida, where a small plane flies into a grocery store. This is the video from after the crash. Five people were injured when the plane flew into the roof of this Orlando area an emergency landing. Two were treated for minor injuries. The other three, including two people on board the plane remain hospitalized. That wreckage will be removed once the National Transportation Safety Board is on the scene.
Another plane makes an emergency landing in Wisconsin. An 80- year-old passenger takes over the controls after her husband becomes unconscious and actually dies in flight. Luckily, she was able to call for help. A certified pilot flew along side the plane to coach her to safety. She made the landing right as the engine ran out of fuel and the plane lost power.
Let's head to Norway where a big rig truck and tow truck got into trouble. Look at this. The big rig being towed in the snow slides too close to the edge of the road, tumbling over the rail. The rig takes the tow truck with it. The tow truck driver bails in time. The other driver not as lucky. He went down with the big rig but survived with several broken bones.
Next, Crosby, Texas, vandals flatten the tires on nearly the entire fleet of school buses. Left about 2500 kids without a ride to school yesterday. Which was a pretty big headache for parents. Five high school students could be charged in the case.
And Buford, Wyoming, could be all yours. It's up for sale. Minimum bid for the 10-acre town -- $100,000. If you don't want a lot of neighbors, this is the place for you. Population, uno. You heard me right, only one person lives there. The sole resident, Don Simmons, told "USA Today" he hopes whoever buys it moves Buford into the 21st century. The national auction is Thursday.
Over to Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, and the amazing story of a love letter delivered 60 years later. That was Dick Hauck. He wrote that letter while serving in the Army when he was 21 years old. He was proposing to the love of his life, Arlene. She told our affiliate that the letter got lost until two contractors found it during the remodeling of her childhood home. And they sent it back to Dick and, of course, that brought back really good memories.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DICK HAUCK, WROTE LOVE LETTER: The whole thing is -- (LAUGHTER)
Brings back memories. "I got your ring today. I sure hope you'll like it. I wish I could have gotten it long ago, Darling."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Oh. Days after Dick sent the letter, he sent Arlene the ring and they got married. And they have been together nearly 60 years and she still wears the same ring.
Rick Santorum says he's not going anywhere, but could a loss in Wisconsin seal his fate? We're talking today's primaries coming up next.
First, springtime in Augusta. Can the Masters be far behind? Nope. One of the premier tournaments in golf is days away, which means time's running out for Augusta National Golf Club to join the 21st century. Make that 20th century. As you may know, Augusta National has barred women members since it opened in 1932. But this year, one of the Masters' most important sponsors IBM, has a woman CEO. And her name is Ginny Rometty. Here she is at the White House. She is number seven "Fortune" magazine's list of the 50 most powerful women in business. So the ball's on your tee, Augusta National. Now's your chance to break the glass ceiling once and for all. I happen to think that she would look fabulous in green, wouldn't you say? Sexism in sports is plan ugly. Its 15 minutes are up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Let's take a look at the Republican score card. Mitt Romney leads the delegate race with 571, just about halfway to the 1144 needed to secure the nomination. And the delegate count will change tonight because that's when we will have the primary results in Wisconsin, Maryland and the District of Columbia.
CNN political reporter, Peter Hamby, is joining me from Washington.
So, Peter, we heard something interesting from Rick Santorum. Is he throwing in the towel on today's primaries?
PETER HAMBY, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: He's campaigned hard in Wisconsin, going to bowling alleys and doing all that stuff. Yes, he won't be in Wisconsin tonight. And he said last night on "Piers Morgan" here that he's looking ahead to May when there are a lot of states, unlike April, that are friendly to Rick Santorum and not friendly to Mitt Romney, places like Kentucky, Arkansas, West Virginia. He announced he'll be speaking in Arkansas next month.
But the more important test in the short-term for Rick Santorum is Pennsylvania on April 24th. That's his home state. Remember, Mitt Romney won Massachusetts by a wide margin. Newt Gingrich won Georgia by a wide margin, his home state. Rick Santorum is only winning according to recent polls by a tiny margin, so if he loses Wisconsin, which is only if, and heads into Pennsylvania you know, and loses, that could be the end of his candidacy there. He might not even get to May, Kyra, if he can't get past his home state.
PHILLIPS: If you want to talk months, you have President Obama looking forward to facing Mitt Romney in November.
HAMBY: Yes, absolutely. Today, here in Washington, at a luncheon of news executives, he is going to deliver what the administration is billing as a big speech. It's not officially a campaign speech but you're going to see a lot of sort of the issues that Obama's going to talk about this year, things that he started to hit in that speech in Kansas last year in the state of the union, like economic fairness. He is going to attack the Paul Ryan budget, the House Republican budget as radical. He calls it social Darwinism, saying it's going to gut Medicare.
You know, this dove tails nicely with any future attack on Mitt Romney because Ryan and Romney have expressed mutual admiration for that budget. It's a good way to hit Congress but also Mitt Romney for the president -- Kyra?
PHILLIPS: Peter, thanks so much.
HAMBY: Thanks.
PHILLIPS: Thanks to all of you for watching. You can continue the conversation on Twitter @kyraCNN or Facebook.
CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Suzanne Malveaux.
