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Education Secretary Supports Gay Marriage; USS Cole Terrorist Dead; Francois Hollande Wins in France; Avengers Crushes Opening Weekend; Zuckerberg Takes Facebook on the Road

Aired May 07, 2012 - 15:00   ET

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

ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Another member of the Obama administration has come forward to support same-sex marriage. And all of this comes after the vice president himself, Joe Biden, was asked for his stance on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday. And, boy, did it set off a wave of comments on Facebook and Twitter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSEPH BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Men marrying men, women marrying women and heterosexual men and women marrying another are entitled to the same exact rights, all the civil rights, all the civil liberties.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: Well, that was just the beginning, because this morning, the education secretary, Arne Duncan, went further and expressed his support during an appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." Have a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you believe that same-sex men and women should be able to get legally married in the United States?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, come on. You're going to start there?

ARNE DUNCAN, U.S. EDUCATION SECRETARY: Yes, I do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: Turns out it was a good place to start, whoever was making that comment.

Our chief White House correspondent, Jessica Yellin, joins me live now from the White House.

So, obviously, Jessica, even before Arne Duncan said what he said, what the vice president said had everyone looking to the house behind you to say, well, is this the official policy now or are we almost there? What is story?

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. The White House is working overtime, as is the Obama campaign, to make clear that, no, it's not the official policy and that in fact anybody who thinks Vice President Biden said he supports gay marriage is mistaken, that in fact his position and the president's are identical and that is that the president's position is evolving.

What this is, Ashleigh, is really a situation where the White House is being intentionally vague on where the president stands on this issue and when he appears before gay and lesbian audiences, especially at fund-raisers, there are words he uses and phrases he deploys that say things -- he's said, for example, people should live in love as they choose and we have more to do on this struggle, leading many gay and lesbian supporters to believe, in a second term, he would support gay marriage.

But then in public, he never publicly endorses that position, so that any supporters of the president who are not comfortable with gay marriage obviously can believe that he does not support gay marriage.

A lot of murky waters here, one might argue deliberately left that way in an election year, Ashleigh.

BANFIELD: Ah, you and me, the cynics among us, right, because that was my next question. Is this, as some people would say, the president trying to basically have it both ways, keep keeping his tepid position for now, hopefully, if he's going to make changes in his second term if he gets one, but yet sending out the surrogates to say things like Joe Biden said?

Or is it Joe Biden just doing what Joe Biden does best and shoot from the hip?

YELLIN: Well, in this instance, I actually personally don't think it was deliberate, that they sent out surrogates to do this.

But are they having it both ways? Well, here's how I asked that question to Jay Carney in the briefing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YELLIN: Doesn't he owe them or owe voters in general his direct response and just stop dancing around the issue and telling voters will he or won't he support gay marriage in his second term?

JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president was asked this and said that his views on -- his personal views on this were evolving.

The president does have, as you noted, significant support in the LGBT community and that's because of his unparalleled record in support of LGBT rights.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YELLIN: Well, we went on to ask about some of the inconsistent speaking from different sides of the administration. Bottom line is, you hear what their position is. It's evolving. Sometimes, the president says, I won't make news on this issue. Finally, Ashleigh, I just interviewed a spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign, one of the leading gay rights group. And that person said he's confused about what the White House position is. So go figure.

BANFIELD: I'm trying to figure, but I am keeping a list. And while we're at it, we have got Vice President Al Gore and former Vice President Cheney all coming out on this issue, Laura Bush also coming out on this issue, President Bill Clinton, Billy Graham, varying opinions, but I'm wondering how long it will be until we hear it right from the top.

Jessica, keep at it. Keep knocking on the door.

YELLIN: After the election.

(LAUGHTER)

BANFIELD: Yes. You're a smart one. Thank you, Jessica Yellin. Nice work.

YELLIN: Thanks.

BANFIELD: So here's something: a terrorist linked to the bombing of the USS Cole killed in a drone attack. Drones. Drones, why so many drones?

And did bin Laden know something when he said it's killing us, folks, literally and figuratively? That's coming up in a moment.

Also, Prince Harry being honored for his work with soldiers. And he's attending an event in Washington. We want to take you there live. There's a reason the flashbulbs go wild when he's in town. Tell you in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: The USS Cole, a destroyer destroyed in a dark phase of U.S. history.

I want you to look at some pictures. This was the year 2000, 11 months before 9/11. And this was the major terror attack. Look in the middle. Brings back bad memories for a lot of people. Two suicide bombers plowed a bomb-laden boat into the side of the Cole. And that killed 17 American servicemen off of the coast of Yemen.

And nearly 12 years later, one of the terror agents behind that attack is dead. And it appears that the United States nailed the attack.

Chris Lawrence is at the Pentagon.

So, Chris, what is the story here, drone, no drone, accurate, lucky, all of the above? CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Drone and probably all of the above, Ashleigh.

A U.S. official confirming to us that a CIA drone strike took out Fahd al-Quso in this remote part of a really lawless part of Yemen.

Some reports say it happened as he was stepping out of his vehicle. This was a man on the FBI's most wanted list with a $5 million bounty on his head, someone the U.S. has been very, very interested in getting.

BANFIELD: Apologies, Chris.

LAWRENCE: Ashleigh?

BANFIELD: I thought you were going to a piece of sound there. My apologies.

Let me ask you another question on this one.

LAWRENCE: Yes.

BANFIELD: We have been talking a lot about drone strikes in Pakistan. It's caused an international dispute between our country and Pakistan. I think lot of people understand the politics involved there.

And now we continue to hear more about drone strikes in Yemen. Is this going to become another Pakistanish problem?

LAWRENCE: Not really.

And it doesn't look that way. In fact, it looks like the exact opposite in some respects, when you compare it to our relationship to Pakistan. There have been about 15 U.S. drone strikes in Yemen so far this year. And the offensive is really starting to ramp up for several reasons.

One, Yemen has a new president that seems very committed to going after al Qaeda and very supportive of U.S. drone strikes.

And, two, just last month, U.S. officials confirmed that both the U.S. military and CIA got authorization to start conducting drone strikes even when they're not sure of the target's identity. So it's given the U.S. more leeway to conduct some of these drone strikes.

And when you look at what counterterrorism officials say about the al Qaeda group in Yemen, that it's the most direct threat to the United States, that it's launched these attacks, like the Christmas Day bombing, attempted bombing, a couple of years ago, you can see why there's so much focus on this part of the world right now.

BANFIELD: All right, Chris Lawrence live at the Pentagon, thank you for that. Appreciate it.

LAWRENCE: Yes. BANFIELD: Millions of people use this to stay in touch every day, and now Mark Zuckerberg, the man behind it, is taking Facebook on the road to recruit investors, you, me and the big guys, too.

Plus, "The Avengers" is taking the box office by storm. And when I say storm, I mean firestorm. It is a huge payoff for a massive marketing plan. So how big? How significant? Why does it matter to you? And are you going to see more of this? All that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: Welcome back. I'm Ashleigh Banfield.

If it's interesting and if it's happening right now, you are about to see it. It's "Rapid Fire." So let's go.

"My life is in your hands, Mr. President." And that's a quote. It's what an American man abducted in Pakistan says in a video posted on several Islamist Web sites. His name is Warren Weinstein and he's making an emotional plea to President Obama, saying that if the president meets eight demands, really far-reaching demands that are being set out by al Qaeda's leaders, he will be released. And if the president does not meet those demands, he is going to die.

U.S. Army investigators saying there is no foul play, no gunshot wound in the death of a soldier who collapsed during a live Skype session with his wife. Army Captain Bruce Kevin Clark was in Afghanistan and his wife says her husband literally just lurched forward while she was talking with him, and she said she looked behind and saw what looked to be a bullet hole in the closet behind him.

But military officials are saying there are no wounds on his body.

Also in the news, Tennessee investigators are looking for a missing mother and her three daughters. And they now face the grim task also of identifying two bodies. But they're not saying whose bodies those are. They're just saying that they were discovered in Mississippi. They say they do believe that a man named Adam Mayes -- take a close look at that wanted poster on your screen.

They say Mr. Mayes is -- quote -- "responsible for the women's disappearance." He is on the loose. Mayes' landlord says that he told people he thought one of the three missing girls was his.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARY PATTERSON, LANDLORD OF ADAM MAYES: He thought one was, but that was all he -- they ever said, that he thought that one was. But as far as actually knowing for sure, he didn't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: California law enforcement paying tribute to fallen colleagues, law officers from around the state holding their annual procession to the California peace officers monument in Sacramento to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. Take a good look and appreciate their work.

And presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney makes a battleground cameo, hosting a town hall in Ohio. An awkward moment, you might say. Here's how Mr. Romney reacted when someone asked him about a $1.5 million report that he took in foreign tax credits. Take a peek.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I will look at it.

(LAUGHTER)

ROMNEY: I'm not familiar with that. I didn't think I paid any foreign income taxes, but I will be happy to take a look at it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: It's tricky to remember every page of your tax return. Gosh, give these guys a break.

President Obama also in Ohio over the weekend to officially give the old kick-start to his reelection bid, too, lots of people turning out there, not a full house, but a fuller house. And a just-released "USA Today"/Gallup poll showing, with about six months to go before Election Day, President Obama and Mitt Romney dead even in a dozen swing states.

So buckle up. It's going to be a barn-burner.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE AVENGERS")

SAMUEL L. JACKSON, ACTOR: I still believe in heroes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: Oh, yes. Six superheroes better than one boy wizard. It turns out "The Avengers" nailed it, earning just over $200 million in the United States in the debut weekend, obliterating the last record that was set by the final "Harry Potter" flick.

And if that wasn't extraordinary enough, "The Avengers" is getting amazing word of mouth. It's already earned $642 million worldwide, more than $500 million worldwide in just a couple of weeks. So, does it have legs to pass the "Titanic" and "Avatar"? Kind of looks that way with the momentum so far.

Our entertainment correspondent, Kareen Wynter, is live in L.A.

Man, to say Disney has got to be like over the moon about this one is the understatement.

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Over the moon, Ashleigh.

(LAUGHTER) BANFIELD: Go for it. Tell me all about it.

WYNTER: I know you have a busy sched, but please tell me you have seen to this movie. Please tell me that.

BANFIELD: No, because I had to go to the "Pirates" movie because I have got kids that are under three feet.

WYNTER: Oh. Darn it. Darn it. Well, you know what? You still have a lot of time.

And we're not going to give too many of the deets away, but I have to fess up. There are so many people coming on air, from the critics to fans, saying this was great, we loved it. I was a little skeptical going into this because I'm not a fan of superhero movies.

Boy, was I blown away, jampacked action from start to finish. And this is not a short movie. It's quite long. And when I got -- when I sat down with the director after screening this movie, I said, what was it? Why was it so great?

And he really said the biggest challenge was making it different, right? Ashleigh, you have seen one super hero movie, you have seen them all. But the humor was really what made this, what resonated with the audience. And you talk about the numbers here, the highest grossing domestic debut of all time, just smashing that box office record, more than $200 million.

And the film, it has made an estimated $642 million. We're talking worldwide. And, Ashleigh, analysts, they predict it's now on track to take more than $1 billion at the box office globally. And, again, what has made it really so successful the first weekend out, a lot of factors, but I really think what was so significant, it's a 3-D film, right?

It's jampacked with A-listers like Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson. So its box office numbers were turbocharged by the pricier 3-D and IMAX tickets. More than half of those who saw the movies, by the way, shelled out the extra bucks to watch it in 3-D, a huge record, a powerful start to Hollywood's summer movie season.

And I hope you see it soon.

BANFIELD: Well, you know, at some point, I will, not with the little ones, because I don't think they can deal with all the fire and brimstone.

WYNTER: Yes.

BANFIELD: But just quickly, is this -- Kareen, on a business level, is this the new model, sort of the new strategy for how to roll out a real good blockbuster?

WYNTER: Yes.

BANFIELD: Start four years beforehand and lay out other movies that lead up to it?

WYNTER: You know, it just may be, because in comparison to "John Carter," which was such a flop, a movie that Disney would rather soon forget, this -- you know, you have a familiarity.

You have the line of characters that we can all relate to, the action-packed theme here, the merchandising, which is phenomenal, from fragrances now to toys, you name it. Can every movie do this, Ashleigh? It's going to be a little hard, but "Avengers" definitely has that jump-start, and that is why it's really raking in the dough right now, an amazing movie. And just expect those numbers to go through the ceiling even more.

BANFIELD: Oh, Kareen, you know, my kids are way too young to see this and have...

WYNTER: They are. Mine are too.

BANFIELD: ... inside a theater that even had that, but they ask for Iron Man everything. They want Iron Man Monopoly, for crying out loud. So, clearly, they have clearly done something right, Disney. So, thanks...

(CROSSTALK)

WYNTER: I have some extras here.

(LAUGHTER)

WYNTER: Absolutely. Absolutely.

BANFIELD: Will you join me when we hit the $1 billion mar? And maybe it will be next week. Right?

WYNTER: You know what? I can talk "Avengers" all day long. So you got it.

(LAUGHTER)

BANFIELD: OK. Kareen, thanks very much. Good to see you.

WYNTER: Thanks, Ashleigh.

BANFIELD: Take care out there.

WYNTER: You, too.

BANFIELD: So, Facebook planning to sell stock to the public. How can you get your hands on part of the deal? Turns out you can. Our Poppy Harlow has got the details that you're going to want to hear.

And, also, a Major League Baseball pitcher, a cancer survivor sitting next to him, and the tweet that brought them together for a little old game of catch. You're not going to believe this one. And just a quick note for you as well. If you're just heading out the door, you don't have to turn off the tube, or at least you don't have to turn off us. You can continue watching CNN from your mobile phone. Boy, are we excited about that.

Or, if you're going to head to work, you can also watch us on CNN from your desktop. Go to CNN.com/TV. Yes, you can tell them Ashleigh sent you. Tell them to give me a call, 555 -- yes, you know, educational.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: Facebook stock goes on sale to the public in just 11 days, but company executives are making personal pitches today to hundreds of investors. And it could be the largest initial public offering everything, valuing this company at up to $98 billion.

It's called the road show. And Facebook leaders are going to Boston, Chicago, Denver, and Menlo Park, California. But, today, the executives were here in New York.

And that's exactly where Poppy Harlow of CNN was. She's been running back and forth between the meeting and here. And she reports live to us.

So, first question. This is Facebook. Why do they even need the road show?

POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So it doesn't matter how popular a company is or how many of us use it, many of us on Facebook.

Every company that is going to go public has a road show, because there's a lot of questions to answer. One of the investors that was inside told our reporter Maureen Farrell that Sheryl Sandberg, the COO, and also the founder, Mark Zuckerberg, took about 10 to 12 questions. There were some concerns from investors about their growth and being able to chart the growth on mobile, some questions about the big purchase of Instagram for $1 billion.

And so -- and Mark Zuckerberg said that's going to be an anomaly. So people want to know, what is their business model exactly? We know they make money on advertising, but exactly how? What do their financials look like? Those are things that, as a private company, you don't have to tell anyone. You don't have to tell investors.

So it doesn't matter that we all Facebook. Every company is going to have a road show. This one is just getting a lot more attention.

BANFIELD: But did they give good answers?

HARLOW: I don't know what the answers were because I wasn't inside the meeting.

(CROSSTALK)

HARLOW: No press were allowed inside. Zuckerberg did say the Instagram purchase was an anomaly.

But also they did talk about the fact that it's very hard to chart their growth right now on mobile. Some wary investors are concerned about that. What's also interesting is when you look at sort of the sage investors like Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger, who is the vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, I talked to them both this weekend in Omaha at their annual meeting about Facebook.

This is one of the biggest IPOs we have seen in a very long time. What do they think about it? So take a listen to their answer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WARREN BUFFETT, CHAIRMAN & CEO, BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY: I wouldn't short -- I would not short Facebook, I would not short Google, I would not short Apple. They're -- they're fantastic companies. But in terms of what they will be worth five or 10 years from now, I just don't know.

HARLOW: All right, Warren, thanks.

BUFFETT: Thank you.

HARLOW: Are you on Facebook?

BUFFETT: No.

(LAUGHTER)

HARLOW: Is Facebook a company that Berkshire or you would put your money in?

CHARLIE MUNGER, BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY: Well, the answer is, I don't invest in what I don't understand. And I don't want to understand Facebook.

HARLOW: Why?

MUNGER: I don't want people putting all this personal stuff into a permanent record.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: So, that's the take of two people that invest in -- in big, big blue-chip companies generally speaking.

So I wasn't surprised to hear that they're weren't investing in Facebook. But a lot of people are very, very interested in this company. And this road show answers a lot of those questions, not to the press, but to the big Wall Street investors, the institutional investors.

BANFIELD: That is a great question, asking if he was on Facebook. But, truth be told, how many people in their 80s do you know who are on Facebook? Not many, right?

HARLOW: Yes. Yes, not many, not many.

BANFIELD: Great question and great -- great work. Thanks.

If you hear anybody who wants to talk about what was said in those...

(CROSSTALK)

BANFIELD: ... meetings, call me.

HARLOW: Well, I went up to investors. And I asked them. They said thanks, no thanks, and crossed the street.

BANFIELD: And they were like out you go.

HARLOW: Yes. There you go.

BANFIELD: All right, Poppy Harlow, nice work today. Thank you.

HARLOW: Sure.

BANFIELD: All right, he's the wild one. Now he's getting recognized, though, for doing a really good thing, Prince Harry in Washington. We are there. We will tell you why and what he's doing.

And, also, you have heard of windstorms, thunderstorms. How about solar storms? Oh, man, this is cool. But is it dangerous? Our Jacqui Jeras has it all.

And, every Sunday, CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks to the up-and- coming inventors and innovators. And here's a quick preview of what he's got on his next list.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Many, many businesses have approached me to put bees on their roofs. But I only work with those whom I feel truly embrace the concept of wanting to be greener, wanting to help the environment, wanting to raise awareness of the environment. And bees seem to be a very good way to do that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today, this is the first phase in the Waldorf Astoria chefs garden. We're installing six beehives today. And we hope to be harvesting honey within a month.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I had wanted to do -- to have bee on the roof and grow honey for years. And then when the city council finally repealed the law, I like, oh, my God, I don't know how.

And that's how Andrew and I got connected.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: Welcome back. Prince Harry goes to Washington, what an heiress gave ex-senator John Edwards. And predictions of a doomsday solar storm. I'm not kidding. It's time for "Reporter Roulette."

We begin with Prince Harry in Washington. He's there to receive a humanitarian award. CNN's Brian Todd also at the British embassy in Washington.

Lay it out for us. What's this all about, Brian?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ashleigh, we'll set the scene for you here. You've got security personnel and greeters checking people through here at the British embassy, the British ambassador's residence.

This is an event where Prince Harry is going to meet with some wounded warriors. He's meeting with some athletes, British and American athletes, who took part in the Warrior Games, an athletic event for wounded service men. He's in this Georgian-style mansion right here. This is the British ambassador's residence. That's where this event is going to start in just a few minutes.

It's kind of a meet-and-greet with these athletes who took part in the Wounded Warrior Games over the weekend and in recent days, but he's also here to receive an award later today at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, the Atlantic Council's 2012 award for distinguished humanitarian leadership.

And that, too, is all about Prince Harry's work in rehabilitating wounded veterans, trying to reintegrate them into civilian life when their service is done. So he's been doing a lot of work in that. He's going to be honored for that tonight, also on behalf of his brother Prince William, who is not here. This is a very brief visit for Prince Harry in Washington.

We caught a glimpse of him pulling in earlier. My photojournalist, Tony Imrani (ph), and I were standing right at this spot when his motorcade pulled in, didn't stop to talk to us even though we flashed our CNN IDs. But he didn't want to talk to us right away there. He came in earlier tonight and he's going to be honored at this gala later on today.

Part of the -- maybe the effort by Buckingham Palace to rehabilitate his image as the playboy prince that he had. Does a lot of serious work as well. He's training now as an Apache helicopter pilot. He wants to go back for a second stint in Afghanistan and of course doing a lot of work for wounded veterans, Ashleigh, so very serious events, but a brief stay in Washington today for Prince Harry.

BANFIELD: That's a great scene behind you, too, watching those folks checking their guest lists and making sure only official invitees get through the gates. Brian Todd, thanks very much. Appreciate that.

Next up on "Reporter Roulette," what this heiress knew and when she knew it in the trial of former vice presidential candidate John Edwards. He's accused of using campaign funds to hide his mistress and their baby. CNN's Joe Johns is in Greensboro, North Carolina, Joe? JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ashleigh, on the stand in the John Edwards trial today, Alex Forger, the New York attorney for Edwards' wealthy benefactor Rachel "Bunny" Mellon.

Forger was supposed to be a witness for the prosecution, but dealt the government a big potential blow to its case by testifying that in September of 2007, Ms. Mellon called him to ask how to write a $175,000 check and that Forger as her attorney asked her if she understood the check she was writing could not be used as a campaign donation, and that Ms. Mellon said yes.

That $175,000 check eventually went to the fixers who were trying to cover up Edwards' relationship with his mistress, Rielle Hunter. Forger also testified that it was his understanding that Edwards did not know and should not know about the payments that were being made on his behalf.

A second potential problem for the prosecution was a ruling from the judge, keeping evidence out of the trial, suggesting Edwards himself tried to get $3 million from Bunny Mellon almost exactly a year ago. The last witness called to the stand before the afternoon break was Nick Baldich (ph), the 2004 campaign manager for Edwards' run for president. Ashleigh?

BANFIELD: All right. Joe Johns reporting for us.

And next on "Reporter Roulette," a solar storm that could send the Earth into darkness. Really? It may not be the next summer blockbuster. But it is a real life prediction. (Inaudible) fire and brimstone, our meteorologist, Jacqui Jeras, is here to explain.

So here's the question I have. It looks cool to look at those pictures, but it's a pain in the butt for us on Earth.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it certainly will be. We've already had complications this year from geomagnetic storms and solar flares. But what happens if a massive solar storm comes directed right at Earth? It's the same kind of scenario that we talk about when we say a major hurricane could hit New York City or a 9.0 earthquake could hit Memphis, Tennessee.

If we get one of these massive storms heading directed at Earth, we're talking global consequences here. Now there are different types of solar storms and each one has different types of consequences, but let's talk about the big three issues that we're dealing with here.

I've got a graphic that will show you that, power grids. That's one of the biggest concerns. There could be a complete collapse or blackouts of power grids.

What happens in these geomagnetic storms, it brings additional electricity to the current systems and if the currents and the grids can't handle it, eventually transformers could be destroyed. So we're talking blackouts. Not just for days, not just for weeks, maybe even years. Imagine you live in L.A. The city goes dark. We don't have any power. We rely on power to give us our water, to do our sewer systems, to pump our gas, to do our ATMs. So that is really a huge global impact there. Our satellite systems and GPSs, all of that would be gone and it could go out.

Now measures can be taken to direct satellites into a different place so they're not right at that incoming solar storm, but if a catastrophic one happened, there's not a lot we can do. It also has an impact on aviation. Remember what happened, Ashleigh, during the Iceland volcano and what that did to airspace in Europe? Something like that could happen because of radio blackouts.

BANFIELD: Oh, yes, there were hundreds of canceled -- hundreds of canceled flights, delayed flights. It was a real bummer.

JERAS: Yes, it absolutely was.

BANFIELD: All right. Well, we'll keep an eye on that. Jacqui, thanks for the pictures, too. They're fantastic.

JERAS: Yes.

BANFIELD: Great to look at, just not nice to talk about. Sorry about that. Thanks, Jacqui Jeras.

Coming up, a bullied teenager says adults would not listen so he took matters into his own hands -- and see what's in his hands? Yes. It's a stun gun. And he took it to school. So is he in trouble or not? Find out in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: Some call bullying in America's schools an epidemic, but for a young man in Indianapolis it's personal. Seventeen-year-old Dynasty Young says he was taunted and he was threatened for being openly gay. And after complaining to school officials with no results, his mother gave him a stun gun to carry, just in case things got rough.

And guess what? That happened. An incident last month. Now the school is threatening to expel Young, saying that he violated school policy by bringing -- yes, a weapon to school.

In an interview with "The Indianapolis Star," the principal of the high school said this, quote, "If you wear female apparel, then kids are kids and they're going to say whatever it is that they want to say. Because you want to be different and because you choose to wear female apparel, it may happen."

CNN legal analyst Sunny Hostin is "On the Case."

It is a little difficult to hear that. I understand what the principal is saying, that that is what kids will do, rightly or wrongly.

SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes.

BANFIELD: I think most people might say wrongly. But --

HOSTIN: But it's not about blaming the victim.

BANFIELD: It's not about blaming the victim. But it is about asking the victim whether you can bring a stun gun to school. It's a weapon.

HOSTIN: That's right. It's clearly against, I think, school policy at any school. But the real issue is here is, is there a zero tolerance policy for bullying at this school? Are there procedures in place to deal with bullying? The mother is saying in this case that she reported the bullying to no avail. She didn't get anything that she needed. She didn't get any help there. And so she felt that she had no other options.

That can't be tolerated. We know in certain states there's this anti-bullying legislation that applies to schools. Indeed, New Jersey after Tyler Clementi has the most robust anti-bullying statute. I think that really is the issue here. What is the school doing about bullying, and why did this child feel that he had no recourse other than to bring a weapon?

BANFIELD: Well, now it's all over the national news, and everybody knows about this school. And they are hot seat, but they haven't made a decision yet as to whether they're going to expel him or not.

HOSTIN: That's right. And I, of course, have been looking into it. I haven't -- I don't have any information as to what the decision will be or even when the decision is coming down.

But I suspect, Ashleigh, that there's no question that because of the coverage in this case that perhaps he won't be expelled and perhaps there will be some procedures put in place to deal with bullying, because it's such an epidemic across our country in all of our schools.

And I think this is a teachable moment. It's time for this school to implement some policies, other than to say to a child that the child can't be who he is and can't wear feminine apparel. That's ridiculous.

BANFIELD: His mom and he sat down with CNN to give their side of this story. Have a look at what they had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

What is a parent to do when she has done everything that she -- that she felt that she was supposed to do as far as contacting the officials that are in -- at the school?

So I did feel like there was nothing else left for me to do but protect my child.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: OK, so Sunny, I can't tell whether this is a criminal case because the young man brings a stun gun into a place where that's not safe, or a civil case because they might have something that they can file against the school for not protecting the kid. Or just a school case, where they say, sorry, against school policy, out you go.

HOSTIN: Well, we know he was arrested. I think there's no real clear-cut answers here. Is this a case that a prosecutor would take? I doubt it. I don't think so.

BANFIELD: No one was hurt.

HOSTIN: No on was hurt, exactly. He brought the stun gun and sort of fired it in the air. So I don't know that this is the type of case that the criminal system should be involved in. Is this a case where the school needs to do some work? Really some hard work? Yes. Absolutely. Is this a civil case? Possible. Possible, because he could have some recourse there as well.

BANFIELD: All right, so -- and let me just find out if I have any extra time. I had another case I wanted to ask you about.

Are we running low on time, producers? Can I ask Sunny about the -- ?

(CROSSTALK)

HOSTIN: We can do it tomorrow.

BANFIELD: We're going to get back to you on it tomorrow. How does that -- ?

HOSTIN: All right.

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

BANFIELD: And I know you were working all night, too, on ABC (inaudible) on the overnight shift. Sunny Hostin, joining us live.

OK, watching his Twitter pays off for one of the Colorado Rockies fan.

Sunny, this is a great story. See this picture? He gets to play catch with his favorite pitcher because the pitcher tweeted that he needed a buddy with a mitt. We're going to talk to the lucky fan, find out how on Earth this happened in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: So I am told this is just about every little boy's dream and a lot of little girls and lot of big boys and girls, too. Guy gets an offer to play catch at a big league stadium with a big league pitcher. And it came in the most unusual fashion. The guy who lived his dream joins me now from Denver. His name is Woody Roseland.

All right, Woody, I know this has to do with Twitter, but how on Earth do you get hooked up with the Rockies' pitcher, Jeremy Guthrie, to play catch, through Twitter?

WOODY ROSELAND, ROCKIES FAN: Hi, great being here. Well, what happened was I checked my Twitter. I saw that he said, do you want to come play catch. I said why not. I responded, I'm downtown. He said come on down. Hopped in a cab, and the rest is history.

BANFIELD: And how did you know it wasn't some kind of a hoax?

ROSELAND: Well, I didn't know if he was serious or not. So I just put it out there, said, you know, what's the worst that can happen?

BANFIELD: So when you got there, did you really think this thing was going to happen? And did he just sort of greet you at the door and say, hey, come on, I'll give you a security pass and we'll go play catch on the field?

ROSELAND: Well, I got there, I went through the security checkpoints and eventually I was walking through the clubhouse and it was pretty crazy walking through the clubhouse. And it was totally a dream come true. And then I ran into Jeremy. Really nice guy. And it was awesome.

BANFIELD: So you're a cancer survivor. And you have one leg. Did he know anything about this at the time he said, come on and play catch with me? Or was he surprised to sort of see you show up and thrilled all at the same time?

ROSELAND: Yes, yes. It was a total surprise to him. He had no idea I was an amputee and a cancer survivor. And so then he asked about it. He said, if you don't mind me asking, what happened to your leg. and I explained the whole history of having cancer five times and the amputation and the lung surgeries --

BANFIELD: Five times?

ROSELAND: Yes, ma'am.

BANFIELD: Good Lord --

ROSELAND: I was initially diagnosed when I was -- yes, I was diagnosed when I was 16 years old. It came in my left knee. I had a knee replacement. And it ended up coming back four different times in my lungs. And then most recently they found a four-inch tumor in my calf.

BANFIELD: Did you have some better news that I heard just recently, maybe something good you want to tell us?

ROSELAND: Yes, I just finished chemotherapy the exact same day that I met Jeremy Guthrie. I went into the doctor's office that morning, and they said, you're all done. You're clear. You're finished. And then that afternoon was when I got to meet Guthrie. So it was a pretty special day.

BANFIELD: OK, so here's the real question her for you, Woody. Did you give him a run for his money?

ROSELAND: I did my best.

BANFIELD: Or did he put you out? What -- how'd it go? How was the game?

ROSELAND: Well, we played catch for a while. Then we did some batting practice and so I got to swing the bag at Coors Field, which was very cool.

BANFIELD: I cannot believe you got this through Twitter. Did the rest of the Twitter followers believe you when you said no, it was real, I'm here and look at me now, here's a photo?

ROSELAND: Yes. I mean, there were a couple of people on Twitter that didn't -- that thought it might have been a setup. But it was -- it really happened and I guess it's better to be lucky than good.

BANFIELD: Well, you know what, congratulations. You're a very deserving person and everyone here wishes the best for you as well in your battle. But I'm really glad you had that moment. That's terrific. Congrats.

ROSELAND: Thank you very much.

BANFIELD: Woody Roseland joining us live, pitching with the big leagues. How about that, all because of Twitter.

And Vladimir Putin is sworn in again as Russia's president. Protesters fill the streets. Police arrest hundreds of them. Oh, none of that looks good, does it? But we'll talk with an iReporter who was there in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: Well, as we mentioned before, Russia's Vladimir Putin sworn in today for a third term as president. It's as if he wrote the script himself. Putin's serving two terms, stepping aside four years to satisfy Russia's constitution, but now as you can see, red carpet style, he's back.

But here's where the script went awry. Anti-Putin protesters turned violent and on a pretty massive scale, too. Hundreds of them arrested on Sunday and hundreds more today. This outpouring of anger, frankly, surprising a lot of Russians and among them my guest, Boris Nemtsov. He turned -- he served as Russia's deputy prime minister back in the late '90s.

Perhaps you can give us an idea of just why exactly the streets turned as violent as they did and why no one was really expecting this?

BORIS NEMTSOV, OPPOSITION LEADER: My understanding is that he was shocked because of the amount of people on the streets. He was sure that maybe a few thousand took part in the rally and demonstrations.

But we had yesterday approximately 100,000. And that's why he made special demand to police to be very brutal. That's why the violation was huge and such events never happened in the modern Russia for many, many years.

BANFIELD: But you say brutal. When you say brutal, but the pictures don't look brutal, but they do look vast, I mean, there were hundreds of arrests. Was it violent?

NEMTSOV: I was arrested twice. I was arrested yesterday and today, well, without any explanation, against Russian rules, how people, they are arrested. Putin was very afraid of so-called integration (ph).

They can't believe that even leader of opposition and protesters will be on the street, they will, you know, destroy his celebration. Maybe this is the reason why these were arrested yesterday in the evening and today in the morning.

I don't know. But this is very unique case, where an aggregation (ph) occur, you know, once through most the street and nobody work on the street because police service, you know, separated people from the road. Nobody at all. We have Moscow city, a population of --

(CROSSTALK)

BANFIELD: Let me ask you this --

NEMTSOV: -- but nobody is on the street. What's happened?

BANFIELD: Let me ask you this. It seems -- I'm sorry, Mr. Former Deputy Prime Minister, does it seem to the Russian people as though this switching of roles between Dmitri Medvedev and Vladimir Putin, is a sham? Do they not believe in their elections anymore? Weren't there observers there? Why is it so bad?

NEMTSOV: First of all, people are very tired of Putin because he -- around the country for 12 years and he wants to run for additional 12 years. It's -- second, we know an answer of the question, who is (inaudible) Putin? Everybody knows that Putin means corruption, Putin means mismanagement, huge bureaucracy, militarization, a very aggressive internal (inaudible) policy.

And people don't want to have such kind of president. And one more point that the election happened in a very, very bad condition.

It was absolutely untransparent elections, (inaudible) during calculations, with absence of opposition in the least. It's fraud during the campaign with absence of real debate, censorship on TV and people don't trust that this is an honest election and this is a president who was honestly reelected.

BANFIELD: Boris Nemtsov, the former deputy Russian prime minister, we do appreciate you taking the time to speak with us about this and we'll continue to watch the developments in your country and hopefully it will be peaceful, if nothing else.

New York Stock Exchange about to close. Let's bring in Felicia Taylor for the final numbers. Felicia, we were expecting a bit of a mess, so how did it turn out?

FELICIA TAYLOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It turned out to be pretty good, frankly, all things considered. I mean, what happened was, you know, overnight we had the results from the French elections, where Francois Hollande was the winner. That was expected. So many traders are basically saying that it was already priced into the marketplace.

But where there does continue to be uncertainty is in Greece, and elections there. They haven't been able to form any kind of coalition, so undoubtedly that's a story that we're going to continue to see unfold in the months and weeks to come.

But one thing people are looking was the debut of "The Avengers," which is a Disney film, and that stock certainly was up on the day, up about 2 percent. But the overall marketplace was mixed. The Dow right now, about to close in about one minute, is down about a fifth of 1 percent, both the Nasdaq and the S&P are looking to finish to the up side but (inaudible) ever so --

BANFIELD: Do not tell me that Disney came to the rescue of the euro crisis.

(LAUGHTER)

TAYLOR: Not yet, but wouldn't that make a nice fairy tale?

BANFIELD: Oh, look at you, working in the fairy tale element. But, yes, things looking a lot better than most people expected, so tomorrow looking good too?

TAYLOR: Expectations are, you know, what we have got are Walt Disney is going to report its earnings. A couple of other earnings will also come out. There isn't too much in terms of the economic front. But I think the markets are going to sort of turn for the near term, because there isn't really anything yet to focus on. But, again, better news than we expected today.

BANFIELD: Always good to see you, my friend. Felicia Taylor, thanks for that.

TAYLOR: Likewise.

BANFIELD: Appreciate it.

And that does it for me, I'm in for Brooke Baldwin, but "THE SITUATION ROOM" is going to take it from here with Mr. Wolf Blitzer. Thanks for watching.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Ashleigh, thanks very much.