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"Ocean's 16" Claim Powerball Prize; California's New Transgender Law; Fierce Opposition From Some Parents; They Let Him Do What?; Glowing Bunnies
Aired August 13, 2013 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's been busy in the last week since that happened. The lottery lines have gotten longer and longer, but importantly your winning ticket enabled Acme Markets to give back to the community. So not only have you won, the food bank in Tuckerton and the local organizations that we've been donating to in the last couple of weeks have been the real winners.
But being in the company for 32 years and the company being in Tuckerton for 47 years and seeing what happened with Superstorm Sandy last year, it couldn't happen to a better group of people. So congratulations, best of luck, and God bless. Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thanks, Matt. Each store that sells a winning Powerball or a Megamillions ticket gets a $30,000 bonus commission. The Super Stop and Shop received their $30,000 commission and made an announcement last week that they were using funds to support their favorite charity, and it's nice to hear that not only does the lottery do good works with the revenue that it earns to support state education and institutions, but even our beneficiaries and our retailers continue the good works.
So with that, I'll open this up for some questions. I think there might be some questions that you might want to ask of some of our group. I know one question that everybody had was Lisa buying the ticket at the Acme. Lisa, can you tell us why you bought the tickets there that day or where do you usually buy them and is everybody thanking you for buying that ticket at that time?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They are.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you come to the microphone for a minute?
LISA PRESUTO, POWERBALL WINNER: Thank you. Thank you. Honestly, I went to Acme that day to pick up our group tickets because I needed to pick up my prescriptions from the pharmacy and I needed to pick up a few things for dinner. So Acme it was.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you guys always buy tickets together as a group?
PRESUTO: As a group? Not always when the jackpot gets big. We only -- we play when the jackpot gets big.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How many times in the past have you all gone in together approximately?
PRESUTO: Guys?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Six years.
PRESUTO: Quite a few years, five, six.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are there some people that work in the same division who did not opt to go in with you?
PRESUTO: They're all -- it's the same group. We're the same group.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let me just mention that when I spoke with Brian McCarthy the other day and talked about the pool, I asked him about the pool members because we always give advice that people should know who's in the pool, they ought to write their names down, make copies of the front and back before the draw so everybody knows how many tickets were purchased and what tickets they are.
Brian told me that's exactly what they do. They did everything right. They knew who was in their pool. They had a list. They all had copies of the tickets so they were able to check right away and know that they were winners.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is anyone going to retire now? Ask you come up to the mic?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's what happens when you raise your hand.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Joseph Odowardo.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Joe, tell us what your thinking is here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just a miracle and shocking and after 34 years and almost retiring last year, this happens and you just don't have another choice.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Barbara, would you come up and talk a little bit about your father's efforts to start the lottery?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is truly a miracle, and I lost both my parents in a very short period of time in the last two years of each other. When we actually hit this lottery I -- not even in my mind did I remember my father was the father of the lottery. When I called my sister to tell her she said, my gosh, Barb, dad is just smiling down. She said, it's his lottery, I said, my God. Because your mind is just everywhere else but my father was bigger than life.
He was always my hero. I couldn't ask for a better dad and I wish he was here to share in the moment. The only thing I wanted to do that next morning was pick up the phone and call him and call my mom and then I realized I couldn't do that, but this is a real special moment and I thank you all.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: God bless America. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I met Barbara the other day and found out she was John Brown's daughter, the two of us were brought to tears thinking about just what kind of fate is it that brings it together like this? I can't explain it. Some people would say he was smiling down from heaven and I believe that. I think one of our other members, Willie, wanted to say something.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My fellow Americans -- this is my best outfit. As most of you all know, it's not there but a tornado went through the town where I lived. I was out on the fire truck so I was a little late getting here today. And I met with Barb. I lost my mom to cancer and my dad's going through it right now and I -- that was the first place where I stopped was pop's house.
Started crying in front of him and told him I loved him and you've got nothing to worry about now except getting better, so we're a happy bunch of group. We're a very, happy, happy, happy, as some of my friends would say. We've got some great camping at Bakers Acres campground down by the shore. I had to plug that in.
I'm just going to continue watching NASCAR racing on Sunday. Maybe I'll be at my log cabin on multiple acres of land and I don't want to be -- I could stay up here and talk to y'all. I didn't do it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You've got to pay for it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think I can afford it, maybe put air conditioning in here. I would just like to thank everybody. Everybody's been so overwhelming to us all and it's just happy, happy, happy, thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So before we totally destroy the equipment -- is anyone quitting their job?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Willie!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's a real good possibility.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Any other victims of Sandy?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Who are the victims of Hurricane Sandy that had property damage? Sue did?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Would someone be able to come to the mic?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's your name?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Darlene.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Last name?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Riccio.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Spell that. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: R-I-C-C-I-O. We lost our home in the storm. I didn't own it. I was renting. Now I stayed with my brother for a few months and got a little apartment above a store front so the first thing I'm going to do is buy me and my daughter a home and bring my dog back home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Emotionally what has that been like for you? Losing everything and suddenly getting it back.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't even have words to explain. When I found out that we won, I was just -- I was speechless. I thought they were joking with me and I thought it was the worst joke ever. I even woke up in the morning just assuming we just didn't win. Yes. I'm still in shock, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You go from being very unlucky to one of the luckiest people on the planet. That's got to be incredible.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It has been an extremely rough year since then, but I did -- when we lost everything, this whole group here and everybody that I worked with really pulled together and helped me through and so, I mean, this has been like a great family for me. Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you going to stick around?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, we have a bond now. We definitely --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First party's at my cabin.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What town was your house in?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In Brick.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: have you had any difficulty like with insurance or, you know, getting grants from the government? Has it been difficult to get any money to help out?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I didn't even my house so I didn't -- I mean, I don't really have anything to say for that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can somebody tell the story of who actually had the ticket, how quickly did you all realize you won?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who had the tickets?
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: OK. So we just had to indulge for a couple of minutes. How often do you hear co-workers, 16 co-workers who all work at the Ocean County Vehicle Maintenance Department in New Jersey all, you know, put in some money in this office pool. How many of us plunk down the 10 bucks every blue moon and they actually won.
Once you have done the math, each of these people who you've been listening to walk home after taxes each with a check of just about 3.8 million bucks and you heard the woman talking who bought the ticket. She went to a pharmacy. She needed to pick up a prescription. We're always told to do this when you go into a lottery pool, make copies of the tickets.
Make sure you get all the names and they did exactly that. They say they're all going back to work. We shall see. As they say, you've got to play to win. Quick break, back in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Huge story out of California here, this state is making history, but now everyone is happy about this. California is officially the first state to pass a law giving ground breaking new rights to transgender students. Like the freedom to choose which school bathroom, which locker room you want to use, and which sports teams he or she may join just based on which gender a boy or a girl chooses to identify with. And a lot of transgender students, they see this as a huge win.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELI ERLICK, TRANSGENDER STUDENT: I'm transgender myself and I had to miss classes and programs because of my identity. No student should have to lie about themselves in order to get all the credits they need to graduate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: The thing is, some parents aren't convinced. They're worried about the law's impact on their own kids.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUTH DAVIS, OPPOSES NEW TRANSGENDER LAW: She will be at a K-8 school. She could potentially have a 14-year-old boy walking in on her in the bathroom. I don't understand how we're protecting all of the children.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Let's talk about this with two guests joining me, people who were following this very closely, Masen Davis is the executive director of a Transgender Law Center, favors the law, joins me from San Francisco. Good to see you, sir. Randy Thomasson is on the other side of things. He is the president of savecalifornia.com, joins me from Sacramento.
So gentlemen, welcome to both of you. Masen, I want to get to you in just a minute. Huge, huge win for your camp. Randy, I'd like to begin with you because I imagine this doesn't thrill you, and my first question really is looking ahead. What steps might you, your group take to challenge this?
RANDY THOMASSON, PRESIDENT, SAVECALIFORNIA.COM: Well, this is very disturbing to parents who are hearing about it. They thought that the school bathrooms for girls would be protected from biological boys. They did not expect girls basketball teams to now allow boys that say they want to be on it. Talk about a disparity, lack of equal opportunity. We are denying sexual boundaries and personal privacy at the school campus.
Parents have told us on our Facebook and elsewhere that this is making them think they're going to exit the public system permanently because not only this, there are nine other sexual indoctrination laws in California government schools. This is just the cherry on the cake unfortunately.
BALDWIN: Masen, how do you respond to that from Randy and also from other parents?
MASEN DAVIS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, TRANSGENDER LAW CENTER: Well, yesterday was a big step for equality. This is actually a pretty simple bill that makes sure that transgender students will have access to the facilities and activities they need and that all students need to be able to be successful in school. I have been struck by the number of parents I've talked to, especially the parents of transgender youth that are so concerned that their youth are not graduating in time because they don't have some place to change for gym class. And we need to take steps in California to make sure that all youth are able to be successful in school.
BALDWIN: Randy, let me ask you this question in a more personal way. I don't know if you have kids. If you were to have a little girl and this little girl grew up like a boy, identifying with boys, wants to play football, wants to use the boys bathroom but can't, how would you handle that child?
THOMASSON: Well, if a child is sexually confused they need professional counseling. Lots of children are being molested in America. Lots of children are being abandoned by one or the other parents and that creates a problem with the child's expectations and their mind. And so a child that is sexually confused, they need professional counseling. My opponent is saying, look, this is a rights issue.
What about the rights of a child to be comfortable in the bathroom. What about the rights of several children. This is trampling the rights of everyone else. Last time I checked the 1964 Civil Rights Act said you have to have immutable characteristic. If you are changing away from your xx chromosome or xy chromosome, your natural gender, if you're changing away using the scalpel of a doctor, that is not deserving of a civil right.
BALDWIN: We could have an entire conversation. In fact, I have on what to do with these kids and counseling and who believes in that and who doesn't. I don't want to go there today. Masen, I see a big smile on your face. So I want to end with you, final thoughts and just respond to that.
DAVIS: You know, I know that not everybody in America has had a chance to get to know a transgender person. These youth know who they are. They are already in our schools. They want to be successful and be a part of the school community like everybody else. As a transgender man myself, somebody who was born female and transition later in life, I really want to make sure that these youth are able to be safe and successful as youth and as adults. And this bill is a logical next step to help make sure that happened. We believe in the privacy of everybody. To the extent these facilitates more privacy for all students in school, that's a great thing, but let's make sure our youth can participate and graduate on time with everybody else.
BALDWIN: Just wanted to make sure we heard both sides here. Masen Davis and Randy Thomasson, I truly appreciate both of you for coming on. Thank you.
Still ahead, have you ever heard of a rooftop garden, perhaps? Let me tell you, you have never seen one quite like this. It has people underneath it, especially in the top floors. Frightened, moving away. How did it get there and how is it about to go away? That's coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: When we think of communism, as in communist run China, we think of lots of rules, lots of forms, lots of government types ensuring that everything is just exactly so. So in Beijing a lot of folks are wondering how the heck a man got permission to build his dream garden in the most unusual place. David McKenzie has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This building is causing a firestorm on social media here in China. A Chinese traditional medicine professor has built just enormous structure on top of his apartment. For years residents have complained to building management and beyond and they got nowhere. They said that there are cracks forming in the building. The structure of rock and trees could be a serious hazard, they said, but so far nothing has been done.
With so many building violations, how could someone get away with this? Well, one answer might be that he reckons he's an influential member of the Communist Party so many people believe he would be untouchable.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): You can only do this if you have connections. Without connections you can't get away from it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): If you look at it, it's very scary. Things might fall into the road. It's not just one person's problem, it's everyone's problem.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): He probably didn't ask anyone's permission. He probably just did it so that's why he got away with it.
MCKENZIE: Reached out to by a Beijing newspaper, the professor said he might bring it down and that he's, quote, "a low key guy." David McKenzie, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: David, thank you. Coming up, glow in the dark bunny rabbits, need I say more? Next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: OK. Do not adjust your TV screens. What you're about to see really is a bunny rabbit glowing in the dark. Look at this. You actually have to use a black light to see these rabbits glowing fluorescent green. Scientists in Turkey have injected jelly fish proteins into embryos to make what you're looking. Impossible and they believe this will lead to better and cheaper drug treatments for genetic disorders and diseases. It's pretty cool pictures. Look at that. Back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)