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Judge Denies Sriracha Restraining Order; FAA Clears Gadgets For Entire Flight; NSA Leaker Gets Job In Russia; Year Of Boston: Sox, City Rise After Attack; Boston's Journey From Tragedy To Triumph; Ex Soccer Player's Head Found In Backpack; New Look At River Phoenix's Final Hours

Aired October 31, 2013 - 14:30   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Amy Holmes, anchor from "The Blaze" and Chris Cofenis, Democratic strategist, thanks to both of you very much.

Relaxed guidelines on gadgets in the sky, we will tell you which electronics the FAA will now allow you to use during your entire flight.

Plus, we'll tell you still what items are banned and hot sauce. The smell, the taste of hot sauce has some Californian folks seeing red and now a judge rules on whether the makers of the sauce will be forced to close shop entirely. We're back on the case today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: A spat between Southern California hot sauce plant and its neighbors just got a little spicier. A judge refused to halt production on the company's wildly popular Sriracha sauce so people living near Irwindale factory have been complaining about this pungent smell coming from this facility during the sauce making process. The company figured out exactly how to squelch the odor. It sued the company, claiming the spicy scent is a public nuisance after people there said they were suffering from burning eyes and throats.

We have all been waiting a long, long time for this. The FAA, Federal Aviation Administration finally loosening the rules on the electronic gadgets we all bring on planes. Here is the part of the official announcement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL HUERTA, FAA ADMINISTRATOR: I am pleased to announce that airlines can safely expand passenger use of portable electronic devices during all phases of flight. Today, the FAA is providing the airlines with the implementation guidance to do just that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: But don't break out your smartphones just yet. Chris Lawrence is there at Reagan National Airport. Chris, you were there when the FAA made the announcement. When, exactly, when does this go into effect? CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, certain airlines, Delta, JetBlue have already filed papers with the FAA saying they're ready to go and their fleet is already compliant. Delta is saying they could be ready to go with these changes tomorrow. More realistically, the FAA is going to take some time to make sure all of these jets in question are really resistant to any sort of interference that the electronics may give off.

But you may start to see a lot of these changes in some of the flights by the time you're taking your holiday travel in just a couple months from now before the end of the year. That doesn't mean there aren't some concerns. Some pilots have said this was a dumb rule to begin with that it didn't make any sense to make people turn these off. A pilots union said they still all have some real concerns and said it should not be left up to the actual flier when to know when to turn it off.

BALDWIN: So give me the straight scoop because I have a lot of gadgets I like to bring on planes. What can I and cannot use when I'm taking off or landing?

LAWRENCE: Taxi, takeoff and landing, all through the flight you can take your iPhone and play games and read your novel on your Kindle. You can watch a movie on your iPad. Anything that they consider light electronics, you're going to be able to keep in your lap and use the whole way through. You're not going to have to turn them off any more.

Now you still can't activate your cellular service. That is supposed to be turned off. Not going to be allowed to make any phone calls while the plane is flying. But, again, for a lot of people who wanted to get a jump on their novel and pass that time while they're sitting on the runway for a long time, you know, wanted to finish the watching the movie when that announcement comes on.

BALDWIN: So annoying when they make you turn it off. OK, Chris Lawrence in Washington. Thank you very much.

Senate admitted breaking company rules so who would hire former NSA leaker Edward Snowden. Well, a major web site in Russia, this is according to his attorney. Snowden is wanted by the U.S. on espionage and theft charges, but has been granted asylum in Russia. Snowden's lawyer will not reveal the name of the company, but says Snowden will perform maintenance of the web site and his first day on the job, tomorrow.

From recovery to resilience, this is bigger than sports, this is bigger than baseball. After rallying Boston in the wake of the marathon bombing tragedy, what a night, the Red Sox clinch a World Series at home for the first time in nearly 100 years. Bean town's heart warming co comeback is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: OK, I'm going to lower my journalistic guard just for a quick moment here and I have to confess upfront to all of you, last night I got a little misty eyed at this, the Red Sox, my adopted home team in my hometown penning the final chapter in a heart wrenching story of loss, faith and redemption. I tell you nothing says it better than this.

Look at this. These Sox fans on their hands and knees making and marking last night's World Series triumph at the spot on Boylston Street where the Boston marathon bombs exploded on April 15th. So we're going to begin here with John Berman at another touch of hallowed ground, Boston's Fenway Park. Hi, John.

JOHN BERMAN, CO-ANCHOR, CNN'S "EARLY START": You can see the evidence of the celebration behind me and some beer cans and cups strewn and 38,000 fans inside the stadium and 25 players, some of the Red Sox, but it wasn't just what went on in here, but what went on everywhere outside the stadium. These streets were packed with fans. People poured on to the street just so thrilled to be able to share it with one another.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think this is what Boston Strong means.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nothing defines this moment right here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We won it here!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: This was the third title for the Boston Red Sox in the last nine years. This was the first time that actually won the World Series, clinched it at home at Fenway Park since 1918. It was the most dramatic reversal of fortune for a baseball team ever. They finished in last place last year and they went from worst to first.

This wasn't really even just about baseball. Of course, what matters so much more to this city is what has happened since April. That's when the marathon bombings happened in Boston and this city rallied behind the Red Sox. The Red Sox rallied behind this city and together they really went through this remarkable journey. You know, it was the Red Sox who opened their doors at Fenway Park.

The day after the marathon bombers were caught. They came from behind. They won. They hung the Boston Strong shirt in their dugout that symbolized this team and symbolized the city ever since. I think the most poignant picture from last night wasn't even here at Fenway Park. It was at the finish line of the Boston marathon on Boylston Street where people were bending down and kissing that yellow line. It's so joyful, so wonderful to see. You know, I love that dirty water, Brooke Baldwin. That's all I can say.

BALDWIN: Love that song, love that dirty water as well, Berman. Thank you very much from Fenway. Clearly, Berman is a fan and I am, as well. You know, a couple days ago, I tried to get Koji on the bull pen phone right before game two and instead I got some guy with a beard. Go figure. How gratifying is it? I mean, how gratifying is it? That today when we talk about Boston, we can smile. A 199 days that is how long since April 15th the day those two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston marathon leaving three people dead and more than 250 wounded.

I have spent weeks in Boston ever since covering the tragedies aftermath and I, like so many others, have just marvelled at this city's singular brand of strength.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHARLES BUCHANAN, BOSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT: It's the worst day of my career. I saw a little girl that another guy grabbed. Her leg was severed on the right leg and behind her was a little person that was this little boy that they talked about. His name was Martin and we put a sheet over him just out of respect for him. I still see that little boy. I know people that know this little boy. He is the Boston resident. All right, he doesn't live far from this firehouse.

LIZ NOFTLE, DEPUTY ART DIRECTOR, "BOSTON" MAGAZINE: OK, what can we do to really honor everyone that had to go through this? The running shoes just to honor the runners in the event and the heart to show our support for the community and our love for everyone here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Celebrating the city and the pride of the city and hopefully making something good out of a bad event.

BALDWIN: We go from tragedy six months ago to now and a lot of smiles on people's faces around Fenway Park. What has this team done to this city?

CARLOS ARBEGONDO, FIRST RESPONDER: All of us right now, you know, Boston Strong and this organization, the Red Sox have been amazing for all of us and surviving the first responders in the city itself, you know.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: After the bombing, the Sox were on the road in Cleveland and they decided together that in that dugout they wanted to hang this away jersey as a way to show solidarity for the events back home. You can see it has the Boston area code 617 showing this team, too, is Boston strong.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: A woman opens her front door and what greeted her is unthinkable. Inside a backpack on this door step, she found her husband's decapitated head. His eyes gouged out. His tongued removed. This happened in Sao Paulo, Brazil, which is one of the host cities for next year's World Cup.

Joining me now Lynn Berry, anchor at HLN, gruesome all the way around, first and foremost. So, here is his head, where is the rest of his body? LYNN BERRY, HLN ANCHOR: Well, police don't know yet. We're talking about, Joao Rodrigo Silva Santos. So his wife finds his head on her doorstep, unimaginable in of itself. The police the next day find a body in a river nearby the city. They are doing DNA testing to see if it is a match. But the question here is why.

BALDWIN: Right.

BERRY: Police don't know the answer to that yet. He actually retired from soccer. He opened up a health food store. He was supposed to be coming home from that on Monday. He never arrived home. His wife reported him missing and the next day she finds his head on her front doorstep. He didn't have any enemies and looking at two things, a Facebook photo of catching shoplifters from his store.

And also his wife was working for the police in a shanty town of Rio and while she wasn't a police woman, she was a social worker. They are looking for any possible connection, could this be drug/gang related. They have some eyewitnesses. They're talking to them as well. But they are really looking at this as a manhunt of a particular gruesome nature because his eyes were gouged out, his tongue was gouged out. This was personal. This was personal and they just don't know why yet.

BALDWIN: OK, Lynn Berry, thank you, very gruesome, cannot underscore that enough.

Coming up here, more breaking news involving the mysterious death of that teenager found inside that high school gym mat. His body has been exhumed. It was found stuffed with newspaper and now we have learned this afternoon that the Justice Department revealing it will reopen the investigation, but what might they find? We have new video of his final moments.

Plus, 20 years ago today, River Phoenix died in a nightclub. And coming up next, we're giving you a new look inside The Viper Room.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: The death of Oscar winning actor, River Phoenix, inside Hollywood's famed Viper Room was tragically untimely and equally just devastating to the industry and to his fans. Can you believe it's the 20th anniversary of his passing? We wanted to look back at that haunting night outside the club where the 23-year-old collapsed from a drug overdose.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tragic news from the world of show business.

GAVIN EDWARDS, AUTHOR/JOURNALIST: One of Hollywood's young and upcoming actors is dead tonight. The 23-year-old film star River Phoenix died early this morning. It's the early morning, Halloween, 1993. River Phoenix is at The Viper Room with his brother, sister and girlfriend. He takes heroin and cocaine together.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Phoenix collapsed outside of a nightclub early Sunday morning.

EDWARDS: River comes out of this door and pretty soon, as soon as he gets out, he collapses here on the sidewalk outside on the viper room. His sister is laying down on him trying to stop him, goes to a pay phone and calls 911 and he's panicked.

JOAQUIN PHOENIX, ACTOR: I'm sorry, it's my brother.

EDWARDS: Johnny Depp stepped out and saw what happened. Christina Applegate burst into tears. The band came out and ended up riding in the ambulance to the hospital.

FLEA, FRIEND OF RIVER PHOENIX: I really, really love River and really am grateful that he existed when he did, beautiful, beautiful person. One of the nicest people I knew in my life.

EDWARDS: Something special about River Phoenix that people responded to.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Like God gave you something, man. All those stories you can make up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's got the gift.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're seeing something really luminous.

EDWARDS: Still casts a big shadow over Hollywood that comes after that. In some cases, an inspiration to other actors who made the unconventional choices and you can see his shadow on other actor's career. I always think of Leonardo Decaprio. We never know how much we lost. It seems entirely likely that River Phoenix will be one of our leading actors.

(END VIDEOTAPE)