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Chaos Inside Los Angeles Airport; Official: LAX Gunman had Anti-TSA Rant; Boston Celebrates World Series Win; Profiling the Suspected Shooter; Boston Red Sox Inspired by Bombing Survivors; Feds Investigate Teen's Mysterious Death; Feds Investigate Teen's Mysterious Death; FBI Investigating Shooting At LAX; Fans Line Streets For Red Sox Parade; Examining What Obama Knew; Judge: Smelly Sauce Making OK For Now; Sandy Victim Set To Run New York Marathon; The "Singing Astronaut" Offers Advice

Aired November 02, 2013 - 11:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you so much, everyone, for joining us. We're in the 11:00 a.m. hour here in the NEWSROOM. It starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's sheer and utter mayhem. I mean people are tripping over each other on the floor, bags everywhere, crying.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A shooter opens fire at LAX one TSA officer is dead, several others hurt. We're digging to find new details about the suspect and what his real goal may have been.

And new hope this morning for a family of a teenager found dead inside a gym mat. The FBI is now investigating whether Kendrick Johnson was murdered, or if it was a tragic accident.

And the turnout strong in Boston; thousands are packing the streets for parades celebrating the world champion Red Sox.

A disturbing picture is coming together of the man who burst into the Los Angeles airport, shooting several TSA officers, and killing one. The FBI says he is Paul Anthony Ciancia and he was carrying materials, including an anti-TSA rant and a reference to a New World Order, according to a federal law enforcement official. When shots were fired, people in Terminal 3 ran for their lives yesterday. Cell phone video obtained by TMZ shows the chaos as officers yelled at people to get down.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Clear? On the floor. On the floor. On the floor now. On the floor.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Clear out. Clear out. Clear out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On the floor. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on, you guys.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go, go. Go, go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is crazy, dawg.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And there you see, without hesitation, people taking off, running for their lives in Terminal 3 at LAX -- that scene stunning and terrifying. Police shot the suspect several times in the chest, according to an intelligence source. Our affiliate KCAL and KCBS got this exclusive video and it's reporting that it appears to show the suspect handcuffed to a stretcher.

CNN, of course, cannot independently confirm who that person is, investigators say the suspected shooter lived in L.A. but was from New Jersey.

Chris Lawrence is in Pennsville where the suspect's family lives. So Chris, what has been going on outside the home?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well Fred, the police have been posted outside the home since yesterday. The family was inside since then talking with officers -- a lot of confusion over why this happened. Probably asking a lot of the same questions about what if any, signals were there.

The police are telling -- or I should say, the family is telling police they didn't see any. They say they did not know that Paul Ciancia had a rifle. They say there was no history of mental illness. They say Paul was back here over the summer for a wedding, and at that time, everything seemed relatively normal.

I talked to a friend of his who said he doesn't remember any sort of radical thoughts or ideas, anything like that, hearing anything like that expressed. The family says the first sort of indication they got that something was wrong were these text messages that he started sending to his brother.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF ALLEN CUMMINGS, PENNSVILLE, NJ, POLICE DEPARTMENT: Basically the text message was to the little brother, and the way it was written, he had some concern about it, and that's when they brought it to our attention.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAWRENCE: Yes, those text messages were said to be angry, rambling, alarming -- something that maybe indicated that Paul Ciancia might try to harm himself. When the family got those messages, they called the local police here, who then got on the phone with the LAPD to say, look, go check it out, make sure he's ok.

The LAPD went to his apartment. They found his roommates, but he was already gone. The roommate said look we saw him last night he seemed fine, but at that point, at that hour, Paul Ciancia had already left and gone to LAX -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thank you so much, Chris Lawrence, for that reporting we'll check back with you throughout the morning and afternoon.

So back in Los Angeles, people are mourning the death of TSA Officer Gerardo Hernandez. Today, airport police are wearing black bands in his honor, and they will wear them until he is laid to rest.

Dan Simon is live for us right now in Los Angeles. So Dan, we know most of Terminal 3 still closed this morning. What is the latest on the investigation?

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, regarding Terminal 3, we don't know when it's going to reopen. Of course, you have a lot of passengers who want to go into the terminal and retrieve their belongs when this happened, people just sort of dropped everything, hit the exits and left their stuff. And they're eager to go retrieve it. And the FBI says they're still investigating at this point Terminal 3 is off-limits to the public.

In terms of the investigation, Fredricka, we know that this is somebody, according to sources, who espoused anti-government views. He made reference to the quote, unquote "New World Order" rambling that he allegedly had on him. But this is somebody who clearly had anger directed towards TSA agents.

In terms of the chronology, Fredricka it's pretty well-understood what happened. He came into the terminal, 9:20 a.m. yesterday, encountered two TSA agents, shot both of them -- one of them killed, 39-year-old Gerardo -- Gerardo Hernandez, he is the first TSA agent to die in the line of duty since the TSA was formed back in 2001. He then makes his way over to the departure area, the main airport, if you will, and that's where you had many people run for their lives.

Take a listen to how one passenger described the scene.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA STARFIELD, WITNESS TO SHOOTING: It didn't sound like a pop. It sounded like a boom. And so at first, I couldn't tell if there was an accident or an explosion or what it was, before we had the chance to turn around we hear someone scream "gun," and security agents were screaming, "get down, get down, get down". People were crawling all over each other. And my glasses got knocked off somewhere in between, so I can't see much. I just held onto my husband's hand.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON: Well, in terms of the suspect, 23-year-old Paul Ciancia, we know that he took several rounds to the chest. At this point, we don't know his condition. We know he's in the hospital, and we don't know, Fredricka, whether or not authorities have been able to question him. Back to you. WHITFIELD: All right, Dan Simon, keep us posted. Thank you so much.

So from tragedy to triumph right now, let's go to Boston. The city there is ecstatic, celebrating the Red Sox World Series victory, but it's not just about baseball. It's also a sign of the city's resilience, six months after the terrorism attack at the Boston marathon. Alexandra Field is joining us live now from the parade.

So Alexandra, we know the parade is making its way past to that large crowds of people. In fact, right behind you right now. What great timing. Give us an idea of what this is doing to the city there. We can kind of see for ourselves, but talk to us.

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, I've got to admit, there's so much excitement here. I can't even hear what you're asking me, but I can tell you this. This is a tremendous celebration here in Boston. Look at the confetti raining down on us right now.

This is Boylston Street the eyes of the world were here last April when the marathon runners made their way over the finish line. The eyes of the world are back here today for what is truly a tremendous celebration. We'll give you a look out here right now. These are Boston's iconic duck boats making their way up Boylston. They've been carrying team members on them. They have whipped the crowd up into a frenzy. There are about a million people expected to be out here today, lining this parade route.

It started at Fenway this morning. The team had a private breakfast. They had some honored guest, including marathon bombing survivors with them. Some of those survivors were on board the duck boats as they came up Boylston today. The fans couldn't get enough of it, cheering for those survivors, cheering for the team that has brought home a World Series championship, and cheering for a city that has fought hard and come back in six months -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: And so, Alexandra, let's try it, maybe you can hear me now, since the crowd is noisy and boisterous at this exact minute, but when this parade route goes by that finish line of the marathon bombing, of the marathon what is expected to take place there, if anything?

FIELD: Fred, that finish line is just down Boylston Street this way. So those duck boats have already crossed over. What we were told what's happened though was a brief tribute, a moment of silence potentially, because the crowds are so loud and so enthusiastic here, we can't tell if that moment was observed. But we know that there was a plan to stop those boats as they approached the finish line and pay tribute, and pay honor to those people who were hurt at the finish line last April -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, fantastic. Many people really kind of finding that this is symbolic of the city. It really is a comeback for everyone. Thanks so much, Alexandra Field, appreciate that in Boston. Congrats to everybody, there.

All right. Let's go back out to the West Coast momentarily. The shooting at LAX has left a whole lot of questions. One of the biggest what might have triggered the suspected shooter to open fire inside a crowded airport? An FBI profiler joins us next to help us sort it all out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The shooting at Los Angeles International Airport caused delays for many passengers, not just at LAX, but really across the country. More than 1,500 flights were affected by that deadly shooting.

Nick Valencia is live for us right now at the world's busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson airport in Atlanta, so Nick are things getting back to normal so to speak across the board?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Relatively speaking, Fred, they are back to normal. Yesterday, in fact, we were here just in the hours after that shooting and airport police were quickly ushering those that were dropping family and friends off at the ticketing and check- in. This morning things are seemingly back to normal. Airport officials do tell us, though, that there is an uptick in security, especially those plane clothes officers who, even if we're not able to see it, they are here, and I'll let the cameraman here just pan a little bit. This is -- sort of a slower than average day. No major delays but passengers that we've spoken to in and around Hartsfield- Jackson International, some are more concerned than others.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've never put off by isolated random acts of violence, so I'm not worried in the slightest. I'm not nervous. Airport security, as far as I'm concerned, is top draw. All the checks you go through every time you get on a plane these days make it pretty difficult to be -- to be a terrorist or anything like that. So I'm -- I'm perfectly happy to put my faith in the security services at airports. I've had a lot of experience of them, and I never feel unsafe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: And just a quick note, Fredricka I just came back from the security checkpoint area. And it's taking about 15 minute for passengers to get through that security checkpoint. TSA officials tell me that's actually faster than normal -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Ok. Maybe everyone has kind of picked up the pace today then, I understand. Thanks so much, Nick.

All right. Investigators say suspected shooter, Paul Ciancia, had no history of mental illness, and his family didn't even know he owned a gun. So what might have triggered him to allegedly open fire inside a crowded airport in Los Angeles?

To help me get to the bottom of that, former FBI profiler Mary Ellen O'Toole. Good to see you.

MARY ELLEN O'TOOLE, FORMER FBI PROFILER: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: So in your experience, you know, what causes someone to just snap if that's, indeed, the case here?

O'TOOLE: I don't believe that he snapped whatsoever. And there's a difference between the triggering event and motivation. So the triggering event could have been something that occurred recently -- the loss of something, the loss of a job, the loss of a partner. It could be a little bit broader, and just angry at his life, the way it was going.

But the motivation would be long time in coming. That didn't just happen the other day. There are actually two different issues here that we're looking at. And his motivation would have been, from my experience, more of this kind of global view of the world, where the world is his enemy. It's not just TSA. It's not just the FBI or the IRS.

I think once the investigation is complete, they'll see a much more global view that he had of the world.

WHITFIELD: And it is early on in the investigation, because we heard from investigators that even family members, and our Chris Lawrence reported at the top of the hour, family members says that everything seemed normal. His interaction with them seemed pretty normal until recently when he sent some sort of text messages to his little brother, which family members say were alarming. But we don't know the exact content of that message, and we don't know, when we hear recently, just weeks ago, days ago, a matter of months ago.

How will investigators try to piece things together? I mean they clearly are more interested in the events that occurred. But how far back might they try to, you know, connect some dots about what warning signs there may have been, what may have been missed?

O'TOOLE: What they'll do is they'll look at the warning signs. And the signs, we call what happened yesterday in terms of those messages, leakage. And we know that leakage occurs in these kinds of cases, where the shooter will before the event, they'll tell somebody directly or indirectly what they plan to do. So they'll go back a period to pick up more warning signs. That's one of the phases.

But this attitude, this thinking, this world view about how to deal with one's problems and I'll pick up a gun, and that's the right thing to do, and that's how I'm going to handle it, those kinds of feelings and attitudes would probably have gone back years, and he may not have manifested them to people around him.

So they'll have to go back, actually, years to develop when this -- see when this kind of thinking really developed. But the warning signs, much more short term.

WHITFIELD: All right. Former FBI profiler Mary Ellen O'Toole, thanks so much for your time and insight this morning.

O'TOOLE: You're welcome. WHITFIELD: All right. Let's move on to Boston -- a whole lot of inspiration there. Hundreds of people are out for a parade, celebrating the Red Sox victory. But it's not just about that big win. People are also honoring the survivors and victims of the Boston marathon bombing. Sox star pitcher, Jon Lester, tells CNN how they actually inspired him.

That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: It is palpable. The excitement and relief of a Boston Red Sox World Series win just six months after the city endured tragedy. Right now, a boisterous parade still unfolding right now to the throngs of thousands out there on Boylston Street there in Boston. Some of the biggest names from the team had been using this moment of victory to speak out about how the Boston marathon bombings last April affected them, and how the survivors actually inspired them. Star pitcher Jon Lester talked to our Rachel Nichols about his motivation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RACHEL NICHOLS, CNN SPORTS: Every year, someone wins the World Series, but this year it felt like a whole city won it, and that's not just because this is Boston, the place where everyone's thrilled if the baby's first word is "Sox". But because in the wake of the horrific Boston marathon bombings that literally ripped the city apart, it was the Red Sox that gave people something to rally around, gave them a place to gather and cheer and hug.

This season, Fenway wasn't just a ballpark. It was a grassy runway for the wounded to strut, some on their prosthetic legs, to show the world that they might have been knocked down maybe, but they weren't knocked out. I spoke to Red Sox ace, Jon Lester, the day after the team won the World Series, and he explained how the survivors had become the team's inspiration.

JON LESTER, BOSTON RED SOX: I think it kind -- it motivates you a little bit, you know, as far as, you know, those days that you're kind of struggling. You know, you have days where, you know, you go out, and you pitch, and you feel lethargic or whatever. You just -- it's grind of the season.

And I think when you're walking in from the bull pen, and those guys are coming by, it's, like, ok, it doesn't matter. I've got to find a way, you know? These guys are in wheelchairs right now. I mean, they've lived half their life walking, and all of a sudden in one day, in one second, they're in a wheelchair. And it's, like, hey, it does put -- it goes back to the woe is me, it doesn't matter how I feel, I need to go out there and compete for these guys.

NICHOLS: You know, the words "Boston Strong" were etched into center field at Fenway for a reason. It's not just the slogan, it's the heart -- well, the center -- of how this community chose to define itself in the wake of the bombings. They're not victims, they're survivors. The fans, the players, the city, they felt like they won the World Series together, and they're celebrating now big time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Thank you so much, Rachel Nichols.

And of course, more images here of that Boston strong feeling with this parade taking place right there in the center in the heart of the Boston area. And what a beautiful aerial shot right there, we're watching the parade. And it does involve Red Sox players and, of course, many of the survivors of that tragedy six months ago at the end of the Boston marathon.

All right. Something else we continue to watch this weekend. CNN's push for answers, and this week, major developments in the case of a teenager found dead inside a gym mat at his high school. Was Kendrick Johnson's death an accident or murder? The feds are investigating.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back to the NEWSROOM.

Major developments in a case that CNN has been digging into for more than six months now -- a U.S. attorney announced this week that he will launch a federal investigation into the death of 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson. Johnson was found dead inside a rolled-up gym mat at his high school in Valdosta, Georgia in January. Officials said Johnson suffocated after falling into the gym mat while reaching for a shoe. But his parents believe he was murdered. Now, at the request of their lawyers, federal prosecutors are stepping in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL MOORE, U.S. ATTORNEY: At this time, however, I am of the opinion that a basis exists for my office to conduct a formal review of the facts and investigations surrounding the death of Kendrick Johnson. I do this with an open mind, neither accepting nor rejecting the opinions of anyone who has previously investigated the circumstances of his death.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Victor Blackwell is joining me now. So, Victor, what happens now? Will federal investigators take over the case or re-evaluate what state and local authorities have done?

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. There's a combination. Michael Moore, the U.S. attorney you just heard from, he is going to do both a review and an investigation. He says that he's going to go, and with the FBI, with him, go back to Valdosta, both to review the case that was completed by the Lowndes County Sheriff's Office, but in many ways, this is going to be treated like a cold case.

I had a conversation with a former special FBI agent, who says the agents will go there and create some of the file of their own. They're going to interview some of the students who were there that day. They're going to talk to the pathologist and the state medical examiner themselves. So parallel, they're going to review what's happened, but also they're going to create their own investigation and their own investigative file.

WHITFIELD: So what we're looking at is videotape, fairly recently released videotape that shows now this young man, Kendrick Johnson, walked into the gym. You see that there are other folks playing in the gym. Clearly, people were interviewed from local authorities, were they not? I mean, what would be different here? How would the stories change? Or was it the case that there weren't enough interviews to correspond with the number of people that were in this gym, the lapse of time between when you see these people to the discovery of this young man?

BLACKWELL: Well, let's talk about the video we're watching right here, because if you look at it, there's what we call in this industry, a jump cut. You see players there on the -- on the basketball court, their faces are blurred, because they're minors. We've made that choice at CNN. And then, they're gone. You see Kendrick run in.

What we don't know is the time between that basketball game and his running in. We know his running in was about 1:09 p.m. now, the family will say they're happy that the FBI's coming in to do this investigation, because they believe there was a cover-up to protect either the people responsible or whomever those people are connected to. So they don't believe that everyone who should have been spoken with was. Much like they don't believe all of the evidence was not collected --

WHITFIELD: They believe intentionally omissions.

BLACKWELL: Omitting these things intentionally, and then not the proper analysis of what they had once they collected it.

WHITFIELD: Very good. Keep us posted. Again, you mentioned the federal investigation on the case itself, and an investigation that also is looking into those who have investigated this case thus far.

BLACKWELL: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: Victor Blackwell, thanks so much. Appreciate it. We'll see you throughout the afternoon.

BLACKWELL: Sure.

WHITFIELD: All right, another major investigation still underway, this time, involving LAX after what happened yesterday, that deadly shooting. We have the latest from the airport on what is opened at that airport and what remains closed today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Here are five things crossing the CNN news desk right now. Number one, passenger luggage is still in Terminal 3 at LAX after people dropped everything and ran during a shooting yesterday. A tweet from the airport today says passengers can get luggage left behind in other terminals, but not from Terminal 3 just yet, where the shooting took place.

The ticket counter in Terminal 3 was reopened today, but no flights are leaving from there. Yesterday, a gunman opened fire at a security checkpoint, killing one TSA officer.

And number two -- it's a sea of red today throughout the city of Boston. Fans are ling the streets right now, still celebrating the Red Sox's latest World Series championship. The parade is slowly making its way from Fenway Park across the Boston marathon finish line, which it did moments ago, but continues on Boylston Street and ending at the Charles River.

And number three, the way your dog wags his tail. It actually means something in kind of doggie language. A new study says if the tail is wagged towards the right side of the dog's body, that he's happy. However, if the tail wags toward the left side, it often means that he's upset or anxious, and we figure you needed to know that to talk to your dog today.

Number four, Mexico is trying to solve its obesity problem by applying an 8 percent tax on high-calorie food. Mexican legislators have given the go-ahead to the tax measure, and it now awaits the president's signature. The country is currently ranked number one in a global ranking of obese population.

And speaking of obesity, and maybe having a little too much Mac and Cheese can get you there. Guess what? Kraft's Mac and Cheese will actually be getting healthier. The company is making it more nutritious by adding more whole grains to the macaroni and removing the saturated fats from sodium and artificial food dyes. The revamped recipe will hit store shelves next year.

All right, the makers of a popular hot sauce are in hot water with their neighbors. Residents say fumes from the chili sauce are making their throats burn and their eyes water, and they want it stopped. Straight ahead, our legal guys will weigh in on the spicy legal battle.

And in this week's "PARTS UNKNOWN," Anthony Bourdain travels to Tokyo. He says visiting the city changes the way you see in the world, and after dark, it gets a little wild, especially if you have jet lag.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY BOURDAIN, HOST, CNN'S "PARTS UNKNOWN": Welcome to Tokyo. You are not invited. This is the other Tokyo, 12-hour flight, and I'm baked. No sleep, might as well -- must -- go out. The Cabodicha District is where the subterranean life, the repressed males and females, too, come out to play. And joining me is Japanese film producer and production manager, Masa Kukobo, and always a good sign when protected chains separate the entertainers from the soon-to-be entertained, right? Prepare yourself for the greatest show in the history of entertainment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Whoa and I thought I saw Tokyo, maybe not. Anthony Burdain will reveal much more.

All right, and more soothing sounds of Tokyo with Anthony Bourdain, tomorrow, Sunday, 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The first question is, often, what did the president know and when did he know it? Well, recently, the White House has said the president -- President Obama didn't know about the IRS targeting Tea Party groups, that he was out of the loop on NSA eavesdropping, and the latest episode, not knowing about the technical problems plaguing the Obamacare web site before its October 1 launch date.

So is the president being shielded by his own staff? Let's bring in presidential historian, Allan Lichtman, a professor at American University. Professor Lichtman, good to see you.

ALLAN LICHTMAN, PROFESSOR OF HISTORY, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY: Same here.

WHITFIELD: So is this customary that the president may not know everything?

LICHTMAN: Of course, the president doesn't know everything. But it's also customary to have plausible denial when things go wrong to say the president didn't know it. As a political historian, my opinion is always that the president knows regardless of what his aides may say. And Barack Obama is a hands-on president. He has his fingers in every pie. Of course, he knew about these things. He might not have known the fine detail, but I firmly believe he knew the broad outlines --

WHITFIELD: But if the president knows stuff, then the president runs a great risk -- his credibility, everything is on the line by his spokesperson, staffers saying he didn't know if, indeed, he really did know. Why take that kind of risk?

LICHTMAN: Well, you know -- well, you know, because they learn nothing from history. They keep making this mistake of covering up and covering up. How many times have we seen that? Even in much bigger issues than the ones we're facing today. Barack Obama, you know, at one time, was a fresh, exciting, creative personality. I think what's happened to him is he's fallen victim to the Washington bubble. He's got caught up with the hucksters, the handlers, the pollsters.

WHITFIELD: That is inevitable in your view?

LICHTMAN: It's almost inevitable. It happens to virtually every president, and it's happened to Obama. And, you know, he's still got time. He needs to escape that, and be the exciting Barack Obama of a few years ago. Otherwise, the second term is going to be wasted.

WHITFIELD: Well, this week, perhaps you even caught it, former chief of staff Rahm Emanuel defended the president, which he's known him for years, during that interview with Jake Tapper. Listen to what was said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, HOST, CNN'S "THE LEAD": There've been criticisms of him as disengaged. Do you --

MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL (D), CHICAGO: That is the furthest from the truth about the president. I used to see him every morning -- I used to see him every morning, three four times during the day, and every evening before we went out. When I saw him every morning, he had read all the material presented to him by everybody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: OK. So he says, you know, he is not one in the dark. He is exactly as you described who he is, hands-on all the time.

LICHTMAN: That's right. I don't think the issue is disengagement. The issue is much bigger things for this president. Number one, the vision has kind of been lost and that's what the consultants and the pollsters do to you. They always tell you, don't take risks. Don't do the big picture. Do the small picture.

And secondly, he hasn't been in control of the message. You know, at one point, he was really a great communicator in his own way, rivalling Ronald Reagan, and again, that seems to be lost, because when you get in the bubble, those folks pull you down to the lowest common denominator.

They used to say, let Reagan be Reagan. My gosh, for the remainder of this second term, Obama needs to be Obama, and get rid of all of those hucksters who have bedevilled his presidency.

WHITFIELD: Wow. We'll have to leave it right there. American University Professor Allan Lichtman, thank you so much. Perhaps the White House was listening to you.

LICHTMAN: Let's hope.

WHITFIELD: All right, thank you so much.

All right, a spat between a Southern California hot sauce plant and its neighbors is getting even hotter. This week, a judge refused to halt production of the company's wildly popular chili sauce. People living near the factory have been complaining about the pungent smell coming from the facility. Miguel Marquez has more on this spicy controversy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Call it chili-gate 2013. Sriracha hot sauce, it's tail-tail green top and rooster on the bottle is in the hot seat, complains the smell emanating from its new plant in east Los Angeles is making people sick.

CELESTE GAMEZ, ALLERGIC TO PEPPERS: It smells more like pepper. It's very like stinging.

MARQUEZ: Celeste Gamez, a college freshman who lives in the shadow of the plant says the chili makes her sneeze and her throat soar. Others have complained at the city of Irwindale of headaches and difficulty breathing, the city now filing injunction to force the plant to either fix the problem or shut down.

DAVID TRAN, OWNER, HUY FONG FOODS INC.: It seems like they're not happy to me.

MARQUEZ: David Tran is the Vietnamese immigrant who turned the mix of red jalapeno peppers, garlic, salt and vinegar into a multi-million dollar global brand. He says the plant which was chosen to be built here by the city of Irwindale cost $40 million and has state-of-the- art filters, even taking the media to the roof to prove it.

At fault its harvest and chili grinding time, truckload after truckload of the hot peppers brought in over a three-month period. In the last week, the Air Quality Department has logged 11 complaints. It sent an inspector finding no smells and no violations at the plant.

While the Sriracha might looks hotter than Haitis, it's nowhere near. Rating only about 2,000 points on the Scoville scale that's about half where Tabasco sauce is and nowhere near the hottest chilis in the world.

Here's a man eating one of the hottest chilis, Sriracha's jalapeno nowhere near that hot and the new plant has brought needed jobs to the area even those who suffer agreed.

GAMEZ: If it's possible to fix the problem that would be best because even one of my friends recently got a job there.

MARQUEZ: How hot is too hot? Now in the hands of a judge. Miguel Marquez, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, some spicy stuff there. Guess what? Some 50,000 runners will be taking to the streets of the New York City marathon for the annual big event. The race was canceled if you recall last year after Superstorm Sandy hit. Karina Christianson will be among the runners, much of her Long Island hometown was damaged by the storm and for her tomorrow's run is part of her own American journey. Here's Tom Foreman.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On the streets of Baltimore, Karina Christianson spent months preparing for the New York City marathon. Adding up the miles and pushing down the memories on what happened to her hometown.

KARINA CHRISTIANSEN, RUNNER: I had cousins in Long Island with 4 feet of water. FOREMAN: Last year when Sandy washed over the city, it swept away the great race. City officials tried to run it as scheduled, but the massive property loss and human suffering proved too much.

MARY WITTENBERG, CEO, NEW YORK ROAD RUNNERS: The best way to help New York City at this time is to say we will not conduct the 2012 ING New York City Marathon.

FOREMAN: Now its return is heralded as symbolic of the city, back are 48,000 runners pouring more than $300 million into the economy. Back are the elite athletes like this Olympian Meb Keflezighi. In 2009 he was the first American to win New York in more than two decades and brought some perspective.

MEB KEFLEZIGHI, RUNNER: Winning is not about first place or getting the best out of yourself.

FOREMAN: Back too are the millions raised for charity. Even with the cancelation last year, runners raised more than $30 million for groups like "Back on My Feet," which helps the homeless. Karina is running for them.

CHRISTIANSON: It shows the spirit of the marathon. It's incredible what people can overcome.

FOREMAN: In short, that's what the marathon's return is all about, a whole city overcoming the worst and getting back to its best, one step at a time. Tom Foreman, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And he is an astronaut who reached new heights with the music video. That was out of this world, the so-called singing astronaut joining me live to talk about the newfound fame and life in outer space, and of course, back on earth.

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WHITFIELD: This week on the "Science Behind," we take a look at Chris Hadfield's explorations in space. The former NASA astronaut has been on three missions, including one as the commander of the International Space Station, that lasted 144 days. That's where he earned the nickname, "The Singing Astronaut," for this performance from space.

That's fun. The video went viral, of course, getting more than 18 million views, and making Hadfield a bit of a star among his astronauts and everybody else, too. Now he's written a book called an "Astronaut's Guide To Life On Earth." Commander Chris Hadfield joining me now from Washington. Good to see you, Commander.

CHRIS HADFIELD, FORMER NASA ASTRONAUT: Nice to see you, Fredricka, thanks.

WHITFIELD: So what is the lessons space taught you about how to better live life on earth? HADFIELD: You know, we do one of the most dangerous things that anybody faces, and that is riding up an elevator, crawling in on your hands and knees, and riding a rocket to space. And the real lesson from that is how do you prepare for something that is inherently terrifying? How do you get yourself ready? Because a lot of things scare people, and people are a little bit paralyzed by fear, but how do you break things down? How do you learn the lessons in advance? How do you sweat the small stuff? Every little bit.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

HADFIELD: So that when something really terrifying is happening, you're not panicked and waving your arms around, but, in fact, you are focused, you take all of the right actions, and you know how to make something successful. And that was part of -- one of the things I learned as an astronaut, and part of the reasons for writing the book.

WHITFIELD: That's incredible because fear is usually the thing that stands in the way of somebody reaching for their dreams. You had your aspirations of going to space. You probably weren't thinking about all of the inherent dangers, were you? You were thinking about the goal, which is, you know, the fascination of space exploration? How did you get past -- or not even look at, or perhaps overlook -- the fears?

HADFIELD: It comes --

WHITFIELD: The dangers, I should say.

HADFIELD: It comes through visualization and preparation, you know? Not just hoping things won't happen. But actually it's visualizing disaster on a regular basis, it sounds good, but it's not. We're in the business of visualizing disaster, getting the people around that can really talk your way through it, think about it, and develop a set of rules and personal behaviors. So then, actually, when things go badly, you don't get that horrible rising feeling --

WHITFIELD: Panic.

HADFIELD: -- and, in fact, you feel calm. It actually makes us optimistic. It makes me optimistic.

WHITFIELD: How inspirational. Let's talk about quickly -- maybe not quickly -- your video, the rendition of "Space Oddity." your sun tweaked the lyrics for you. Were you immediately on board with this or did you --

HADFIELD: No.

WHITFIELD: Were you talked into it?

HADFIELD: Well, tell me, someone asked you to sing "Space Oddity" while you're up there commanding a space station --

WHITFIELD: I don't know. HADFIELD: -- yes, he had to talk me into it. You know, originally, the astronaut dies at the end of the song. He rewrote the lyrics. I liked how my voice sounded on top. I got them to help me with the -- and it really came out bigger and better than I thought it would.

And the video, I think, really, Fredricka, the video links sort of fantasy and art with reality of what the space station actually is, and that -- that's why 18, 19 million people found it interesting, I think, because it actually, it shows that the space station is more than just a laboratory, but kind of a stage for interesting human culture.

WHITFIELD: Among those who found it fascinating, I understand, David Bowie. Did you hear about his response?

HADFIELD: I heard recently that he said it was, like, you know, the best rendition of the song ever, which is pretty high praise.

WHITFIELD: Wow! That's pretty high praise.

HADFIELD: It is.

WHITFIELD: Well, that's very appropriate for somebody who is, you know, out of this world such as yourself. Commander Chris Hadfield, thank you so much. Appreciate it, and thanks for sharing, I guess, the exploration, the fascination of space, and at the same time, you know, bringing that entertainment value because you've inspired clearly a whole lot of people now. Appreciate your time.

HADFIELD: Thanks very much. It was nice writing the book, I appreciate it.

WHITFIELD: All right.