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Recreational Pot Legal in Colorado Starting January 1st; Heartbreaking Moments from 2013; Top 10 Stories of 2013; Obama's Favorite Shows; "GMA's" Robin Roberts Reveals Her Homosexuality; Cave Diving - the Allure and Dangers
Aired December 30, 2013 - 15:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He's joining a handful of business owners receiving Denver's first licenses to sell marijuana for recreational use starting January 1st.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's information that needs to go to every customer that comes in and buys (inaudible) marijuana, right?
All right.
TIM CULLEN, EVERGREEN APOTHECARY: Thanks, Jenny (ph). Appreciate it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Congratulations. Have a nice year.
WIAN: At Cullen's medical marijuana store employees scramble to get ready.
Pot retailers must navigate so many regulations, only 14 of about 250 medical marijuana businesses in Denver have received one of these, a license to sell to anyone over 21.
There are multiple inspections, packaging requirements, and, in some cases, new construction.
ANDY WILLIAMS, PRESIDENT, MEDICINE MAN: We're building an absolutely impressive showcase for the world to see that this is an industry. This is not an underground business.
WIAN: At Medicine Man, all the pot sold is grown onsite.
WILLIAMS: Customers don't want it really leafy. They like it nice, tight and dense.
WIAN: It's hiring 25 new employees.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just get some of this and smoke it in small quantities.
WIAN: And installing new equipment.
WILLIAMS: We have to tag all these plants with an RFID tag, radio frequency identification, and so it's another inventory control that we have to implement here. This is a light tight, airtight container. And this is our San Fernando Valley O.G. Cush and the smell will probably hit you from there.
WIAN: There's a little bit of a sour milky smell to it. Am I wrong?
WILLIAMS: No. Some people like stuff that is really stinky.
WIAN: Each of these container holds about $7,500 worth of marijuana, so it's no wonder Medicine Man has an armed former army ranger guarding the front door.
WILLIAMS: I think next year we're going to have about two to two and a half times more business than this year.
WIAN: WeedMaps, a Yelp-like service for marijuana retailers predicts prices will spike.
AARON HOUSTON, STRATEGIST, GHOST GROUP: Demand is going to be very high on day one. With a potential shortage of supply, prices will go up.
WIAN: Lines are expected outside pot stores January 1st.
CULLEN: We're going to have cookies and coffee set out.
WIAN: Are those cookies going to be laced with anything?
CULLEN: Absolutely not. No, no. My parents volunteered to come down and hand out cookies and coffee.
WIAN: No one is expecting a marijuana Mardi Gras.
MICHAEL ELLIOTT, MEDICAL MARIJUANA INDUSTRY GROUP: It's still illegal to drive impaired, to take the product out of state, to resell to anybody, to give it to someone under 21 or to consume publicly.
WIAN: The city says it's prepared.
ASHLEY KILROY, DENVER MARIJUANA POLICY DIRECTOR: We haven't seen a negative impact from 10 years of medical marijuana, and we don't expect to see that with retail marijuana.
WIAN: Statewide, about $300 million worth of medical marijuana was sold in 2013.
The industry expects sales to more than double next year.
Casey Wian, CNN, Denver.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: And this year, think about it, 2013, think of just the stories that unfolded throughout the course of this past 12 months.
You had natural disasters, manmade tragedy. I was out on the road a lot and covered a number of them.
I will never forget my interview with a limo driver who watched his car turn into an inferno, I talked to a Boston marathoner who ran toward the blast on Boylston Street, and in Oklahoma, I met this father who lost a lot of things in the tornado but not his perspective.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: What is the one image, Ricky, that when you close your eyes, you can't stop seeing?
ORVILLE BROWN, LIMOUSINE DRIVER: Just everything. Not just -- there's not just one image.
It's a lot of different images, a lot of different images, the fire, us on the bridge screaming, them getting into the cars. Not one image, it's a lot of things.
CHARLES BUCHANAN, JR., FIREFIGHTER: The only thing that I could see and see to this day are her little eyes looking up at me. That's it, all right?
And me thinking, I'm thinking about my own grandson, Malachi, and my Malachi is the same age as this young girl, who was 6-years-old, who is -- the first thing you did was give me a big hug when I went home.
So -- and Malachi is named in the Bible as the messenger of God.
JACKIE SING, HOMETOWN STRUCK BY TORNADO: Sorry.
BALDWIN: Don't apologize. Don't apologize.
SING: It's been a roller coaster, the past 72 hours.
Walking through our house, the past couple days makes us realize what's valuable and what's replaceable.
I think we can put everything in our lives in a bucket. That's all we have to carry out.
I have my wife and my kids. That's all I care about. All this other stuff is just stuff.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Just stuff, Jackie Sing, I will never forget you. So many people I've met, being out this year.
And, so, we asked you to vote on the biggest stories of 2013. Did those three make the list?
Alina Machado is here with more on what a year it's been.
ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Quite the year, and it's surprising that not all of those stories made it on the list. Just one of them did.
We did ask viewers for three weeks to vote on the top 10 stories of 2013, and the results are in.
For number 10, you chose the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to strike down a key part of the defense of marriage act.
The 5-4 vote paved the way for same-sex couples who were legally married to receive the same federal benefits given to heterosexual couples.
You may remember Edith Windsor. She called the victory -- the ruling a victory. This is her in the red scarf outside the Supreme Court celebrating the decision.
Now, who can forget Amanda Berry's chilling call for help? The Cleveland "House of Horrors: comes in at viewers' number nine.
Berry, Gina Dejesus, and Michelle knight were rescued after being held in captivity if years.
Ariel Castro, the man behind the kidnappings and tortures was sentenced to life and later killed himself inside a prison cell.
His victims continue to heal. Their strength and courage continue to inspire us today.
BALDWIN: And we'll hear a little more from what went on from one of the survivors.
MACHADO: That's right. We do expect to see a book from Michelle Knight, the first woman who was kidnapped and the longest to be held at 11 years.
Prosecutors say Knight and her fellow captives each kept a diary during their ordeal.
Now, to number eight, as chosen by you, and the video says it all, these disturbing images of children in the aftermath of what appears to be a chemical weapons attack in Syria.
This year, the United Nations confirmed the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian civil war. The conflict began in March of 2011 and has claimed the lives of more than 100,000 people.
Typhoon Haiyan's sweep through the Philippines sits at number seven. The monster storm is one of the most powerful to hit land anywhere in the world, more than 6,000 dead, nearly 1,800 remain missing, and more than 27,000 injured, millions more left without a home.
And we head back to the U.S. for your number six, Obamacare. The rollout of President Obama's major initiative was plagued with criticism, following major problems with the program's Web site.
Brooke?
BALDWIN: And that is not over yet, that story --
MACHADO: That's right.
BALDWIN: -- and how it's percolated over the last couple months.
MACHADO: Yeah, that's a story that we will probably be hearing a lot more of, especially in 2014, a midterm election year.
You know that's probably going to factor into what happens when people head to the polls.
BALDWIN: Absolutely.
Coming up, we'll see the top five stories you voted on. Be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Before the break, we were looking at a list of the biggest stories of 2013, voted on by you, number one through five.
Next, Alina Machado in the studio with -- let's count them down -- number five.
MACHADO: Let's get right to the list. Again, this is as CNN.com voters rank them.
The federal government shutdown sits at number five. About 800,000 federal employees furloughed. More than a million others forced to work without knowing they would get paid.
The shutdown lasted for 16 days in October, the third-longest shutdown in U.S. history, and Standard & Poors says it took $24 billion out of the U.S. economy.
The high school dropout who worked his way into the most secretive computers in the U.S. intelligence as a defense contractor comes in at voter' number four.
Edward Snowden will go down in history as the man who spilled the details of the classified surveillance program.
He leaked documents that showed the NSA was bulk collecting phone records and e-mail and Internet traffic of virtually all Americans.
Some believe Snowden is a hero. Others are calling him a traitor.
He was born in South Africa, but he belongs to the world. Nelson Mandela's death is the third top story of 2013, according to those who voted on CNN.com.
The world came together to mourn the 95-year-old's passing and remember his life as a symbol of the struggle against racial oppression and an inspiration to many.
The Boston marathon bombing comes in at number two. April 15th, a day we will never forget. Three people killed, more than 260 wounded after two bombs exploded near the finish line.
The hunt for the bombers gripped the nation for several days. Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed in a shootout with police. His 19-year-old brother Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was captured and is awaiting federal charges. He's pleaded not guilty.
The emergence of a somewhat unconventional leader of the Catholic Church is your top story of 2013. Pope Francis became the 266th pontiff, the first Latin American to take the title
His remarks on homosexuals and his repeated acts of compassion, including his embrace of a severely disfigured man seen here, have made headlines around the world.
The 77-year-old pontiff was also named "Time" magazine's Person of the Year.
BALDWIN: OK, Alina Machado, thank you very much.
And you can see the entire list of this year' top stories that she just rolled through. Go to the Web site, CNN.com.
A chemistry teacher turned drug kingpin, a struggle for power between rival families with a few dragons on the side, and, of course, Washington's scheming and dysfunction at its worst, what do they have in common?
They're just a couple of the shows that President Obama says he likes to watch when he gets a little free time.
I'm talking "Game of Thrones," I'm talking "House of Cards" -- finally just watched that last episode this week -- and "Mad Men," just a couple of these shows all revealed in "The New York Times" today.
Jake tapper, I want to bring you in. Nice to see you, by the way. Long time, no see.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Good to see you. Yeah.
BALDWIN: When I heard about all these shows, I kept thinking, how does he have the time? I mean, the man must be -- is he binge-watching these shows?
TAPPER: It is a mystery, especially considering we know that he also, for his recreation, likes to spend five to six hours on the weekends out on the golf course.
But the president has certainly made some time for some of the most celebrated shows, all of them from either Netflix or cable. I'm talking about the kinds of shows that critics love, "Breaking Bad," "Mad Men."
He's talked about how Peggy Olson in "Mad Men" made him understand how his grandmother, who was an early female bank vice president, how she, her experience in the workplace must have been like in the '60. "Game of Thrones" on HBO, "Boardwalk Empire," "House of Cards," he's quipped about how he likes how functional Washington, D.C., is in "House of Cards."
BALDWIN: Ruthlessly efficient, that's what he said to the CEO, right, of Netflix?
TAPPER: With no mention that one of the main characters committing homicide in the name of that efficiency.
But you know, why quibble with details?
BALDWIN: Details, details, Tapper.
TAPPER: "Downton Abbey," of course. "Homeland," the stars of "Homeland" have remarked at how stunned they were that the president had any idea what they did for a living, but it is a show in which some of the difficult decisions that one has to made in counterintelligence and counterterrorism come to light.
He also said he loved "The Wire." That's a show that hasn't been on for quite some time, but also gets at his taste.
It's a very elite taste that the president has when it comes to television. He has talked about some broadcast network shows.
He watches "Modern Family" and "Parks and Recreation," but generally speaking, he's a cable guy. And I think the thing that we all know, all of us who have covered him, he loves SportsCenter on ESPN.
BALDWIN: How does the man have the time? I go back to the original question, between the golf and the SportsCenter and all the TV shows.
You're a busy guy. Are you watching all that TV?
TAPPER: I have watched some of these shows. I'm not busy as President Obama, I will say. I've watched some of them.
BALDWIN: You aren't? Come on.
TAPPER: I doubt he has seen every episode of every one of these shows.
BALDWIN: OK. All right, we will see you at the top of the hour, my friend. "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts at the top of the hour, 4:00 Eastern.
TAPPER: Thanks, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Coming up next, a national morning show anchor comes out. A lot of people are buzzing about this online.
But it's 2013. We're asking the question, is this really news? That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: A leading network news anchor made headlines today after sharing with the public that she is gay.
I'm talking about "Good Morning America's" Robin Roberts who came out on Facebook on Sunday.
She was posting a thank you to her family and fans and her longtime girlfriend for a wonderful 2013, and that buzz from that single Facebook post spread across social media.
Even the first lady commented with a tweet of support. This is what Michelle Obama tweeted. "Robin Roberts, I am so happy for you and Amber. You continue to make us all proud."
Roberts joins a cadre of high-profile celebrities and public figures who are coming out, but you know, in 2013, is this really news?
Here to discuss, Eric Deggans from NPR. Nice to have you on.
ERIC DEGGANS, TV CRITIC, NPR: Thanks for having me.
BALDWIN: All the buzz, Eric, is this news?
BALDWIN: All the buzz, yes, it is news. I think judging whether or not someone coming out is news depends on their situation.
Some performers who people have always known or suspected or kind of rumored about being gay, that might not be as big a deal.
But Robin Roberts is the co-anchor of now the most-watched morning television news show on the network.
She's a symbol for the network in a lot of ways so for her to come out, she's been someone who has been very private about her life --
BALDWIN: Her health issues.
DEGGANS: -- other than the way the network covered her struggle with cancer. For her to have something like this to say in this way is newsworthy.
BALDWIN: "Good Morning America," number one show, family-friendly show, news, feature programming, do you think this is a sign that being gay is accepted today or is it because she is just so incredibly likeable?
DEGGANS: I think we're at an interesting cultural moment.
Number one, we can look at ABC News and see they have embraced gay employees before.
Sam Champion, when he got engaged to his partner, the former weatherman for "Good Morning America," ABC News actually sent out a press release and photo of the couple. They also covered their wedding.
So I think ABC News has kind of embraced this in a way we haven't seen other companies do. We are at an interesting cultural moment, because we balance this with seeing what Phil Robertson said, the "Duck Dynasty" star.
He said some comments that a lot of people thought were homophobic and he was backed by a lot of fans of that show. A & E had to reinstate him after they suspended him.
So there's a sense that I think we're at a tipping point in our culture and we are trying to decide how we feel about this.
I think things are tilting more towards the acceptance of gay people, but we're still not entirely there as a culture. I think what we see with "Duck Dynasty" and Phil Robertson shows that.
BALDWIN: I have to say I never had the pleasure of meeting Robin Roberts, but such a fan.
Eric Deggans, thank you very much. Appreciate it.
Have you heard of this? It is called cave diving. It can be incredibly dangerous.
More people are talking about it today after this tragic accident involving a father and son inside a cave called the "Everest of diving."
What's this about? That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Happening right now, crews in west Georgia are working to save a 7-year-old girl trapped inside of a well. We are getting word that there is a firefighter currently inside.
This, by the way, is the news chopper heading to the scene. We are told another chopper is there already getting ready to lift them out.
As far as injuries go here, no word yet. The well is not a functioning well. It is not clear how this girl got in there in the first place, but as soon as we get more updates and information, we will bring it to you here.
Let me turn to something that is just most unusual. Have a look at this, if you would.
When you see this picture, I can hear you saying, Brooke, I have good eyes. It's a pond, no big deal.
Yes and no here, because this little swimming hole, not far inland from Tampa, is 300-feet deep, or to put it another way, it has caves branching off in all kinds of directions and some go way, way down.
They have signs down there warning divers that top-notch training is required, but not every single diver reads those signs, so we have this tragedy that happened on Christmas day. Two divers, father and son, look at this picture, brand-new scuba gear, they jumped into the pond -- this is known as Eagle Nest Sink -- and they never came out.
With me now from Tallahassee is Jeff Bauer, president of the National Association for Cave Diving. Jeff, welcome to you.
Eight deaths at Eagle Nest Sink since 1980. Can you just tell me what happens down there to these divers?
JEFF BAUER, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR CAVE DIVING: The ones that die, you mean, that dive at Eagle Nest like the unfortunate tragedy that happened on Christmas?
BALDWIN: Any of these deaths dating back a couple decades, what happens?
BAUER: What happens to the victims? It's quite sad.
There's a lot of analysis we do in the cave diving community because we don't want people to get hurt or die in caves at all.
In fact, the agency that I represent, we're nonprofit, we're all volunteers, we teach cave diving.
So we teach, you know, people of the right age and the right mind and the right gear how to safely execute these dives.
The fatalities that have happened at Eagles Nest and other caves in Florida and Mexico, which is where -- those are some of the hot spots for cave diving all around the world, most of the time, I believe the numbers are in the 80 and 90 percent, it's because the person that was doing the diving was diving beyond some limit of their training.
They were just going too far, too deep, too soon.
BALDWIN: Ignoring the signs, we mentioned this particular place, you could go down, or I guess one could, 300 feet.
Why do this? What's the lure?
BAUER: You know, it's a sport, cave diving. Most cave divers, there are thousands of cave dives that happen every weekend -- there's probably guys right now not in Eagles Nest but in other caves that are easier to get to -- that happen every year.
And it's a sport. People do it. I do it not for the thrill. I've done skydiving. I tried that. It was a thrill ride. It kind of scares the you-know-what out of you when you jump out of a plane the first time.
BALDWIN: Yeah, no, thank you.
BAUER: Cave diving -- yeah, right -- those that do it for -- I don't want to say a living, because no one is really making money off cave diving -- but we do it for sort of the -- it's a mission. I like the thought -- like diving Eagles Nest takes -- it took me three years of training to get all the right certifications to get my mind in the right place to get all the right gear, to get my wife's mindset in the right place, and just to be able to execute those dives.
And the dives are relatively short. You go down, and in the case of Eagles Nest, it goes mostly left or mostly right, and it opens up into a giant passages, and you see rooms that you can literally put a 747 airplane in. And I'm not kidding either (inaudible) just majestic.
BALDWIN: I'm sure it's quiet and beautiful, but clearly risky as we well.
Jeff Bauer, thank you so much for joining me today. I appreciate it.
And let me -- while I still have you, 60 seconds left on this show, let's go back. These are live pictures.
So, this is back to this well rescue happening in Georgia. This is west Georgia.
Crews are there. Here you can see them on the ground huddled around, presumably, this well. They are working to save this 7-year-old girl who's trapped inside.
We are hearing, once again, that a firefighter is inside, as well, trying to get her out. Some rescue helicopters are en route to the scene, but again, this happening, this active well rescue in west Georgia.
Quick heads up here, I am hopping a plane to New Orleans. I'll be ringing in the new year from down there with all of you.
This is a fun picture of my pal the 610 Stompers last year.
We'll see you on TV, 9:00 Eastern tomorrow night.
"THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts right now.
