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Russian Ship Stranded; The Year Behind in Politics; 40,000 New State Rules Take Effect; Tim Tebow Has New Job
Aired December 31, 2013 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Senior international correspondent Matthew Chance has their story of optimism.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, it's the new plan. Apparently it's the only plan that's going to work at this stage. All attempts to rescue this stranded research vessel by sea have been abandoned. The pack ice is just too thick for the icebreakers to break through. Instead, they're going to be airlifted, the passengers on board airlifted to safety by helicopter. But they can only do that once the weather conditions allow.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHANCE (voice-over): This morning, new video. Dozens of passengers walking arm in arm, doing what they can to speed their rescue.
CHRIS TURNEY, EXPEDITION LEADER: We've just learned the Aurora can't reach us. So we're preparing the helipad by getting the team to stomp down in the snow and ice so the Chinese helicopter from Snow Dragon can reach us when the weather improves.
CHANCE: The weather conditions are not expected to get better until at least one more day. In the meantime, the crew has marked the spot in the ice where the chopper can land. Once it does, it will transport 12 people at a time to a Chinese icebreaker, then a barge will ferry them from the icebreaker to another ship from Australia.
The stranded research ship, the Akademik Shokalskiy, could set out to study climate change in Antarctica and retrace the steps of explorer Douglas Mawson, who studied life on the frozen continent a century ago. But they got stuck in thick ice.
TURNEY: This is big chunks of ice. Really thick. Lots of years' worth of growth. And you just notice for all we're in trouble here. This is not going to be easy to get through.
CHANCE: Since Christmas, three separate icebreaker ships have tried and failed to cut a path to the research vessel. Once the rescue does happen, the skeleton crew will be left behind. But for most of the 74 people marooned, this Antarctic ordeal may soon be coming to an end.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHANCE: Well, Kyra, we're keeping a very close eye on this developing situation. At the moment the winds are far too strong for the helicopter to safely operate. But that could change at any moment. And so the rescue teams are on standby to step in when they need to.
Back to you -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. We'll stay in touch with you, Matthew Chance. Thanks so much.
Well, it's been a big year in politics and a very hard year for President Obama who's ending 2013 with the worst approval ratings of his presidency. However, people still seem to have tremendous admiration for the president.
According to a new Gallup Poll, Americans admire him more than any other man in the world.
CNN political commentators Maria Cardona, Ben Ferguson join me now.
All right, guys. So there's a difference between admiration and approval. Maria?
(LAUGHTER)
MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATORS: Yes. I think that's true, Kyra. But I also think it points to one of the reasons why this president will still have some political leverage that he can use going into 2014, which I think he will, to try to get some of the bigger things done that he has wanted to throughout his presidency.
And, frankly, these are things that majorities of the American people approve of. For example, immigration reform, climate change, raising the minimum wage. These are all things that majorities of Americans approve of. And I think that this president can use that kind of admiration, which is a long-term thing, as opposed to approval rating, which focuses on what just happened.
We're going to see people getting their Obamacare health care coverage working, up and working and being covered and I think that that will point to a much more productive 2014, but it will also depend on whether Republicans can actually now focus on governing as opposed to just saying no.
PHILLIPS: Ben, I know deep down that conservative heart of yours, you admire President Barack Obama.
BEN FERGUSON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes. You know, it's interesting because when he was elected president, that night when it happened, and my guy lost, there was a certain aspect of history making and admiration just for being the first African-American president and how far we've come in this country. And I think that's where a lot of the admiration comes from.
I mean, there's history there that's not made when George Bush got elected, for example. I mean there was a -- you can feel it everywhere, you can see it in the stories and you felt like you were watching, not just a president get elected but you're watching history being made. And what makes America great, that we've overcome so much. And so I admire him for that point. But I don't think that's going to correlate into a higher approval rating which we're seeing right now or him being able to get a lot of things done because people admire him.
I admire what he has accomplished, I admire what it means for this country, but his plans, his ideas, health care, I don't think it's going to help him out anymore. He's had five years to ride on admiration, and I think he's about used it all up.
PHILLIPS: All right. Let's have some fun, shall we?
How about your -- for both of you. Maria, I'll start with you. Your big political story for 2013, what will you never forget.
CARDONA: I actually think the biggest political story -- and frankly, I think something that a lot of Americans won't forget -- is the third largest or longest government shutdown that was provoked by conservative Republicans over something that, frankly, was aimed at giving 50 million Americans who didn't have health insurance -- health security so that they wouldn't have to worry about going broke if they got sick.
Especially when the rollout of Obamacare was absolutely disastrous but it is now focused on giving those 50 million Americans coverage and others, frankly, better coverage.
And so I think that Democrats should actually talk about this a lot more because it cost the economy $24 billion. And it focused on something that frankly right now is still a huge problem for Republicans, which is this tension and this civil war, if you will, between conservative Republicans and what they want to do, and establishment Republicans, who know that that was a big disaster for the party.
PHILLIPS: All right. So, Ben, (INAUDIBLE), as Maria says.
FERGUSON: Yes.
PHILLIPS: You can either choose to combat government shutdown or you can tell me what you're never going to forget in 2013.
FERGUSON: Did we have a government shutdown last year? I mean, I forgot about this already.
(LAUGHTER)
I remember -- I remember there being some story that was read at night but I didn't even remember this government shutdown hardly. I think the big deal --
CARDONA: That's what I'm here to do. Remind you, Ben.
(LAUGHTER)
FERGUSON: And I appreciate you for that. CARDONA: Sure.
FERGUSON: I think our biggest story of the year is going to be, no doubt, if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. If you like your plan, you can keep your plan. And it was the biggest lie of the year. The president knew it was a lie when he told the American people that. That's why his approval rating is where it is.
I mean, part of it is the Web site not working. But at the end of the day, it's a trust issue. And so many Americans are looking at this president going, you knew I probably couldn't keep my plan. You knew that I may lose my doctor. You told me that it was going to be OK. I trusted you.
And so that's the big issue for me this last year, is the trust issue of the president. People like him. But can they trust him? And a lot of people now with his approval rating where it is say I don't trust you, Mr. President.
PHILLIPS: Well, here's to trust, confidence, forgiveness and a fabulous 2014 between Dems and Republicans.
CARDONA: Exactly. There you go.
PHILLIPS: All right, guys. Happy new year.
FERGUSON: Great to see you.
CARDONA: Happy new year.
PHILLIPS: Happy new year.
FERGUSON: Happy new year.
PHILLIPS: Well, still to come, terror strikes in Russia, and it raises huge concerns over the upcoming Olympic Games. And the U.S. is now offering to help. We're going to have the latest from Moscow.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, in Russia, the death toll has inched up in those terrorist attacks that now looms so large over the upcoming Olympic Games there. There are 34 confirmed deaths now from the dual bombings in Volgograd. The attack on that trolley bus yesterday and then the blast inside the city's main train station the day before.
This is actually surveillance video inside the actual explosion that we now have in the house. Both are believed to have been the work of separatists who have vowed to target the games just weeks away. And today thousands of Russian forces have descended on the area. And the U.S. is actually offering to aid in that fight against these terrorists. Already well established in this part of Russia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFF BEATTY, FORMER CIA COUNTER-TERRORISM OFFICER: These organizations in this part of the world are capable of mounting operations and have in the past where they have not one or two people involved in the operation but upwards of 20 people. It is an order of magnitude, greater possibility. And I think where we went wrong in Atlanta and in Munich was the mindset.
One thing we can all be assured of is that President Putin does not have a mindset similar to what they had in Atlanta and Munich. He understands the threat. And I wouldn't be surprised to see some major offensive action by the Russians against these groups in advance of the Olympics.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Our Diana Magnay is in Moscow with the latest now.
DIANA MAGNAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, there is a huge security sweep going on right now in Volgograd. Security forces examining buildings, searching people's documents, they have detained scores of people. We know there were just over 5,000 security forces in the city to check on how this all happened. This, as investigators sift through the debris, trying to piece together what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAGNAY (voice-over): Russian authorities have discovered a link between the two deadly suicide bombings in Volgograd. Monday morning's attack on a crowded trolley kills 16, and on Sunday, a massive explosion rocked the city's railway station.
This chilling surveillance video captures the horrific incident at a security checkpoint when a suicide bomber detonated 22 pounds of TNT, killing 18.
Authorities now say both bombs contained similar shrapnel, a sign they originated from the same region. The attacks highlight the terrorist threat that Russia faces as it hosts the Winter Olympic Games next month in Sochi, just 400 miles south of the devastation.
WILLIAM RATHBURN, 1996 ATLANTA OLYMPICS SECURITY DIRECTOR: All of the Olympic sites will have physical security, electronic security. Everybody will be screened. So I think it will be difficult to -- for someone, a terrorist, to set off a bomb inside a village or venue.
MAGNAY: Russia's President Vladimir Putin is personally involved in security plans and promising maximum security in Sochi. But Russian authorities say they will not change security measures they already have in place, confident that they're well prepared.
U.S. authorities have offered full support to the Russian government in ramping up security measures. In a statement, the United States Olympic Committee says in part, "We're always concerned with the safety of our delegation and the Sochi games are no different in that regard."
An effort by the committee to avoid a repeat occurrence of the bombing that killed two at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. RATHBURN: What concerns me is when you harden targets, you often force the terrorists to select softer targets. So that makes everything else in Sochi and the surrounding area vulnerable.
MAGNAY: Targets like transportation hubs where tourists and athletes will travel to and from the games.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MAGNAY: And, Kyra, President Putin's claim that he can keep the Olympic Games safe really depends also in whether he can keep control over the situation in the troubled North Caucasus Region. He claims that he can. But it would seem that terrorists are intent on proving that he cannot -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Diana, thanks so much.
Well, tomorrow, people in Colorado will wake up to legal marijuana. And with it, new fears, of course, about teen drug use.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: How many people around your age do you know who have smoked marijuana?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Almost -- I'm going to say like nine out of 10.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Really?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Students. Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: It's that prevalent?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, definitely.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And now that it's legal, everybody's just getting it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Oh, boy. So glad I'm not a parent there. Pot is still illegal for those under 21, though. But already it's the number one reason students are getting kicked out of Colorado schools.
New at 10:00 am, a closer look at the pot problem and our teens and how the schools are trying to tackle it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Checking top stories.
A California judge has extended his own order to keep a brain dead girl on life support. Jahi McMath will now be kept connected to a ventilator until January 7th. The original order was set to expire last night. The family believes that Jahi is still alive and they're looking for a facility where they can move her to. That 13-year-old had complications after a tonsillectomy.
A Missouri bar owner decided to pay tribute to Starbucks, so he's serving up a beer called the "F" word. Here's the backstory. It all started when Jeff Britton says he received a letter from Starbucks asking him to stop using the name Frappicino for one of his beers because it was too similar to the company's trademark drink. So what did Britton do? Retaliate, of course.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFF BRITTON, BREWERY OWNER: I'm a little tiny business in a little tiny town making little batches of beer. When I got that letter, I just -- I had to laugh. I don't fault Starbucks. I'm not mad. I'm not going to -- I'm not going to fight them. Hell, I don't have the money or resources to fight them, much less the desire. You know, I understand completely where they're coming from.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: So along with the "F" word beer and a sarcastic letter, Britton sent Starbucks six bucks, the amount of money that he says he would have earned from the three people who bought the Frapuccino beer.
And a new year means a new selection on Netflix.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM CRUISE, ACTOR, "TOP GUN": The boogey is still behind you. I'm maneuvering for a shot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: This is such a bummer. More than 80 movies and shows, including our favorite "Top Gun," "Titanic", "Being John Malcovich", no longer available for streaming. Netflix says that they routinely, actually, add and delete selections. So a number of new titles will be added, including "Jack Richer," "The Town of Mr. Ripley" and "Dexter".
All right. You say tomato, I say tomato. According to a new CNN/ORC Poll, when referring to the new year out loud, 52 percent of Americans will say 2014, 46 percent will say 20-14.
Where you live might be a factor, apparently. People who were surveyed in the northeast and the south favored 2014, while those in the Midwest preferred the other way.
So when you ring in the new year, you better be careful. A new set of state laws set to kick in across the country from throwing cigarette butts in the street to tanning. If you're a teen you can get fined big bucks if you actually don't know the rules.
That's why we've got Rosa Flores. She's joining us live from New York to lay it all out.
Hi, Rosa.
ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi. Happy new year to you. My best wishes.
And to you, my friends at home, this new year can mean new habits from what you can do in your car to the bathroom that your child can use in school, you're going to want to listen to this.
All right. Rosa, forgive us. Apparently we're having a little technical issues.
FLORES: That's OK.
PHILLIPS: We're working that out. So let's roll with this. OK? Do you want to talk about maybe a couple of the laws in particular? We can talk about how officials are getting the word out about these new laws. I'll just let you wing it here with me.
FLORES: Yes. Sure. Definitely so. About spreading the word, one of the things that's important to note is there's more than 40,000, nearly 40,000 around the country. And the thing to keep in mind is you are responsible for knowing what these laws are. So in a lot of states, state officials launch campaigns, they talk about what these new laws are, or advocate organizations launched campaigns to let you know what they are.
But it's important to note, Kyra, that you need to know what those laws are. So what are some of these laws that we're talking about? Some of these, Kyra, you might be interested in this.
PHILLIPS: OK.
FLORES: In the state of Oregon, mothers will be age to take their placentas with them after they've given birth. So that's a new one. And I don't know if you've heard about this. If you're a mom, but there's thought out there that if moms eat them it might help them with post-partum depression and things like that.
PHILLIPS: Right. Right.
FLORES: And from what I hear, we have our piece ready. Roll it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FLORES (voice-over): From flash-mob crackdowns to pet lemon laws, 2014 will ring in nearly 40,000 new state rules.
Here are the highs and the lows. Smoking a reefer in Colorado is legal. Oh, but don't toss the butt of a cigarette in a public street in Illinois, it's considered littering. You could pay in cash or jail time. And don't even think about lighting one in a car with a child in Oregon. The Beaver State won't allow it.
DANNY CEVALLOS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: First, we said, can you smoke in this part of the restaurant? Then we said, well, can you smoke outside? Then we said, can you smoke down the street. And then we said, can you move to another state?
I mean, we do not like regular smokers. Meanwhile, when it comes to marijuana, marijuana is fast becoming a legal substance in the United States.
FLORES: But new moms in Oregon can get away with this -- taking their placentas home from the hospital. If you're wondering, why do that in the first place? Some experts think eating it has positive health benefits.
JOY GETMAN, OREGON MOTHER: As long as they're not giving it to other people to eat. I suppose it's OK.
FLORES: And talking about health, no more tanning beds for some teens in Illinois and Oregon. You'll have to be 18 to tan in a salon in those places.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, what a happy girl.
FLORES: But you don't have to keep your new pet if it's sick. Illinois's new Pet Lemon Law allows people to return a pet if an illness was not disclosed by the seller.
In California, gender will no longer determine what school bathroom children can use. It's gender identity that matters.
CEVALLOS: The student, who identifies as a different gender, may feel comfortable in that bathroom. What about all the other students? I think that's going to be a problem and I think you're going to see parents really revolting against this law.
FLORES: Serious moves could have serious consequences in Illinois. The maximum penalty doubled to six years prison time for organizing a violent flash mob using social media.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FLORES: And here is one more for you. If you're a driver in Illinois, don't pass a bus when that bus has stopped because hear this, school districts are now allowed to slap a camera on that bus. They're going to bust you and they are going to fine you, Kyra. And guess where that money is going to go? Right back to the school district.
PHILLIPS: I'll tell you what, I'm kind of stressing out now, trying to keep track of all of these various laws.
(LAUGHTER)
FLORES: SO much to know. I know.
PHILLIPS: Yes, exactly. Thanks for rolling with us, Rosa.
FLORES: Of course.
PHILLIPS: Well, still to come, Peyton Manning has been breaking records on the football field all season. But now one record is in doubt.
Andy Scholes joining us now -- Andy.
ANDY SCHOLES, BLEACHER REPORT: Yes, Kyra, you know, he broke the record for yardness a season on Sunday. But one play is now being called into question. We'll show you that next in your "Bleacher Report."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Tim Tebow will be back on -- back in football actually next season, but he's not going to be on the field.
Andy Scholes joining us with more in the "BLEACHER REPORT."
Why am I not surprised by this move? OK?
(LAUGHTER)
SCHOLES: Yes. We all thought coming --
PHILLIPS: Yes.
SCHOLES: When we watch the college football next fall and we turn on the TV in Saturday morning. Tim Tebow is going to be there to break it all down for us.
ESPN announced yesterday that they've signed Tebow to be a part of their new FEC Network that will launch next fall now. Tebow isn't giving up on football just yet. He said he will still pursue his dream of playing quarterback in the NFL but the opportunity with ESPN was too good to pass up and we're actually going to see Tebow pretty soon. He's going to make his TV debut during next week's BCS National Championship game.
PHILLIPS: Coaching him?
SCHOLES: Yes. I don't think he's getting pointers from me right now.
All right. Number two in the live section of Bleacherreport.com today, Peyton Manning's record for years in the season, well, maybe the shortest record of all time. According to a report NFL's currently week, his play from Sunday's gaming/ It's the Raiders, made the a pass to Edward Decker.
Looks like to me it was a lateral. Now this ended up going to the seven-yard completion bus. The NFL could review it and turn it over a running play if they do that.
Manning would fall 60 yards shy of Drew Brees' previous record for passing yards in a season. And interesting to see what happens there.
All right, this week, the Memphis Grizzlies made an awesome acquisition. The team along with the Make a Wish Foundation made 8- year-old Jarvis Brewers' dream come true. The Grizzlies drafted Jarvis to the team giving his own press conference and contract and of course that fancy draft hat.
He didn't get to attend practice and the team's game against the Bulls. And Jarvis who suffers from cerebral palsy. Not only got his dream to come true, he also made some history.
Kyra, he became the youngest player ever to get drafted in the MBA. What a cool -- what a cool way for him to end 2013 with a deal like that.
PHILLIPS: That's pretty awesome. I love that he's got the whistle she's telling everybody. He was giving direction out there on that practice court.
FLORES: Yes. He knows what's going on.
(LAUGHTER)
Andy, thanks so much. Happy new year.
SCHOLES: Happy new year to you as well.
PHILLIPS: All right. Next hour of CNN NEWSROOM begins right now.
And happy New Year's Eve, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips in for Carol Costello. Today around the world, celebrations are already underway to ring in 2014.
Let's look at these live pictures here from Seoul now.
