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Beatles Made U.S. Debut 50 Years Ago; Police Release Mall Shooter's Photo; 300-plus Sickened on Royal Caribbean Cruise; Gearing Up for the Grammy's; Political "Extortion"; Skydiving Super Bowl
Aired January 26, 2014 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Yes the other thing that's amazing about them is just how much influence their music still has. How much it stands up. It is -- has there ever been a force like the Beatles since?
ANTHONY DECURTIS, ROLLING STONE: Well, I mean -- I mean, there's very few phenomena that you could compare to the Beatles. You know, maybe Bob Dylan to a degree, you know, as someone who as a song writer, you know, had a tremendous influence.
But the Beatles influenced everything. I mean the Beatles influenced the way, you know, after "A Hard Day's Night" and you know their other "Help" -- that influenced music videos. The Beatles influenced fashion. The Beatles influenced music, obviously; literature in the case of John Lennon.
You know there was such an across the board cultural impact that, yes, I don't -- it's hard to think of anyone having, you know, that degree of force in their -- in their career.
MARQUEZ: Hard to believe it's 50 years. Anthony DeCurtis, thank you very much.
DECURTIS: Certainly.
MARQUEZ: You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Miguel Marquez in New York. We can now put a face to the name of the Maryland mall shooter.
Police just released this photograph of Darion Marcus Aguilar, 19 years old from College Park, Maryland. He walked into a mall yesterday in Columbia, Maryland. He had a shotgun and two homemade bombs in a backpack. He shot a woman and a man to death in a store then he killed himself.
Police still don't know his motive or even if he knew 21-year-old Brianna Benlolo or the 25-year-old also killed, Tyler Johnson.
CNN's Erin McPike is outside the mall now.
ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miguel, at a press briefing within the last hour, the police chief said that they did find a journal in Aguilar's home in which he expressed general unhappiness for his life. But they still have no known motive.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCPIKE (voice over): The gunman, now identified in Saturday's terrifying shooting at this mall in Columbia, Maryland.
CHIEF BILL MCMAHON, HOWARD COUNTY POLICE: Darion Marcus Aguilar is the shooter.
MCPIKE: But police still aren't talking about a possible motive. Although they say the 19-year-old Aguilar lived in the same College Park Maryland neighborhood as one of the victims, 21-year-old Brianna Benlolo.
MCMAHON: We've not been able to verify any type of relationship at this point between him and either of our victims. We can't establish that there is one. We have not been able to establish there is not one. That is an open question.
MCPIKE: Surveillance videos, police say, revealed that Aguilar arrived by taxi at this upper level mall entrance around 10:15 Saturday morning. Walking by a children's carousel and carrying a backpack with two homemade explosive devices.
Over the next hour, they say, he went downstairs and then back up into skate board shop Zumiez where Benlolo worked alongside the other victim, 25-year-old Tyler Johnson of Mt. Airy, Maryland.
Aguilar fired six to eight shots, investigators said, killing Johnson and Benlolo and the gunfire injuring another woman in the foot on the floor below.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People started running. And they said somebody's down there and he's got a gun. And I heard at least eight to ten gunshots.
MCPIKE: As witnesses ran away in the chaos, authorities say he then killed himself with a Mossberg .12 gauge shotgun he bought last month in neighboring Montgomery County. Police finished searching the mall early Sunday morning, but it remains closed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCPIKE: And when the mall reopens tomorrow at 1:00, there will be two memorial sites established for the victims. Howard County executive Ken Allman says he will be there at 1:00 to have lunch when the mall reopens in the food court -- Miguel.
MARQUEZ: Erin McPike, thank you very much.
On the phone with me now from Columbia, Maryland, is Evelyn McDonald. Evelyn and Brianna Benlolo were close friends. Evelyn, our condolences -- my condolences for your loss -- this must be terrible. Thank you for chatting with us a little bit.
EVELYN MCDONALD, BRIANNA BENLOLO'S FRIEND: Thank you.
MARQUEZ: How are you doing?
MCDONALD: It's just so shocking. It's just a complete tragedy. It's a horrible thing. We're hanging in there.
MARQUEZ: And Ms. Benlolo's family, how are they holding up?
MCDONALD: You know, I'm not quite sure. I was friends with Brianna through school. And I didn't really get to meet her family. So I'm not sure how they're holding up. But I do want to send my deepest sympathy to them and let them know that we are praying for them and I hope they're doing OK.
MARQUEZ: And tell us a little bit about Brianna -- what she was like.
MCDONALD: Oh, God. She was just full of energy. She was so nice and just an amazing artist and just an amazing person inside and out. It's such a shame.
MARQUEZ: Did she like working at this store?
MCDONALD: She loved it. She was actually full time in school. We met at Hair Expressions. It's a Paul Mitchell Partner school in Rockville. And then she got the opportunity to be a full-time manager at Zumiez and she made the choice to go there. And just -- she loved it. So she loved her job.
MARQUEZ: And the police have released a picture of Darion Marcus Aguilar. He is 19 years old. Do you know -- do you know him? Do you know if Brianna ever knew him?
MCDONALD: I have no idea. I personally don't know him. And I am not aware if Brianna knew him or not.
MARQUEZ: And Mr. Johnson, one of her colleagues there at Zumiez, did you ever have a chance to meet him?
MCDONALD: Unfortunately, no, I didn't.
MARQUEZ: And we have one photograph of Brianna with a very little -- a little boy. Is that her brother? Who is that?
MCDONALD: That's her son.
MARQUEZ: That's her son.
MCDONALD: Little cutie pie. She's an amazing mother. She loved her son. She always talked about him. Showed pictures. She just loved being a mother.
MARQUEZ: Oh, dear. How old is her son?
MCDONALD: He's -- I think he just turned two.
MARQUEZ: Yes this must be very, very difficult. How are you guys getting through this? How do you -- this is obviously -- this happens so often. We never think it's going to happen to us. But here it is. Columbia, Maryland -- Columbia mall.
MCDONALD: Yes.
MARQUEZ: I take it it's just shock. Can you even register it yet?
MCDONALD: Unreal. Yes. No. We definitely are staying close, having people around, you know, saying prayers. And just, you know, grieving in our own ways.
MARQUEZ: All right. Evelyn McDonald for us, thank you very much for joining us. My best to you and to all the folks there in Maryland. Good luck.
Now, hours ago a brain dead and pregnant Texas woman was removed from machines keeping her alive. It's what the family of Marlise Munoz wanted. And the victory, if it can be called that, came after an emotional wrenching ordeal. Munoz was declared brain dead in November. A Texas hospital kept her body on life support to preserve the fetus she was carrying.
A judge ruled Friday that Munoz should be taken off ventilators and respirators by Monday. The hospital chose not to appeal the judge's ruling. I want to bring in national reporter Nick Valencia joining us outside the hospital at the center of this controversy in Fort Worth.
Nick, how is the family doing?
NICK VALENCIA, CNN NATIONAL REPORTER: Well, Miguel, I just got off the phone with Lynn Machado, that's the mother of Marlise Munoz. And Mrs. Machado told me that this, as you can imagine, has been an incredible day of grieving for the family. She said we hope that they -- that we respect their privacy and that they will not be granting interviews at this time.
Now Erick Munoz, the husband of Marlise Munoz, he has not spoken publicly. But we did hear from the family's attorney. I want to read a statement that was sent to the media just a little while ago. It says, "At approximately 11:30 a.m. Central Time Marlise Munoz's body was disconnected from life support and released to Mr. Munoz." The Munoz and Machado families will now proceed with the somber task of laying Marlise Munoz's body to rest and grieving over the great loss that has been suffered.
Miguel this has been an eight and a half week anguishing journey for the family who from day one they've maintained that Marlise Munoz should have been pulled from that ventilator by the hospital. And the hospital they pushed back and argued that they were simply abiding by state law which requires them to give lifesaving treatment to a pregnant woman. They said they had no legal precedent to go off of.
About an hour before we heard from the attorneys for the Munoz family JPS, John Peter Smith Hospital they released a statement to the media that read in part from the onset, "JPS has said its role was not to make nor contest law but to follow it. On Friday a state district judge ordered the removal of life sustaining treatment for Marlise Munoz. The hospital will follow the court order" -- Miguel. MARQUEZ: Nick, do we know how long it will be now before she expires now that she's been taken off of the respirator and ventilator?
VALENCIA: Well we believe that she has expired. That she has passed. She has been clinically dead since November 28th, clinically brain dead, which really was the point of contention between the hospital and the Munoz family. They argued that you can't keep you know giving lifesaving treatment to somebody who's not clinically alive.
Now a big question going forward is who's going to pay for the hospital bills? Who's going to pay for the bill that cost -- the costs racked up to keep Marlise Munoz on a ventilator? Now we know that she was covered by United Health Care Insurance. But because of HIPAA laws, we don't know exactly the coverage that she had. But I'm sure that's going to be a big question for -- for the family going forward -- Miguel.
MARQUEZ: Nick Valencia for us in Fort Worth, thank you very much.
This just into CNN: we're getting details of a U.S. military mission that targeted a militant's group in the horn of Africa. Our military sources are telling us about an American air strike in southern Somalia. The target -- the senior leader in the militant group affiliated with al Qaeda in the extremist group al Shabaab.
And CNN's Barbara Starr is at the Pentagon -- the Pentagon tells CNN the strike was carried out with missiles; that no U.S. troops were involved on the ground. And there was no troops there -- there are no troops there now. We don't yet know if that senior military leader was killed in today's strike.
And extortion, big money, dirty dealings -- it all sounds like a plot in the "House of Cards". But a CNN investigation reveals it's happening in American politics. That's ahead.
But first, so much for a cruise to paradise -- hundreds of passengers sickened aboard a passenger ship and quarantined in their cabins. We're hearing from a passenger who's not happy with the way the cruise line is handling the situation.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARQUEZ: Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines says sick passengers and crew of one of its ships are responding well to over the counter medication. More than 300 people have become ill with a stomach bug since setting sail from New Jersey on Tuesday. "Explorer of the Seas" is now docked in the Virgin Islands where many ailing passengers are quarantined in their rooms.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARQUEZ (voice over): Drama on the high seas. Passengers onboard Royal Caribbean's "Explorer of the Seas" set out for an island voyage of a lifetime. Instead, tonight, the ship, docked -- illness sickening hundreds onboard.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll never come back again.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not on this cruise line.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were here with them two years ago -- the same thing. The ship was overrun with this sickness.
MARQUEZ: That sickness which can spread very quickly is what health officials from the CDC are investigating, boarding the ship today in St. Thomas along with an epidemiologist.
DR. WILLIAM SCHAFFNER, VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY: What happens is that a passenger comes onboard unknowingly having the virus. The virus spreads so readily. Then you have all those people in a confined space over a long period of time.
MARQUEZ: More than 300 passengers and crew fell victim to the illness. A Royal Caribbean spokesperson tells CNN they have responded well to over the counter medication administered onboard. The cruise line saying presently, there's no known cause for the outbreak and apologized for the disruption to its guests.
This latest outbreak comes in the wake of another Royal Caribbean ship in the headlines last week for a norovirus outbreak. The "Majesty of the Seas" docked in Miami after 60-plus passengers and crew got sick suffering from severe gastrointestinal symptoms.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I spent like the whole night in the toilet.
MARQUEZ: The norovirus, a fast-moving bug, has caused nearly 21 million illnesses and as many as 800 deaths say the CDC. This weekend's incident has delayed the cruise liner which is undergoing gone extensive sanitizing. For some passengers though, the damage is already done.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, any sicknesses can evolve but it's the most disorganized trip I've ever been on in my life. I'm almost 80 years old. It's sad.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARQUEZ: Now, a short time ago I spoke with one of those sick passengers. Joseph Angelilo says he just wants to go home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSEPH ANGELILO, CRUISE PASSENGER: At first I thought it was food poisoning because I had dinner 8:30, 9:00. Tuesday night around 1:00 in the morning I started with an upset stomach, vomiting. That lasted all night into the morning. We had gone into the sick bay. And there was over 200 people there with the same symptoms.
MARQUEZ: Oh, dear. ANGELILO: They told us just to call room service. And we'd be able to get anything we need as far as drinks and what they specialize for us. That was impossible. They never even answered the phone.
MARQUEZ: And have you seen any officials from the CDC? Did they test you in any way? Did they ask any questions?
ANGELILO: We went to a doctor. She looked at us. She took our temperature. She gave us a needle. She gave us over the counter medication to take for vomiting and diarrhea. People are going into CVS yesterday in port. They were buying all medication over the counter for the same symptoms.
And even the (inaudible) -- the shows have been canceled here. The entertainers can't even perform because they've been sick. They even called in extra help to sanitize the ship.
MARQUEZ: Doesn't sound pleasant.
ANGELILO: No, it's not. If I can get off, I will get off.
MARQUEZ: I'm sure -- I'm sure you would like to get off that ship. How has the response from the cruise line been?
ANGELILO: They just said it was brought on by somebody, you know, this and that. They pushed a button on the elevator and then it spread because somebody else touched a button. I don't know. I'm not buying that. I mean even a lot of the crew was sick here. They even brought in extra help to try and sanitize the ship.
Now when you go into line for your food, you're not allowed to touch anything. Everything is handed to you. They canceled shows because their entertainers have gotten sick.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARQUEZ: Now, a team of investigators from the CDC is in St. Thomas now to interview the passengers and crew to try to pinpoint the exact cause of the outbreak. We received a statement from Royal Caribbean saying the ten-day cruise will be cut short and everyone will return home two days earlier than planned.
The company also said "Our doctors tell us symptoms are consistent with that of the norovirus but they are awaiting results of the test to confirm that diagnosis. Our response included flying additional medical personnel and equipment to meet the ship and conducting additional sanitizing procedures at two of the ship's stops.
NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: The Grammy red carpet is in full swing. I'm Nischelle Turner here live on the red carpet. We'll bring you back to all the madness in just a second. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TURNER: Welcome back, everybody, to the Grammy's red carpet. I'm Nischelle Turner here with the hottest man in Hollywood right now.
KEVIN HART, ACTOR: Put me out. I'm smoking.
TURNER: All right. We doused you.
HART: Put me out.
TURNER: Well, you are the man, Kevin Hart, with the number one movie once again this weekend for "Ride Along" with Ice Cube. Back to back number one.
HART: Back to back man. Two weeks in a row. For everybody who's seen "Ride Along" thank you for your support -- me and Ice Cube definitely appreciate it. It's a humbling experience, man. I'm in awe at the support that I get from my fans.
TURNER: Well, you're here on the Grammy red carpet. The funny thing is, I wished you could kind of be my fashion consultant because you see some sights on the Grammy red carpet.
HART: Yes, you do. Unlike you, I comment on them. You're not allowed to comment on them. I go, whoa, what was that? I tell you who you got to see -- Sierra. Sierra looks very nice, man, rocking her baby bump. I love it. I think that's going to be the new trend next year, baby bump.
TURNER: Tonight we're going to see some amazing performances. You've got Macklemore and Ryan Lewis right next to us.
HART: Yes, yes.
TURNER: They're going to do their song "Same Love", 34 people get married during the song. Madonna's going to be the maid of honor and Queen Latifah officiating.
HART: I love it. I love it. That's what the Grammy's all about man. It's about putting on a spectacle. You know, if you're going to be here, be seen. Put on a show. I'm here. I might charge the stage. I don't know. There's a chance I might charge the stage without my shirt on?
TURNER: For what -- best country solo performer?
HART: I don't know. I don't know yet. I don't know what I'm going to do. I'm going to be somewhere I'm not supposed to be at the time when I shouldn't to be there. I woke up like this.
TURNER: You're so silly. Thank you so much.
HART: Thank you.
TURNER: Have a good time.
HART: See you later.
TURNER: I like that Kevin Hart. He checks on his lady. She's right back there.
So once again we are on the Grammy red carpet live. It's in full swing. Like I said Macklemore and Ryan Lewis right next to us here -- they are nominated for seven Grammy's tonight. They're song "Same Love" they're going to be performing tonight on the Grammy -- on the Grammy stage. They're going to be performing it like I was mentioning to Kevin Hart. 34 couples will be getting married during this performance -- Queen Latifah officiating.
Madonna, who by the way we just saw come through on the red carpet with her son, her adopted son. She had on a hat. She was walking with a cane. It was like Madonna at her coolest. She will be performing as well on the stage with him.
I was talking to Mary Lambert earlier today who sings the hook on the song "Same Love". And she wouldn't quite go there to confirm for me that Madonna was going to be performing with them. But she had that look in her eye when I was talking to her about it. So get ready to see a little bit of a show.
Miguel, I'm going to send it back to you. This has been a crazy day. As you can imagine, I was trying to hold for Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, hoping I could snag them over here and get them live on camera for me. So if you want to chat for a second maybe we can try to grab them.
MARQUEZ: I'll try to help you drag that out so we can hopefully hear from them because clearly they are in the spotlight tonight.
TURNER: Yes.
MARQUEZ: So there's the big wedding theme. What else are people talking about? What do they want to see? I suppose that Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr will -- I just think that they're going to perform together -- yes?
TURNER: Yes. Absolutely. You know, I was actually just talking to Ringo Stars a few moments ago. He came up here --
MARQUEZ: You're so popular.
TURNER: -- on the red carpet. And by the way, he gave -- he gave a great shout out to Wolf Blitzer. I mean no one cared about us.
Are they coming up. Oh, OK. We got Macklemore and Ryan. Come on here you guys. You are live on CNN.
MACKLEMORE, SINGER: How are you doing?
TURNER: Come on in here. Hello, Ryan. Come on in here.
OK. It's your night, fellows. This is your night. Seven nominations -- it's a big night for you.
MACKLEMORE: It's a big night. It's a big night for everybody here. But, yes, it's definitely very surreal. TURNER: We've been talking all night about what could be the water cooler moment of the night that everybody's talking about tomorrow. And that's your performance of "Same Love". We know that there's going to be a big wedding ceremony, 34 couples -- gay, straight, black, white, old, young -- everybody getting the same love.
MACKLEMORE: Yes. It's going to be a moment. I think that this is a very unique opportunity to sing our song about tolerance and acceptance and equal rights to the masses. And I'm just grateful for the Grammy's for giving us this opportunity. It's going to be incredible.
TURNER: Your sister -- your sister is going to get married.
RYAN LEWIS, SINGER: My sister is getting married. It's already crazy. That's just like, OK. Whole family is here. It's going to be nuts.
TURNER: Latifah and Madonna joining you guys, too. I mean that's a moment.
MACKLEMORE: It's a moment.
RYAN LEWIS: Two legends.
MACKLEMORE: It's a moment. Unless Miley starts twerking, they might talk about it tomorrow.
TURNER: Well, good luck to you guys. Congratulations on everything and, you know, keep making good music.
MACKLEMORE: Thank you so much. Appreciate it.
TURNER: All right.
MACKLEMORE: Definitely.
TURNER: That's right. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, seven nominations tonight. Miguel, they confirmed it for me. Mary Lambert wouldn't go there but you heard them. Madonna, Queen Latifah both joining them on stage tonight.
I'm told you don't want to miss the opening of the show as well because the opening of the show is apparently Jay-Z, Beyonce, or the both of them together which will also be a very buzzworthy moment tomorrow.
MARQUEZ: Nischelle, you look lovely out there. It looks like a ton of fun. And no one vamps like you, my dear. Happy to vamp with you.
TURNER: All right, dear. I know. I love it. I wish you were right here with me.
MARQUEZ: Oh, I know. We should be there. We should be there together. See you soon.
TURNER: Exactly.
MARQUEZ: Extortion, big money payouts. Sounds like a plot from "House of Cards". But a CNN investigation reveals it's happening in American politics now. Even worse, it's legal. Wait till you see what we uncovered in broad daylight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARQUEZ: Now a CNN investigation into politics, money and influence. Some call it the extortion game made all the more shocking because the so-called extortionists are the very politicians who write the laws, make the rules, and, as you're about to hear, game the system for their own personal gain. And it's all perfectly legal.
"Keeping Them Honest," here's CNN's Drew Griffin.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN HOFMEISTER, FORMER CEO, SHELL OIL, USA: We talk about corruption in third-world countries. In this case, the corrupters have written a law to make it legal to the corruptees. And I consider that atrocious in the name of democracy.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPODENT: What's got former Shell oil president John Hofmeister so worked up is what many people in this town simply call business as usual. It's not only that money buys influence, it's also pay up or else. It's not only that money buys influence. It's also pay up or else.
It sounds cynical, but just look around. And you see it everywhere, like this typical Thursday morning. It's just after 7:00 a.m., and already the rush for the morning money is on. This is a breakfast fundraiser for Florida's Republican Governor Rick Scott. Want to contribute? It will cost you. The invitation says it's $2,500 to get in. Want a picture with the governor? That'll cost you $5,000.
His host, the Principi Group. Remember that group. Governor Scott is in D.C. on the business of raising money, and once this event is done, he'll race across town to his next event, another fundraiser.
It's all pouring into his political action committee, a PAC. Political action committees are one of the main ways politics gets paid for. From PACs, the money flows into campaigns, often through Washington, where politicians always seem to have a fundraiser underway.
Just down the street, this D.C. seafood restaurant will hold four fund-raisers in the next 90 minutes. The man hurrying past our camera is Utah Democrat Jim Matheson. His ski PAC is holding one of them. It's a $5,000 a plate breakfast, a fundraiser for a guy who would soon announce he's leaving Congress.
Around the corner, a steak house is holding a breakfast fundraiser for the Republican chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Dave Camp of Michigan. For $5,000, the invitation says, you'll be a star of his re-election campaign. On this Thursday morning, a dozen or so fund-raisers will be held before a single congressional vote is cast. It's all status quo, says author Peter Schweizer, business of politicians, shaking hand and shaking down anyone who wants to do business here.
PETER SCHWEIZER, COVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY INSTITUTTE: It is a feeding frenzy that's going on. And I think we need to somehow break the back of the ability of politicians to leverage their position to extract donations.
GRIFFIN: If that sounds like he's accusing politicians of using the power of their office to shake down constituents for cash, well, he is. Schweizer is a fellow at the Conservative Hoover Institute and head of a nonprofit research group called the Government Accountability Institute. He's also just written a book called "Extortion".
SCHWEIZER: The politician, particularly one in leadership or one that's powerful, can really make or break a company. So companies and other entities are put in a situation where they have to play ball. Because if they don't, bad things are going to happen.
GRIFFIN (on-camera): Basically, instead of buying votes, they are selling decisions.
SCHWEIZER: Yes. I think the model, the way we always think of the influence market in D.C., is that it's like bribery, that you have these outside interests that are, in effect, bribing our politicians. And that certainly can take place.
I think the bigger problem is more akin to extortion, where the politicians identify wealthy companies or industries, and they basically mark them for extortion. They introduce pieces of legislation or they threaten certain things that put those entities in a position to where they have to play ball.
GRIFFINE (voice-over): One person who knows all about this fully legal form of extortion is the former president of Shell Oil USA, John Hofmeister.
HOFMEISTER: I realize that there is a price to participate in the political process. What I never knew was what a huge price it was and how it was an endless process of continuously being hit up for money.
GRIFFIN: In 2008, when oil prices were skyrocketing, Hofmeister was hauled before committee after congressional committee, 18 different hearings. Some members of Congress even threatened to nationalize his industry. The televised hearings, all political theater, he says. When the camera lights turned off, some of the very members who criticized him in public were asking for money in private. And he says, you'd better pay.
HOFMEISTER: There's a huge price to not pay the price of the campaign request.
GRIFFIN (on-camera): Really? HOFMEISTER: There's a price in terms of access. There's a price in terms of interest by the member. And so, if you haven't paid your price of entry, who are you? I've actually been asked by a member, "Who are you?" Because I've never met you before. Now that the election is over you're coming to ask me for something? Where were you before the election? To me, that is just -- puts a sickness in my stomach to realize that it's all about the money.
GRIFFIN: What I think you're describing to me is, wink and a nod extortion.
HOFMEISTER: It's pay to play. And I agree with the word extortion. As harsh a word that is, it's an atrocity that nobody seems to care about because it just goes on and goes on and goes on.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): We wanted to ask Utah Democratic Congressman Jim Matheson about fundraising at his breakfast and specifically why he was raising money for his political action committee at the same time he was deciding to leave Congress. He wasn't interested.
We also wanted to ask Michigan Republican Congressman Dave Camp why he needed so much money. He raised nearly $4.5 million in his last campaign. His opponent raised a paltry $37,000. Camp has blown out his closest challengers for years. So what's all this money for? No comment.
And then there's Florida Governor Rick Scott. Remember that first fundraiser he was having? It was hosted by the Principi Group, a company founded by former Veterans Administration Secretary Anthony Principi. Two days before hosting this fundraiser for the governor, the Principi Group gave $10,000 to Governor Scott's political action committee, which is called Let's Get to Work. It turns out the Principi Group did get to work, at least in Florida, where in 2012 the group won a $1.8 million contract to help stop the closure of military bases.
Like the two congressmen, Governor Scott wasn't exactly interested in talking about the relationship between fund-raisers and contracts and doing business with the state of Florida.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have to go talk to Let's Get to Work.
TURNER: Last question.
GRIFFIN: We did ask the PAC, Let's Get to Work. But we got our answer back in an e-mail from the Florida Republican party, which says, "The inference in your question is invalid and not worthy of a response. Governor Scott makes all decisions based on what is best for the people of Florida, what will create jobs, careers and opportunities for its citizens."
Drew Griffin, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARQUEZ: And if you have a tip for Drew Griffin and the CNN informations team, go to CNN.com/investigations.
NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: It's been a glamorous night on the Grammy red carpet. And we are just minutes away from the start of the show. I will give you a rundown of the hits and misses, the highlights and low lights of this Grammy red carpet when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TURNER: And we are back here on the Grammy red carpet. We're having a little sit, popping a squat.
QUINCY JONES, MUSIC LEGEND: Popping a squat?
TURNER: Popping a squat here with Quincy Jones.
JONES: I like that. Popping a squat.
TURNER: I'm glad you had me sit down. Now my feet were hurting.
JONES: That sounds like the 60s, honey. I like that. Popping a squat.
TURNER: We do anything for you here, Mr. Quincy Jones. Now, I was just talking about you the other day at the hairdresser of all places. But we were talking about the people --
JONES: That's the place to talk.
TURNER: -- who were ahead of their time, the producers. We were listening to Michael Jackson, and we were saying Quincy Jones, how did you -- how were you so forward thinking in those days? Because that music timeless, and still holds up today.
JONES: I know. They play it everywhere in the world 35 years later. I can't believe it. Everywhere. China. Brazil.
TURNER: What goes into creating the beat?
JONES: I don't know, honey. I do what makes me happy. I don't -- if you listen and talk about survey groups and they don't like this, like that, I don't want to hear that. I get something because it makes me get goose bumps. And if I get goose bumps, somebody else is going to get them.
TURNER: How has the music industry changed?
JONES: It's a disaster.
TURNER: You think?
JONES: This year, the biggest selling record was 2.2 million records. Justin Timberlake. My records used to sell that the night before Christmas.
REPORTE: Something like 25 million. JONES: 104.
TURNER: 104.
JONES: Yeah.
TURNER: Well, there goes my math.
JONES: They've been -- they did 35 or something with "Bad", 35 or 40 with "Bad."
TURNER: So you think -- I mean, it's changed for the worse.
JONES: Oh, no. It has. It's 98 percent piracy everywhere in the world. Everywhere. China, everywhere. But we're doing some things with China now hopefully that can help change this. I can't talk about it now.
TURNER: OK.
JONES: With the new president.
TURNER: So tell me this, on a night like this, who is Quincy Jones excited to see?
JONES: All the new people. I'm excited to see her all the time.
TURNER: This is your new artist.
JONES: Yeah, but you know what? When I started in Paris (inaudible), the first thing she said to me was "Quincy, your music can never be more or less than you are as a human being." That's why she's a great singer.
UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: Thank you.
JONES: She's a great human being.
TURNER: Anybody you're excited to see tonight on the show?
JONES: Yes. Everybody. Paul is going to be here.
TURNER: Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.
JONES: OK, I've known Paul since he started.
TURNER: I love that.
JONES: He hasn't changed one inch.
TURNER: Thank you for popping a squat with me.
JONES: Poppin' a squat. I got to remember that, honey. Wait a minute. I'm gonna --
TURNER: You going to write that down? JONES: I'm going to give you a card. You remind me of.
TURNER: I will. Can you give me a card? I will get that card from you. So once again, Quincy Jones saying he's seen the music industry change so much.
I want to give you guys a look. Because I was telling you earlier that Madonna was here on the red carpet. She came through. She will be performing tonight with Macklemore and Ryan Lewis during their song "Same Love" and the big marriage proposal that will be happening. She'll be performing as well.
But she came, and she was with her son, David, her adopted son that she adopted from Namibia. Now Madonna did take time to pose with David on the red carpet. And it was just interesting, struck some people, because just last week, you know, she was embroiled in this controversy where she referred to her other son, Rocko, using the n word.
Well, Madonna since apologized for that. She said she was using it as a term of endearment. But this is the first time we have seen her in public since that scandal that she had just about a week ago. And of course, again, she will be performing on the Grammy red carpet. I still have Quincy Jones.
JONES: How do you keep up with all this mess?
TURNER: I don't know. It's just in my head. It's a weirdness. We'll send it back to you, Miguel, in New York. It can be a bit of a sickness. Too much in my head.
JONES: It's great, honey.
MARQUEZ: I love that Quincy Jones had never heard popping a squat. You're basically writing lyrics for him. Brilliant. On the red carpet writing lyrics for Quincy Jones.
TURNER: Listen, Quincy Jones and I are going to send it back to you and sign off here because the show is about to start.
JONES: It is?
TURNER: Show is about to start, yes.
MARQUEZ: Get him to his seat!
TURNER: Ten minutes, sir.
MARQUEZ: Hilarious.
TURNER: I love that Quincy just hung out and sat downright beside us here at the CNN platform.
MARQUEZ: Another reason to love live TV. Brilliant. Thank you, Nischelle. After a quick break, touchdown and risk of sudden death. Those words sure have different meaning when this is how you make your entrance to the game.
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MARQUEZ: In Daytona Beach, Florida, a horrific crash halted a 24-hour endurance race for about 90 minutes today. Watch carefully because it happens quickly. A Ferrari lost power and was coasting when it was rear ended by a Corvette at a very high speed. Both drivers were seriously hurt. The Corvette driver suffered a broken back that will require surgery. The Ferrari driver received a severe concussion. Doctors say it's not critical. Amazing they both survived.
It's not something we're used to seeing, but right now there's an ice rink in New York's Yankee stadium. It's all part of the 2014 National Hockey League stadium series taking place this weekend, despite temperatures in the mid-20s. The start of the first hockey game ever played in the iconic stadium was delayed because of sun glare today. The New York Rangers faced off against the New Jersey Devils.
And just last night the Los Angeles Kings and the Anaheim Ducks played a game in Dodger stadium. It was no easy transformation, especially in the warm winter of sunny southern California. But in the end, it went off without a hitch.
Now, let the Super Bowl festivities begin. Seattle Seahawks arrived just minutes ago in New Jersey, defensive back Richard Sherman among them, the focus of attention after last week's victory, thanks to his post-game rant. Seattle will be taking on the Denver Broncos next Sunday at Metlife stadium just across river from New York City.
The Broncos arrived for the Super Bowl a few hours ago. All eyes, of course, on the quarterback, Peyton Manning. He told reporters that he's looking forward to the week ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
PEYTON MANNING, DENVER BRONOCS QUARTERBACK: I know how much time and sacrifice our team has made in order to have this opportunity to play in this game. So we were excited getting on that plane. We were exciting getting off that plane. And we're looking forward to being here all week and hopefully playing a good game next Sunday.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
MARQUEZ: Something tells me he's excited. The game is going to be played outdoors in New Jersey. The NFL rolling the dice the weather will be good enough for the biggest game of the year.
While many of us would be thrilled with nosebleed seats for the Super Bowl one week from now, few of us could enjoy the view you're about to see. It is from 5,000 feet up in the sky, thanks to skydivers who turn any event into an aerial thrill.
CNN's Jeanne Moos takes us along for the ride. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS (voice-over): He's across the 50, the 40, the 30, clear sailing at the 20. But that's no running back. That's a skydiver. And if you've ever wondered what it is like to drop into a stadium, come along for the jump. But how do you aim for that itty bitty oval down there? Grab the steering handles.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You pull down left, you go left. You pull down on the right, you go right.
MOOS: David Billings is a member of the Denver Broncos' Thunderstorm, six skydivers who routinely jump on the sports authority field at Mile High Stadium. After they jumped as part of the AFC Championship pre- game show, they released the helmet cam video.
(on-camera): You've never handled on a spectator.
DAVID BILLINGS, DENVER BRONCOS THUNDERSTORM: No, no, absolutely not.
MOOS (voice-over): Though there were some 77,000 directly beneath them.
BILLNGS: We're coming in, you know, at speeds probably 50 to 60 miles an hour.
MOOS: They use high performance smaller swooping canopies. The biggest hazards are the crisscrossing cables the TV cameras run on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every blue line is a wire we have to avoid. Enter the field about here, do our spiral, come in under these wires. And now we're under the wires until we hit touchdown right over here.
MOOS: Touchdown at the 20. Who needs the end zone? The skydivers were greeted like heroes. But 20 years ago, an unexpected and unwelcome paraglider --
ANNOUNCER: And a parachute has just handed on the edge of the ring.
MOOS: Intentionally crashed a heavyweight title bout at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.
ANNOUNCER: There is he, entering at the left side.
MOOS: That guy got beaten up by fans and arrested. But the Bronco skydivers get high fives, though a Patriots fan did give a two-handed middle finger salute.
(on-camera): The Broncos skydivers have never had a problem. They make it look easy. I mean ,what could possibly go wrong?
(voice-over): Well, there was the time more than a flag was flying in the outfield at a Texas Rangers game after an army skydiver got hung up on the poll.
(on-camera): When is the last time you actually paid for a ticket to get into the stadium?
BILLINGS: I've never actually paid for a ticket. I've never had a ticket for the actual game, although I've stayed for quite a few.
MOOS (voice-over): They pay him to enter at this gate. Talk about long yardage.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARQUEZ: That looks fun. Next, the hour's top stories, including the face behind yesterday's deadly shooting at a Maryland shopping mall.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARQUEZ: Wall Street will make history this week with a changing of the guard. Our Alison Kosik has a look at the top five things coming up in the business world.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Miguel. It is a jam packed week on Wall Street. Here are the top things we're watching.
Ben Bernanke says farewell to the Federal Reserve. His term as chairman ends on Friday. Janet Yellen is taking over the top spot, the first time a woman is leading the more than 100-year-old central bank. But before Bernanke leaves, he'll preside over one more monetary policy meeting next week.
Also this week, we'll get the economy's report card. GDP will be released for the fourth quarter and all of 2013. If the economy grew at a 3 percent pace last year, it will be the strongest since 2005. But that could be tough, especially since growth might have been hit by the 16-day government shutdown.
Big name earnings are out this week, notably Apple and Facebook. Wall Street always watches to see how many iPhones and iPads Apple sold during the key holiday period.
And finally, Wall Street will check its crystal ball. It's the final trading week of the month, and according to what is called the January barometer, how stocks do in January predict how they're going to do for the entire year. The South Trader's Almanac says it is right almost 90 percent of the time.
Miguel, that's what's coming up on Wall Street.
MARQUEZ: Interesting stuff. Thanks, Alison.
United Nations officials aren't taking the weekend off in Geneva, Switzerland. Representatives from Syria's two warring sides sat in the same room yesterday for the first time since this round of peace talks began. The lead U.N. negotiator won't say how long he thinks the talks will last but says it is very early in the process.
One positive result of the talks, the Syrian government is allowing women and children to leave the besieged city of Homs. That was a key negotiating point this weekend. Diplomats say they're using individual proposals to see how serious the government is about working out a solution.
And we can now put a face to the name of the Maryland mall shooter. Police just released this photograph of Darion Marcus Aguilar, 19- years-old from College Park, Maryland. He walked into a mall yesterday in Columbia, Maryland with a shotgun and two homemade bombs in a backpack. He shot a woman and a man to death in the store then killed himself. Police still don't know what his motive was or even if he knew the 21-year-old victim, Brianna Benlolo or 25-year-old Tyler Johnson.
And a brain dead and pregnant mother has been removed from a ventilator at a Texas hospital. It's what the family of Marlise Munoz wanted. The decision came after an emotionally wrenching ordeal.
Munoz had been brain dead since November of last year. The hospital kept her body on a ventilator to preserve the fetus she was carrying. The hospital officials say that state law required them to maintain the treatment for a pregnant patient.
A judge has ruled that Munoz should be taken off ventilators and respirators by Monday. The hospital chose not to appeal the judge's ruling.
And as our Nick Valencia reported earlier, it appears that Ms. Munoz may have already expired.
I am Miguel Marquez. Stay with CNN with breaking news.
For now, Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown Myanmar begins now.
Meantime, more of stars on the red carpet at the Grammy awards.
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