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Jury Deliberating in Michael Dunn Trial; Snow Storms Continue to Hit Parts of U.S.; California Suffering Severe Drought; Kansas Legislation Seen As Discriminatory Against Gay Couples; U.S. Beats Russia in Olympic Hockey Game; Actress Ellen Page Comes Out as Gay; Jimmy Fallon Takes Over "Tonight Show"

Aired February 15, 2014 - 10:00   ET

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

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: It's U.S. versus Russia right now in men's Olympic hockey, and the age old rivalry has us remembering back no 1980s.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Also, thousands of flights cancelled, many still without power. But brace yourself because another storm is on the way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELLEN PAGE, ACTRESS: I'm tired of hiding and I'm tired of lying by omission.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: New this morning actress Ellen Page makes a personal revelation because of what she says is a responsibility and a social obligation. We're going to have all that for you this morning. Thank you for spending time with us here. I'm Christi Paul.

BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. It's 10:00 on the east coast, 7:00 out west, and you're in the CNN Newsroom.

Jurors in the Michael Dunn trial resumed deliberations this morning. They deliberated for about 30 minutes and then just moments ago they sent three questions, three additional questions, to the judge here, Judge Russell Healey in Jacksonville.

PAUL: These are live pictures of the judge right now as he discusses his answer to some of these questions. They've been weighing his fate as we know now for four days. Michael Dunn there, he faces life in prison if he's convicted of murdering 17-year-old Jordan Davis in 2012 at a Florida gas station after an argument over loud music.

BLACKWELL: We've got Alina Machado outside the courthouse there in Jacksonville. Alia, you've been following this trial and the proceedings this morning. Give us a rundown of these questions and response we're get that the judge is discussing with the attorneys here in chambers or in the courtroom.

ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, let's get right to the questions. This is really a one question with three separate parts. And this is what they asked for. They asked, is the defense of self- defense separate for each person in each count? The answer to that question is yes. Are we determining if deadly force is justified against each person in each count? And again, the answer to that question will also be yes. And the final part of this question is, if we determine that deadly force is justified against one person, is it justified against the others? And for that, the judge will be saying no, not necessarily.

So basically at this point the judge says he wants them to consider that this is a single defendant with multiple counts, that each count needs to be considered separately, and that's exactly what they will be telling the jury when they bring them into the courtroom in just a few moments.

PAUL: All right, we know that the jurors obviously worked really late into the evening yesterday. So the fact that they're asking to come back today tells us that they want to get through this. Did you see any of the jurors this morning? Do you know anything about, gosh, how they're doing now, four days in? This is a long process for them. And what about the folks in the courtroom waiting?

MACHADO: We have not seen the jury this morning. We know that they came in. They were running a little late. They started deliberations at 9:05 approximately. And they've been deliberating now for more than 19 hours. This has been a very long process for them. And quite frankly, it surprised a lot of people in Jacksonville. I want you to listen to Janet Johnson. She's a legal defense -- she's an attorney here in Jacksonville. And get her take on what she thinks and what people here in Jacksonville think about the length of the deliberations. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANET JOHNSON, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Living in Jacksonville and practicing here as I do, when this case first came to light everyone thought it was an open and shot murder. Whether it was a first degree or second degree we debated, but nobody saw this as a not guilty. So the fact that there's still a jury and the jury is out, as we like to say, means that this is an arguable case.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACHADO: And the hope here is that there will be a jury verdict soon. We'll be standing by and watching closely as the jury continues to deliberate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Self-defense and justifiable use of deadly force applies separately to each count. There you go. I'll let you go back to the jury room to resume your deliberations. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for your time and attention again.

PAUL: These are live pictures from the courtroom. Michael Dunn you see there. He is in court dressed in a suit and tie. And I have to believe, Alina, that Jordan Davis' family is there as well. What have you seen of them and how are they doing at this point? MACHADO: Reporter: They have been here throughout the entire process, as has Michael Dunn's family, they've been there as well. You put yourself in their shoes and you know that this is a difficult time for both families as they're trying to figure out what the jury is thinking, you know, what kind of a verdict they will return. And the family of Jordan Davis has said that this is -- this has been difficult for them. It's a frustrating thing for them. And it's not making it any easier the fact that this deliberation is still going on and the verdict is still unknown.

PAUL: All right, Alina Machado, thank you so much. Victor, one of the things I thought was interesting in listening to the judge, it was interesting to hear him say, this is unchartered water because he was commenting on the fact that this jury has been out so long with this deliberation, and it even surprised him.

BLACKWELL: Yes, he said that few of them had any experience with the jury that had been out for, he said, 20, 22 hours or more during the deliberations and so many questions. We've got questions we want to ask. Let's bring in CNN legal analyst Paul Callan. Paul, I'm sure you're aware of the questions asked by the jury and the answer given by Judge Healey. What do you make of the collective of these questions, focusing in on the defense of self-defense in one case and one count or another?

PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL ANLAYST: Well, you know, Victor, these are very sophisticated questions by the jury. They indicate a couple of things. The first thing it end indicates, I think, is that undoubtedly Dunn has been convicted on one of the very serious counts, murder, manslaughter, possibly second degree murder count. And what the jury is now looking at are the counts relating to the other young men who are in the car. Remember, there are three other individuals in the car. And he fired a number of bullets into that vehicle. So the jury is struggling with whether to convict on those counts.

Now, I say these are sophisticated questions because it's interesting. The juries are struggling with this concept. Let's say hypothetically that you are acting in self-defense against somebody who is pointing a gun at you, and you, in response, to protect yourself, fire at that person, but you hit other people who are close to that person. Well, you were acting in self-defense with respect to the guy who was shooting at you, but what about the other people that you hit?

The way they charge this case was they charged attempted murder on the other three individuals in the car. So they're struggling with, well, the self-defense that he claims against Mr. Dunn, does that apply to the other kids in the car? So I think that's what they're struggling about.

And what's making these tea leaves very difficult to read is, the fact that they've gotten on to those counts and the fact that they said yesterday they had convicted or they were only deadlocked on one count certainly suggests Dunn has been convicted of one of the more serious counts.

So most people might think, well, if that's the case then, they've already discounted and said there is no self-defense claim. So tough questions, tough things the jury is struggling with. And by the way, if the judge makes the mistake in giving the jury an answer, the case gets reversed on appeal. This is a critical moment in a criminal case because the judge has to get the answer right on the law or the conviction will be thrown out ultimately.

BLACKWELL: And that's why we saw the back and forth between Judge Healey and the state and the defense attorneys for more than 20 minutes on the answers to these three questions, and I think they all agreed on the answers to one and two, but it was the characterization of after the, no, not necessarily on the question about if they determine deadly force is justified against one person, is it justified against the others?

PAUL: And that was the one they wanted to ask you about, Paul. They say if we determine deadly force is justified against one person, is it justified against others, that sounds to me as though they have determined deadly force was justified. Do you read that, too, or am I reading it wrong?

CALLAN: Well, it does sound like that. And that could be -- that's a possible read on this. But, you know, on the other hand, they said -- yesterday they reported back that they had convicted on everything but one count, I think was one of the notes that came back, which would suggest, well, they had reached a verdict, I should say, on most of the other counts.

And by the way, you're analysis may be correct. And if you're correct that the use of deadly physical force was justified on one, then they're looking at the attempted murder counts on the other three, did he have the right to fire deadly physical force into the vehicle as to the other three individuals? And the judge is saying, you know, you have to consider each count individually.

Now, it's a close question as to whether that's an accurate thing to say to the jury because, less say hypothetically he's justified in firing at Jordan Davis, and one of those shots hits another person in the car. Is that attempted murder on the other person or is that justifiable because he was trying to hit the first person? So you see how complicated this stuff gets to be.

And so I think what the judge is saying, listen, there's an attempted murder count for each person in the car. Look at them individually. Did he intend to kill somebody other than Jordan Davis when he fired the shot? Did he have a right to shoot at that person? That's how they're supposed to be looking at it, at the individual counts and not sort of doing this big picture analysis that they seem to be doing now. So it's complicated stuff. But he's been convicted on something, I think a lesser charge than the first degree murder charge. And we just have to see how it pans out.

PAUL: Well, Paul, we really appreciate your perspective on this. Don't go too far, OK, because we're going to be talking about this all morning and we would like to continue the conversation with you. Thank you so much.

CALLAN: OK, thank you.

BLACKWELL: When we come back, you know, there's that big hockey game between Russia and the U.S. in Sochi, the Winter Olympics. We're going to check in and tell you the latest on that. Stay with us. You're in the CNN Newsroom.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: The 22nd Winter Olympic Games is in its eighth day now, and so far team USA is second only to Russia in Olympic medals. The Russian federation has 14.

PAUL: The U.S. has 13 tied with Norway and the Netherlands. Germany holds the lead for the most number of gold medals.

BLACKWELL: First to the Olympic face-off at harkens back to the 1980 miracle on ice when the U.S. men's hockey team beat Russia.

PAUL: Not really, because as one columnist put it nothing will ever be what that 1980 is going to be in history. But today the two nations meet again in Russia for the first time since that winning moment for America. It is a nail biter. We are in a shootout right now. Joe Carter from CNN here with us, and I want to thank all of you people on twitter who are --

JOE CARTER, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Keeping us updated. We're trying to watch.

PAUL: The tweeting me things. I thank you for that. What are you seeing?

CARTER: Thrilling game. Went into overtime. It's tied in the shootout. Russia/USA, great battle here. Great game for USA on Thursday. They beat Slovakia, 7-1. We certainly need the win today. That would put us into excellent position to get a bye in next week's elimination round. So depends on who wins this shootout right now depends on what goes on in the next few seconds. But tied in a shootout, 2-2.

PAUL: Thank you for clarifying that even whoever loses this game doesn't mean that they're out of it.

CARTER: Well, let's just think of a scenario. If team USA were to lose they are still in a great position to advance to the second round and get a bye because of the number of goals that we scored, because we scored seven against Slovakia on Thursday and we still play Slovenia tomorrow so we're banking on a win there. And that would take up into the second round which is the elimination round yet. So we're still in pool play.

PAUL: All right.

CARTER: Tied 2-2 right now in the shootout.

BLACKWELL: Exciting, none the less. Also, we're going to this one? All right. PAUL: Speed skating, we want to talk about speed indicating because that's been the other big controversy.

CARTER: Big story because of the uniforms. There was a report that came out some people close to the team had said the uniforms were slowing our speed skaters down. But in fact, they decided, OK, we're going to go away from the high-tech uniforms, which they spent 300 hours testing. These are aerospace engineers put these uniforms together. They decided to go back to the old uniforms that they wore during the world cup event in Japan last month, and they say it couldn't hurt, because moving forward, gold medalist Shani Davis was considered to win several events. So far he's won none. No American has won a medal in that event so far. So changing back to the old uniforms, ditching the high-tech uniforms for now.

BLACKWELL: And those Under Armor folks said the team tested them before the games and said they loved them.

CARTER: Yes.

PAUL: Thank you, Joe. Very much. Go back to the game for a second. Just for a second.

BLACKWELL: You talk about something that is not a game, the people waiting at airports. Thousands of flights canceled, a lot of people still without power. But there's more to come.

PAUL: Yes. Please don't get mad at the messengers here. We're feeling for you. But wait until you hear what's on the way. Stay close.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: OK. Spoiler alert, spoiler alert, just so you know, crank it down if you want to.

BLACKWELL: Yes, ready? Rejoice!

(LAUGHTER)

PAUL: Well, yes, even if they turn the sound down.

CARTER: Team USA beats Russia 3-2 in a shootout. It came down to the eighth shootout shot. This is a huge advantage for team USA because now we have not only beaten Slovakia in our pool, we've now beaten Russia in our pool and tomorrow we play Slovenia in our pool. So it looks like team USA will be guaranteed a bye game next week, which is huge because that means they get to rest a little bit and await their next opponent in the elimination play which starts next week.

But a lot of people remember 2010, team USA playing Canada in the gold medal game, losing in overtime to Canada. Sid the kid shot the game winning goal. But I know a lot of people feel like Canada, team USA, and then Russia as far as the three best teams in this tournament. Russia and team USA could meet be again later in this week. But now rejoice because they win 3-2 in a shootout and move on. PAUL: Sounds good.

CARTER: Slovenia tomorrow.

BLACKWELL: Thank you, Joe.

PAUL: All right, Joe, thank you.

CARTER: Thank you.

PAUL: So in the meantime, they're winning, what about all of us in the winter weather?

BLACKWELL: Losing a bit. Losing just a little bit.

PAUL: Sorry I have to tell you. I'm sorry for you folks in the north east and what you've been dealing with this past week.

BLACKWELL: More snow, a fast moving storm that will drop a foot of snow in some places. You know what that means for travelers, of course -- fewer flights, more headaches, the long lines and the waiting, for drivers, anxious time behind the wheel.

PAUL: Yes, trying to avoid an accident like this one. Did you see what happened in Philadelphia? A hundred car pile-up shut down one side of the Pennsylvania turnpike. CNN's Jennifer Gray, are they going to see more of this or is there a reprieve of any kind for them?

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it's going to continue as we go through the afternoon hours. But then this is a fast-moving storm, like you mentioned. So areas like New York, Philly, you're not going to see the snow totals you saw with the last storm. So looking at the radar now we're seeing snow. We had rain earlier in D.C. It's now changed over to snow. New York you're getting a little bit of a mix. North of the city, it is snow. South of the city, it is rain. And that's going to change all to snow as we go through the next couple of hours.

Boston, you're going to get it, too, the cape under a blizzard warning as we speak. As we go through the day today there's your snow. It does move out by the wee hours of the morning, looking at it anywhere from two to four inches of snow. New York City north of Boston and then to the east of Boston including the cape could see six to 10 inches. You will see a foot in northern Maine, guys.

PAUL: All righty, Jennifer, thank you very much .

GRAY: No problem.

BLACKWELL: The snow is going through some major hubs for the airlines. These airports, they look like emergency shelters.

PAUL: I know. These poor people sleeping on the floors and as they're trying to wait in lines. So your flight is boarding now. That's all they want to hear. If you're stuck at an airport watching us right now, let's bring in Susan Candiotti who is at LaGuardia airport. How are they fairing, Susan? And when does it look like things might get somewhat back to normal, any word?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, for the most part here in the New York metropolitan area, not so bad. Having more problems at Newark. Right now you see how busy it is at the American airlines ticket counter. Some people here are not having any issues at all. They're here for regularly scheduled flights. Others are still trying to get home. So the action is still outside here as we tell you that nationwide the number of delayed flights is down this date, Down to 541. But the advice is always best to get here early, because, as you indicated the weather forecast is changing into snow although we're not expecting all that much here in this region, but in other parts of the northeast, not the same story. So you need to choke with your airlines before you get to the airport and make sure your flight is on schedule. Christi, back to you.

PAUL: All righty, Susan, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

BLACKWELL: Good advice.

Some are saying a controversial bill praised by the Republican governor of Kansas discriminates against gay couples. We're going to take an in depth look at the politics behind the bill. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: It's 28 minutes past the hour right now. I'm Christi Paul.

BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell here. Here are five stories we are watching this morning.

PAUL: Number one, jurors in the loud music murder trial had three new questions for the judge just a short while ago, all centering around the use of deadly force in the various charges Dunn faces related to four different alleged victims here. The jury has now been deliberating for more than 20 hours over a four-day period. Dunn is in the courtroom as well facing the possibility of life in prison if he's convicted of first degree murder in the shooting death of 17- year-old Jordan Davis.

Number two, a brand new storm will drive up to a foot of snow on parts of the northeast. I'm sorry to tell you, more than 500 flights already canceled today on top of the thousands canceled this week. For homes where the power is out the news is just a little bit better. The number of outages across the east has dropped. But 165,000 folks though are still in the dark right now.

Number three, President Obama offering more than $100 million in aid to victims suffering from California's historic drought. The president traveled to Fresno yesterday, promised livestock disaster assistance and funding for water conservation projects. The president hopes to get the programs running within two months.

Number four Volkswagen employees who build the Passat have spoken and they do not want a union at their Chattanooga, Tennessee, plant. Employees there rejected an invitation to join the United Autoworkers. Three days of secret balloting we understand ended last night and state Republicans feared a union shop would drive businesses and jobs out of the state.

Number five, actress Ellen Page made a big announcement yesterday during a speech in Las Vegas for the Human Rights Campaign. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAGE: And I am here today because I am gay. And because --

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: The announcement triggered a standing ovation from the crowd. Page says she's speaking publicly about her sexual orientation to, quote, "because it's a personal responsibility and a social obligation," unquote.

BLACKWELL: Now turning to same-sex marriage and politics. A controversial bill that would allow refusal of service to same-sex couples could become law in Kansas. The bill already passed by the state house reads in part, and in is part of it I'm going to read, "No individual or religious entity shall be required by any governmental entity to do any of the following, provide any services, accommodations, advantages, facilities, goods or privileges, provide counseling, adoption, foster care, and other social services, or provide employment or employment benefits related to or related to the celebration of any marriage, domestic partnership, civil union, or similar arrangement." That covers everything from buying groceries to getting married.

Joining me now to talk about it our political commentator, on the right, Ben Ferguson, on the left, Maria Cardona. Maria, let's start with you. And welcome to you both. Your reaction -- are Republicans in Kansas protecting the rights of religious entities and religious people or discriminating against same-sex couples or is this an uncomfortable hybrid? Where do you see this?

MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: There's no question that this law, if it becomes law, would absolutely discriminate against gay couples. And it is something that I think that the Republican Party should really be careful with. If you're looking at a party who wants to at any point in the future become a national party again and try to reach the White House, this is completely against what their own, quote, unquote, "autopsy" did about a year ago when they were shellacked in the November, 2012, elections. Instead of opening up and becoming more inclusive and trying to draw more voters to the party. This goes completely against it. I mean, this is going back to 1890s, Victor. It is so Neanderthal-ish I can't even believe they are considering it.

BLACKWELL: Let's put up this map here because I want you to look at this, Ben, a map showing so many states that allow same-sex marriage. You see them here in yellow. This week Virginia had a big court decision overturning a ban. To Maria's point, is this a problem for Republicans? They had this autopsy, as it's called. What does this bill in Kansas do? Does it tarnish the image? BEN FERGUSON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, you can't be overreaching. And I think that's one of the things a lot of Republicans have been looking at right now and saying there is a difference between the private sector being able to be protected, to say that you do not want to do something that's against your religious beliefs.

For example, if you have a florist or a photographer that is asked to do a wedding and it's against religious beliefs and they respectfully disagree, they shouldn't worry about being sued, the same way if a gay establishment if somebody calls and says can I rent out your venue for a pro-gay marriage, they should be able to say, of course, no, I'm not going to host your event. I'm going to refuse your business without being sued.

But if you're a state employee and the law of your state reads whatever it reads, you as a state employee, I think, have to do what the law says. Otherwise, you're not -- I don't think you have the same protection as the private sector business. And I think that's where there has to be a very defined line in the sand, to make it clear that if you work for government, your job is to do what the laws of that land say, and if you don't like it, then maybe you should go into the private sector. So I think that's where they're going to have to look at this law and make some changes to it to make sure it's not too broad reaching.

BLACKWELL: Beyond a wedding or beyond services from the government, this says any of these services. I mean, goods, privileges, counseling.

FERGUSON: Sure.

BLACKWELL: If a man and his partner, his husband, if he was married in another state, they go to a restaurant and they want to be served, should this law would give them -- the owner of the restaurant the right to say I'm not serving you because I see this meal as a celebration of your marriage?

FERGUSON: And that's the point where I would say it is wrong. And that's the point where I say you have to have a very clear line in the sand. If someone walks into a business and they happen to be gay, you shouldn't be able to refuse them service.

Now, if they're coming in to celebrate and wanting to have a wedding reception, that is different where you shouldn't have to worry about being sued for that. The same way that if a cake maker, we had one the other day that got in trouble because she said I'm not going to make you a divorce cake, and they threatened to sue her because they said, well, who are you to tell me that you can't make me a cake celebrating my divorce. She said, I don't believe in divorce. There should be a protection in that specific situation when it comes to a celebration of a union or of a gay marriage and that, in my opinion, should really be it.

BLACKWELL: So Maria, does this put Democrats in a tough spot because by and large Democrats support gay marriage or same-sex civil unions. What about the Democrats who are in, you know, these reddish or red states when these reelection battles, will this put help them in a tough spot?

CARDONA: I don't think so, Victor, because, frankly, the majority of the American people are moving towards accepting the fact that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters should have the exact same rights that you and Ben and I have in terms of not being discriminated against simply because of who we love.

And the Democrats in red states, frankly, are focused on the issues that their constituents care about, the economy, creating jobs, making sure that middle class families and working class families have equal opportunity. And that's why I think that they will get reelected. If Republicans continue to focus on this issue, Victor, it is going to be the death knell for them as a national party.

And the difficulty with what Ben just said is, you know, what if a couple goes in to a restaurant and they're not there celebrating -- it's not the reception but they have a balloon, for example, that says must just married. It is impossible to really tell what is a celebration of the same-sex marriage and what isn't. And it really puts businesses in a difficult position. So I would say if you're a business, it doesn't want --

FERGUSON: I would want to say this to Maria.

BLACKWELL: We got to wrap this up.

(CROSSTALK)

FERGUSON: You've got to remember -- you've got to remember one thing. I think Maria is trying to push Republicans into an extreme corner here. Everywhere that gay marriage has been on the ballot, including California, the people even in California said they wanted it to not be redefined outside of one man and one woman. So to act as if the Republicans with being left behind on this issue, look at where the people are voting their conscience, including California.

BLACKWELL: We've got to wrap it up.

CARDONA: The majority of Americans approve of it.

FERGUSON: Not through the ballot. It's through the court system.

BLACKWELL: Maria Cardona, Ben Ferguson, thank you very much. I think I would also check the polls for Maryland in that last election deciding on same-sex marriage. Thank you, both.

And funny man Jimmy Fallon getting ready to take over the "Tonight Show." Up next, we'll talk to someone who knows Fallon not just on stage but also behind the scenes, his former SNL cast mate, Horatio Sanz.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Comedian Jimmy Fallon is getting ready for a new gig because on Monday the comedian takes over as host of the "Tonight Show".

PAUL: This is all part of a plan by NBC to attract a younger audience. The switch up is a welcome change to fans who know that before "Late Night" Fallon made his mark on Saturday night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How is it coming.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's fine. I think we got the right size filter.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Great. We're just about to have dinner here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, well, well, well, well, well, dinner.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got Chef Boyardee over here. Where is your white hat? Bobby Flay over here. Oh, we got a regular --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: So what can fans expect from Fallon's new role on late night? Joining us for an exclusive interview comedian and former SNL cast member Horatio Sanz. Horatio, good to have you with us this morning.

HORATIO SANZ, FORMER SNL CAST MEMBER: Good morning, guys, very nice to be here.

BLACKWELL: The good thing is we've been able to watch Jimmy for a couple years in his position at 12:30. But what do you think he's going to add to the "Tonight Show" that was missing before, Horatio?

SANZ: I think what Jimmy brings to the table is he has a lot of versatility. He's a great improvisational actor. He's a great impressionist. He's also just very skilled with music. I think that's been an added aspect of the show that has improved greatly over the last version of it. I think he's going to be great when he does "Tonight".

PAUL: Part of why we want your perspective is you know him in a way that we don't and never will. How do you think he's different from other comedians that you've worked with? Tell us something about him that maybe we don't know.

SANZ: Well, Jimmy is very like positive. I think when he was here in Los Angeles when he was in class people got up and they said what they wanted to do. He just said I want to be on "Saturday Night Live." I think the classmates were laughing a little bit at him. A year and a half later he was on it. So he's that kind of guy that can get things done, you know. He's very -- he doesn't have any judgment of himself so he kind of just is like, all right. We just perform. We just get better. And he's just got this supreme amount of confidence that makes him able to do any kind of task that he's asked.

BLACKWELL: He's got some huge shoes to fill with Jay Leno leaving after 22 years, walking out on top. And I think what some people have said, what's so great about jay is he didn't forget the center of the country, the east coast and the west coast laughs. What would be your advice for Jimmy, if you have some, on remembering the vast middle of the country that really made Jay number one?

SANZ: Yes, well, I think it's important -- I told Jimmy. I talked to him last week saying, don't mess with the show too much, you know. I think you can also go in the wrong direction with that, too, which is trying to appease middle America. I think that middle America is already pretty much used to him from "Saturday Night Live." you know, we weren't playing to just New York and L.A. when we were doing "Saturday Night." We were playing for the whole country. He's pretty used to entertaining middle America and the whole country. His sensibility isn't exclusionary. It's more about like, yes, let's bring more people?

PAUL: Let's talk about NSL for a moment if we could. Sasheer Zamata recently joined the cast after that widespread criticism the show lacked diversity. What is your take on how it's going and if that's something that you felt was needed for a while?

SANZ: I think -- first off, I think it's going amazing. She's -- every show I've seen her on she's had great things to do. I think it's not -- I don't think it's something people were thinking about, like let's not work on getting a black woman. I think it's just that people's sensibilities when they're auditioning and coming around, it's just something that you don't think about immediately. I think finally they took some time to not just work on the situation but they fixed it pretty quickly. And I think the show's a lot better for it.

BLACKWELL: Any names, any thoughts on someone you would want to add to your dream cast on this show? When you guys were together, when you were part of the cast, it was great. I remember the "Debbie Downer" sketch vividly. But anyone you want to see added to SNL's cast?

SANZ: I would like -- I would just like some people that were a little -- a little more out of control. You know, not to the point where they're like setting fire to the set or anything, but certainly someone with a little edge, someone who is not afraid to be fired, you know, just shake it up a little bit.

Although I do think the show is incredibly funny still. This year has been a transition year and it's been great. I just saw the Melissa McCarthy episode and I thought it was fantastic. They're going in the right direction. I think it's not like SNL is a bunch of white guys not wanting faces of color on TV. It's just, you know, the sensibility that people coming up, I think, is starting to broaden and I think that you're going to start seeing more of that.

BLACKWELL: That would be a terrible name for a show, by the way, "A bunch of white guys not wanting faces of color on television." It's not the name of a TV show.

SANZ: It's a little long.

PAUL: Hoatio, thank you so much, so good to talk with you today. SANZ: It was my pleasure to talk to you guys. Have a very nice day.

PAUL: You, too. Take good care.

BLACKWELL: When we return, it was U.S. versus Russia in Olympic men's hockey and we have the results. Live report from Sochi, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Spoiler alert for you. The U.S. men's Olympic hockey team has just beat Russia.

BLACKWELL: The Victory brings back memories of 1980's miracle on ice. Joining us from Sochi is CNN's Rachel Nichols, host of "Unguarded."

PAUL: Rachel, what was the reaction at the rink, because this was a real nail biter?

RACHEL NICHOLS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was amazing. Nobody could catch their breath for a good 15 minutes there because you thought the game was over so many times, and they would keep going. The crowd, of course, was 80 percent pro-Russians. But there was a 20 percent Americans contingent in there waving their flags, and everybody was just so excited. They knew that they were witnessing something special, including the players, by the way. I just talked to one of the American winners who was on the bench for that whole shootout. He said, I didn't know whether to watch or not watch. Basically I thought I was going to have a heart attack.

PAUL: The competition here is so great because, I mean, all of these columnists have been talking about the fact they believe that -- I remember one headline saying even if Russia wins no other medal, if they win the gold -- if they win the gold in hockey they will believe that this Olympics was a success.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

PAUL: So this is how important it is to, they say, President Putin.

BLACKWELL: Our thanks to Rachel Nichols but we also heard the Olympics, all of Sochi, is essentially a $51 billion hockey match. They want to make sure that Russia wins that gold, and unfortunately today losing to the U.S. 3-2. Our thanks to Rachel Nichols there live in Sochi.

PAUL: Let's talk about the fact that some pot shops now have a place to bank their cash.

BLACKWELL: They and their financial institutions could still get hit with breaking federal laws. We'll explain, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Legal pot shops now have a place to deposit their sales, but with some restrictions. Friday the Justice Department issued rules governing financial services for state licensed marijuana stores. Banks can do business with these companies as long as the pot shots adhere to a limited number of trafficking laws. Marijuana remains illegal under federal law.

PAUL: The musician who police suspect may have sold actor Philip Seymour Hoffman heroin has been granted bond. Robert Vineberg's defense attorney told a judge the 300 bags of heroin found in his client's apartment were for his personal use and that he is not a drug dealer. Police arrested Vineberg just days after Hoffman was found dead of an apparent overdose.

BLACKWELL: The largest fossilized mammoth tusk in the Seattle area is now safe and sound. Look at this thing. Paleontologists removed it from a construction site yesterday and took it to a museum. The crews uncovered it while working on a new apartment complex. Researchers say the tusk is about eight feet long and is at least 16,000 years old, but could be as old as 60,000 years.

PAUL: Space watchers called it the jelly doughnut rock.

BLACKWELL: OK.

PAUL: A white rock with a red spot in the middle. You see it there on the screen. It seemed to appear out of nowhere. But now NASA's offering a couple of answers about it and where it came from. Officials say the Mars rover rolled over a bigger rock. The doughnut is just part that broke off. So I apologize, kids. No aliens, at least not yet.

BLACKWELL: Some of the world's top wind surfers waited for the worst weather to hit the water. The surfers off the coast of England were riding waves more than 30 feet and they were thrown twice that far into the air.

PAUL: Look at this thing. You know what they're competing in, too, the Red Bull storm chase final which can only be held in storm force conditions with winds 80 miles an hour. No telling whether you have to chug a Red Bull before you do that.

BLACKWELL: You have to chug something to want to do that. You're chugging something.

(LAUGHTER)

PAUL: Jennifer Gray is here with the forecast.

GRAY: Guy, yes, we are going to see more winter weather head up the east coast today. As we speak, already seeing it. In fact the Cape under a blizzard warning until tomorrow morning. The snow is coming. Luckily this is a fast mover, though, guys, so this isn't going to dump as much snow as we saw with the last system, which is good news.

We're already seeing that changeover to snow in D.C. New York you're getting a mixture. North end of the city getting snow while the south is getting rain, it is happening as we speak. Boston, it will be pushing into your area as we go through the late afternoon into the overnight hours. That's when you will see the worst of it. It's going to be very windy, especially around the cape. We could see gusts up to 60 miles an hour. This is going to push offshore in the wee hours of the morning and we're looking at snow totals anywhere from, say, two to four inches around the New York City area. Outside of Boston, could see six to 10, northern Maine, a foot of snow possible as we go through the afternoon and overnight. Guys?

PAUL: All righty, Jennifer Gray, thank you so much. You know what, they're cutting us off.

BLACKWELL: Yes, they are. Before they do, to the thousands of people sitting at airports watching us, we haven't forgotten about you. You're stuck there, we're here for you.

PAUL: Make some great memories today as best you can.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: I'm going to be with you, too, people in the airplane.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

PAUL: We're not forgetting Fred. We're ready to talk to her.

WHITFIELD: I'll be with you all day. We will hunker down together. All right, Victor, Christi, thanks so much. Great to see you guys.

Up next, it is the 11:00 a.m. eastern hour of the Newsroom, and it begins right now.