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King Kids Battle Over Bible, Peace Prize; Facebook Knows WhatsApp; Cruz Refuses to Knock Nugent; History Teacher Educates Obama; Franco Pens Op-Ed To Defend LaBeouf

Aired February 20, 2014 - 15:30   ET

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

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Atlantic City police have asked the Atlantic County prosecutor's office to investigate first in order to ensure that all the appropriate changes are considered.

And, Brooke, we should also point out here we have not been able to reach Palmer's attorney for comment.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: What about his team? What about the Baltimore Ravens? What are they saying?

FIELD: They are speaking out. They've given us this statement.

They say, quote, "We are aware of this Friday night situation with Ray Rice and his fiancee. We've spoken with Ray and know that they returned home together after being detained."

The statement goes on to say, "We have seen the video. This is a serious matter and we are currently gathering more information."

So, Brooke, certainly no indication there that this would have any impact on his status with the team, but clearly the team is going to be following these developments, along with the rest of us.

BALDWIN: Yeah. Alexandra Field, thank you very much.

The children of Dr. Martin Luther King locked in this battle over the late father's precious belongings, we have learned that back in 2007, King's daughter Bernice may have been willing to sell almost 20 of her father's personal items, but not his Bible, and not that 1964 Nobel Peace Prize.

Bernice King's two brothers two brothers want to sell the Bible and the peace prize, and so now this Georgia judge has ordered Bernice King to turn over her father's Bible and that Nobel Peace Prize to be stored in a safe deposit box that only the court can access.

Victor Blackwell, joining me now, we talked about this when you first saw Bernice King talking about this publicly.

So, now, where are the items?

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That was the big question we left off. Where are they? They are in a safe deposit box now, owned by Bernice King. As you said, the judge ordered that they be transferred to a safe deposit box owned by the estate, and the court will keep the key.

The other major question is now that we've confirmed that the brothers, Dexter and Martin III, want to sell them, is, to whom?

According to an affidavit of Martin III and a 2007 email from Bernice King to Dexter King, it was potentially -- these items were potentially going to be sold to the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, so right here in Atlanta.

Now, we called the center. They have no comment. The attorneys for the estate will not confirm that it's the NCCHR.

However, we do know that the attorneys have said several times that this is very time sensitive. And we know that the NCCHR is scheduled to open in May.

So, quite possibly, they need these to launch this new exhibit, but again, we have not confirmed that that is the entity that wants these items.

BALDWIN: And did you say you had a reaction from Bernice King?

BLACKWELL: We do have a reaction from Bernice King.

There was this news conference when were here the last time where she was -- she said it was about more than just money. This was about principle. This was about what was right and wrong.

Actually, let's listen to that and then we'll have the response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BERNICE KING, DAUGHTER OF THE LATE REVEREND MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.: It's really about a righteous cause. It's not about another sibling rivalry. It's about standing on principle.

It's important that I am on the right side of history.

When the record books are written, let it be said that there was at least one heir who tried to (inaudible).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Now even with that, we have from this 2007 email that there were many things that Bernice King was willing to sell, including the wagon that carried her father's casket the day he was buried at his funeral, the pen that President Johnson gave Dr. King after he signed the Civil Rights act in 1964, Dr. King's key to the Lorraine Motel where he was assassinated, even the wallet that was in his pocket when he was assassinated with nine pictures of the children and Coretta Scott King.

She was willing to part with those, but not the Bible and not the medal.

Now, again, we have this response from Bernice King, and I'm going to read just a couple of sentences. It's lengthy.

"As I look towards the future of the King Center, today, I would not support the sale of most of the memorabilia listed in that 2007 email."

She goes on to say, "I have and always will object to the sale of the Nobel Peace Prize and Bible, as I believe the sale of the items is sacrilegious and a breach of my obligation as a steward and trustee of my father's legacy."

So, this fight over these two items, specifically, continues.

BALDWIN: It's just such a (inaudible). It's just sad.

BLACKWELL: It's sad.

BALDWIN: All of this fighting.

Victor Blackwell, thank you very much.

BLACKWELL: Sure.

BALDWIN: We now have some news just in to us here at CNN. Let me get this for you, about the deaths of two former Navy SEALs on board this ship, the Maersk Alabama.

Traces of narcotics and hypodermic needles have been found next to their bodies in a ship cabin. This, of course, suggests that both of these men died of a drug overdose.

But keep in mind, if the ship name sounds familiar, it should, because this is the same ship that was targeted by Somali pirates in 2009, made famous by the film, "Captain Phillips."

Coming up, have you heard about this app, WhatsApp? Facebook just paid $19 billion for this company. What is this? And why is it worth so much money? We'll get into that, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Well, the backlash has now begun over Facebook's biggest buy yet, a Facebook page now, of course, dedicated to demanding Facebook not ruin WhatsApp.

That's a service Facebook is buying for a cool $19 billion.

WhatsApp gives users free, or almost free texting, and it's $19 billion price tag means it's worth more than these household brands. Just we wanted to just put this into perspective for you.

So you see the names, Mattel, Campbell's, Ralph Lauren, Fidelity, yeah, that doesn't match WhatsApp, and that $19 billion. Is it really worth it? Good question. Some analysts say it is 400 million-plus, not just users, but active users, way more than other tech giants like Twitter and Skype.

And the founders behind it are now very, very rich when their beginnings were quite humble. Jan Koum, he used to be on food stamps.

And then there was this 2009 tweet from the other founder, Brian Acton, "Facebook turned me down. It was a great opportunity to connect with some fantastic people. Looking forward to life's next adventure."

Looks like he has found it and then some.

Christina Warren, joining me now, senior tech analyst for Mashable.com. Christina, nice to see you, welcome.

CHRISTINA WARREN, SENIOR TECH ANALYST, MASHABLE.COM: Nice to see you.

BALDWIN: So, $19 billion. Is it really worth that?

WARREN: That's a lot of money.

BALDWIN: It is.

WARREN: Some brands are worth way less than WhatsApp has now been valued at, but you know what? What's also a lot is 450 million active users.

I'll say that again, 450 million active users, and for a service that a ton of people in the audience have probably never heard of.

I think for Facebook as a company that is wanting to get a foothold where people are communicating and having access to that many users and the most popular instant messaging service on mobile is probably a good investment.

BALDWIN: I feel like I'm decently hip to the twitters and the Web, but I never heard of this. Was it Google who tried to buy WhatsApp?

WARREN: That's what the rumor was. They turned it down and Facebook came back with the package of 19 billion plus a seat on the board for one of its founders.

So, clearly a lot of people who were watching this space have known this was a company to watch, because it's a very small company, but, as we were talking about, it's got a humongous user base.

And that's pretty powerful, especially when you're talking about how to reach the emerging Internet markets moving forward.

BALDWIN: With all the users and the active users, Facebook loving that, I'm sure.

Christina Warren at Mashable.com, thank you so much.

WARREN: Thank you. BALDWIN: Coming up next, the hit show that shows us the under belly of Washington politics. It is my favorite TV show, for sure.

Kevin Spacey plays Frank Underwood, the -- spoiler alert -- vice president of the U.S. Now, listen, we tried, I actually and couldn't book Kevin Spacey.

But I am going to give you the next best thing. I thought we were going to see him. He is probably getting seated.

Jake Tapper is a big fan of the show, as well, and I'm hearing, my sources tell me Tapper has got a pretty awesome impersonation of Frank Underwood, so we're going to make him do that on live TV, because can.

That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Coming up next, you know what it is, "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper. And, Jake Tapper, here he is, our chief Washington correspondent and let's begin -

JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Hello.

BALDWIN: Hello.

I know we are going to have some fun in a minute, but stand by for fun, because let's talk about Dana Bash, our colleague on Capitol Hill.

TAPPER: Yes.

BALDWIN: This interview with Senator Ted Cruz from Texas, making all kinds of news already, so let's play some of this.

This is Senator Cruz telling Dana about what he thought about rocker Ted Nugent calling President Obama a, quote, "sub-human mongrel." Here's Ted Cruz.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SENATOR TED CRUZ (R), TEXAS: Look, those sentiments there, of course, I don't agree with him. You've never heard me say such a thing and nor would I.

I will note there's a reason, Ted Nugent, people listen to him, which is that he has been fighting passionately for Second Amendment rights.

BASH: Would you campaign with Ted Nugent?

CRUZ: I haven't yet, and I'm going to avoid engaging in hypotheticals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: OK, so that was kind of like a non-answer answer, I guess. He says he hasn't campaigned yet with him. Do you think he would?

TAPPER: It's hard to say. Ted Nugent, there is a reason why people in states like Texas campaign with him. He does drive up the base. He does rally and feed raw meat to conservatives.

I have to say, it doesn't seem like it's actually that difficult to say that calling a biracial president of the United States a "sub- human mongrel" is a racist and insane thing to say -

BALDWIN: Insane.

TAPPER: -- and should be condemned.

I don't understand why politicians, whether on the right or the left, have difficulty not just saying, Well, that's something I would never say, but saying, That's a vile sentiment?

I guess they're afraid of alienating racists? I can't really explain it myself.

BALDWIN: Right. Right. Perhaps. I don't know.

Politics can be ugly, as we know -

TAPPER: Yes.

BALDWIN: -- and that's what we see in this most amazing show on Netflix, which I am a huge fan of. It's my favorite thing on TV, "House of Cards."

Valentine's Day, really, for me, was the beginning of Season Two.

So, for those people, I know you love the show. Before we do this --

TAPPER: Very fun show. I am 10 episodes into Season Two.

BALDWIN: I don't want to hear.

TAPPER: No spoilers. No spoilers.

BALDWIN: Can we just play -- first, let's play -- if people haven't seen this, this is Frank Underwood. This is played by Kevin Spacey, the prototypical politician on the show. Roll it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN SPACEY, ACTOR, "HOUSE OF CARDS": Power's a lot like real estate. It's all about location, location, location. The closer you are to the source, the higher your property value.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: OK, you ready for this, Tapper?

TAPPER: Ready for what? BALDWIN: I hear that you have an awesome Frank Underwood impression.

TAPPER: You know, I don't know that it would be appropriate for a news anchor to do an impression of a television character.

BALDWIN: Yes, it is. Yes, it is.

TAPPER: Can you believe she would ask me to do this on national television after all I would rather be eating some ribs somewhere?

BALDWIN: I will see your impression and one up you, because, Jake Tapper, friends make the worst enemies, my friends, being so clever on "THE LEAD." Think again.

TAPPER: That was your impression?

BALDWIN: That was mine. That was pretty good.

TAPPER: I had a camera cut. I had like a whole thing.

BALDWIN: I had a camera cut. Someone wasn't paying attention. Did you not see?

I went from three to two to three.

Anyway, Tapper, bravo. Don't talk to me any more about the show. I'm so excited to get going on Season Two.

TAPPER: I will not support any spoilers, Claire.

BALDWIN: Thank you.

TAPPER: That's really horrible. I don't even know why this is --

BALDWIN: It's horrible, actually. I hear the clicking of people clicking off.

TAPPER: It's honestly the only thing -- this is something I do to annoy my staff. It is not actually --

BALDWIN: Your poor staff. Your poor, poor staff.

We're going. Jake Tapper, we'll watch for you --

TAPPER: Thank you.

BALDWIN: -- not doing that in 10 minutes. Thank you very much.

Now to this art history professor who really got the surprise of her life after she sent this letter to President Obama for making these remarks last month about her profession.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A lot of young people no longer see the trades and skilled manufacturing as a viable career. But I promise you, folks can make a lot more potentially with skilled manufacturing or the trades than they might with an art history degree.

Now, nothing wrong with art history. I love art history. So, I don't want to get a bunch of emails from everybody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: That didn't stop Professor Ann Johns from giving the president a piece of her mind.

She is a senior lecturer in art history at the University of Texas at Austin. And she logged onto the White House Web site, and she said, quote, "We work really hard on teaching students who come in and take an art history survey class how to think, read, and write critically, because that's what you do with art. It's not just looking at a pretty picture."

So now for a surprise. President Obama took out his pen and wrote an apology to her. He said, "Let me apologize for my off-the-cuff remark." It was signed, Barack Obama.

And I have Professor Ann Johns on the phone. I heard you weren't watching TV when he said that, but once you saw it, there were people who said, yes, I'm going to write a letter.

You actually did. Why?

ANN JOHNS, ART HISTORY PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, AUSTIN (via telephone): Well, I actually heard about this first, not on TV, but I heard in some of my professional listservs, and people were spending a lot of time think about it.

And I decided, well, this is great, talking and thinking about it, but maybe I'll just write a letter to the White House.

Maybe every couple of months I write a letter to a politician, so I did, and of course I didn't save it, because if you go to the White House Web site and you type it in and it goes into the -- and it's gone.

And about 12 days later I got -- actually, I got an email with a PDF of the note.

BALDWIN: And when you saw that, what were you thinking?

JOHNS (via telephone): Well, I think I wasn't even thinking for about five minutes.

I just didn't -- I sat and stared at it because whoever thinks in a million years they are going to get a personal note from the president of the United States.

And I thought it was a very gracious note. I'm very pleased with it. And I just got the real one today. BALDWIN: The real one, that's the picture we've been sharing. You shared it with us and we shared it with everyone.

I read that you weren't even sure I wanted to go public with this apology from the president. How come?

JOHNS (via telephone): Well, I don't need to tell you about the media.

BALDWIN: What?

JOHNS (via telephone): So I thought, well, I'm not really sure if I should do anything.

And then I thought I'd like my students to know about it and including my past students and former students, and one way I connect with them is like everybody else, through Facebook.

So I posted it and it made its way to a -- maybe not so little now after this, a little art blog in New York and it just rolled from there.

So -- but I think that I have, of course, gotten a wide range of responses from people. Some crazy responses just flat out crazy.

BALDWIN: Well, that happens. That happens.

JOHNS (via telephone): Yes. Again, I'm sure you know, but the response from my students, both present and past has been overwhelmingly positive.

They feel really happy to have the president sort of vindicate their studies, their career choice, and it's been just a wonderful talking point for us.

BALDWIN: Yes.

JOHNS (via telephone): In the discipline.

BALDWIN: My best, best friend was a art history minor and she swears by it. She sees history through different eyes from art.

Ann Johns, thank you and good luck. Thank you for sharing it.

JOHNS (via telephone): I will.

BALDWIN: Bizarre behavior from a young Hollywood star. Remember this whole stunt, wearing a paper bag on his head?

And another star is coming to his defense. Who could that be? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Twenty-seven-year-old actor Shia LaBeouf, big box-office movie star, has had a couple of Hollywood hiccups recently. First, he was accused of plagiarizing a comic-strip writer in his film, directorial debut. And then, of course, there's the infamous walk with the paper bag on the red carpet.

I don't know what is going on there. But on the bag it says, "I am not famous anymore."

That same day, this awkward moment happened at a press conference.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHIA LEBEOUF, ACTOR: When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea. Thank you very much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: OK, sardines. I know, you can't help but not laugh.

LaBeouf dabbled in a bit a skywriting, spelled out, in the skies over Los Angeles, "Start creating."

The Transformer star's antics have a lot of people wondering if he's downright lost it. But not fellow actor James Franco, because he wrote this op-ed letter to "The New York Times," defending Shia LaBeouf.

And HLN entertainment anchor A.J. Hammer in the studio with me, pleasure to see you in the flesh, by the way, but what is going on here?

A.J. HAMMER, HLN ENTERTAINMENT ANCHOR: James Franco has a very interesting take on this. And he certainly knows the territory that Shia LaBeouf is in right now.

Franco's somebody who's been picked apart in the media before, albeit for very different reasons, but Franco has always struck me as the kind of guy who seems very interested in creating whatever art is important to him, less concerned about what other people thought he ought to be doing.

So, you can see where he's got some empathy for LaBeouf, which is why he felt compelled to watch this op-ed in "The New York Times," possibly to shed some light on what may be behind Shia's acting out.

Franco points out that this type of rebellion is as old as Hollywood itself. He says "Any artist regardless of his field can experience distance between his true self and his public persona, but because film actor typically experience fame in greater measure, our personas can feel at the mercy of forces far beyond our control."

And when you look at the thirst for celebrity coverage in all forms of media, it's easy to understand that.

And Franco also makes a very good point. LaBeouf's been acting since he was a child, and of course, we've seen a long history of child stars acting out as they get older. So, in his op-ed piece, he says, "Often an actor's need to tear down the public creation that constrains him occurs during the transition from young man to adult. I just hope that he is careful not to use up all the good will he has gained as an actor in order to show us that he is an artist."

Which is a great point, because, even though people love Shia onscreen, we all have seen what happens when the antics can overshadow the work.

BALDWIN: Interesting. We were talking before. Maybe it's a big performance piece. Who really knows?

HAMMER: Joaquin Phoenix -

BALDWIN: Right? He pulled it off.

HAMMER: -- with a fair amount of success.

BALDWIN: Who knows?

A.J. Hammer, thank you very much.

And thank you very much for watching. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

"THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts now.