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Terror Downplayed in Flight 370 Mystery; Comedian-in-Chief; Colorado's Pot.com; "Nasal Ranger" Sniffs out Stench of Pot

Aired March 11, 2014 - 09:30   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thanks so much for joining me.

The opening bell kicking things off this morning on Wall Street. U.S. stocks closed slightly - slightly lower yesterday with the Dow and S&P 500 hovering near all-time highs. Futures were looking steady earlier on the heels of some sharp moves last week with the tense situation in Ukraine. Of course, as always, we'll keep an eye on things for you.

But we begin this half hour with the search for the Malaysia Airline jetliner and new developments that may downplay terrorism and its disappearance. This morning, police identify the two men who used stolen passports to board the plane. Both men are Iranian. Neither is believed tied to any militant groups. But let's get the latest from Washington and CNN justice correspondent Pamela Brown.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, we've learned the second passenger who boarded doomed flight 370 with a stolen Italian passport was a 29-year-old man Iranian man by the name of Delavar Syed Mohammad Reza. He was traveling with a 19-year-old Iranian who, according to authorities, was traveling to Germany where his mother lives. Interpol's secretary general saying it appears the two men with stolen passports tried to get to Europe as part of human smuggling, not terrorism.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN (voice-over): Investigators have now identified the two men traveling with stolen passports on Flight 370. Interpol says the two Iranian nationals flew from Qatar to Kuala Lumpur Airport using valid Iranian passports, then boarded the ill-fated flight to Beijing using stolen passports.

The two men have been identified as 29-year-old Delavar Syed Mohammad Reza and 19-year-old Pouria Nour Mohammad Mehrdad. Authorities believe the younger man was attempting to seek asylum in Europe. They say his mother contacted authorities after he did not arrive in Germany as planned.

RONALD NOBLE, INTERPOL SECRETARY GENERA: The more information we get, the more we're inclined to conclude that it was not a terrorist incident.

BROWN: Authorities have been pouring through airport surveillance video and thumbprints from the airport to search for possible clues. Investigators focusing on this Thai travel agency that booked tickets for the two passengers. Thai police telling CNN an Iranian middleman, known as Mr. Ali, first contacted the agency on March 1st looking to buy cheap tickets to Europe for two men on two different flights. That booking expired, so the travel agent rebooked the men on the same flight, Flight 370 on March 6th. Ali paid cash. Two days later, the plane vanished.

TOM FUENTES, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: They could just be, as I would say, garden variety criminals, the drug traffickers or they could be people smugglers or, you know, fraudsters.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Aside from those two men, all the passports of the other passengers on Flight 370 checked out as legitimate according to Interpol. Again, officials saying the more information they get, the more they're focusing on factors other than terrorism as the cause of the plane to go missing.

Carol.

COSTELLO: Pamela Brown reporting from Washington.

Coming up in the NEWSROOM, President Obama "Between Two Ferns." He's trying to sell Obamacare to a younger audience. Well, will funny do it? We'll discuss. after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Americans hoping to enroll in Obamacare are fast approaching a deadline with little over two weeks left to sign up. And that deadline comes as a new CNN poll shows support for the law is rebounding just a little bit. Thirty-nine percent now say they back Obamacare. That's up from a record low of 35 percent in December. But, 57 percent still oppose Obamacare. And it's no secret the White House wants and needs more young people to sign up to make the law successful to help pay for the law. So what better way to get young people on board than by having the president sit down for a chat with the weird guy from "The Hangover"? That's exactly what happened on the latest episode of the "Funny or Die Show" "Between Two Ferns."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZACK GALIFIANAKIS: Sorry I had to cancel a few times because my mouse pad broke last week and I had to get my great aunt some diabetes shoes and -

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You know what, Zack, it's no problem. I mean, I have to say, when I heard that like people actually watch this show, I was - I was actually pretty surprised.

GALIFIANAKIS: Shh. Hi. Welcome to another edition of "Between Two Ferns." I'm your host Zack Galifianakis and my guest today is Barack Obama -- President Barack Obama.

OBAMA: Good to be with you, Zack. GALIFIANAKIS: First question. In 2013 in pardoning the turkey, what do you have planned for 2014?

OBAMA: We'll probably pardon another turkey. We do that every Thanksgiving. Was that depressing to you, seeing one turkey kind of taken out of circulation, a turkey you couldn't eat?

GALIFIANAKIS: So how does this work? Do you send Ambassador Rodman to North Korea on your behalf? I read somewhere that you'd be sending Hulk Hogan to Syria. Or is that more of a job for Tanya Harding?

OBAMA: Zack, he's not our ambassador.

GALIFIANAKIS: What should we do about North Ikea - (INAUDIBLE)?

OBAMA: Why don't we move on?

GALIFIANAKIS: I have to know, what is it like to be the last black president?

OBAMA: Seriously? What's it like for this to be the last time you ever talk to a president?

GALIFIANAKIS: It must kind of stink though that you can't run, you know, three times, you know -

OBAMA: Actually, I think it's a good idea. You know, if I ran a third time, it would be sort of like doing a third "Hangover" movie. It didn't really work out very well, did it?

Now, I have to say that I've seen this show before and some of the episodes have probably been a little bit better than this. You know, for example, the one with Bradley Cooper, that was a great show.

GALIFIANAKIS: Bradley Cooper. Yes, everybody loved (INAUDIBLE).

OBAMA: He kind of carried the movie, didn't he?

GALIFIANAKIS: Which - which film are you speaking of?

OBAMA: Those "Hangover" movies. He -- basically he carried them.

GALIFIANAKIS: Yes, everybody loves Bradley. Good for him.

OBAMA: Good looking guy.

GALIFIANAKIS: Being like that in Hollywood, that's easy. Tall and handsome, that's easy. Be short and fat and smell like Doritos and try to make it to Hollywood.

Is it going to be hard in two years when you're no longer president and people will stop letting you win at basketball?

OBAMA: How does it feel having a three inch vertical?

GALIFIANAKIS: It's a three inch horizontal, so - Where are you planning on building your presidential library, in Hawaii or your home country of Kenya, because, I mean, both places seem like they would be -

OBAMA: Zack, that's a ridiculous question.

GALIFIANAKIS: Well, you know, I mean not to bring up the birth certificate thing, which you really never did really produce your real -

OBAMA: Where's your birth certificate? Why don't you show it to us right now.

GALIFIANAKIS: I don't want to show anybody my birth certificate because it's embarrassing.

OBAMA: What's embarrassing about it?

GALIFIANAKIS: My weight on it. It says that I was born 7 pounds 800 ounces.

You know what I would do if I were president, Mr. President, I would make same sex divorce illegal, then see how bad they want it.

OBAMA: I think that's why you're not president. And that's a good thing.

GALIFIANAKIS: You said if you had a son you would not let him play football. What makes you think that he would want to play football? What if he was a nerd like you?

OBAMA: Do you think a woman like Michelle would marry a nerd? I -- why don't you ask her whether she thinks I'm a nerd.

GALIFIANAKIS: Could I?

OBAMA: No, I'm not going to let her near you.

GALIFIANAKIS: So do you go to any websites that are dot coms or dot nets or do you mainly just stick with dot govs?

OBAMA: No, actually, we go to dot govs. Have you heard of healthcare.gov?

GALIFIANAKIS: Here we go. OK, let's get this out of the way. What did you come here to plug?

OBAMA: Well, first of all, I think it's fair to say that I wouldn't be with you here today if I didn't have something to plug. Have you heard of the Affordable Care Act?

GALIFIANAKIS: Oh, yes, I heard about that. That's the thing that doesn't work. Why would you get the guy that created the zoon (ph) to make your website?

OBAMA: Healthcare.gov works great now and millions of Americans have already gotten health insurance plans. And what we want is for people to know that you can get affordable health care. And most young Americans right now, they're not covered. And the truth is, is that they can get coverage all for what it cost you to pay your cell phone bill.

GALIFIANAKIS: Is this what they mean by drones?

OBAMA: The point is that a lot of young people, they think they're invincible.

GALIFIANAKIS: Did you say invisible? Because -

OBAMA: No. No.

GALIFIANAKIS: I just think that that's impossible.

OBAMA: Not invisible, invincible.

GALIFIANAKIS: OK.

OBAMA: Meaning that they don't think they can get hurt, but -

GALIFIANAKIS: I'm just saying that nobody could be invisible if you had said invisible.

OBAMA: I understand that.

If they get that health insurance, it can really make a big difference. And they've got until March 31st to sign up.

GALIFIANAKIS: I don't have a computer, so how does -

OBAMA: Well, then you can call 1-800-318-2596.

GALIFIANAKIS: I don't have a phone. I'm off the grid. I don't want you people like looking at my text, if you know what I mean.

OBAMA: First of all, Zack, nobody's interested in your texts. But, second of all, you can do it in person. And the law means that insurers can't discriminate against you if you've got a pre-existing condition any more.

GALIFIANAKIS: Yes, but what about -- what about this though?

OBAMA: That's disgusting. How long have you had that?

GALIFIANAKIS: Oh, just four months.

OBAMA: Really?

GALIFIANAKIS: Spider bites. I got attacked by spiders.

OBAMA: Zack, you need to get that checked right away. You need to get on healthcare.gov because that's one of the most disgusting things I've ever seen.

GALIFIANAKIS: Is your plug finally over?

OBAMA: Ah, I suppose so.

GALIFIANAKIS: So which country were you rooting for in the Winter Olympics?

OBAMA: Seriously? I'm the president of the United States. What do you think, Zack?

GALIFIANAKIS: I want to thank President Obama for being on the show.

OBAMA: I'm going to press this.

GALIFIANAKIS: Don't touch that, please.

Thanks for the interview and thanks for letting me shoot my show here all these years.

OBAMA: You've been shooting these shows here in the diplomatic room? Who gave you permission to do that?

GALIFIANAKIS: Bush.

OBAMA: Seriously? Who gave him clearance?

GALIFIANAKIS: Watch the spider bite.

OBAMA: That's the other hand.

GALIFIANAKIS: Don't (INAUDIBLE) -- it's everywhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So there you have it.

Joining me now, Larry Sabato director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics. Larry, welcome.

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA CENTER FOR POLITICS: Thank you Carol.

COSTELLO: OK the 40 plus crowd probably did not get that. But the under 40 crowd probably did. The question is, will it propel them to sign up for Obamacare?

SABATO: Well, I agree with you that certainly my students for example would be more inclined to watch that unfortunately than the evening news. So maybe it did have some kind of impact on the signups. And you know presidents are always hocking something. They're hocking their policies and Obama is hocking healthcare.gov.

So you know perfectly legitimate place to go if you're doing that. And a lot of people say well it takes dignity out of the presidency. And I always wonder where these people have been for the last two or three decades. There isn't a whole lot of dignity left in the presidency. You had a president in the 1990s who went on MTV and actually answered the question do you wear boxer or briefs?

COSTELLO: I remember that well. It was Bill Clinton right?

SABATO: Exactly.

COSTELLO: But -- but still OK so seriously though. Four million people have signed up for Obamacare; 807,000 of them between the ages of 18 to 35. So that's well below expectations. The White House has to get this thing going. And people do watch this stuff online. They don't watch traditional television much anymore.

So again I'll ask you is this the only thing that can prove effective when you're trying to get young people to do something?

SABATO: Well there are many avenues. And the President has been on late night comedy shows and has done lots of other things to reach out to young people. You go hunting where the ducks are and a lot of these young ducks, the ducklings are watching shows like this. So I understand why he did it.

I don't think history will record this as one of the sparkling moment of the Obama presidency. At least I hope history doesn't record that.

You know let me take you to the other perspective briefly, Carol. I grew up in the time when we elevated presidents. We put them on a very high pedestal. We created the imperial presidency and that led to all the lying about Vietnam and all the lies of Watergate. I think I would prefer that they be what they are, which is very, very human.

COSTELLO: Larry Sabato thanks for your insight as always. I appreciate it.

SABATO: Thanks Carol.

COSTELLO: Still to come in the NEWSROOM. Going high-tech to sniff out weed. Ana Cabrera live in Denver to tell us about the Nasal Rangers.

ANA CABRERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning Carol. Certainly the smell of pot is an unintended consequence of this pot boom. In fact there are some places here in Denver where you might have five or six marijuana growth facilities within just a block oftentimes on residential neighborhoods. So some people like it or not can't escape the smell of pot. We'll tell you how bad it is and what's being done about it coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Legal marijuana is a big hit in Colorado. According to officials the Mile High State raked in about $3.5 million in taxes and fees thanks to marijuana sales. But with those awesome sales comes the pungent smell of success. Thank goodness for the nasal ranger. Yes officials are using this awkward-looking, high-tech nasal telescopes to make sure the odor of skunky weed does not overpower neighborhoods. All this week CNN is taking a look at the pros and cons of the pot boom. This morning, CNN's Ana Cabrera and the nasal ranger.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA (voice over): The scent of marijuana --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It smells a little.

CABRERA: -- is permeating some Colorado neighborhoods.

MCKELL BARLOW, RESIDENT: I can't take my two-month-old daughter into the apartment because it smells like marijuana.

CABRERA: And odor coming through the building vent so strong this family in Monmouth (ph) had to move.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's very strong, yes.

CABRERA: Same problem, different county.

SUSAN HILDERBRAND, PENROSE, RESIDENT: I don't think that anyone realized that this was going to be an issue.

CABRERA: Susan Hilderbrand lives in Penrose, Colorado and puts up with a pungent pot aroma too from a grow operation just down the road.

EDWARD VASQUEZ, CO-OWNER, APPLE VALLEY: We are doing everything we can to be good neighbors, as far as odor control, light pollution, water usage. Some of these things are very expensive.

CABRERA: It's situation like this where environmental investigator Ben Siller is called to help.

(on camera): So this really is called the Nasal Ranger.

BEN SILLER, ENVIRONMENTAL INVESTIGATOR: It really is called the Nasal Ranger.

CABRERA: The Nasal Ranger, yes that is it's real name. It's a device he has used to quantify how strong an odor, any odor, really is.

SILLER: That you are drawing air through these ports that filters out any of the odor.

CABRERA: We rode along with Siller and his nasal ranger.

You do smell it just driving down the road -- to sniff out a complaint.

SILLER: We got something.

CABRERA: Siller has responded to dozens of complaints since 2012. The problem started with legalization of medical marijuana. If the odor registers at a certain point on the Nasal Ranger, it can be grounds for citation. SILLER: I'm not smelling anything.

CABRERA: Can I try it?

SILLER: Sure.

CABRERA: Siller says so far, he hasn't had to give any citations for marijuana.

SILLER: Two more clicks.

CABRERA: Because it typically doesn't exceed the odor threshold on the Nasal Ranger.

(on camera): But I don't smell it through here but I can smell it right now and I'm just standing here.

SILLER: So it's a discernible odor.

CABRERA: Siller can help cannabis cultivator reduce the odor and in Denver that's been working pretty well.

SILLER: Here we've got multiple growth facilities they are right behind you they are on the other side over here.

CABRERA: But some are urging for tighter controls.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We would like to see it regulated here. But it needs to be regulated elsewhere as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: So it looks funny. And it's certainly hard to say all of that with a straight face. But this really is becoming a serious issue. And regulations do need some work when it comes to the pot odor. We're hearing from a lot of people who say because different jurisdictions have different rules, the rules really don't go far enough. And they would like to see the state legislature address this issue and set a lower odor threshold that would result in higher consequences for some of these marijuana grow facilities -- Carol.

COSTELLO: What kind of fine could you pay?

CABRERA: The fines range up to hundreds of dollars should there be multiple citations or multiple complaints within a short duration. But the bottom line here is using that nasal ranger, they really haven't exceeded the odor threshold.

Yes, there have been some case where marijuana odor it has registered but it still isn't exceeding that threshold that will result in a fine. And again oftentimes, that investigator who we spoke to says he just goes and directly responds to the complaint and will work with the grow facilities or wherever the complaint is coming from to try to reduce the odor. In a large part, that does seem to be at least doing a so-so job here in Denver -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I'm acting like a child but every time you say nasal ranger, I can't help myself.

CABRERA: I know. It sounds a cartoon character or something right.

COSTELLO: Or worse. Ana Cabrera --

CABRERA: It is a technical term.

COSTELLO: Thank you so much. OK. I'll grow up now.

We'll have more on the fight over legal marijuana tonight. Dr. Sanjay Gupta hosts "WEED 2: Cannabis Madness". Examining the laws trying to keep pot off the streets and patients who say they need it. That's tonight at 10:00 Eastern right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)