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Erin Burnett Outfront
U.S. Bans Carry-On Liquids On Flights To Russia; U.S. Investigating Multiple Terror Threats Against Olympics; Man Killed Teen After Fight Over Loud Music; How Much Is Jay Leno Worth?; Is Chris Christie Toxic?
Aired February 06, 2014 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: Breaking news, hours away from the Olympic opening ceremony, U.S. officials on high alert tonight. The president has just responded to the terror threats.
Plus, tonight, how toxic is Chris Christie. Why Republicans are refusing to be seen with the New Jersey governor today. Will they live to regret that choice?
And Philip Seymour Hoffman remembered tonight by his friends and family. Let's go OUTFRONT.
Good evening, everyone. I'm Erin Burnett. We begin tonight with breaking news. The U.S. responds to terror threats at the Olympics. The TSA just announcing a ban on all carry-on liquids to flights to Russia and that would include apparently toothpaste. The opening ceremonies are now literally just hours away, and officials say that the U.S. is now investigating multiple plots against the games.
Officials tell CNN tonight the threat stream is credible, and the U.S. is now ready to respond to terror strikes at the games. Now, in an interview which aired just moments ago on "NBC Nightly News," President Obama was asked about the level of cooperation between Russia and the United States when it comes to trying to keep the games safe. Here's the president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I think the Russians have an enormous stake, obviously, in preventing any kind of terrorist act or violence at these venues, and they have put a lot of resources into it. We're in constant communications with them, both at the law enforcement level, at the military level, at the intelligence levels.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Jim Sciutto is in Washington tonight. Jim, you've been working your sources. Now we're hearing about multiple credible threats. What are you hearing?
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, first, on the multiple credible threats, what we're hearing is that U.S. intelligence authorities are tracking more than one threat. Among them, this toothpaste threat, and they're treating them all seriously. The challenge, though, is distinguishing between the aspirational threats the things that terrorists think about doing.
And operational threats the means to carry them out. And that's really the challenge now, but in an abundance of caution, they're taking measures like the one you mentioned there, which is banning liquids, gel, and aerosols on flights from the U.S. to Russia.
BURNETT: All right, well, Jim Sciutto, thank you very much. Obviously that's one step, but of course, the big fear, everyone, is you don't know what you don't know. As Chairman McCall told last night, despite the security concerns, the opening ceremonies for the Olympics are going on just as planned. As I indicated, the time change, that really is just hours from now. We're already, of course, in Friday in Sochi, and Ivan Watson is there tonight. Ivan, what's the atmosphere like there?
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think people are excited. They just started the countdown, beaming it up onto the side of a stadium here. I talked to members of Team USA, dozens of them coming into the airport today. One of them, snowboarder, Fay Galani, she said I was nervous about wearing my Team USA colors, but now that I see the pageantry, and I see everyone else is wearing them, I'm going to wear them, too.
And I asked some other athletes about, you know, are you worried especially about this toothpaste threat? And they said, you know, we feel OK. We're excited to compete to the highest of our ability. One little note I want to add. You know, our own CNN sports correspondent, Rachel Nichols, she flew from Moscow to Sochi today.
She had tubes of creams and makeups and toothpaste in her carry-on bag and the Russian security did not take that away from her, so amid all of this talk of toothpaste explosives, it does not seem the Russian authorities are trying to strip that from people as they fly domestically inside Russia here to Sochi.
BURNETT: That's pretty interesting. Because, I mean, who knows whether that's because the Russians and the Americans are really not agreeing on this threat, or that the question I've always had, which is I've never put my toothpaste in my liquids bag, and I think a lot of people haven't. It's not really liquid to a lot of people, so it might not be as easy to confiscate. What are Russian officials saying about the security threats? Are they playing them up to the level that we're hearing stateside?
WATSON: We're certainly hearing a different narrative coming from the Russians. They're saying, "We have taken precautions. We have tens of thousands of security forces on the ground." And this is going to be the safest winter Olympics ever. It's a constant refrain, where the deputy prime minister was quoted saying that Sochi is just as safe as Boston or New York or London right now, or Washington, D.C.
I talked to the CEO of Sochi Airport. He said that they were screening for things like liquids and so on both in checked-in luggage and in the carry-on luggage. But he also continued the same refrain. He thinks it's safe here. When you talk to ordinary Russians, people who grew who live here in Sochi, you get some mixed responses.
Some saying I feel totally good. I've heard anecdotal cases of families, for instance, sending their children out of town because they're worried there could be an attack of some sort. And you have to keep in mind that we are right next to we're in the midst of the Caucasus region. This is a conflict-prone area, politically charged, and there's been a lot of violence over the last 20 years not very far from Sochi, where I'm standing today.
BURNETT: All right, Ivan Watson, thank you very much. Not far from where Ivan is standing and of course, when he talked about some people sending their children away, violence targeted explicitly at children and at schools. Now to the potential threat of explosives hidden inside a tube of toothpaste, when you ask the question, OK, what would that bomb look like, what damage could it do?
Well, we wanted to find out. Brian Todd took a look at exactly that question. And, Brian, it's pretty amazing. It could be one small tube, what, 4.2 ounces, but it could do a lot.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Erin. We found it really does not take much, 6.3 ounces of an explosive, actually, not much more than the amount of toothpaste in these two carry-on size containers can blast a hole in the fuselage of a passenger plane. Here's a look at what that amount of explosive did in the test we commissioned.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TODD (voice-over): Explosives hidden inside a toothpaste tube can be powerful and potentially deadly. This bomb in a toothpaste container blew off a car door, sent parts of it across the quarry in South- Western England where CNN commissioned this test with the help of Sydney Alford, an expert who helps first responders understand explosives. What kind of damage could this bomb do?
SYDNEY ALFORD, EXPLOSIVES ENGINEER: I wouldn't like to be in an airplane when that exploded, not even a big one.
TODD: For this test, Alford used an explosive called RDX, a white crystalline powder. He mixed it with another ingredient to create a paste. In this container he filled about three-quarters with his explosive concoction and the rest with toothpaste.
ALFORD: It smells and tastes like toothpaste. I have presented this in such a way that somebody giving it a casual inspection will probably pass it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD: The size of the container that Alford used is the size that you usually have to place in checked baggage, but Alford says two smaller containers this size, which traditionally you can carry onto a plane, can also be used. These tubes would have to be either attached or placed very near each other to create a similar explosion as the one you just saw. They can be detonated by a heat source -- Erin. BURNETT: All right, when we talk about the heat source, this is not just some sort of a hypothetical, right, that they said they're going to do this and authorities are worried. I mean, a toothpaste bomb has actually been used on passenger jet before.
TODD: Believe it or not it has. In October 1976, anti-Castro Cuban operatives hid explosives in a tube of Colgate toothpaste. They brought down a Cubana Airlines flight over the Caribbean. More than 70 people were killed in that bombing.
BURNETT: Pretty incredible, too, when you think about how far we've come, right? I mean, that's almost 40 years ago and yet that technology is still such a threat. Thanks very much to Brian Todd. Pretty amazing when you watch the car, you could see the damage just from this. And then think about the things we may not know about.
Well, OUTFRONT next, the so-called loud music murder trial begins. An unarmed black teenager killed by a white gun man who says he fired in self defense. A lot of people are drawing comparisons to the Trayvon Martin case.
Plus a billionaire igniting a firestorm with controversial comments, you know, here's the question do the wealthiest Americans work harder than anyone else?
And one of Twitter's darkest days ever. What caused the site's shares to plummet?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BURNETT: The so-called loud music murder trial is now under way for a Florida man. Here's what happened. He shot and killed an African- American 17-year-old. You might say that sort of sounds familiar. Well, it does have similarities to the George Zimmerman trial last year.
This case, 47-year-old Michael Dunn, told police that he fired in self-defense after an alleged dispute over loud music that the teen and his three friends were playing in their SUV. This all happened sort of at a stop, and then it ended with this man shooting eight times.
Tory Dunnan was inside the courtroom in Florida today and she begins our coverage OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My god, somebody is shooting out of their car.
TORY DUNNAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Surveillance video shown in court from the night 17-year-old Jordan Davis was shot and killed. Police say it all started with an argument over loud music blasting from a car parked at a Jacksonville gas station. The 47-year-old software developer, Michael Dunn, charged with first degree murder and three counts of attempted murder, is claiming self-defense. Dunn told police during an interrogation that he asked Davis and the other teens in the SUV parked next to him to turn down the music. He said at first they complied, and then he says he heard threats.
MICHAEL DUNN, ALLEGED SHOOTER: The guy that was in the back he was getting really agitated. And my window's up, I can't hear anything he's saying, but, you know, there's a lot of -- and that -- and -- and then the music comes back on.
DUNNAN: Two sides in court today telling very different stories about what happened on November 23rd, 2012.
JOHN GUY, PROSECUTOR: And they'll tell you about the interaction between Jordan Davis and the defendant, that Jordan Davis was upset, no doubt. He was cussing, no doubt. He raised his voice, but he never threatened the defendant. He disrespected him. Jordan David threatened Michael Dunn. You're dead -- this is going down now. With a shotgun barrel sticking out of the window or a lead pipe, whatever it was a deadly weapon.
DUNNAN: Dunn told investigators he saw a weapon pointed at him, feared for his safety, grabbed his gun and fired.
UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: We had shots fired in the parking lot. The person firing has left.
DUNNAN: Police say they never found a gun in the teens Durango. At the crux of the case, why didn't Dunn just drive off?
CORY STROLLA, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: He just had somebody threaten his life, display a weapon, try to exit a vehicle and say this -- is going down now -- and for the first time in his life, he has to use a firearm to defend himself.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DUNNAN: All right, so, Erin, another key part of the case that the jury will be taking a close look at is the fact that Dunn left the scene and never called police. Detectives actually caught up with him because witnesses were able to get the license plate numbers, and then track him down to his house. So the prosecutors obviously are very focused on this.
The defense as well. It's important to point out that Dunn told police during the interrogation that took place that he was afraid that he never should have left the scene, but he says he wanted to get back home, be around his family, and then talk to law enforcement there.
BURNETT: All right, Tory, thank you very much. She really laid it out so clearly. I want to bring in Jacksonville defense attorney, Janet Johnson. Janet, I want to talk about some of the similarities between this case possibly and the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman case.
But first, the whole self-defense argument, is this plausible? This is a man who left the scene. He shot a black teenager. They weren't in any physical altercation, like in the Martin/Zimmerman case, right? They were in two separate cars, and he shot eight times. I mean, it sort of seems hard to believe it. That it would be self-defense.
JANET JOHNSON, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: No, yes, I agree and we all thought that leading up to today. But Cory Strolla did an amazing job, I have to say. He actually did lay out the foundation of self- defense. One of the things being and even John Guy, who is the prosecutor in Zimmerman and the prosecutor in this case, even John Guy said, look, they were jawing at each other. We didn't hear that from Trayvon Martin. We didn't hear Trayvon Martin was engaging in a fight.
But actually, John Guy admitted that today, and that he was disrespectful. Cory Strolla kind of took that and ran with it, and said, not only was he disrespectful, he threatened his life. And he laid a foundation that I thought was really interesting, that the person driving the car was on felony probation, and, in fact, violated the probation by being out late. If there was a gun in the car, that person would have to ditch the gun; otherwise he would go to prison. He did a good job.
BURNETT: And you mentioned some of the prosecutors were there in the Zimmerman case, you know, Angela Cory, John Guy, but how in the world do you justify in self-defense when it turns out the person that's shot has no gun at all, eight shots?
JOHNSON: Well, I don't think Cory Strolla for the defense is going to say that the person had no gun. You heard him say it was a gun or a pipe. He said either one is a weapon. He's going to suggest, and he said this in the press, that there was an opportunity, even though there's video, but there was an opportunity for them to ditch the gun, because they did drive away, and that the police did not search properly and didn't find one, if one was ditched.
BURNETT: So they're no they're not even acknowledging that there was no gun. All right, well, thank you very much --
JOHNSON: They're not stipulating to that, no.
BURNETT: All right, thank you very much. It is going to be a fascinating case. Of course, we'll be covering it and let us know what you think. Do you think self-defense could hold in this situation?
Still to come, two of the suspects arrested in connection with the drugs found at Philip Seymour Hoffman's apartment released from jail tonight.
Plus the end of an era or is it? Jay Leno is going to sign off tonight, but for how long?
And the Pope's Harley, seriously.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BURNETT: Tonight, after more than 20 years, Jay Leno is going to step off "The Tonight Show" stage for the second, and maybe and I want to say maybe, this is a complicated saga, but maybe the final time. For more than 20 years, Leno hosted the highest rated late night show on television giving him a heck of a lot of money and power. I want to play a few of the most memorable moments from his long career.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAY LENO, COMEDIAN: Let me start with question number one. What the hell were you thinking?
ANNOUNCER: It's battle of the celebrity all-stars, reality show edition.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hands on the buzzer, in 1974, this president resigned from office.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who is Kendra?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Clinton
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Carter.
LENO: What's this thing with Trump and you? It's like me and Letterman. What has he got against you here?
PRESIDENT OBAMA: You know, this all dates back to when we were growing up together in Kenya.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BURNETT: Chris Palmeri is an entertainment reporter with Bloomberg. Chris, let's just talk about this from the perspective of where Leno is today, reportedly making $15 million a year at this point, but obviously, that wasn't his only source of income. That's why a lot of people loved him. He was always committed to where he came from, stand-up comedy, and he did that all the way through. He also, of course, a massive car collection, which, you know, could be worth an incredible amount of money. What's his net worth, do you think?
CHRIS PALMERI, BLOOMBERG NEWS REPORTER: Well, we -- it's very difficult for people like Jay who earn a lot of money through salary and don't have a lot of visible assets or business, but we took just his "Tonight Show" salary, took a big chunk off for taxes, and then we invested him conservatively in stocks and bonds, and we figure he could be worth $250 million just on that alone.
BURNETT: Just on that alone. OK, wow. I hope he's got some estate planning because I know he doesn't have kids. It doesn't seem like he wants to slow down. I mean, that seems very clear. So what do you think he will do next?
PALMERI: Well, you know, he's always been a workaholic. He was doing 100 gigs a year, stand-up, even when he had a day job, and it appears he's going to accelerate that. He's got three shows this weekend in Florida. So he's going to do a lot more stand-up comedy.
BURNETT: Do you think he'll go back onto TV? It's not there aren't just three guys anymore on late night. There's, what, seven or eight? You know, he could -- he could come to a place like CNN and get a lot smaller audience than he gets now and it would be great for a place like CNN or somewhere else.
PALMERI: I think it would be great for anyone, you know. Jay is beloved, and he's cert certainly fielding a lot of offers. Greenblatt, head of NBC, said it's unlikely he'd do a talk show, but maybe specials. Jay's got a lot of options.
BURNETT: That's always a good place to be plus, $250 million, right? You can give anybody you want the heave-ho. All right, Chris, thank you.
That brings me to tonight's "Outtake." David Letterman, you heard him referenced there, unveiled a temporary marquee at the Ed Sullivan Theater today featuring a vintage look and dream line-up including the Beatles. It's a tribute to the band's historic first trip to this country when they performed on Sullivan show.
That first appearance on the program was on February 9th, 1964, 50 years ago. Now, just think for a minute, it drew 74 million viewers. That was 34 percent of the entire U.S. population. That's, like, bigger than the super bowl. Since then, the moment has been shared a shared memory for baby boomers that anyone under the age of 50 could not understand, because Beatle mania is back in a huge way. There's no escaping them at the moment.
The two surviving Beatles reunited at this year's Grammys. ITunes is re-releasing the band's albums. Bloomingdales and bands are offering a line of Beatles themed products, no joke. And tribute fans are now forming around the country. Tomorrow, a group from Liverpool, including four look-alikes, the Cavern Club Beatles will create the legendary arrival at JFK airport.
There's an old saying if can you remember the '60s, you probably weren't there. And I guess those words have never been more true. I will now live vicariously.
Next, how toxic is Chris Christie? Tonight he is in Republican territory. So why are people in his party avoiding him? Will they live to rue the day?
And two suspects arrested in connection with the drugs found at Philip Seymour Hoffman's apartment released from jail, why?
And the health of a man who claimed he spent 13 months lost at sea. Tonight, taking a turn for the worst.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BURNETT: Welcome back to the second half of OUTFRONT. Twitter tanks, shares plunging, the most since the site actually started trading. Three months ago, down 24 percent today, after a report showed losses that were wider than expected. The company does not yet earn money. Also concerning for investors, signs that user growth is slowing down, and what I mean by that is how many people are using it every month -- 243 million people used Twitter every month in the last quarter. That's a jump compared to a year ago, but it's only up 3.9 percent from the prior quarter, so growth is slowing down dramatically. One bright spot for the company, though, is mobile.
Well, the rock 'n' roll pope ups his cred. Just a week after gracing "Rolling Stone" magazine, he's up the ante, selling his Harley. Yes, the pope had a Harley.
The 2013 Dyna Super Glide was auctioned off today for over $285,000. I mean, that's kind of amazing. It's like -- it's a blessed Harley. His motorcycle jacket went for $68,000.
The bike was actually donated to him, and we're not actually sure whether he rode it. It's got to be hard for the pope to know what to do with all the gifts he gets like this statue chocolate of himself made with 1 1/2 tons of cocoa. Eat it.
All right. Well, the castaway who claims he was lost at sea for 13 months is back in the hospital. Jose Salvador Alvarenga is severely dehydrated, being fed intravenously. Doctors say his limbs are also swelling.
Many have been skeptical about Alvarenga story. He said he traveled 6,000 miles across the open ocean. He said his friend died because he refused to eat raw birds and turtles. Asked about throwing the body overboard, Alvarenga said, what else could I do? Officials, so far, though, say -- and this is important to emphasize -- there is no reason to doubt his story.
Well, at this hour, Chris Christie is facing his biggest test yet, trying to reclaim his position at the top of the GOP. He's in Texas, ground zero for big, big GOP money. But is the George Washington Bridge scandal crushing the once golden governor? The assumed shoo-in Republican nominee for 2016.
The two biggest Republicans in Texas -- well, they seem to be distancing themselves. Neither Governor Rick Perry or the Republican nominee for governor stood by Christie's side today. In fact, Governor Christie himself was uncharacteristically out of sight. Today in Dallas, his entire schedule completely secret, behind closed doors.
Joining me now, host of "New Jersey Capitol Report", Steve Adubato, and former Virginia attorney general and former Republican candidate for governor of Virginia, Ken Cuccinelli.
OK, great to have both of you with us.
Steve, let me start with you. These trips don't come up the day before. Obviously, this has been planned a while. He's going to raise money, really important donors down there in Texas. STEVE ADUBATO, NEW JERSEY CAPITOL REPORT: Sure.
BURNETT: But all of a sudden, nobody wants -- look, I mean, they're not appearing with him, and if they wanted to, they would have, right? That's when you get the photo ops and things like that. Is this the right move for Republicans to avoid Chris Christie right now?
ADUBATO: Look, every Republican across this country will have a tough choice to make. Chris Christie is not going. I know that Mr. Cuccinelli a couple of weeks ago right here on CNN on "CROSSFIRE" said it's time for Chris Christie to go. So far, I haven't heard the groundswell, the bandwagon he started is pretty empty.
So far, the bottom line is, those candidates have to decide, the candidates who are running for governor, incumbents like Rick Perry have to decide.
But they want the money, they want the Christie money. They may not want to be there right next to him or take a picture at that moment while the controversy is where it is, but they want the Christie money. Mr. Cuccinelli knows that. The Republicans across the country know that.
And until they have another candidate to step in, maybe they don't know this guy. He knows when he steps down as the RGA president, chairman, then he's acknowledging that as a national candidate, he's done. And I think I know him well enough to know not very soon.
BURNETT: There's no way -- all right.
Now, Ken, you blamed the GOP establishment, including Christie, for your loss in the Virginia governor's race. Christie didn't appear with you. And since the bridge allegations, you said he should step down as the chair of the RGA. What Steve is just referring to that you said on "CROSSFIRE".
But why? I mean, no one has proven he did anything wrong, and he categorically denies it. There has not been any proof at all.
KEN CUCCINELLI (R), FORMER VA ATTORNEY GENERAL: Yes, and I don't suggest that he did anything wrong. Obviously, there was pettiness there, some people on his staff. But that hasn't reached him.
My comment isn't a legal comment. It isn't -- it isn't anything other than reality. You just told us what happened in Texas, and guess what? That's going to happen all over this country.
My comment a couple of weeks ago here on CNN was just a very practical observation, is that a Republican in any state where they can lose -- so not Utah -- is not going to want to be seen publicly with Governor Christie until this is entirely behind him, because the point of having a rock star governor from out of state come and help you is to help you.
If the story the next day is about a lane closure on a bridge in New Jersey, then you're not advancing your candidacy, and the goal, for instance, when Nikki Haley came in to help me last year, she talked me up and the areas we shared common ground, and she pumped us up. And that's what the story was about the next day.
ADUBATO: Ken, I --
CUCCINELLI: You know, it was, Steve's got -- you know, he wants to take his shots.
(CROSSTALK)
ADUBATO: You're the one who's running out the clock.
But let me say this about Texas. The last poll of Chris Christie, before all of this broke, Ken, and you know it, he was running behind other candidates. He is not a popular candidate in Texas. That isn't a state, even before this bridgegate thing happened, where he was anywhere nationally, you know and I know.
So, let's say this --
BURNETT: He's too liberal for Texas.
ADUBATO: Well, and a Republican Party being moderate is being liberal, and you would know that, Ken, another shot, I guess you would call it.
But here's the thing. Chris Christie in other states, we're going to find out -- and more marginal states where people react to him -- in Texas, that's not really a good test. Once you say that, Ken, because across the country, when you have shot across the bow, who else has jumped on the bandwagon publicly?
(CROSSTALK)
CUCCINELLI: First of all, there's no bandwagon for something like this. You were right, Steve, about one thing you said earlier, and that's what matters is how candidates react. Well, if they won't stand with him in Texas, I read Texas quite the opposite from you. Texas isn't safe for Greg Abbott, but he's got a leg up, he's a very strong candidate.
BURNETT: He, of course, is the Republican --
CUCCINELLI: Running for governor.
BURNETT: Right.
CUCCINELLI: And he won't stand with the chairman of the Republican Governors Association? And there's a reason for that. Look, I had to do this last year in Virginia.
ADUBATO: There's no doubt about it. Listen, I agree with you --
(CROSSTALK)
CUCCINELLI: In leadership, there's a time to step forward and there's a time to step back, and now is a time for him to step back.
BURNETT: All right. But what if he's exonerated? Then what happened? Because then he's got all these people, and I would imagine Chris Christie would have a list of the people who refused to --
CUCCINELLI: Exonerated --
(CROSSTALK)
ADUBATO: If you mean exonerated in terms of a legal perspective, let's acknowledge it, that's going to take a long, long time.
BURNETT: It may take a long time and that may not affect the public eye or not.
ADUBATO: The problem with the media, and Ken knows this very well, as a candidate for statewide office and the former attorney general in Virginia, politically and in the media, we're not waiting for that. Chris Christie, and any other person who is in such a difficult, challenging situation, much of it is the product of his administration, he owns it, he has to deal with it. So, it's not like it happened to him.
The bottom line is this -- he's not waiting for it. He has to deal with it, deal with running the state back home. If it gets to a point, Mr. Cuccinelli, where he can't run the state, where he can't govern, and no one across the country wants Christie's efforts to raise money, then you would be right.
But my sources tell me that so far, people want him raising money, and so far, no one has publicly jumped on the Ken Cuccinelli bandwagon. Maybe you have other information.
CUCCINELLI: Oh, of course not. No, no, no, there's nobody running for governor this year that's going to step out and publicly say, I don't want to see him. But he just went to a state in the gubernatorial candidate wasn't anywhere to be seen. The same thing happened in Florida, which is not like Texas.
You know, the bandwagon here, to use your word, Steve, is very small. It is what candidates do. And this is just a very practical analysis. And he hurts, he doesn't help.
ADUBATO: The bandwagon is agreeing with you, why don't they say, Mr. Cuccinelli is right, we agree with him.
CUCCINELLI: No, no, but that's a criticism of Christie. They don't want to come out and attack Christie.
BURNETT: It shows that he's still got the power and authority at least to prevent that. But, you know, Ken, we'll see.
CUCCINELLI: Sure, the RGA has been effective, but the governor -- candidates are in to win, and if he doesn't help them advance that, they won't stand next to him. BURNETT: All right. Well, thanks very much to both of you. We appreciate your time. And viewers, we want your input as to Christie's standing.
Well, tonight, those who love and knew Philip Seymour Hoffman best gathered to pay their final respects to the Oscar winner at a wake. It was here in New York City, the first of the farewells for Hoffman. You can see his longtime partner, Mimi O'Donnell there, and they had three young children there, and his funeral will be a private affair held tomorrow afternoon, five days after he was found dead of an apparent overdose with a needle still in his arm, bags of heroin in his apartment, there are still many questions and as police try to track down the person who sold the heroin to Hoffman, we're learning that two of the people that officers took into custody Tuesday are now out of jail.
Juliana Luchkiw and her live-in boyfriend Max Rosenblum were both arrested Tuesday. Both released this afternoon, after pleading not guilty to a misdemeanor charge. That's all it is for possessing heroin.
Suspected dealer Robert Vineberg, who had the late actor's number stored in his cell phone, remains in custody and will appear in court next Friday. Philip Seymour Hoffman spent 10 days in rehab last year, that's it, 10 days, after coming to terms with an addiction that has spiraled from prescription spills to heroin. As we've seen, the path to recovery is a horrible process for heroin addicts, and Poppy Harlow traveled to an area outside of New York City where heroin use has exploded.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The first time Chris shot up heroin, he was too scared to do it himself. So, his friend did it for him when he was 16.
CHRIS, RECOVERING HEROIN ADDICT: I was shooting up mostly in my feet.
HARLOW (on camera): And how many bags a day?
CHRIS: It escalated to almost five or six bags every time I shot up.
HARLOW (voice-over): He spent hundreds of dollars a day feeding his addiction.
(on camera): How could you get that money?
CHRIS: I was stealing money from my parents. I was doing illegal action with my friends. I broke into houses. I've done all of the above besides selling myself.
HARLOW (voice-over): Chris is now 17 and in rehab full time at Outreach, an adolescent treatment center. He has survived heroin, but others in his community have not, and these are the loved ones they've left behind. SUSAN ROETHEL, LOST DAUGHTER MEGAN TO HEROIN: It's easier for them to get heroin than to get a beer. And it's all over, and these kids are not afraid to use it.
HARLOW: Diane and Robert's daughter Jaclyn was just 24 when she overdosed in her own bed. Susan's daughter, Megan, a straight-A student, dead at 22. Dorothy's son, Max, was 28. And Tara's brother, Paul, 19.
(on camera): How do you even put the pain into words? Can you?
DIANE SCARABINO, LOST DAUGHTER JACKLYN TO HEROIN: No, there's just a hole in my heart. A part of my heart died the same day. And you just learn to live with it.
HARLOW (voice-over): Addiction specialist Jeffrey Reynolds says he's seen a sevenfold increase in new patients in Long Island in the past five years.
JEFFREY REYNOLDS, EXEC. DIR., LICADD: Ten years ago if you used two to three bags of heroin a day, you were considered a chronic heavy user. For kids these days, that's breakfast.
HARLOW: A crackdown on prescription pain killers has had the unintended effect of pushing more teens to cheaper, and more be accessible heroin.
Here on Long Island, heroin has killed a record number of people in the last two years and heroin arrests by the DEA are up 163 percent in just the last year.
DOROTHY JOHNSON, LOST SON MAX TO HEROIN: Our children are just like every other mother or father's child. And they're not junkies, and that term needs to change.
HARLOW: There's a stigma, they tell us, that leaves many parents isolated in the battle to save their children.
CHRIS: It can happen to anyone, at any age.
HARLOW: Chris is proof of that, but 11 months of rehab have brought him to the other side, in the fight for his life.
(on camera): Did this place save your life?
CHRIS: I feel that it did. I put myself in so many circumstances where I could have died. I'm now being able to say I have different ways that I can manage my emotions besides getting high, it makes me very happy and excited to go through my future.
HARLOW (voice-over): A future he'll begin in a week when he completes treatment and faces the challenge of staying sober.
Poppy Harlow, CNN, Brentwood, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE) BURNETT: Still to come, do rich people work harder? Well, that's what one billionaire investor is saying and publicly. So, get the numbers, do the math, do the analysis. Is he right? That's next.
And a man in his underwear frozen in place. Jeanne Moos has that story later in the show.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BURNETT: All right. Now, let's check in with Anderson with a look at "AC360."
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Erin. Yes, we have a lot more of the breaking news ahead on the program.
The very real security threats prompting U.S. officials to ban all liquid in carry-ons from the flights from the U.S. to Russia. We'll explain how a small amount of explosive material disguised to look and taste like toothpaste has this destructive power.
A live report from Sochi on that ahead. And also the strange defense of the affluenza defense, the reckless behavior, substance abuse, blames the media, he killed a number of people in a traffic accident. We're keeping him honest tonight. And I'll also speak with Eric Boyles whose wife and daughter were killed by Ethan Couch.
It's all ahead at the top of the hour, Erin.
BURNETT: All right. Anderson, looking forward to that. See you in just a few minutes.
And now the question, do rich people work harder? Well, that's what billionaire real estate investor Sam Zell says and he's getting slammed for what he said. But I don't want to paraphrase. This is not the sort of topic where that works, people. Let me just play Sam for you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAM ZELL, BILLIONAIRE REAL ESTATE MOGUL: The, quote, "1 percent" are being pummeled because it's politically convenient to do so. The problem is that the world and this country should not talk about envy of the 1 percent. It should talk about emulating the 1 percent.
The 1 percent work harder. The 1 percent are much bigger factors in all forms of our society.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Zell was responding to the now infamous comments by venture capitalist Tom Perkins.
So, this man, Tom Perkins, wrote a letter to the "Wall Street Journal," and he wrote, and I want to quote him, again, paraphrasing not appropriate here, "I would call attention to the parallels of fascist Nazi Germany to the war on its 1 percent, namely its Jews, to the progressive war on the American 1 percent, namely the rich."
Now, Perkins later apologized for the comparison of today's treatment of the wealthy to the persecution of Jews in Nazi, Germany, but this is what's important, he's still standing behind the message of class warfare.
Joining me now, Democratic strategist Paul Begala, and conservative columnist Reihan Salam.
This is -- I just love this topic, and I have so many things I want to get to. So, let's zip to it, Paul. Paul, what do you say, 1 percent works harder?
PAUL BEGALA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Of course not. Are you nuts? Come on. First off, Americans work harder than anybody in the world. We work longer hours, we work more weeks, we work more months, we retire later, we take less vacation, we take fewer holidays.
And the notion that oh, say, a private first class in the Marine Corps, who after three years making less than $2,000 a month, he doesn't work harder than Mr. Zell? Or special ed teacher? Or a cop? Or a construction worker?
I mean, it's nuts. It's offensive.
You know, Mr. Zell, maybe he has affluenza, we don't envy you, Mr. Zell. We pity you.
REIHAN SALAM, CONSERVATIVE COLUMNIST: I have to say, there are a couple of things wrong with what you said, Paul. Number is that Americans actually don't work the longest hours. If you look at South Koreans or Mexicans, for example, they put us to shame. The average work hours for an American worker, it's about 1,900 hours in a year.
Now, if you're looking at the highest earners in the United States, they're working over 3,400 hours. They're working many more hours. That doesn't make them great people. That doesn't make them better. There are lots of reasons why --
BEGALA: Is that working -- first off -- first off --
SALAM: For example, Obamacare, CBO has said that Obamacare, health insurance subsidies will lead to less work effort. Now, that doesn't -- it's not about people being bad people. It happens that high earners work much longer hours.
BEGALA: First off, A, it's not true. B, he's not talking about high earners. He's talking about the top 1 percent. That would include the Kardashians and Paris Hiltons of the world, people who just inherited --
(CROSSTALK)
SALAM: Husbands married to wives both of them work really long hours. It's really boring. Most of the top 1 percent are boring people who work really long hours. They're not fancy people like the Kardashians. I don't know really what the heck those guys do.
BURNETT: Paul, let me just take a step back. I think people hear both of your points. What about this? I just looked at the top three richest Americans according to the "Forbes" list. OK? It's Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Larry Ellison. Now, people probably know all of them are. If you don't Larry Ellison is from Oracle.
Now, all three self-made, right? So, is there some truth to what Sam Zell is saying? I mean, some people get to be in that top, top, top echelon because they are workaholics and have some incredible talent or gift.
BEGALA: Absolutely. That's a great thing. That's not what Sam Zell said. First off, he said, we're more important in every facet of society.
We think it's wonderful in America. We do. We celebrate success and wealth in this country.
But the notion that Mr. Zell feels like he's being pummeled for that even under Barack Obama, the great socialist, 95 percent of the income gains have gone to the top 1 percent, 95 percent. Now, that's a pummeling? No, that's coddling.
What Mr. Zell's persecution complex these whiny wealthy. Mr. Langone, Ken Langone, recently a billionaire, was complaining the pope is too rough on the wealthy. Then, you have Mr. Perkin's famous thing about the Nazis and now, you have Mr. Zell whining. When did these billionaires become cry baby wussies?
BURNETT: Reihan, what about the point Paul makes, though? The 1 percent work harder, the 1 percent are much bigger factors in all forms of our society. I mean, what is that? What did he mean by that?
That does appear to be a pretty offensive thing. Much bigger factors in all forms of our society?
SALAM: I agree with Paul in one sense. Everybody makes contributions in different ways and we should respect everyone. But it's also true that when you're looking at people in the top 1 percent, I want to get us away from thinking about the Kardashian, thinking some super billionaire, when you're really talking about the top 1 percent of earners in this country.
It really is true that you're talking about two-earner couples in which you've got like, let's say a lawyer married to a public schoolteacher. And that's really the case. When you look at the top 5 percent, even up to the top 1 percent of earners, they live in high- cost metropolitan areas. They live in the suburbs of L.A. or New York City where it's really expensive to live. And they have to pay for childcare and a ton of other stuff.
These are unglamorous people who are doing their part, too. I think that those are people it doesn't make a ton of sense to demonize. That's all I'm saying. BURNETT: So, Paul, let me ask you. Let me just -- so, to that point, Paul, let me ask you this question. You know, part of the problem here and the reason there's so much discussion about this is the polls, right? Government should work to reduce the income gap between rich and poor, 90 percent of Democrats agree with that, independents 65 percent, OK, only 36 percent of Republicans. My point is the majority of Americans agree with that. And that's what this all comes from, right? This do the rich need to do more to help this country.
And when it comes to taxes, you know the math, right? You could tax all the millionaires in this country at 100 percent so they never have another dollar that you can get from them and you'd get $700 billion. That's the stimulus plan the president passed in one month.
BEGALA: Erin, first off, Mr. Zell himself availed himself legally I'm quite sure, I don't have any doubt about the legality, but of corporate loopholes. For example, one, Citizens for Tax Justice cited saved him $1.8 billion on his taxes. Then, by the way, he availed himself of the government protection of bankruptcy.
It's not a question of leveling down. No Americans want that. That's not the American way. We celebrate, you're right, the Gates and Buffetts and Oracle guy Ellison. We admire those people and I think we should.
But we want to lift up. There's an increasing sense in this country that the game is rigged on behalf of the Sam Zells in the world and because for a whole lot of Americans it is.
And so, for Mr. Zell to not want to support public education and opportunities for more people to lift up, it's ultimately going to shortchange the rich as much as it will the poor.
BURNETT: Well, the question is, of course, how do you solve that and can you do that by taking from the wealthy, by taxing or is there another way to do it? Opportunity at the beginning. That is the big question.
Thanks to both of you. We're going to continue that topic here on the show.
Still to come, a half-naked sleep walker frozen in place frightening people to death. Jeanne Moos with the story.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BURNETT: So, some works of art are meant to entertain. Others are meant to be thought provoking. But a new statue is -- decide for yourself.
Here's Jeanne Moos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Wake up, buddy, you're sleep walking in your underwear and you're causing an ruckus. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is so realistic.
MOOS: And you are roaming the campus of an all women's school, Wellesley College.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's definitely startling.
MOOS: Even your creator had to admit --
(on camera): Do you mind when people call him creepy?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is a little creepy.
MOOS (voice-over): But artist Tony Matelli never imagined the sculpture the Sleep Walker would leave some people be freaked out.
TONY MATELLI, ARTIST: We can't put clothes on it, I'd like it to be moved.
MOOS: On Thursday, Mattelli met with students who had circulated a petition to have the statue moved inside the campus' Davis Museum. They said it has become a source of apprehension, fear, and triggering thoughts regarding sexual assault for some members of our campus community.
(on camera): What's the problem with just moving him inside the museum?
MATELLI: Well, because he was designed to be outside. The point of the sculpture is that he is out of place. He's wandered off. That he's lost.
MOOS: He may seem cold, but don't look for goose bumps. He's made out of bronze and took five months to sculpt.
(voice-over): The Sleep Walker instantly became a magnet for students taking selfies, for students putting clothes on the poor guy or slinging a bag over his shoulder. He was PhotoShopped to look like an Olympic skier. Students made him a snowman to keep him company.
The artist says he's even seen kids --
MATELLI: Twerking up against it, this kind of stuff. When is the last time anyone talked so much about a sculpture?
MOOS: Maybe --
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BURNETT: And that's kind of the point. When is the last time someone talks so much about a sculpture? And all this, oh, he's intimidating? You know what, I bet one Wellesley grad, Hillary Clinton, wouldn't have been intimidated at all.
Thanks for watching.
Anderson starts now.
COOPER: Good evening.
Breaking news tonight: another warning on top of so many others in the run up to the Winter Olympics. This one on the eve of opening ceremonies, the federal government temporarily banning all liquids, gels, aerosols and powders in carry-on luggage on the flights between the U.S. and Russia.
