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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Trayvon's Parents Making Their Plea; Injured Sailors Saved; He Totally Fell for It; Trayvon Family Appeals To Justice Dept.; Kutcher To Play Steve Jobs
Aired April 02, 2012 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning and welcome to EARLY START, everyone. I'm Ashleigh Banfield.
ZORAIDA SAMBOLIN, CNN ANCHOR: We are so happy to have you this morning. I'm Zoraida Sambolin. We are bringing you the news from A to Z. It is 5:00 a.m. in the East.
We start with your top stories.
BANFIELD: Trayvon Martin's parents will take their case directly to the Justice Department today. That's the day after thousands joined them in a rally for their son, including celebrities and civil rights leaders.
SAMBOLIN: The Coast Guard bringing two injured sailors back to land this morning after a wave smashed their yacht 400 miles off the California coast.
BANFIELD: An ugly post-game celebration. March Madness, you bet. Kentucky fans burning couches, flipping cars, all after Kentucky wins. Go figure. I mean, really.
There are reports more than two dozen arrests this morning as the Wildcats get ready to play in the title game.
SAMBOLIN: And it sounds like a Disney movie. School kids find bags of sunken treasure. This is a true story. It's like a time capsule to the past bursting with gold and silver antiques.
And we will be talking to the kids who actually found the loot.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The next president of the United States!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Oh, bummer. Whoa, there's really a big joke that's about to play out after this freeze. Mitt Romney being punked by his staff. What does he see to his left?
GOP front-runner totally falling for an April Fools' Day prank for only a second there. We're going to show you that reaction coming up later on in the program.
SAMBOLIN: But, up first here. The parents of Trayvon Martin are taking their case directly to the Justice department. It comes after report that police investigating Trayvon's death wanted to charge George Zimmerman but were overruled by the state attorney's office.
Meantime, thousands attended a rally and a concert Sunday in Miami, not far from where Trayvon lived. Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and others renewing calls for George Zimmerman to be arrested for killing Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman claims the shooting was in self- defense. Trayvon's parents were at this rally. His mother says the goal of these rallies is not only to demand justice but to tell people about her son.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SYBRINA FULTON, TRAYVON'S MOTHER: We just want the public to know that he was a regular teenager, that he was respectable, and he was loved by his family and his friends.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAMBOLIN: CNN's George Howell is following all these developments. He is live in Sanford, Florida, for us.
I understand as I was reading this morning that they said they're going to continue with these shows of support around the country until there is an arrest made.
GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We know that we will continue to see these rallies, we will see pray-ins and marches throughout the country as this investigation continues. And, Zoraida, you also spoke about this request for the Department of Justice to look into the case. Now, we know that from attorney Ben Crump that that will be formally filed today, though he says it's still unclear how and when the DOJ will look into this.
But it goes specifically to talk -- to look into the actions of the state attorney, Norm Wolfinger, and how he interacted with the lead investigator in this case, who is Chris Serino. Now, again, he says that will be formally filed today and he does expect to hear back from the DOJ later today, Zoraida.
SAMBOLIN: All right. And "The Orlando Sentinel" has the 911 calls where you can hear a voice screaming analyzed by a pair of independent experts. What did their analysis determine?
HOWELL: They found someone who used voice identification software to basically listen to that audio, that 911 audio, and the background voice, the screaming that you hear. And this person determined, not conclusively, but came to the conclusion, decided that it's very likely Trayvon Martin's voice on that audio recording.
Keep in mind, Zoraida, we did our own research also. We had an audio expert listen to the audio. And it was also inconclusive on our end. But take a listen for yourself to this 911 audio.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
911: Does he look hurt to you?
CALLER: I can't see him. I don't want to go out there. I don't know what's going on.
They're sending --
(YELLING)
911: So you think he's yelling help?
CALLER: Yes.
911: All right. What is your --
(GUNSHOT)
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HOWELL: So, at this point, again, no eyewitnesses, really ear- witnesses, people who heard that screaming. And now, it will be up to prosecutors really to determine who is screaming in that audio.
SAMBOLIN: All right. George Howell, live for us in Florida.
You know, we are going to have two of those experts on our show. One here on EARLY START, and then one on STARTING POINT -- thank you for that.
BANFIELD: Four minutes now past 5:00.
And a passenger plane crashes touring takeoff, killing 31 on board, including all four of the crew members. It was traveling from an oil-producing town in Siberia. And Russian officials say air traffic control lost contact with the pilot just after the plane took off. It burst into flames, apparently broke into pieces.
There were 12 survivors, all of them rushed to the hospital. Reports say they're all in intensive care this morning. Russian officials are examining the airplane's data recorders.
SAMBOLIN: And also new this morning, the U.S. Coast Guard rescuing two injured sailors from their damaged yacht. The yacht was drifting some 400 miles off the California coast after being caught in a storm in high seas. The four people on board the 67-foot racing yacht were taking part in a round the world race.
Coast Guard helicopter flew two injured sailors to San Francisco. They are receiving medical treatment there.
BANFIELD: Most of you probably getting up. Old stiffs going to work this morning, maybe a couple of you. I'm talking about that mega ball thing. We still need to find out the winners of the $656 million mega jackpot this morning.
Two of the winning tickets were sold in Kansas and Maryland where winners are not required to come forward publicly. But the third one was in Illinois. Betcha. That's the state where they say, got to show your face if you want your bread.
By the way, those winners are all set to get about $218 million apiece. That's if they take the 26 payments. That's also before taxes.
SAMBOLIN: All right. Well, three big primary races up for grabs tomorrow when voters head to the polls in two states and Washington, D.C. Wisconsin is the big prize there. Forty-two delegates, Maryland with 37 delegates and Washington, D.C., 19.
Mitt Romney is predicting Wisconsin will be his. It will put him on the path to the nomination before the convention, he says. He is ahead in the polls in all three races tomorrow. So he is focusing his attacks on President Obama.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The president is going to be campaigning, saying that he's doing a great job. Do you know he actually believes he's doing a great job? He said the other day that he's doing a historically great job. Like Lincoln, LBJ, and FDR. And this was not said on "Saturday Night Live." He believes that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAMBOLIN: Meantime, Rick Santorum is campaigning in Wisconsin. He is insisting that he is not bowing out, no matter how things turn out tomorrow.
So how long can Santorum hang on? At 6:40 Eastern, we'll talk about tomorrow's races and the candidate's future with Santorum's communication director, Hogan Gidley.
BANFIELD: So, it's seven minutes now past 5:00. And, obviously, yesterday was the big, you know, April Fools' Day. Did you do anything?
SAMBOLIN: No, I didn't.
BANFIELD: Did you get punked at all?
SAMBOLIN: No, I did not get punked. But he got punked.
(LAUGHTER)
BANFIELD: Mitt Romney. What a fabulous --
SAMBOLIN: I loved it. It was great.
BANFIELD: It was. It was really good.
He really got the big punk from his staff on April Fools' Day. It was at a pancake breakfast in Milwaukee. If you didn't see it, it's great.
Republican Senators Paul Ryan and Ron Johnson masterminded the hoax. He set him up by telling the candidate that the turnout for the breakfast was a bit small. Then they used audiotape of people cheering as they were introducing Romney and they brought him into a room -- you're going to have to see what Romney saw. Have a look at the tape.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ron Johnson, and Mitt Romney, the next president of the United States!
(CHEERS)
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: April Fools!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Well, you know those staffers were standing there amongst the tables. It was completely empty otherwise. But all those people at the event were actually on a different floor so it wasn't a total bust. Romney's known as a practical joker, too, by the way, himself. And afterward, he told his staffers that he'll forgive and remember.
SAMBOLIN: That is my favorite line so far out of his mouth. He's going to forgive and remember. I'm going to use that one.
BANFIELD: Forgive and remember.
SAMBOLIN: Revenge. Revenge is sweet.
Eight minutes past the hour here. And this just in -- the national average for a gallon of gas, want to guess? It's staying steady -- $3.93 a gallon. AAA calculates the national average and posts it on its Web site every morning at 5:00 a.m. Eastern. So we bring to it you.
Analysts should expect to see gas -- you should expect to see prices going up through Memorial Day weekend and potentially into the summer, of course, when the market switches to the more expensive gas blend. So, you might want to prep your budget for that if you haven't already.
BANFIELD: But I think Christine Romans' advice still holds true, keep your tank filled up all the time. I let mine run empty yesterday.
SAMBOLIN: I did too. But I found cheaper gas, actually. It was an hour away from where I live.
BANFIELD: Well, what'd you spend to get there?
SAMBOLIN: But I had to, I had to take my kid to a game.
BANFIELD: Well, there you go. So, you had to be there anyway.
Final Four -- this one over here, she knows all about this stuff. I keep saying, I don't know anything about baseball. But now, we're down to two.
SAMBOLIN: Therein lies the problem.
BANFIELD: Totally kidding. OK.
So, OK, it's going to be Kentucky and Kansas in the NCAA national title game tonight in the Big Easy. Kansas pulling off a stunning comeback over Ohio State on Saturday to get there. It was such a close squeaker, too. And Kentucky held off its in-state rival Louisville.
SAMBOLIN: Kentucky fans acting like they've never been there before. Look at this.
BANFIELD: Oh, man.
SAMBOLIN: Wildcats fans started fires. They rioted in Lexington after Kentucky beat Louisville on Saturday in the Final Four. Some carried out a sofa and they actually set that sofa on fire. And, you know these are the winning fans.
There are reports of more than two dozen arrests. But we are happy to report there were no serious injuries even though it looks serious. Look at an overturned car, crazy.
BANFIELD: You know what? I'm a hockey fan, so I get this. I get this whole philosophy of winning and then going bananas, overturning police cars and all the rest. I've seen it after many a Stanley Cup game.
SAMBOLIN: You get it but you don't condone it.
BANFIELD: Yes, I get it. I get that it happens. I still don't get why it happens. That's for sure.
Ten minutes now, 11 minutes past 5:00 a.m. on the East Coast.
And still ahead, some really, really lucky kids -- they thought that they had the bummer of an assignment, junk patrol. But they ended up pulling sunken treasure out of a lake. And look at your screen folks.
SAMBOLIN: We're excited about this.
BANFIELD: We're not talking just a little treasure. We're talking some pirate's booty here. Jewelry, coins, rings, bracelets, even military medals. What on effort was behind all this? You'll find out in a moment.
SAMBOLIN: These kids are in the West Coast. They're already up waiting for (INAUDIBLE). Here a plan to save money that actually might stick. A major city is trying out a plan to pick up garbage twice a month.
BANFIELD: Worst movie ever. A record night at the Razzies for Adam Sandler.
SAMBOLIN: Cute little girls.
BANFIELD: Yes, this is a bummer of a moment for their dad, I'll tell you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAMBOLIN: Welcome back. It is 15 minutes past the hour. Time to check the stories making news this morning.
Here is Christine Romans. Good morning.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. Happy Monday, ladies.
The lawyer for Trayvon Martin's family says they'll ask the Justice Department to review the actions of the state attorneys office in Florida. A homicide detective reportedly pushed for charges against George Zimmerman after the Trayvon Martin shooting but was overruled by Florida prosecutors.
Visa says its networks were hit by a technical glitch for about 45 minutes. Yesterday's disruption was caused by a recent enhancement the company made to its system. Visa says the system is now operating normally. It wasn't related, of course, to that huge recent data breach.
The island of Fiji is bracing for a possible cyclone after devastating floods killed four people. Eight hundred people now living in temporary shelters in Fiji. The government declared a state of natural disaster but flights in and out of the country have now resumed.
Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will co-host the "Today Show" on NBC tomorrow morning. She's going head to head with former host and nemesis maybe Katie Couric. Couric is guest hosting ABC's "Good Morning America" this week while Robin Roberts is on vacation.
And honoring the best of the worst. Adam Sandler's film "Jack and Jill" swept the Razzies. Along with the movie's worst picture award, Adam Sandler named worst actor and worst actress for playing both "Jack and Jill." It's the first time in the Razzies' 32-year history that one film was dishonored in every single category.
I don't know. It makes me want to rent it now because I feel bad about it.
BANFIELD: Seriously?
ROMANS: No.
BANFIELD: As a drinking game maybe.
SAMBOLIN: Going back to Sarah Palin for a minute here because you see, here's the knockout, Katie Couric and Sarah Palin. Do you notice? Katie got the first glove.
BANFIELD: Guess who's missing, Christine?
ROMANS: Who?
BANFIELD: Oprah, who's on CBS. So, this is going to be a blowout week for the morning newscasts, crazy. Crazy booking wars.
ROMANS: Looking for millions of eyeballs in the morning.
BANFIELD: I think so, that's exactly it. Is it sweeps week perhaps?
Seventeen minutes now past 5:00. Thanks, Christine.
We like to use this time to get an early read on things, but mostly because we like to go to the travel forecast.
SAMBOLIN: Reynolds Wolf is in for Rob Marciano.
Good morning to you.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning. Looks like a rough day through parts of the country due to, of course, the weather. The weather is going to be kind of interesting. We have high (INAUDIBLE) and some snowfall across parts of the central and northern Rockies and a chance of severe storms to the Central and Southern Plains.
You know, as we zoom in, that's really going to be the issue today, especially for the plains of Texas, clear up to parts of Oklahoma, back into Kansas. Even portions of Nebraska are going to be the possibility of large hail, damaging winds, and perhaps even some isolated tornados.
Now, we mention damaging winds. And speaking of wind, the wind's going to be extreme through parts of desert southwest and even across from the four corners into the southern Rockies, even southern California, where we're going to see gusts anywhere from 40 to 50 miles per hour.
So, we're talking tropical storm-force winds. They will extend all the way up into the Dakotas through the afternoon and into the evening hours. And guess that wind will play a part in today's travel. Here's proof. New York, we expect delays possibly over an hour. In Philadelphia, yes, wind's going to be an issue there, delays under an hour. And Charlotte, those thunder boomers might keep you on the tarmac a little bit longer than you'd like. And then in Denver, it's going to be a combination of wind and even some snowfall along parts of the Front Range.
No snow for parts of the Midwest, where we're expecting highs to rise to 87 degrees in Kansas City, 66 in Minneapolis, 57 in New York, 48 in Boston, 86 in Atlanta, 86 in Tampa. Out west we go in the four corners, a string of 40s and 50s as we wrap it up, L.A with 76, San Francisco with 65.
That's your forecast. Let's send it back to you in New York.
BANFIELD: All right. Thank you so much. Reynolds Wolf, nice to see you.
WOLF: You bet, guys.
BANFIELD: Eighteen minutes now past 5:00.
And, you know, when the local news makes national headlines, that's when we jump in with our morning papers. And this morning, we've got them from Chicago, Detroit, and Seattle. We're just going right across the country.
Let's start with "Chicago Tribune," shall we? There's a study out that says U.S. airlines -- are you seated? Maybe you're lying down. I hope one of the two -- are performing at an all-time high.
2011 airline quality rating says it's the highest -- this is an annual study. This is the highest it's ever been. Since it's been going, toward 22 years, they haven't had ratings this high.
The study says that these 15 largest U.S. airlines, they all saw improvements in these things -- ready? Baggage handling. Fewer delayed flights. Fewer overbooked flights. Fewer customer complaints.
I can say one thing about the baggage -- maybe there's less baggage lost because of the fees to check the bags. We're carrying them ourselves on board.
SAMBOLIN: Perhaps, perhaps.
BANFIELD: Could be.
SAMBOLIN: All right. Let's move on "The Detroit News."
Three high schools in Michigan are giving some students the option to start their school day an hour later. Good idea, bad idea? Tenth, 11th to 12th graders will get a choice to start class at 8:25 rather than 7:20. And the kids who choose the later option will stay later.
A recent study suggests kids who get more sleep have better grades, better attendance, their mood is better. Will they sleep more because they start later? I don't think so. I think I'll be on Facebook and tweeting all night long.
BANFIELD: Oh, they sleep (INAUDIBLE), if it were me.
Anyway, "Seattle Times." I love this one. It's a bit of a stinker of a story. Pardon me for the silly pun. But you've got to see the headline. It's on the side column.
"In Seattle, garbage pickup just twice a month?" Could you imagine in your community, if your garbage was out there rotting for two weeks? Well, this is a plan. Seattle's trying to save some money, and they think they actually can save a fair bit, like $6 million a year, with a pilot program.
(CROSSTALK)
BANFIELD: Apparently, there's like 800 really unlucky people are going to get chosen at somewhat random but not really. They're planning this. They want to get a diverse community to try this thing out. Apparently, this could be extended city-wide after 2015 because they have labor contracts, they can't do it all at once.
But imagine the bear concerns, like bear country, as in bear. And also, just the public health issues and the rats and stuff like that.
SAMBOLIN: Kind of disgusting. Here, I have a bit of advice for you.
BANFIELD: Oh, if it works.
SAMBOLIN: What my mother does, she actually freezes old food and doesn't put it out until garbage day.
BANFIELD: Smart.
SAMBOLIN: That way you don't accumulate as much.
BANFIELD: You don't get stinky and all the rest.
SAMBOLIN: Right.
BANFIELD: It's not a bad idea.
SAMBOLIN: There you go. Twenty-one minutes past the hour.
Still ahead, school kids on junk patrol pull up a sunken treasure. The discovery is setting off a search for the rightful owners and the thieves who may not even be alive. You're going to understand so much more when we talk to the kids who found the loot.
BANFIELD: Wow. Look at that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: Minding your business this morning, the closing bell is music to our ears because the U.S. markets were closing a bit mix on Friday. The Dow and S&P 500 both up. NASDAQ just down slightly.
SAMBOLIN: Overall, stocks, they are up strongly so far this year.
Christine Romans is here with more on this. They say you can't win if you don't play.
ROMANS: You can't win if you don't play, and I don't mean the lottery. I'm talking about the stock market.
Ladies, it was the best first quarter for stocks since 1998. We were laughing because I said I didn't even have gray hair.
BANFIELD: Wait, tech boom '98, right?
ROMANS: I mean, it was a great quarter for stocks. I mean, you have the NASDAQ up this quarter 19 percent. You have the Dow up like 8 percent.
Look at the S&P 500. This is most likely to reflect the stocks in your portfolio. They're up 12 percent in the first quarter. I'm showing you S&P over the past three years. Just look at that chart, up 64 percent over the past three years.
So, after that horrible March 2009, stocks have advanced. And they have been moving strongly higher here in this first quarter was really, really good.
I want to tell you some of the stocks that were really good. Apple was up 48 percent. Tech stocks -- Apple wasn't even the best tech stock of the quarter.
You also had financial stocks did very, very well. Some of these bank stocks up 20 percent, 30 percent, 40 percent, 50 percent in part because we know they're not going to fail, many of these banks. We've got the Fed still pumping a lot of money into the system through low interest rates.
And technology, consumer cyclical, financial services, real estate, all of these doing very, very well in the quarter. And when I say you can't win if you don't play, this is why, and I'm going to tweet again the risk profile, ladies --
SAMBOLIN: Yes, because, you know, you wondered did I miss it? Now what do I do?
ROMANS: If you're getting in right now, this is a big reminder to you you've got to know what is in your 401(k). You got to make sure it's balanced for your outlook and for when you're going to retire, because this was a really big rally.
Now, April tends to be a good month. It's been I think every year for five years, April has been up. And the stock market, many people are telling me, could go a little bit further here. So, we'll see.
If the data remains good, we have 26 months of good economic data back to back to back, we'll see if it's a good week for economic news. Maybe it will be hold on.
BANFIELD: I like hearing that. You're invited back.
(LAUGHTER)
BANFIELD: Christine Romans, thank you.
Twenty-seven minutes now past 5:00. Ahead on EARLY START, a toddler falls 40 feet into a one-foot dry well. One foot wide dry well -- imagine what it look for these rescuers. We're going to take you there.
SAMBOLIN: Oh my gosh.
All right. California sixth graders doing a weekly cleanup at a local lake, they find bags full of treasure. Doesn't it make you want to clean up your lake?
You're watching EARLY START.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAMBOLIN: Thirty minutes past the hour. Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Zoraida Sambolin.
ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hi and good morning. I'm Ashleigh Banfield, and it is time to check the stories that are making news this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SAMBOLIN (voice-over): Trayvon Martin's parents among the thousands attending a rally in Miami demanding justice and the arrest of George Zimmerman. Today, they'll ask for a federal review of actions by Florida prosecutors.
BANFIELD (voice-over): The coast guard coming to the rescue of a crew on board a racing yacht that was damaged in a storm off the coast of California. It was taking part in an around the world race. Two sailors were injured and were flown to San Francisco.
SAMBOLIN: Three of Osama Bin Laden's widows, they're expected to be charged this morning for living illegally in Pakistan. It's an offense that carries a maximum ten-year prison sentence. The women have been in the custody of Pakistani officials since U.S. navy SEALs raided Bin Laden's compound and killed the al Qaeda leader last year.
BANFIELD: A student's project, a science project, shuts down Dallas Love Field Airport. Five gates had to be evacuated yesterday when a, quote, "robotic device" was found near the cockpit of a Southwest Airlines flight that was bounced for Kansas City. Eleven passengers were detained, including a professor and his students, but it turns out it was one of the kids that accidentally left the robot on board the plane.
SAMBOLIN: They'll have a story to tell. And we're still waiting to find out who the winners are of that $656 million mega-million jackpot. We know the tickets were sold in Kansas, Maryland, and Illinois. And the winners will get about $218 million apiece before taxes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BANFIELD (on-camera): Thirty-two minutes now past 5:00 on the east coast, and Mitt Romney is hoping to pull off a Tuesday trifecta when the voters head to the polls tomorrow. They're going in Wisconsin, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. And right now, Mitt Romney is looking like he's ahead in all three of the races. NBC News/Marist poll was done in Wisconsin where there are 42 delegates at stake, and here is how the leader board shakes out in that state so far.
Romney's looking like he can pull in 40 percent of the vote. Santorum well behind at 33 percent of the vote. And there's Paul and Gingrich coming in behind. The GOP frontrunner says he can almost taste it now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I've got a good boost from the folks in Illinois. And if I can get that boost also from Wisconsin, I think we'll be on a path that will get me the nomination well before the convention. Sure hope so.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Rick Santorum, for his part, says he is not a quitter, says he's going to stick around in the race even if Mitt Romney sweeps all three states tomorrow.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK SANTORUM, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When a North Dakota radio station the other day, Governor Sununu, one of Romney's chief spokesmen, trying to spin this race is over, this race is over. Then, why is he spending $4 million in Wisconsin if the race is over? If it's over and it's -- you know, there's no chance, then why is he bothering even campaigning anymore if it's over?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Why is he bothering is a question a lot of people are asking, and I'm not suggesting about either of those candidates if you can read between the lines. CNN's political editor, Paul Steinhauser, is live for us in Washington, D.C this morning. That is a big question that's being asked. Why isn't it over yet?
And you know what? Paul, I'm looking at these states that are coming up and they only offer up 98 delegates if you win all three. That's not enough to clinch anything.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Not enough to clinch. Romney will not go over the top at all on Tuesday, tomorrow. But, you know what, this is also about momentum here. And listen, if Rick Santorum can't even win Wisconsin, we know Maryland, District of Columbia, the polls indicate that is Romney country.
I guess, Wisconsin, the biggest prize on Tuesday, his one chance to maybe, maybe try to change the conversation if he could pull the upset and score victory. But as you mentioned, Ashleigh, you know, in the last two weeks since Romney won big in Illinois, the conversation has really changed.
He's now the inevitable nominee, and you've seen all these huge names in the Republican Party and some top conservatives as well come out and endorse Romney. Conservatives, of course, the base of the party and the part of the party that Romney's had a problem with. Santorum doesn't sound like he's quitting. Take a listen to what he said last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANTORUM: The reason I'm here is because what the establishment has tried to shove down the throats in the folks of this country on the Republican ticket isn't being swallowed. And the reason it's not being swallowed is because they want someone who reflects the values, someone that they can trust, someone who's an authentic conservative.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEINHAUSER: After Tuesday, three more weeks, three more weeks until another contest, including his own Pennsylvania on April 24th.
BANFIELD: Oh, boy, will a lot of people be watching that one, and he's had a big drop, his popularity, Santorum, his popularity, in his home state. OK. So, here's the question I want to ask you about swing states, because I'm not sure whether it was Saturday or Sunday. Rick Santorum said, it's not over till it's over, and I'm very strong in swing states, but you've got some new polling out. Is what he says true?
STEINHAUSER: It's less about him, and it's more about the general election. Take a look at this. Gallup/"USA Today," you can see right here, the 12 swing states, what would it look like in November? Basically, Romney/Obama, you can see the president has an advantage here over Romney, about a nine-point advantage over Mitt Romney.
But the real story is the gender gap. Take a look at men. Obama/Romney, pretty much all dead even. Take a look at women, Ashleigh, and Obama's got a huge. huge lead. It is all about the gender gap, but right now, it is favoring Barack Obama.
BANFIELD: We had some funky numbers up for a bit there, but I think we've got the right ones up now.
(LAUGHTER)
BANFIELD: Little funky Monday for you. I see you didn't win the power ball either. STEINHAUSER: Yes, I'm here.
BANFIELD: I'm glad. I'll miss you if you leave us. Thank you. Thank you for that, Paul.
So, how long can Rick Santorum actually stay in this race if Romney takes all three primary states tomorrow? At 6:40 eastern time, we're going to talk about Tuesday's contests and the candidate's future with Rick Santorum's communications director, Hogan Gidley, and I recognize the jacket I'm wearing. Isn't that interesting?
SAMBOLIN: Yes. He needs (ph) the smiling shot this --
BANFIELD: Who? Hogan?
SAMBOLIN: Yes.
BANFIELD: He's such a nice guy. He's always smiling. I really like him.
SAMBOLIN: All right. Thirty-seven minutes past the hour. A quick-thinking driver saves two elderly couples from a burning building. This Boston man says he drove by a burning apartment building. He stopped his car, kicked down the doors to see if anyone was trapped inside, look at that inferno that he went into.
His 12-year-old daughter stayed in the car, she called 911. What did he find? Two elderly couples. Neither had any idea that the building was on fire.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No idea. They were like, what building? I said, this building. Get out now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm just a nervous wreck. I want to go in the house. I can't believe this happened. April fools. Really an April fools joke.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAMBOLIN: Gosh! The Boston Fire Department says the seven-alarm fire spread to another building as well and everyone was able to get out safely. Thanks in part to that good Samaritan.
BANFIELD: Oh! Thank goodness.
It is now 37 minutes now past 5:00 on the east coast. We want you to check out some incredible video of a rescue in Southwest China. Take a look down. That's the face of a two-year-old boy who fell into an abandoned dry well 40 feet deep. The well was tiny, too. Just a foot wide, and rescuers had to keep pumping air down the well so that he could breathe.
SAMBOLIN: Oh! Gosh! BANFIELD: Isn't that incredible? Every time they were lifting him and they started to get some traction, he would fall and slip back down. This just -- really a remarkable effort. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
SAMBOLIN (voice-over): Finally, success. The little guy. That's the boy crying, right?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BANFIELD: I know. I know. Look at him, he's crying, he's upset, he's shaken. But they got him out and we are happy to say that little two-year-old is OK today. I've got goosebumps. Mommy, I'm sure he's saying mommy, daddy.
SAMBOLIN (on-camera): Crazy story.
BANFIELD: I know. I have a lump in my throat.
SAMBOLIN: Thirty-nine minutes past the hour. Still ahead, waking up angry. A volcano puts on a spectacular show just for you. A fire eruption for the fifth time this year.
BANFIELD: And he has played his share of idiots on the screen, but now, Ashton Kutcher is picked to play one of the smartest men of the past century. Can you guess? Think it through. We're going to have the answer for you shortly.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAMBOLIN: All right. Listen to this, folks. It's 42 minutes past the hour.
Sunken treasure, bags of gold and silver. Might sound like the work of pirates, right? No. A group of sixth graders in Northern California made a surprising discovery while picking up trash around Lake Merritt near Oakland. It's part of a weekly clean up project. And even the adults were shocked.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OFFICER JOHNNA WATSON, OAKLAND POLICE DEPARTMENT: This is very exciting. I think it's every child's dream to come across some type of treasure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAMBOLIN: All right. So, what did they find? Two 15-pound canvas bags filled with gold jewelry, silver candlestick holders, ancient coins, so much more. And here to tell us about their discovery are five of the students from St. Paul's school, Episcopal School, that is in Oakland. Thank you so much for being with us this morning. And first of all, I just want to say congratulations for doing this weekly cleanup of a lake. We're really proud of you and your teacher. So, who was the first one to find something in the water?
LEAH WINER, FOUND TREASURE IN LAKE: I saw it first. We all kind of pulled it out.
SAMBOLIN: What did you see?
WINER: I just saw two canvas bags. I saw the handles kind of floating in the water. And, I mean, they were way down in the ground, I couldn't move them. But, the top of them were kind of floating up to the top.
SAMBOLIN: All right. And once you got the bag out of the water, what was inside?
WINER: Just like gold, silver, jewelry, watches, rings. There was even a couple of knives.
SAHAAS ELLIS, FOUND TREASURE IN LAKE: There was a spoon, too.
(CROSSTALK)
SAMBOLIN: All right. So, how did you know that what you found in there was valuable?
ELLIS: Yes. It looked very valuable. Once we pulled it out of the lake, I was like, wow, this has got to be worth some big -- a lot of money. So, I was a little surprised. I was like, wow, this is a really big find. Never seen anything like it.
SAMBOLIN: Isabel, talk to me about the bags that it was found in. I read somewhere that one of them said Wells Fargo?
ISABEL TORRENCE, FOUND TREASURE IN LAKE: Yes. One of the bags said Wells Fargo on it. I don't know if that had anything to do with it. But, it was kind of -- we found all this treasure in a Wells Fargo bag, and it was kind of funny.
SAMBOLIN: Mara, do you guys clean this particular lake every single week?
MARA WRIGHT, FOUND TREASURE IN LAKE: Yes, we clean it every week. We have like certain groups, like group A, group B, group C, group D, but, yes, each group cleans it once a month, and -- yes. We do it every week on Thursday afternoon.
SAMBOLIN: OK. So, Gabriel, have you found anything this interesting before in there? And do you think this was a new find or had it been sitting at the bottom all this time, do you think?
GABRIEL LEE, FOUND TREASURE IN LAKE: Well, we've never really found anything as interesting that I would like to say on the air.
(LAUGHTER)
But there were some pretty interesting things. Well, this is probably like, yes, a new find. Otherwise, the other stuff would have rusted. Yes.
SAMBOLIN: So, Leah, do you think it was recently dumped there?
WINER: Yes. I think somebody was like on the run, they had to like hide it or something. I mean, it was right next to the lake cleaning box. So --
SAMBOLIN: Ah.
WINER (ph): And also, it would have -- it would have to -- it couldn't have been in there for more than a week because we -- a group cleans it every week.
SAMBOLIN: And you're very thorough with your cleaning, I understand. We're going to hear what the police have to say about that, and then, I'm going to come back and ask you a very important question.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
Watson: Hopefully, through investigations, we can determine if this was illegally obtained or what the mystery is behind these items being left in the lake.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAMBOLIN: So, Sahaas, you guys found all of these goodies. Do you get to keep them?
ELLIS: No. We do not get to keep any. I am pretty sure of that. But, maybe we get to keep -- if the person who owns all the stuff or if it's more than one person, so if it doesn't get returned to them, it might -- the police might get it or the school, they might just donate it to the school.
SAMBOLIN: Mara, we understand that there's like a waiting period. Do you know anything about that, like 90 days, perhaps?
WRIGHT: I'm sorry, what?
SAMBOLIN: Oh, you know what, I see Leah, and she's shaking her head. So, do you know about that, the 90-day waiting period, Leah?
WINER: Yes. It's like 90 days, nobody claims it, then it either goes to the school or -- I'm not really sure what happens then, but it goes somewhere, like if nobody claims it in 90 days.
SAMBOLIN: OK. So, this is to any one of you, and it's just out curiosity here. Do you hope the owners are found or do you hope that you get to keep the stuff that you found?
TORRENCE: Well, I think it will be great if the owners were found, because I know what it's like to like lose something, probably not that valuable. And it's great when it's returned to you. So, it would be really nice if the owners were found, but if they aren't found, then if it went to the school, that would be also cool.
ELLIS: More library books.
(LAUGHTER)
SAMBOLIN: That would be -- you know, what you guys, it's 2:48 in the morning in California. We are so excited that you either stayed up all night to be with us this morning or you got a little bit of a nap and came in. Are you going to school today?
(CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER)
SAMBOLIN: That is a resounding yes, I guess. Sahaas, Isabel, Mara, Leah, and Gabriel, thank you so much for joining us this morning. And thank your parents, also, for bringing you in, we appreciate it. All right. Ashleigh, back to you.
BANFIELD: Oh, thanks.
(CROSSTALK)
BANFIELD: Yes. We didn't win power ball either, so we had to come to school, too.
(LAUGHTER)
BANFIELD: Its now 48 minutes past five o'clock on the east coast. It's time to check stories that are making top billing for headlines, and here's Christine Romans with that that.
ROMANS: Good morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS (voice-over): Trayvon Martin's family taking their calls for justice to a new level this morning. His parents plan to ask the justice department to review the actions of a Florida prosecutor who reportedly prevented police from arresting George Zimmerman the night he shot Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman has not been charged. He claims the shooting was self-defense.
Italy's Mt. Etna at it again. Europe's tallest and most active volcano erupting for the fifth time this year, lighting up the night sky with lava and ash. The weekend eruption, unlike others, did not disrupt air traffic this time.
And reports say Ashton Kutcher has been cast to play Steve Jobs in a movie about the late Apple founder's life. There is a striking resemblance between the "Two and a Half Men" star at a younger Jobs. Yes. Do you see that? The film will be based on the best-selling authorized biography of Jobs by Walter Isaacson, ladies. (END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS (on-camera): Interesting.
SAMBOLIN: They do look a lot alike.
BANFIELD: Until you put the side by side, I hadn't figured it out, because I was thinking more of Steve Jobs at the receding hairline and later in life, and those were in college days, weren't day? Those pictures?
ROMANS: Yes --
SAMBOLIN: Look at that.
(CROSSTALK)
SAMBOLIN: All Ashton has to do is change his haircut and spitting image.
BANFIELD: Yes. Interesting.
SAMBOLIN: Thank you.
BANFIELD: Still ahead, a country trying to ban the mini-skirt --
SAMBOLIN: Ah!
BANFIELD: Saying that it makes men do certain things.
SAMBOLIN: Oh, my.
BANFIELD: We'll fill you in.
SAMBOLIN: All right. A 12-year-old does something no skateboarder has ever done before. You can't even do it in some video games without a cheat code. You want to know what it is?
BANFIELD: We had to freeze it.
SAMBOLIN: We're going to show it to you. You're watching EARLY START. Come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAMBOLIN: It's time to take a look at what is trending on the web, and it's exactly 53 minutes past the hour.
You may not be seeing cheerleaders like this any time soon in Indonesia. Indonesia's religious affairs minister proposed making mini-skirts a crime, called them a type of pornography, in fact. "The Wall Street Journal" reports that Indonesia's house speaker suggested that women who wear mini-skirts, listen to this, could encourage men to rape them.
BANFIELD: It's happened a few times in Islamic (ph) Republic, hasn't it? I used to wear mini-skirts in Afghanistan back in the 1960s.
SAMBOLIN: Hard to believe, right?
BANFIELD: Yes.
So, here's another one for you. A 12-year-old pulling off a trick that even Tony Hawk has not been able to do. You know who Tony Hawk is.
SAMBOLIN: Yes.
BANFIELD: He's the skateboarding wizard. Now, look at this guy. This kid pulled off what's called a 1080. You don't know what a 1080 is? It's three 360s. It's so remarkable that, apparently, you can't even do this in a video game without a cheat code, I'm told.
I know nothing about cheat codes in video games. I just know that 1080s are really, really tough. And if Tony Hawk can't do it, it's remarkable a 12-year-old can do it.
SAMBOLIN: Like no big deal, I do this all the time.
BANFIELD: He was practicing. He pulled it off on his fifth try, and then he just went ahead and did it again. Kid's just amazing. His dad said he was warming up with a bunch of 720s. Threw a 900 in there, and then -- by the way, he's sixth grade, five feet tall, and he weighs just 80 pounds.
SAMBOLIN: Oh, my goodness! That's why he could do it. He can stay airborne that long.
BANFIELD: Just remember this name, Tom Sharr (ph). Tom Sharr (ph), you are going to be one famous X-games fellow.
SAMBOLIN: Very cool.
BANFIELD: Congratulations.
SAMBOLIN: All right. Coming up, looking for the big mega millions winners. One of them is in Kansas, we understand. The executive director of the Kansas lottery is going to join us live in the next hour. Will we know who it is?
BANFIELD: And also, the parents of Trayvon Martin are taking their case right to the justice department. They're already on the case, but now, they want the police to be looked at closer and the state attorney to be looked at even closer than that. You're watching EARLY START.
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