Return to Transcripts main page
Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Final Day of Diamond Jubilee; Wisconsin Governor Facing Recall Vote; Final Day Of Queen's Diamond Jubilee Celebration; Wisconsin Governor Facing Recall Vote
Aired June 05, 2012 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ZORAIDA SAMBOLIN, CNN HOST: History is made today in London. The diamond queen's jubilee to a head this morning. We take you live to the festivities all morning long.
ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN HOST: Plus, more than 40 TSA workers fired or suspended this morning. Find out why they were punished. What's being done to fix the problem, straight ahead.
SAMBOLIN: And the governor of New York wants to take the crime out of carrying around marijuana. Twenty-five grams of pot to be exact. The details coming up this hour on CNN.
Good morning to you. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Zoraida Sambolin.
BANFIELD: Good morning, everyone. I'm Ashleigh Banfield. We're bringing you the news from A to Z. It's 5:00 a.m. in the East and 10:00 a.m. in London.
And that's where we begin this morning. Welcome, everybody. Live pictures to bring you from London.
This is a climax of a weekend of events marking the queen's diamond jubilee all getting underway in London this morning. Right now, getting ready for a service called the thanksgiving service at St. Paul's Cathedral.
The motorcade is filled with the junior members of the royal family. They're the first to depart their various palaces. They're going to arrive shortly at St. Paul's. At the same time, the senior members of the royal family will be getting ready to leave for St. Paul's Cathedral as well.
At about 15 minutes, 5:15 Eastern Time, the queen herself will leave Buckingham Palace for St. Paul's. Remember, the duke of Edinburgh won't be with her. He's not feeling well. He's in the hospital under observation. So, should be on her own for this one. She's expected to take 13 minutes in procession, arriving at St. Paul at about 5:28 a.m. Eastern Time.
Two minutes later because you just don't have to wait if you're the queen, at 5:30 a.m. Eastern Time, the service of Thanksgiving begins. That should go for an hour. And then at 6:30, the queen is scheduled to leave St. Paul's.
She's got a busy day. She's going to head off to two different recessions and also a lunch at west ministers with her sons, grandsons. There's a carriage ride all throughout London as well where the streets will be lined. Eventually, the queen will end up back at Buckingham Palace where she'll be greeted by crowds.
She's expected to make one appearance. But you know how it works out on the balcony, right? You come out on the balcony, you wave, you go back in, the crowds go wild. You come back out, depending on how -- it's like a curtain call. Depending how wild the crowds are, that's how many appearances they'll make on the balcony.
That all happens about five hours from now, 10:00 a.m.
SAMBOLIN: And the celebration across the pond, of course, tempered a bit by the absence of the queen's husband, Prince Philip. He's in the hospital with a bladder infection.
Last night, some of the biggest names performed for the queen who came prepared with ear plugs, we understand.
CNN's Brooke Baldwin is co-anchoring our coverage of the Diamond Jubilee tribute and she is live at Buckingham Palace.
Nice to see you, Brooke. Let's start with Prince Philip. How is he doing this morning?
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm told he is okay. I'm told though that he is just absolutely sickened that he can't be alongside his wife, her majesty, for this huge, huge day. Well, certainly one of the biggest of her lifetime and certainly of her reign.
I do want to mention, we are waiting for the queen to leave the palace. The reason we know the queen is home for now is that huge flag flying above Buckingham Palace. That's the royal standard flag. That means she is home. Shortly she will be in a limo.
Here's some news. Since her husband, Prince Philip, duke of Edinburgh is in hospital because of that bladder infection, we now know she will be accompanied to St. Paul's cathedral with her lady in waiting. What is a lady in waiting you ask, it's basically a good friend, a confidante, someone who can speak on behalf of the queen.
So, they will be traveling to St. Paul's cathedral this morning for that thanksgiving service. Afterward, there will be a reception at the mansion house followed by a trip to Westminster hall. This is all part of the house of parliament. It's actually the oldest building, goes back 900 years here in London. That's where she'll be holding a luncheon.
The guest list, Zoraida, some 700 people. And then afterward, we have learned since again her husband has fallen ill, she will be in that carriage hopefully the rain will not start then and she will be in that 1902 saint landau, alongside the Prince of Wales, her son Charles, and the duchess of Cornwall, his wife, Camilla -- Zoraida.
SAMBOLIN: So, who gets invited to this?
BALDWIN: It's great question. Who gets invited to St. Paul's? Members of the congregation. She is very, very involved with a number of charities here in the U.K. and also throughout the commonwealth. From what I understand, members of those particular charities.
And then they're the ones who get the big invite to that reception afterwards. And then, you know, reading into who in the world gets to be part of this thanksgiving service at Westminster hall, that 700 or so guest list. Those are people that actually thrown by the livery here in London. Those are uniform city workers. People who are participating in this diamond jubilee, this long weekend extravaganza. So, that's part of the luncheon.
Anyone just walking here this morning, you're hearing all different languages, people from all around the world. I'm sure the commonwealth and beyond gets to line this procession route that travels through the main trajectories through London passing by Trafalgar Square, going under Admiralty Arch, and then, finally, going up to the Mall.
And if you saw the pictures from last night, the amazing concert you saw the concert with the tens of thousands of people. That's who will see her this morning making her way to the balcony. And I got to tell you, this balcony in person is way bigger than it looks on television, Zoraida.
I got to tell you, the pictures that you're showing this morning are absolutely amazing. We're looking forward to your continued coverage. Brooke Baldwin, live for us in London.
And if you are wondering who or when the White Houses will fall, watch what happens in Wisconsin today. For just the third time in U.S. history, a governor is facing a recall vote.
Scott Walker, a union busting fiscal conservative anti-party darling, is fighting to keep his job against Milwaukee Democratic Mayor Tom Barrett. The outcome could just set the tone for November.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. SCOTT WALKER (R), WISCONSIN: Since I've been sworn as your governor, Wisconsin has added -- added more than 30,000 new jobs and we're not done yet.
MAYOR TOM BARRETT (D), MILWAULKEE: People want to have a change. They want a governor who can run the state. They're tired about a governor who is a rock star to the far right. They want someone to create jobs for the middle class.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAMBOLIN: The latest polls show Governor Walker has a slight edge over Barrett in what is expected to be a very, very tight race.
BANFIELD: Not much drama left, but voters are heading to the polls today in five different states -- California, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota are all holding their primaries. Yes, folks, the primaries are still ongoing. Something of an afterthought now that Mitt Romney has certainly passed that magic number and clinched the Republican nomination, or at least enough to clinch the nomination.
SAMBOLIN: Five TSA workers have been fired and 38 others suspended at Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers. An internal investigation revealing they failed to perform random screening last year. This is one of the largest disciplinary actions ever taken in the ten-year history of the TSA.
BANFIELD: And new this morning, police in Canada are looking into even more crimes that may have been submitted by a self- proclaimed porn star accused of a grisly murder. Luke Magnotta was captured yesterday thanks to an international manhunt. They arrested him at an international cafe in Berlin where he told them, quote, "You got me"
Magnotta is accused of killing and dismembering a student named Jun Lin, and then mailing his body parts to Canadian politician.
SAMBOLIN: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is urging state lawmakers to decriminalize the procession of small amounts of marijuana. Under Cuomo's plan, 25 grams would only be a violation, not a misdemeanor. He says the aim is to avoid unnecessary charges against thousand of New Yorkers who says are disproportionately black and Hispanic youth.
BANFIELD: And this just in, gas prices down. Down again. This is falling a lot. In fact, now they're down to $3.57 for a gallon of unleaded. That's the average across the country. It's a drop of 1 1/2 cents over night as well. The price is down for 20 days in a row, which is a nice change.
SAMBOLIN: That is great news.
BANFIELD: How we started off the year.
SAMBOLIN: I am unable to find $3.57 anywhere.
(CROSSTALK)
SAMBOLIN: Let us know. We'd like to know.
All right. It's eight minutes past the hour here. With just hours to go before disgraced Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky stands trial for sex abuse, the judge makes a key decision in the case. Find out how it could impact Sandusky's alleged victims. That's coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: Twelve minutes now past 5:00. Welcome back.
Jury selection in the trial of former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky scheduled to get underway today. He's charged with sexually abusing 10 boys over 14 years. Last week, the judge denied his lawyers' request to delay the trial any further so set to go this morning.
Let's bring in CNN contributor Sara Ganim. She won a Pulitzer Prize for covering the Sandusky story for the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, newspaper, "The Patriot News."
Sara, thanks for being with us this morning.
Let's get to the issue of the fact that this thing is playing out in the community where it started. There will be no change of venue. There will be no jurors bussed in, which is somewhat unusual.
SARA GANIM, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: At this point, that's what the judge says. He's going to try to do. He's going to try to get a jury from Centre County, where this took place. Now, half of what the prosecutors doing, they wanted the trial to be held in the courthouse behind me here in Centre County, in Belafonte, where these alleged crimes are alleged to have taken place.
Now, Jerry Sandusky is the one who wanted jurors from this county. Prosecutors wanted to bring in jurors from somewhere else in Pennsylvania, thinking that they would have less tie, less of a financial tie possibly or an emotional tie to Penn State University. They estimated a couple of months ago that one in every three people who live in this county have some kind of tie to Penn State, so they thought it would be easier to find a jury somewhere else.
But when Jerry Sandusky fought against that, the judge sided with him. And so, they're going to start and try this morning to find 12 jurors and four alternates in Centre County.
BANFIELD: That could be a tricky endeavor, but certainly not impossible.
One of the developments this week which some people found unnerving was that the judge has ruled that the 10 victims in this case cannot remain anonymous. Names are going to be in open court. They are going to appear in open court more than likely.
But are they expected to show up during the jury selection?
GANIM: No. We don't expect any of them to be here. In fact, when the judge made that ruling, he specifically said that they were going to do everything they could to shield their identities except when they take the stand, but that included in jury selection that they were going to try to keep their identities a secret right up until the time that they choose to take the stand and testify against Jerry Sandusky.
BANFIELD: It will be a fascinating case no matter what -- Sara Ganim, thanks for being with us.
SAMBOLIN: It is 14 minutes past the hour. Let's get you up-to- date with this morning's top stories.
We have live pictures from London for you as Britain's four day jubilee celebration to a close. This hour, the royal family will attend a service of thanksgiving at St. Paul's Cathedral there. Later, a carriage procession through the streets of London.
BANFIELD: Also making news today, voters in Wisconsin heading to the polls in less than three hours deciding whether to boot the Republican Governor, Scott Walker, out of office just after 18 months from his election or keep him there. The union-busting Tea Party darling is a slight favorite at this point to hold off Democratic challenger Tom Barrett in a recall vote that could predict the outcome of the presidential election in November.
SAMBOLIN: After being sent back to jail for lying about his finances, George Zimmerman has seen a spike in donations to his defense fund, as much as a thousand dollars a day. Zimmerman is charged with murdering Florida teenager Trayvon Martin. He was ordered back to jail when prosecutors revealed Zimmerman had enough money to post bond and was not (INAUDIBLE). His attorney has requested a new bond hearing.
BANFIELD: And a new wild fire to report. It's burning right now in northern Colorado, more than 200 acres wiped out already by this inferno. We know one structure, about 40 miles northwest of the Fort Collins has been destroyed. More than a dozen others are peril of being consumed by these flames. And as of late last night, there's a single engine air tanker and firefighting helicopter on scene of this blaze. The crews are dealing with very hot, dry and worse off, windy weather.
SAMBOLIN: So tough to fight.
Sixteen minutes past the hour. We're getting an early read on your local news making national headlines. Georgia college students arrested for explosives. She says -- look at her right there, she just likes to blow things up.
"The Atlanta Journal Constitution" says 23-year-old Celia Savage is facing federal weapons and drug charges now. Here's a video of her blowing up a toilet. Yes. Savage told agents she makes and detonates explosives as a hobby. Her dad says the government should butt out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOMMY SAVAGE, CELIA SAVAGE'S FATHER: I wish the government would stay out of my business or her business or whoever's.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAMBOLIN: Savage's Facebook profile says, quote, "I despise all law enforcement or any governing authority. I am not one for selective targeting but mass destruction."
BANFIELD: Eek. OK. To each his own.
Seventeen minutes past 5:00. This may roughly your patriotic feathers.
A two-time war vet says he's being denied an apartment in Massachusetts because the landlord is a peace activist. Twenty-nine- year-old National Guard Sgt. Joel Morgan served not only in Afghanistan, he also did the tour in Iraq.
"The Boston Herald" is reporting that the landlord is a 63-year- old woman named Janice Roberts who suggested that Morgan find something less politically active and controversial.
SAMBOLIN: Wow.
BANFIELD: Last I checked, soldiers don't have a choice necessarily where they're going to be deployed. State law, by the way, does forbid landlords to refuse to rent to veterans. Morgan is suing Roberts over this.
SAMBOLIN: And an Illinois pastor is walking 3,000 miles across America to call attention to inner city violence in Chicago. "The Chicago Tribune" says Reverend Corey Brooks is starting his walk today in Time Square. He's expected to finish four months from now in Los Angeles.
Brooks first drew attention for spending three months living on the roof of a motel which is used for drugs and prostitution. It was fundraising effort to buy the property and build a community center there.
BANFIELD: For an expanded look at all of our top story, just head to our blog, CNN.com/EarlyStart.
SAMBOLIN: America loves a good come back story. Can the makers of the BlackBerry turn it around in the age of the iPhone?
BANFIELD: Oh, I hope so.
SAMBOLIN: I don't know. We'll have a look at that coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: Live pictures for you now at St. Paul's Cathedral in London. That's the Prince of Wales and then behind him, that is Princess Catherine, the duchess of Cambridge. She's arriving with her new husband Will. This is the family members arriving at St. Paul's for the national service of thanksgiving. This is culminating days of extraordinary celebration for the queen's jubilee. This is terrific, 60 years on the thrown.
The service should last just a little over an hour. There are all sorts of things later on today. Lunches and meetings and a parade of sorts throughout London for all the people who like to line the streets, kind of like a royal wedding but not. But it is lovely.
SAMBOLIN: A lot of pomp and circumstance.
BANFIELD: I just love this stuff. I'm sorry. I really love this stuff. We're going to continue to show you al these live pictures as they get underway. It's after 10:00 in the morning there. It's only 5:23 Eastern here.
You can also watch live coverage of the queen online, CNN.com/live. You can have the TV and the computer up at the same time, process two things at once.
SAMBOLIN: It's 22 minutes past the hour. Minding your business now.
Right now, U.S. stock futures are indicating markets will open mostly flat this morning. Anxiety about Europe's debt crisis and the global slowdown held back any major gains in U.S. stocks.
BANFIELD: Hey, it could have been worse. The Dow closed a little lower. NASDAQ gained nearly half a percent. S&P 500 closing mostly flat.
Alison Kosik in for Christine Romans -- so, let's not talk about the upward, downward arrows.
Let's talk about BlackBerry.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, BlackBerry.
BANFIELD: I'm addicted.
KOSIK: Do you have a BlackBerry?
BANFIELD: Two.
KOSIK: People laugh at me because I still have the BlackBerry? Yes, I still have the BlackBerry. Poor BlackBerry.
BlackBerry is having a hard time of it. Its shares yesterday fell another 6 percent, just below $10. Over the past five years, RIM, the BlackBerry maker, has lost almost 90 percent of its value. They're sitting at their lowest level since December 2003. Sales are slumping. It's losing money for the second quarter in a row.
And guess what? There's speculation that RIM could put itself up for sale after it announced it's hired these investment banks to, quote, "review its strategic options". It's business speak for saying, yes, we are considering selling parts of our company.
And you know what? The CEO admits there are challenges here, that it will be rocky for a while. It's the severe competition cutting into its sales. IPhone? Yes. Nokia? Yes.
So, this is the kind of competition that BlackBerry is really playing catch-up with. It's hard to play catch-up when you get really addicted to your phone. And the big problem for BlackBerry is that many people say it's not efficient enough.
But it is coming out with a new operating system after many delays. In the next couple of months, the new operating system should come out. Some say it's actually the number of apps and it certainly falls behind its rivalries. That is the big issue, the number of apps.
Do you agree, Zoraida?
SAMBOLIN: I was thinking yesterday that I was going to switch from my BlackBerry over to my iPhone because it is easier, and because, you know, I just have so many problems with the BlackBerry. I wonder, is everybody doing that? Because the iPhone is so easy? Or all the smart phones?
Also remember the big outage in October. I mean, people couldn't access their BlackBerrys or e-mails for hours or days.
SAMBOLIN: Frustrated.
KOSIK: Then you saw another mass exodus of people leaving the BlackBerry and going to the iPhone.
BANFIELD: It's that keyboard that gives you auto correct that says, I'm going for, you know, a zoo day today, join me? You know, it drives you nuts.
KOSIK: You know what, I wish I could switch over. I'm hoping, fingers crossed. I'm just saying. But you know what? Just keep in mind, RIM is having its issues. Many analysts say, you know what, that really the steps would be made to keep BlackBerry running, that the parts to keep it running if RIM would go under, other companies would pick up the slack and make sure that RIM continues going because government agencies like the Department of Defense use BlackBerry so they need it.
BANFIELD: Do we have time to talk about the companies that are hiring or do we need to move on? Next block.
KOSIK: You got it.
BANFIELD: We'll do it again. Alison Kosik, thanks so much.
All right. How's this for a surprise? Two guys run out of a bank that they've robbed to find somebody's stolen their get away car. Wait until you hear who stole it, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: We are just moments away from the service held to honor Queen Elizabeth II. All of the major royals attending this morning. We're going to bring it to you live as it happens today.
SAMBOLIN: A mother of four gets caught up in a bank robbery. What she did completely by accident to throw the robbers off their game?
BANFIELD: And Betty White like you've never seen her.
SAMBOLIN: Looks just like her. BANFIELD: A double in wax. Can't make this stuff up. Story and the pictures coming up this hour on CNN.
Hi, everybody. And welcome to EARLY START. Nice to have you with us. I'm Ashleigh Banfield.
SAMBOLIN: And I'm Zoraida Sambolin. It is 30 minutes past the hour here. It is the climax of a celebration that is fit for a queen because it is. A final day of festivities in Britain marking Queen Elizabeth II 60 years on the thrown. Right now, the royal family is attending a service of thanksgiving at St. Paul's Cathedral. The queen is on her way.
Later, it is a carriage procession through the streets of London. Lots of excitement across the pond, but the celebration is a little bitter sweet with the queen's constant companion, Prince Phillip in the hospital.
CNN's Brooke Baldwin is live in Buckingham Palace, and we are taking a look at these pictures. The queen is about to step out of her car and head into Saint Paul's cathedral. What can we expect, Brooke?
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. First, let me just take you back 10 minutes here at Buckingham Palace. You know, it's hard to think of any kind of comparison, Zoraida, but we saw the queen leave certainly surrounded by security through the gates just behind me. It's just incredible to think of how close I've been to this queen and her 60-year reign.
It's just stunning, really, twice in the last three days. So, she just left, and the crowds are already out. And they're so excited. You can hear the peeling of the bells as she is, as they say here in London, en route to St. Paul's cathedral. We've been seeing some of the pictures. You can certainly see Prince Charles is already there, his wife, Camilla.
And you can see William and Kathryn and Harry, but as you mentioned, we are still waiting for her to actually arrive at St. Paul's.
SAMBOLIN: Actually, Brooke, she has arrived, and she's entering, and she's greeting everyone.
BALDWIN: Ah, you have better pictures than me.
SAMBOLIN: I do. It's happening live right now. I know that you're in a different location, and you can't see these pictures right now, but there is a lot of pomp and circumstance happening. She is greeting everyone as she enters. Can you talk us through what is going to happen? Now, I hear it's an hour service that will be taking place at St. Paul's Cathedral?
BALDWIN: Right. So, this is the service of thanksgiving. I understand that the queen, herself, actually gave direction. We're going to be -- they'll be reading a prayer later. And so, she's given directions, specifically, of this prayer, of this service of thanksgiving. I've just been told as we're looking at the queen here and her pictures, she's wearing white again.
We saw her wearing white on the royal barge on Sunday. She's wearing white again. Again, this is Alexander McQueen. And keep in mind, it was duchess of Cambridge who wore Sarah Burton by Alexander McQueen for her royal wedding just last year. So, that's a little bit of fashion news --
SAMBOLIN: Perhaps, she's having a bit of an influence. You think she's having an influence on the queen? Wow.
BALDWIN: Perhaps so. I think -- yes, I think absolutely so. And in terms of the service just briefly, so this is really just your quintessential commonwealth gathering. There are heads of state from the different commonwealth countries and also just different charities. She's very philanthropic.
And so, the queen will be meeting with and having the thanksgiving service with different representatives from all of these different charities that she's been so heavily involved with here in London.
SAMBOLIN: Oh, it's really beautiful to watch. The music is just incredible. Everybody is standing, gathering --
BALDWIN: Gives you goose bumps.
SAMBOLIN: Gathering and waiting for the queen to make that final procession in. She looks lovely. I've got to say it looks more blue than white, though, Brooke, this morning. Are you still with me, Brooke?
BALDWIN: Well, you're looking at live pictures. I saw her through the glass, but perhaps, you know, who knows if it's white. Is it white or blue? I'm asking my producer. We're not quite sure. I'm getting this.
So, I just know that she was wearing white the other day, and I was talking to Dickie Arbiter who is her royal spokesman for years and years, and the guess would be that she's wearing white or the color of that ilk would simply be because she wants to stand out.
This is her day. 60 years. You know, no other queen has made it 60 years in the reign since Queen Victoria, her great, great- grandmother, and that was 1897. This is a day to shine for sure.
SAMBOLIN: And it's a day that she will be missing her husband. Can you give us an update on him? He should be standing by her side or nearby, and he's not.
BALDWIN: He should be. He should be. He was not sitting on that limousine in the St. Paul's. He will not be on the carriage ride. Instead, it will be her son, Prince Charles, and his wife. The duke of Edinburgh, Prince Phillip, he is still, as they say, here in hospital. He's suffering some sort of bladder infection. He's just absolutely sickened that he can't be sitting by his wife's side. If you watch them in the pictures last night, actually, during the concert here at Buckingham Palace, we're quite sure -- this would be just difficult for her without her husband. But I'm told he should be fine. He's just simply in hospital for precautionary measures, but sadly, not in attendance today, Zoraida.
SAMBOLIN: All right. Well, we are continuing to watch this at this hour. It's really just an amazing picture. One last question for you, Brooke, because I don't see it here in front of me.
BALDWIN: Yes.
SAMBOLIN: How old is the queen? She looks amazing.
BALDWIN: She is 86 years young.
SAMBOLIN: Unbelievable. Well, thank you. We appreciate that.
BALDWIN: Thank you.
SAMBOLIN: We're going to continue with all of this coverage and share pictures with you throughout our show this morning. You can also watch live coverage of the queen's diamond jubilee celebration on line at CNN.com/Live.
BANFIELD: It is 35 minutes now past 5:00 on the east coast. And, other news for you this morning. A Houston mother of four has been cleared by the FBI after getting caught in the middle of a bank robbery. This is Blanca describing the chaos that erupted when she recently visited the local chase bank to cash a check. Gunmen stormed in and that's when she raised out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLANCA, ESCAPED BANK ROBBERY IN GETAWAY CAR: The first car I ducked in. And when I ducked in, it was shorter. And I fell in like this. You know, when I tried to close the door, when I looked up to close the door, I said, oh, God, this car is on. And I looked back. I didn't see them coming behind me so I just -- I floored it. I just took off.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Did she ever. It turns out that wasn't her car, it was the suspect's getaway car. Police actually arrested Blanca a few miles away for stealing a stolen car, but she is in the clear now happy to report. The bank robbers that she took the car from sadly, though, did get away. Carless, but they did get away.
SAMBOLIN: It's incredible story. Thirty-six minutes past the hour here. New Yorkers saying fat chance to Mayor Bloomberg's proposal to ban the sale of super-sized sugar drinks. A New York One Marist poll surveyed 500 New Yorkers. What are they saying? Fifty- three percent of them called the ban on sugary 16-ounce beverages a bad idea. Forty-two percent, however, supported it. If the mayor gets his way, New York would become the first U.S. city to limit portion sizes in order to fight obesity.
BANFIELD: I thought those numbers would be different.
(LAUGHTER)
BANFIELD: Passengers at Dulles Airport squint, take a double take. As you go through customs, you are welcomed by Paige, the life- sized hologram.
SAMBOLIN: Did you see the way the guy looks at her?
BANFIELD: What is that?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it is one of the most incredible things I've ever seen. I travel a lot around the world, and I've never seen that before.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) flying so real. I thought it was you for a minute. I did. I was looking at her eyes. I didn't listen to what she said. That's usually the case.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Even when it's a hologram, huh? The airport's virtual assistant gives passenger's information, very important information about the airport and also what they need coming off of an international flight.
Let's scoot back to London for a moment, shall we? Because when the queen enters the building, the event begins. There is never a lull. So, I want to show you some of the live pictures of the national service of thanksgiving to celebrate the diamond jubilee of her majesty, the queen. We just saw her enter.
This is pretty spectacular. Church service that has the archbishop of Canterbury as well as the bishop of London. Let's listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is jubilee as we celebrate 60 years of her sovereignty and service. As we come together as loyal subjects from all parts of the realms and commonwealth of nations, we give thanks for the blessings bestowed by God on our sovereign lady, Queen Elizabeth, and we celebrate the identity and variety which our nations under her have enjoyed.
We come as people of faith to pray for her majesty, the queen, and all members of the royal family asking that God will continue to bless and guide them and all that they undertake and that they may find strength and enrichment in their celebration of this jubilee. We also come to give thanks for her majesty's loyal service and commitment lived through a deep sense of vocation in Christ through the glory of Almighty God, praying that we may be inspired by her example and that God will continue to grant her steadfastness of faith and the love of all her people.
For these, our thanksgivings and prayers, we offer to at Almighty God, in the words that Jesus taught us, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thigh name, thigh kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: Good morning, Milwaukee. It is a balmy 55 degrees as you are waking up this morning, warming up to almost room temperature, 68, which is great for a vote, isn't it? You always hope that there's good weather on polling day, and that's the case in Milwaukee today. All over Wisconsin hopefully, too.
The polls are opening in just two hours in that state in what many people are considering a dry run for the November election. Republican governor, Scott Walker, who is a Tea Party favorite, who broke the state's unions in a very tight recall race today against Democratic challenger, the Milwaukee mayor, Tom Barrett.
Our Ted Rowlands is live in Madison, Wisconsin this morning. So, I heard John King say yesterday, as goes Wisconsin, so could possibly go the country which is why we are all watching this one state race so closely. Tell me why it is so significant, Ted.
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, it would be if Walker loses his job, only the third time in U.S. history that a sitting governor loses his job because of a recall. And you mentioned the money being poured into the state, 60 million. Most of that is coming from out of state.
And basically, it's coming from people that want to destabilize unions or support unions. Of course, Walker slashed union rights with his budget reform bill. Walker claims that this is all to help the bottom line here in Wisconsin. His opponent, Tom Barrett, says it's a plan to erode the middle class.
Both candidates were on the road yesterday trying to make that final push to voters in Wisconsin.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. SCOTT WALKER, (R) WISCONSIN: Since I've been sworn as your governor, Wisconsin has added, added more than 30,000 new jobs, and we're not done yet.
(CHEERING)
TOM BARRETT, (D) WISCONSIN GOV. CANDIDATE: People want change. They want a governor who can unite the state. They're tired about having governor who's more interested in being a rock star to the far right. They wanted someone who's, you know, focus on creating jobs for the middle class in the state.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROWLANDS: And actually, obviously, what happens in Wisconsin could be replicated in other states, and that's why the stakes are so high here and why people have been pouring these millions of dollars into Wisconsin. The theory would be that if Walker hangs on to his job, other states could replicate what he's done here in Wisconsin.
And on the contrary side, if he loses his job, it would be a powerful message from unions to say, hey listen, other governors don't try what happened in Wisconsin or you'll lose your job just like Scott Walker.
BANFIELD: And the polling, Ted, so far, suggests that Scott Walker is coming into this in a position of strength not to mention the fact that he's actually been getting a better slice of that money.
ROWLANDS: Yes. Oh, he's outspent his opponent nearly five to one. He's come up with 30 million on his own as opposed to Barrett who's in about three to four million. And the polls have shown that he has a lead coming into today. That lead has eroded a little bit with the latest poll. You're looking at about a three to four percentile lead.
But then you factor in, of course, the margin of error. Both sides agree that turnout is going to be the key here. So, that's why there's been a huge push for turnout on both side,s and both candidates are out again today trying to push that turnout.
BANFIELD: Well, if they get as many people out at the polls as they had in those sit-ins last year, it will be a busy day. Ted Rowlands, thanks very much.
ROWLANDS: You bet.
SAMBOLIN: Forty-seven minutes past the hour. Let's get you up to date with this morning's top stories.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAMBOLIN (voice-over): Queen Elizabeth arriving a short time ago on the final day of Britain's massive diamond jubilee celebration marking her 60th year on the thrown. Right now, the royal family is attending a service of thanksgiving at St. Paul's Cathedral in London. Just amazing pictures we have. We're going to continue to bring you live pictures throughout our show.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Other news today. In one of the largest disciplinary actions ever taken by the TSA, five workers have been fired and 38 others have been suspended at Southwest Florida International Airport in Ft. Myers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BANFIELD (voice-over): An internal investigation revealed that they failed to perform random screenings during a two-month period last year.
SAMBOLIN: Courtroom showdown in New Orleans today. Actors, Kevin Costner and Steven Baldwin, duking it out over millions of dollars connected to a deal to create oil spill cleanup technologies. Costner and his partners developed the technology when the massive Deep Water Horizon spill happened in the Gulf Of Mexico back in 2010.
Costner signed an $18 million deal with BP to help clean up the mess. Baldwin and a New Orleans businessman are suing claiming they were squeezed out of millions when they sold their shares in the company.
BANFIELD: It could be a long, long wait for a prosecutors who want to try Joran Van Der Sloot here in the United States. Peru's Supreme Court says Van Der Sloot must serve out a Peruvian murder sentence completely before he can be extradited to the United States. That could mean 28 years behind bars in Peru.
He faces extortion charges here in the United States related to the disappearance of Natalee Holloway in Aruba back in 2005. Van Der Sloot is appealing his conviction in Peru.
SAMBOLIN: Kickoff weekend is still three months away, but the NFL plans to start hiring and training possible replacement officials after contract talks between the league and the referees broke down. They attempted it twice.
Both sides have said they expect a new collective bargaining agreement in time for the season, but that optimism may be waning. NFL officials say new demands by the officials led to the suspension of the talks.
BANFIELD: And get a load of this, behold, she is a vision in wax. Actress, Betty White, meeting her wax figure as it was unveiled at Madame Tussauds' in Los Angeles. She is 90 years young. That former golden girl is the oldest celebrity to be honored with a wax figure to which she, of course, had the best equip of the day.
Here's what she said. "Would it have killed them to do this 50 years earlier before gravity took over?" Man, she is an icon, isn't she?
SAMBOLIN: Yes. Incredibly witty.
BANFIELD: That's a good statue, too. SAMBOLIN: It looks just like her, even her posture. I thought it was fantastic.
BANFIELD: Yes. I love these unveilings when the celebrity stands beside the wax figure and doesn't move. And then, you have to guess.
SAMBOLIN: Which one's which?
BANFIELD: Which one's which?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BANFIELD (on-camera): Ultimately, they breathe, though.
SAMBOLIN (on-camera): Yes.
BANFIELD: Yes. So, it's 50 minutes now past 5:00.
SAMBOLIN: He's won a Super Bowl and "Dancing with the Stars," so it's no surprise Green Bay fans get excited about Donald Driver, but wait until you see how far one fan goes to get a piece of the star. That's coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: It is 54 minutes past the hour. Taking you back live to London to the thanksgiving day of service. It's in commemoration of 60 years on the thrown. This is one heck of a service at St. Paul's Cathedral in London.
The queen and the royal family in attendance. About 2,000 people in the cathedral. And presiding at times over the ceremony, the archbishop of Canterbury. It doesn't get better than that in a service (ph), can I tell you? They're going through several prayers at this point. And also, look how lovely she looks.
It's hard to tell whether if it's a white Alexander McQueen outfit or a slight pale blue, but a lovely service this morning commemorating her diamond jubilee. Lots more on the agenda for the day as well. We'll continue to follow this live.
SAMBOLIN: Beautiful music all morning, as well. Just fantastic.
All right. It is now time to take a look at what is trending on the web. Switching gears here, video of a young Green Bay packers fan who catches a cleat from wide receiver, Donald Driver. It gets ripped away from him by an adult woman. Driver was taking part in a charity softball game. You're seeing here in Wisconsin.
He threw a few items of clothing into the stands right after the game. Driver says he was so disturbed after seeing video of the young fan get his cleat stolen that he tracked them down and got him a new cleat and some other gear as well. You're watching right there. See, she fights him for the cleat.
BANFIELD: That's sports memorabilia for you, huh. He cheat (ph).
SAMBOLIN: So, Driver will be joining Soledad O'Brien live this morning ahead on "Starting Point."
BANFIELD: Here's another one for you. Romania breaking the world record for the most sky lanterns launched at the very same time. Who knew there was a record, but there is. Take a look. It is so neat. You're looking at 12,740 lanterns ascending into the sky. I don't know who counted them, but they had to be up all night. The event happens this weekend outside of Romania's Palace of Culture.
SAMBOLIN: That's so beautiful.
BANFIELD: Beautiful, right? And, 30,000 people were there to witness this spectacle. And guess what, the Romanian newspapers are saying that one of the 30,000 people in attendance was an official from -- a representative that ratified that world record.
SAMBOLIN: Spectacular. Yes.
Crackdown at the TSA. Dozens of security screeners are punished. Some of them are actually fired. Find out where they were and what they're accused of doing. That's coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
