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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Baltimore Ravens Win Super Bowl; Memorable Super Bowl Ads; Deadly Bus Crash Kills 8, Dozens Injured; Former Navy SEAL Sniper Gunned Down

Aired February 04, 2013 - 05:00   ET

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

ZORAIDA SAMBOLIN, CNN ANCHOR: We have breaking news overnight. At least eight people killed and more than 40 people are hurt. All of this after a tour bus rolled on a mountain road. This is in California.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Plus, the night the lights out in New Orleans. We're checking in with new details about what caused the Super Bowl power outage.

SAMBOLIN: And after the light started working. The Ravens shut it down against my beloved 49ers.

Some of the other big winners -- the advertisers, Destiny's Child, and the fierce Beyonce.

Good morning to you. And welcome to EARLY START. I'm Zoraida Sambolin.

BERMAN: And I'm John Berman. It is Monday, February 4th. It is 5:00 a.m. in the East.

It was a long, long night.

SAMBOLIN: I didn't watch the whole thing.

BERMAN: Every last bit.

(LAUGHTER)

BERMAN: I had to, I had to. It's America, man. You got to do this.

SAMBOLIN: I just wanted to get the half-time show.

BERMAN: That was something, too.

SAMBOLIN: That was great.

BERMAN: So, this is what happened when a football game meets the twilight zone. This was just bizarre.

First, the football. The Baltimore Ravens winning Super Bowl XLVII after nearly blowing a 22-point lead. I mean, they were this close to blowing it. Somehow they held off the San Francisco 49ers, who had four shots to win it at the end of the game. The final score was 34- 31. That was the football side of it.

But you could say the whole thing was overshadowed, I mean, literally overshadowed. The lights went out. A 34-minute power outage put the whole Super Bowl on hold., kept some of us up way later than we should have.

CNN's Carlos Diaz was at the game. He is live now in New Orleans where the power is back on.

Carlos, what on earth went on? That was one of the most bizarre things I have ever seen in sports.

CARLOS DIAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. You know, we went from blowout, to blackout, to shoot-out, in just a matter of a few minutes in New Orleans. It's a situation where everything post-9/11 happens in a major city like Superdome you have to start asking questions.

And quickly, it was assured that there was no terrorism involved. Nothing to be alarmed of in that way.

I can tell you this -- the crowd never got to be in a panicked state when half of the power went out. And the company that supplies the energy to the Superdome said basically it was a power surge. The system thought there was an abnormality and shut down. The system shut down.

Basically, it's equivalent of at your house a power breaker goes off, and half of your house goes out. A breaker broke. And the half of the energy in the stadium goes off. Half the power goes off.

And here's the thing, for those of you watching at home you had no explanation because the power went out on the side of the announcers, Jim Nantz and Phil Simms for CBS. You could not hear them because the power was out on their side of the stadium as well.

So, basically, fans were in the dark inside the stadium and all over the world because there was no explanation.

But, basically, what happened was there was a surge that hit -- there was no fire as originally reported. And the players resumed after 34 minutes on of a power outage.

BERMAN: Thirty-four long minutes. Carlos, when the power goes out of my house, the world championship is not on the line. It felt like it was a decisive moment in the game.

But walk us through some of the other highlights.

DIAZ: Yes. You know, it was all Ravens before the power outage. You just know the conspiracy theories were gearing up saying the NFL is trying to stave us off of winning the Super Bowl. It was 28-6 when the power went out. With plays like Jacoby Jones taking the 108-yard kickoff return back for a touchdown to start the second half. It was all Ravens before the power outage.

And then after the power outage, the San Francisco 49ers basically made a surge of their own and got back into the game. The game came down to four plays inside the 10 yard line. When it's a second year like Colin Kaepernick going against one of the best defenses in the league, belong to the Baltimore Ravens, you knew the Ravens were going to come out on top of that one. And the Ravens get to win, 34-31 and John Harbaugh beats his brother Jim.

BERMAN: That was lovely. See, I don't know if I agree. I thought there was every reason the 49ers would put it in at the end of the game. They had all the momentum on their side. Somehow the Ravens stopped them.

Carlos Diaz in New Orleans. Thank you so much. Great to see you this morning. I'm sure a long night for you too.

DIAZ: Thank you.

SAMBOLIN: A little blurry-eyed this morning.

So, there were plenty of big hits on the field. But there were a lot of debate this morning about the biggest hit when it comes to all those super pricy Super Bowl commercials. Advertisers spent up to $4 million for one 30-second spot.

One of the most memorable commercials of the night, for better or worse, was this godaddy.com.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are two sides to Go Daddy. There was the sexy side represented by Bar Refaeli. And the smart side that creates a killer Web site represented by Walter.

Together they're perfect.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: It's the sound. It was the sound effects that did it for me.

SAMBOLIN: Ew!

BERMAN: You could hear it.

SAMBOLIN: I could not get into that one. Swapping spit that close.

BERMAN: But it's Go Daddy -- I mean, I had the same reaction as you -- but it's Go Daddy. So, you remember it. That's all they care. You do remember that.

SAMBOLIN: You do.

BERMAN: Boy, do you remember it.

So, check out this spot from Doritos. There are a lot of fathers out there with young daughters who could certainly relate to this I am sure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GIRL: Daddy, can you be a princess with me?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sweetheart, I'd love to, but the guys are outside waiting for me.

GIRL: I got Doritos.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Steve, what is the holdup?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(LAUGHTER)

BERMAN: Zoraida likes this one.

SAMBOLIN: I do.

BERMAN: My favorite is the Oreos ad.

SAMBOLIN: That was fantastic, isn't it? We're going to show you a lot of those.

BERMAN: So many favorites. Late this hour, we're going to talk to the ad expert Richard Kirshenbaum about all the best in the Super Bowl commercials.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

SAMBOLIN: We're going to switch gears here. At least eight people were killed and dozens more were injured when a tour bus struck a pickup truck and rolled over on a treacherous mountain highway in California. This happened in San Bernardino County, about 80 miles east of Los Angeles. More than seven ambulances were called to that scene.

The road is so narrow that rescue workers have had a very difficult time reaching all the victims there.

Let's bring in CNN's Paul Vercammen. He is live from San Bernardino County in California.

So, what is the very latest here?

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Zoraida, this is what CHP is telling us now. They say that there are eight people confirmed dead. But they say they believe that number is going to change. Meaning, that they will find out many more people died in this crash.

Also, we've had our own count here. And about 27 people have been taken to five local hospitals. Six of those people are critical. And some of those are children.

My photographer and I walked up to the crash site about a half mile from here. It is absolutely stunning to see what happened here. It looks as if this tour bus flipped over at one point. Much of it is caved in right above where the driver would sit. And from we understand people were ejected from the bus.

In this crash scene, you can clearly tell there are numerous tarps that are concealing bodies and also body parts. And that's what's making it so difficult for investigators to try to determine just how many people were killed in this accident.

I talked to one first responder off camera. She said it was one of the worst scenes -- probably the worst scene she had ever seen in 25 years.

And here's what the CHP has to say on camera about this accident.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIO LOPEZ, PIO, CALIFORNIA HWY PATROL: It's a -- it's a terrible scene, horrific scene. There's multiple victims. There's personal belongings, personal property at the scene.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VERCAMMEN: Also, the CHP says there was a Ford pickup truck involved and it was carrying a trailer, a work trailer and also a Saturn sedan. It may be that the bus hit the Saturn sedan from behind.

Now, while we were up there, you can clearly tell that the road was sloped. But this is a pretty straight stretch here for this highway, this Highway 38, which goes up to Big Bear, which is a major winter recreation area.

It is believed this is from National City in the San Diego area and was carrying people from the Tijuana and San Diego areas. And it would seem logical they were coming back down the hill after enjoying a day in the snow. And somewhere along the way, that's where this accident happened.

SAMBOLIN: Oh, that's just awful. Paul Vercammen, live in California, thank you.

BERMAN: Investigators in Texas are still trying to determine why a 25-year-old Iraq war vet allegedly killed former Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle and another man at a gun range in Texas over weekend. Eddie Ray Routh was arrested Saturday night on two counts of capital murder.

Joe Johns is live from Stephenville, Texas, this morning.

And, Joe, this morning, where do things stand with this investigation?

JOE JOHNS, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: John, behind me is where Eddie Ray Routh is being held on $3 million bond. It's still early in the investigation. Authorities still are trying to figure out what happened at that shooting range and why.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHNS (voice-over): Former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle who claimed a record 150 kills in Iraq died at the hands of another vet, authorities say, allegedly using a semiautomatic handgun. What police don't know yet is why.

CAPT. JASON UPSHAW, ERATH COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: I don't know that we'll ever know. He's the only one that knows that. But at this point, he hasn't made any comments to law enforcement as to why he did it.

JOHNS: Kyle, friend Chad Littlefield and the suspect, Eddie Ray Routh, all drove to the gun range together in a pickup truck, authorities say. Less than two hours later, police say, Kyle and Littlefield were dead. Routh had fled to his sister's house. He told her what happened. She called police and Routh was eventually caught.

Routh is an Iraq war veteran. He left the marines in 2010.

Kyle, who wrote the best-selling autobiography "American Sniper", talked about the duty to those he served with in an interview with KTVT last year.

CHRIS KYLE, FORMER NAVY SEAL SNIPER: My only regret are the ones I couldn't save. That's what keeps me up at night. But every shot I took, I felt extremely justified.

JOHNS: When he left the military, Kyle became a fierce advocate for vets, starting a foundation to help those suffering from PTSD. Authorities say that may be why Kyle and Littlefield went to the gun range with Routh.

SHERIFF TOMMY BRYANT, ERATH COUNTY, TEXAS: Mr. Kyle works with people suffering from some issues that have been in the military. And this shooter is possibly one of those people that he had taken out to the range to mentor, to visit with, to help him.

JOHNS: Kyle's friend Travis Cox said that's just the kind of man he was.

TRAVIS COX, FRIEND OF CHRIS KYLE: The man he was when he came home, if I could deserve it anyway, is a servant leader. He served others. He was a humble, humble man. He had a vision to support veterans and their needs. And he was fearless in that. And he gave his life doing so.

(END VIDETAPE)

JOHNS: The "Dallas Morning News" reports that jailers used a taser on Routh when he became aggressive with guards. The newspaper also reports he's on suicide watch. It's still not clear this morning of why the shooting occurred, John.

BERMAN: Joe, the first place a learned of Chris Kyle's death was in a tweet from Sarah Palin. He was very well known. And you actually met him.

JOHNS: I did. I met him in Iowa in 2011. He was with Sarah Palin there. I talked to him a little bit about the SEALs. He was very proud of his service.

Sarah Palin, by the way, put out a statement talking about Chris Kyle. She said, "Chris was a wonderful man, a good friend and true American hero who loved our country and served honorably. He was loved and admired by so many, and he will never be forgotten." That's Sarah Palin on Chris Kyle. He actually served as one of her protectors, bodyguards, at least for a while -- John.

BERMAN: All right. Joe Johns in Stephenville, Texas, on this developing story. Thanks very much.

SAMBOLIN: It is 12 minutes past the hour. Take a moment and imagine -- you have two of these -- 5-year-old trapped in an underground bunker with a stranger for six days now, folks. The nightmare, you know, does not even begin to describe this. The latest on the hostage crisis in Alabama, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAMBOLIN: Welcome back to EARLY START. Sixteen minutes past the hour.

Barricaded in an underground bunker. The standoff between police in Alabama and a gunman holding a 5-year-old hostage in the bunker has been going on close to a week now. And the suspect, 66-year-old Jimmy Lee Dykes, described as a survivalist with anti-government views. That's his picture there.

While the bus driver who shielded other children from that gunman being remembered as a hero. Charles Albert Poland, Jr. was honored at a memorial service yesterday.

Victor Blackwell is following all the developments from Midland City, Alabama.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hundreds of friends and relatives, strangers listened to excerpts from letters written by children, the children 66-year-old bus driver Charles Poland drove to school every day. Teachers arrived a yellow buses adorned with black bows to honor the friend they called Chuck.

REV. CHARLES LITTLEFIELD, CALLED SCHOOL BUS DRIVER A "HERO": He just liked simple things. But I can tell you this, through this time, I have heard a word used to describe Chuck that he would have very righteously have declined it. And that word was hero.

BLACKWELL: Poland was driving his usual route in Midland City, Alabama, Tuesday when authorities say this man, Jimmy Lee Dykes, forced his way on the bus with a gun and demanded to take two of the 22 children on board. Poland refused.

Deputies say Dykes killed him and snatched a 5-year-old boy.

Local, state, federal authorities have been working around the clock to free the boy from a bunker. A heater and electric blanket keep them warm. But Dale County Sheriff Wally Olson won't say if Dykes has access to a television or radio.

WALLY OLSON, DALE COUNTY SHERIFF: He has allowed us to provide coloring books, medication, toys. I want to thank him for taking care of our child.

BLACKWELL: Negotiators have said little about their communications with Dykes, but neighbors are talking.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He will walk up and down the dirt road sometimes with his gun. Sometimes he'd been working on the bunker, I don't know. We didn't know what it was then.

BLACKWELL: Michelle Riley hands out ribbon at nightly vigils, to show respect for the man who gave his life for the children and the support for the child who's being held hostage underground.

MICHELLE RILEY, FAMILY FRIEND: He's coming out. There's no doubt in my mind. I said Wednesday -- I was driving to work and I just had a peace come over me from the top of my head to the tip of my big toe. He's coming out. He just -- he just spoke to me and said Ethan is coming out.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: And, Zoraida, the mayor of this town in Midland City said the parents have not been here to decide. However, they are receiving updates every hour -- Zoraida.

SAMBOLIN: I can't imagine who they're going through.

So, we heard the sheriff says he has allowed us to provide -- which an interesting choice of words there -- medicine to the little boy and also coloring books, we know. Do we know what the medicine is for?

BLACKWELL: Well, an Alabama state representative tells us that this child has both ADHD and Asperger's syndrome. They have said consistently there's no reason to believe that Ethan, the five year old, has been harmed.

SAMBOLIN: All right. Victor Blackwell, reporting live for us -- thank you so much for all of your updates.

BERMAN: Nineteen minutes after the hour right now. Let's bring you up to speed with the top stories.

President Obama hits the road trying to sell his 35-point plan to battle gun violence. First stop is Minneapolis, the city that already is on board with many of his plans.

And the Beltway is still buzzing about this picture of the president at Camp David. The White House released it to silence critics who questioned that the president -- his claim that he shoot skeet at Camp David. Believe it or not, there are some ridiculous conspiracy theories that say this photo is doctored. I say look out how his hands are pulled up, you can tell it's not doctored.

SAMBOLIN: Oh goodness.

All right. So, the NRA is not backing down. The group's executive vice president Wayne LaPierre telling FOX News the president wants to take away America's guns. And things got a little testy when he suggested to Chris Wallace that the president believed his children deserved armed security while others don't.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WAYNE LAPIERRE, NRA EXEC. V.P.: It wasn't picking on the president's kids. The president's --

CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS: It mentions them.

LAPIERRE: The president's kids are safe and we're all thankful for it. The point of that ad --

WALLACE: They also face the threat that most children do not face.

LAPIERRE: Tell that to Newtown. Tell that to people --

WALLACE: Do you really think the president's children are the same kind of target as every school child in America?

LAPIERRE: I think --

WALLACE: It's ridiculous and you know it, sir.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAMBOLIN: LaPierre went on to say he doesn't believe the president's call for universal background checks will ever happen.

BERMAN: It is 5:21 in the East and we're getting an "Early Read" on your local news that's making national headlines.

First up on "The New York Daily News", a former president pays tribute to a former mayor. Bill Clinton will deliver a tribute to the late Mayor Ed Koch at his funeral services here in Manhattan. The former three-term New York City mayor died early Friday at the age of 88, rather. And Clinton was a long time of Mayor Koch.

He cut a trip to Japan shorter to make the funerals. He noted that the Obama administration facilitated the appearance. He's actually appearing on behalf of the White House, President Clinton is. Current New York Michael Bloomberg will deliver the eulogy at the funeral, which will conclude with the song "New York, New York" in it.

SAMBOLIN: And a strange story in "The Salt Lake City Tribune". An airport truck driver is sent to the hospital after he collided with a parked cargo plane. He was injured when part of a wing's plane came through the truck's windshield. The crash sent fuels spewing onto the tarmac. Hazmat crews had to respond to that.

The spokesman for Salt Lake City International Airport says they were investigating what actually caused the collision.

BERMAN: That sounds awful.

SAMBOLIN: How bizarre is that?

BERMAN: Yikes!

SAMBOLIN: Well, coming up, the big wins and big losses when it comes to the Super Bowl commercials. Find out who got the most web traffic after their ad ran last night.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: Welcome back, everyone. We are minding your business this morning. U.S. stock futures are flat ahead of some data, key data on manufacturing. It will be released later this morning. On Friday, the Dow Jones Industrial average finished big, closing above the 14,000 mark for the first time in five years.

SAMBOLIN: All right. So, it appears Hyundai won big in the Super Bowl ad wars after airing this ad for their Santa Fe model depicting a young boy and his mother gathering up a group of friends to confront bullies at a local park. Hyundai saw a 738 percent increase in web traffic to pages about the vehicle.

The commercial far apart the next closest ad, Audi A6. It was a great commercial. Go watch it.

BERMAN: They had a number of good ads. They really did.

So, SodaStream says TV network CBS refused to air one of its commercials because it directly attacked Coke and Pepsi, two huge beverage companies who also are big advertisers. The ad which we're going to show here boasts some home soda makers reusable bottle by showing Pepsi and Coke delivery men in such a hurry that their soda models explode all over and creates a carbonated mess.

CBS, Pepsi and Coke did not respond to request for comments.

SAMBOLIN: And Super Bowl ads don't come cheap, you know that. The average cost of a 30-second spot this year, 4 million bucks, a 90 percent increase from a decade ago.

So which companies come out ahead? Check out the top search commercials on YouTube during the game. M&M's took the top spot. That was followed by Mercedes Benz, Disney's new "Oz" movie, Lincoln and Audi.

So, more than 600 years ago, King Richard III died in battle. Today, we found out -- skeletal remains of a king were found in a parking lot in England. That story straight ahead.

BERMAN: Now is the winter of our discontent.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)