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New Day Saturday
New Jersey Bridge Scandal Documents Released; Funeral For Teen Killed by Police; Fey and Poehler Return to Globes; Chemical Spill; Target Hack; Dow Lower; Weather Outlook; Bleacher Report
Aired January 11, 2014 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Document dump. New this morning, nearly 2,000 pages of e-mails, texts and other correspondence reveal the possible cover-up in the New Jersey bridge scandal. The paper trail and political casualties ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you are one of those customers, do not use this water. The only appropriate use is toilet flushing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, you heard it right, no bathing, no brushing, no drinking. Three hundred thousand people in West Virginia without water because of chemical contamination. And no telling when it's going to be safe to use.
BLACKWELL: And the stars are getting ready for one of Hollywood's biggest nights, as the Golden Globes honor the best in TV and film. But, it's the hosts who have everybody talking and wondering how they will top last year's performance.
Your NEW DAY starts right now.
PAUL: Well, you know those two, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, will find a way to do it.
BLACKWELL: They will indeed.
PAUL: We can't - we just (ph) can't wait.
Well, we want to welcome you to NEW DAY. I'm Christi Paul. You are up early, 6:00 on a Saturday morning. Or did you even go to bed?
BLACKWELL: Indeed. This is some -- for some people it's just the end of Friday night. I'm Victor Blackwell. This is NEW DAY SATURDAY. And this is NEW DAY SATURDAY. Christi Paul has been visiting from out of town. Now she's come to stay here on Saturday.
PAUL: I have a new TV husband, I was say in -
BLACKWELL: Yes. Yes.
PAUL: In Victor. So, thank you. I'm glad to be here. BLACKWELL: Oh, we're going to start here. I actually have a welcome present for you. Stand by.
PAUL: You do? You do?
BLACKWELL: Yes.
PAUL: I brought -
BLACKWELL: And I wrapped it myself, that's why the bow's all smashed up.
PAUL: Oh, how nice.
BLACKWELL: Open it. Open it. Open it.
PAUL: Really, you want me to open it right now?
BLACKWELL: Right now.
PAUL: Well, I brought sugar, but it's all down in the newsroom.
BLACKWELL: She did. Yes.
Christi never has a pen. Never has a pen.
PAUL: He's right. I admit it.
BLACKWELL: So now I want to make sure that you're always stocked with pens.
PAUL: I have pens, people. Do they say - do they have my name on them? Do they say CNN? All right, that's so nice.
BLACKWELL: No, I just picked them up in the supply cabinet, but I wanted you to have them. I did. I wrapped them myself.
PAUL: That was good wrapping, by the way. Thank you.
BLACKWELL: Yes, the bow was a little smashed, it was in my bag, but, welcome.
PAUL: Thank you. I appreciate it. Thank you.
BLACKWELL: Good to have you.
PAUL: Good to have you with us, too. And, oh, my goodness, we have a lot to talk about because we're starting with these new revelations from more than 2,000 pages of documents released no the investigation into the New Jersey traffic jam scandal that at this point is really plaguing Governor Chris Christie's administration.
BLACKWELL: Yes, late last night, a state legislator leading the investigation released the documents. Now, they show angry back and forth e-mails and confusion over the lane closures and that officials close to the governor tried to cover up political motives and block the media from learning more about it.
PAUL: Also, they give new insight into some of the resignations that took place in the wake of its controversy. Now the documents do not seem to show Governor Christie himself played a role.
BLACKWELL: The one e-mail shows the executive director of the Port Authority, Patrick Foy), was outraged. He used this authority to override the lane closures and wrote this from September 13th. "I pray that no life has been lost or trip of a hospital or a hospice-bound patient delayed. I will get to the bottom of this abusive decision which violates everything this agency stands for."
Now, this led to a flurry of e-mails from Port Authority officials and at one point Bill Baroni, a Christie appointed official, replied to Foye saying that he was, quote, on his way to office to discuss," and that "there can be no public discourse" on the controversy. Baroni then resigned. He resigned in December.
PAUL: Yes, and, you know, there's a lot more in the documents. CNN's Alexandra Field is live in Fort Lee to help us break it down, because I know you all have been going over these all night long, Alexandra. What else have you learned?
ALEXANDRA STEELE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christi, Victor.
We now know that while people were stuck in gridlock here in Fort Lee wondering what could be going on, a barrage of e-mails were being exchanged between officials. We are learning now that while all of this was unfolding, another Christie aide was notified by e-mails about the problems out here leading to the George Washington Bridge and about concerns that they may not be related to a quote/unquote "traffic study." What isn't clear is whether or not those aide read those e-mails.
We are also learning that while the mayor of Fort Lee was waving the red flag trying to notify officials and raise concerns about the problems that the traffic was creating here in town, he says, at the same time, he was being blamed by Port Authority police for those very problems. What the documents do not do - we're talking about 2,000 pages of documents here, is point to any evidence that Governor Christie had a role in what was happening out here.
So what does this mean for the Republican governor now? Well, here's one opinion. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEAN SPICER, RNC COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Well, I think it says that he is fallible, that mistakes will happen on his watch, that people will do things that he didn't put. He will be a man of action and a leader that will take things seriously, take immediate action and correct them and be forthcoming with what happened and try to get all the facts out there.
(END VIDEO CLIP) FIELD: A lot of people weighing in now on Governor Chris Christie's potential political future, but it seems not everyone is in Chris Christie's corner now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GLENN BECK, CONSERVATIVE TALK SHOW HOST: Conservatives need to run from Chris Christie. Run from Chris Christie. This, again, is the quintessential example of why I'm against him.
RUSH LIMBAUGH, CONSERVATIVE TALK SHOW HOST (voice-over): The point of the story is that he will -- Christie - he will - he uses (ph) payback. If you don't give him what he wants, he'll pay you back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FIELD: All right, Christi, Victor, while these 2,000 pages of documents largely detail what officials were saying or exchanging on e-mail behind closed doors, we also now know from poring through these documents that the traffic concerns were an immediate concern for the people who live here in Fort Lee and we now know that those people were, in fact, e-mailing - some of them were e-mailing the Port Authority themselves to let them know that they were stuck in traffic and they were concerned about the gridlock and it was creating real life problems for them.
Christi. Victor.
BLACKWELL: All right, the busiest bridge in the world down to one lane on one direction of the bridge. CNN's Alexandra Field, thank you so much.
You know later this morning we're going to speak with the lead investigator who released the documents, State Assemblyman John Wisniewski. Now, he joins us, that's at 10:00 a.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
PAUL: Meanwhile, let's talk about this public health crisis in West Virginia. It is hitting alarmingly close to home. I mean imagine this, you're waking up this morning, you can't use your tap water. So, no brushing your teeth. No coffee. No showers for you or your kids.
BLACKWELL: Can you imagine? But that is the story for as many as 300,000 West Virginians. What happens was a chemical at a coal industry company seeped (ph) - it kind of just poured into the water supply of nine counties around Charleston. Now, the tests show the chemical level is dropping, but there is still no end in sight.
PAUL: You know, in fact, President Obama declared a state of emergency and the U.S. attorney says he's looking into possible criminal charges. Now, senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is in West Virginia.
Hi, Elizabeth.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Victor, Christi, you can't even wash a dish in water in parts of West Virginia all because of a chemical leak at one company.
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COHEN (voice-over): The Elk River, a water source for hundreds of thousands of people in West Virginia, and now contaminated with a chemical used to clean coal --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The only appropriate use is toilet flushing. Don't wash with it. Don't shower with it. Don't drink it. You can't just boil it. So it's not a boil water advisory. It's a do not use advisory.
COHEN: The chemical leaked out of vats belonged to Freedom Industries. Customers noticed because it smelled strongly of black licorice. The chemical safety data sheet says, warning, harmful if swallowed, causes skin and eye irritation. But West Virginians were exposed to the chemicals at very diluted levels. Levels that have been going down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't know that the water's not safe, but I can't say it is safe.
COHEN: Health officials say some four to six people were admitted to the hospital with problems related to the contamination. Minor problems such as nausea and vomiting. And Friday, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection issued a cease order to Freedom Industries telling them to stop all operations.
The company issued a statement saying, "our team has been working around the clock since the discovery to contain the leak to prevent further contamination."
In the meantime, supplies of bottled water are running low and hundreds of thousands of West Virginians just want to be able to use their taps again.
JEFF MCINTYRE, PRES., WEST VIRGINIA AMERICAN WATER CO.: It could be days. We're working to keep it very short. I don't think we're talking weeks.
COHEN: The economic impact has been real. Restaurants and many hotels have closed and patients have suffered too. Several hospitals have canceled elective surgeries until the water crisis is over.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COHEN: I spoke with the governor of West Virginia and he said that the folks at Freedom Industries were not very cooperative and had to be prodded to work together with state regulators.
Victor. Christi.
PAUL: All right, Elizabeth, thank you so much. We appreciate it.
This ordeal, by the way, has sparked at least one lawsuit that we know of. Daniel Stewart (ph) said his kidney transplant surgery was canceled because of that water crisis and he's suing Freedom Industries, West Virginia American Water as well, saying that the utility didn't have an appropriate emergency plan. Neither firm, by the way, has commented yet this morning on that suit.
BLACKWELL: Nine minutes after the hour now and new this morning, if you shop at Neiman Marcus, pay close attention to your credit card. The upscale retailer is investigating a possible breach. Last month, you know, a busy shopping month of December, that may have compromised customers' credit cards. The company is right now unclear how many shoppers may have been affected, but it is working with the Secret Service to investigate.
PAUL: And as you know, the possible Neiman Marcus breach comes on the heels of that massive hack on Target.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
PAUL: And now we're learning that the Target breach is a lot larger than originally reported, affecting, they said, 40 million, now it's 30 million more, 70 million customers total.
BLACKWELL: Seventy million.
PAUL: And Target says, in addition to credit and debit pin numbers, we're talking about your names, addresses, phone numbers, e-mails. They say all of those were compromised.
BLACKWELL: So, how do you know if you've been hit? And what can you do? Most importantly, what can you do to protect yourself? CNN tech correspondent Laurie Segall has more.
Laurie, good morning.
LAURIE SEGALL, CNN TECH CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Christi. Hey, Victor.
Well, more bad news if you're a Target shopper. If you hadn't heard, last month, hackers were able to steal 40 million credit and debit card numbers. Well, I've got to tell you, it just keeps getting worse. We learned they were able to also break into Target's customer database. And by doing this, they were actually able to access information like your address, your phone number, your e-mail. And this affected 70 million customers.
And, guys, here's what's really scary about the latest hack. The kind of information, well, that's the kind of data that would put you at risk for identity theft. Now, hackers could also use that information to create a new account number under your name.
So what is Target doing? Target's actually offering one year of identity theft protection and credit monitoring to folks who shop in United States. You've got three months to roll in this program if you want to do it.
But, guys, here's a thing to keep in mind. If a criminal has access to your information, you can expect phone calls, e-mails, letters. And what they're going to do is they'll ask you for more personal information about yourself or they'll tell you to click on links. Don't do it. These are phishing scams. You'll get an e-mail that might look really official. Don't click on it unless you are 100 percent positive about that source.
Also, it sounds very basic, but keep an eye on your bank statement. Look for charges you don't recognize. And, you know, they could be for a couple of cents. Hackers sometimes ping (ph) an account with micro payments. They might not be for a lot.
And I know it all sounds like a pain. You better bet Target is under fire. The company's facing at least two dozen lawsuits for their failure to implement security that would essentially prevent this type of thing from happening in the first place.
Christi. Victor.
BLACKWELL: All right, we'll watch out. Laurie Segall, thank you.
Utah might not recognize same-sex marriages performed in the state, but the federal government does. The attorney general says that those couples will enjoy the same federal benefits as any other couple. Now, that decision comes two days after Utah announced it would not recognize those marriages while the courts decide the legal issues. Now, the White House is on board with Attorney General Eric Holder's decision.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president welcomes the attorney general's determination that the federal government, for purposes of federal law, will recognize the same-sex marriages that were lawfully performed in Utah before a stay was issued. For more, I would point you to what the attorney general said and to the Department of Justice. But the president welcomes that determination by the A.G.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Well, the Federal Appeals Court could hear oral arguments on the case as soon as March. That ruling could affect all six states in the court's jurisdiction.
PAUL: Still to come on NEW DAY, talk about a party foul, Victor!
BLACKWELL: Party foul.
PAUL: Foul, people.
BLACKWELL: Foul.
PAUL: Just weeks before the Super Bowl, your dips could be in jeopardy, missing the key ingredient.
BLACKWELL: Liquid gold. Why this boxes are becoming hard to find on store shelves.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BLACKWELL: Sixteen minutes after the hour this morning. A live look here at Wall Street. Good morning. You know it's 6:16 there in New York and, you know, the market's closed, so nobody's there, but the bull is there charging --
PAUL: Right. The bull's always there.
BLACKWELL: Always present. It's cold there today, but not cold enough to snow. That's good news considering the weather we've had in the past couple of weeks. Around 38 degrees right now.
PAUL: You know, at the end of the day, you might not like the job, but you like working, because you've got to work.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
PAUL: And the new jobs report showed hiring, unfortunately, actually hit a snag in December. Just 74,000 jobs added to payrolls last month.
BLACKWELL: And that's the slowest growth we've seen in three years. And it sent the Dow lower yesterday. Alison Kosik has more on the headlines and Wall Street.
Alison, good morning.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Victor and Christi.
A rough end to a solid year for the labor market, just 74,000 new jobs were created in December. The government blames the bad weather for some of the hiring slowdown. Meantime, the unemployment rate dropped to 6.7 percent, but much of that was because people gave up and dropped out of the workforce. As for stocks, the market had a bumpy first full week of 2014 with stocks finishing with modest losses for the week.
Elsewhere on Wall Street, the nation's biggest bank reached a huge settlement over its dealing with fraudster Bernie Madoff. JP Morgan Chase will pay more than $2 billion for essentially not catching Madoff's scheme. A JP Morgan spokesperson says the bank could have done a better job pulling information together.
At the Consumer Electronics Trade Show in Las Vegas this week, T- Mobile launched a deal to pay customers up to $650 to switch from their current carrier. The cash will cover cancellation fees, but customers will have to bring their phone number to T-Mobile and buy a new phone from the carrier.
And finally, there may be something missing from your football playoff party this weekend. Kraft Foods says it's popular Velveeta cheese product is facing a shortage, but the company didn't give a reason why. Hmm.
That's a wrap of the week on Wall Street. Victor and Christi, back to you.
BLACKWELL: All right, Alison, thanks. Don't know if I've actually ever had Velveeta. I've never eaten it.
PAUL: I bet you've had it and you don't know you're had it, that's my theory.
BLACKWELL: Where is it hidden that I'd -
PAUL: Queso - in some queso, as I understand it.
BLACKWELL: Maybe. I've had it at queso restaurants, but never at home.
PAUL: I - yes, I don't know if that's it.
BLACKWELL: Maybe I'll try it.
PAUL: I'm going to make him some and he won't know it.
BLACKWELL: I hear it's liquid gold.
PAUL: All right, contrary to reports on the Internet, by the way, Niagara Falls did not freeze solid during the week's polar vortex.
BLACKWELL: No, but it was cold enough to like feel like it could.
PAUL: Oui (ph).
BLACKWELL: Wasn't it really cold? I mean, so look at this, it didn't ice over -- I mean it did ice over. It didn't freeze. The video here is a little dim, but you can see it. Beautiful pictures here from the other night.
PAUL: Yes.
BLACKWELL: Parts of the falls crusted over there with some ice.
PAUL: It is gorgeous, isn't it?
BLACKWELL: You see part of it is frozen. The water continues.
So what can we expect after the post - or after the polar vortex? Sounds like a great movie, actually, "Polar Vortex."
PAUL: It does.
BLACKWELL: CNN meteorologist -
PAUL: And that looks like "Frozen."
BLACKWELL: The movie, which I hear is really good.
PAUL: Yes, it is.
BLACKWELL: CNN meteorologist Jennifer Grey is here with the weekend forecast.
Hey, Jennifer. JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey, guys.
Yes, a lot of the country is going to be very, very happy this weekend and we are finally able to thaw out, especially across the Northeast. However, we are dealing with rain this weekend and quite a bit of it, especially for the Southeast.
Look at that line of showers and storms pushing all the way through Alabama, through Tennessee. And this is going to make its way to the East. So could be a little bit of travel trouble if you are trying to leave across the eastern seaboard later today. Atlanta, already got one batch of rain, already seeing another line approach. And we could see several inches of rain with this.
As you head to the Northeast, it is just going to be a cold rain for today. Not cold enough to snow, but it is going to be wet. We have a slight risk of severe weather stretching anywhere from say the D.C. area all the way down to the Florida panhandle. That does include Atlanta. The setup here, very warm, moist air coming in from the Gulf of Mexico with a cold front approaching and that's going to drop temperatures behind it. But the good news, Victor and Christi, all of this should be pushed out by a little later this afternoon.
PAUL: All right. Jennifer Gray, thank you so much.
GRAY: No problem (ph).
BLACKWELL: Still to come on NEW DAY, it is not often that you see LeBron James lose his cool.
PAUL: No. A hard foul, though, in Brooklyn last night. Hey, there was almost a fight that erupted out of this one. We have more for you in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAUL: Good morning, Seattle! 3:30 in the morning. Well, 3:23 to be exact. This is a live look from atop Seattle's iconic Space Needle. And a big day. 3:30, you might already be up getting ready for the Seahawks taking on the New Orleans Saints at CenturyLink Field. Earlier this season, remember this, when the Saints played there, Seahawks fans set a new Guinness Book World record for crowd noise.
BLACKWELL: Yes, so they're already tailgating at 3:30 in the morning.
You know this is -- our audio guy said that (INAUDIBLE) picks (ph) the perfect music -
PAUL: I know.
BLACKWELL: Because the lyrics of that are "tonight is the night. We're going to fight 'til it's over."
JOE CARTER, BLEACHER REPORT: Yes, good point.
PAUL: Yes. BLACKWELL: And tonight's the big night.
CARTER: It is. Seahawks/Saints and playoff football. Who doesn't love playoff football?
PAUL: Right.
CARTER: You guys talked about the crowd noise, to get back to that. You're talking about deafening crowd noise. So this week the Saints sort of did some interesting -- used some interesting tactics, I should say, to get ready for that really, really loud crowd noise coming from Seattle.
PAUL: Yes, so do they -- how do you do that?
CARTER: Well, you use speakers. You use giant speakers and you pump in, you know, crowd noise through the speakers. That's what they do. (INAUDIBLE). They prepare for that. It's -- they also went as far as to paint a Seahawks logo on the Saints practice field. They moved practice outside this week because obviously tonight they're expecting cold, rainy, windy weather in Seattle. And they actually blew two speakers this week trying to simulate that crowd noise, you know, of CenturyLink Field. And it was so loud there a couple of years ago that it was actually registered as an earthquake (INAUDIBLE).
PAUL: Come on!
CARTER: I'm not kidding you. Not kidding you.
BLACKWELL: Really?
CARTER: This week, though, the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network has installed two monitors to measure how seismic waves travel through that stadium because it's so loud in there. They're feeling is, this is an opportunity for them to learn - learn something from that crowd noise because it's so loud.
PAUL: Yes. Make it - make it into some research.
BLACKWELL: That is a challenge, though, for those fans.
CARTER: All right, so the other playoff game is going to be the Colts and the Patriots. And last week Andrew Luck, second-year quarterback, led his team to one of the greatest playoff comebacks that we've ever seen against the Kansas City Chiefs. So the reward for that is they have to face Tom Brady in (INAUDIBLE) today. And that's the same team that beat the Colts earlier this season really badly, 59-24 they beat them earlier this season.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a bad loss. And a lot to learn from that game. But we understand also that, you know, it has no bearing on this year and, you know, are excited about a great opportunity to go backs to Foxborough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARTER: All right, so here's the schedule for today. Great games. You've got the Seahawks/Saints, they go first. That's 4:35 Eastern. And then you've got the Colts and the Patriots, that's the night game, that's 8:15 Eastern tonight. And so then we have two more games again tomorrow.
Top story in the lineup section of bleacherreport.com. Last night was what they call "nickname night" between the Heat and the Nets. Now, these guys have pretty creative ones. We know LeBron James is called "the king," "King James." Kevin Garnett, "the big ticket." I didn't know that they called him "the big ticket."
BLACKWELL: I didn't know that either.
CARTER: But the game took a dramatic turn in the fourth. A few players, including LeBron James, had to be separated for committing a few hard fouls. LeBron, you know, he's a guy that never loses his cool. He was not happy when Mirza Teletovic basically close lined him. But the Nets, the team that's really not lived up to their expectations, they won in double overtime last night against the Heat.
PAUL: Wow.
CARTER: So, also real quick, Red Hot Chili Peppers reportedly goes to join Bruno Mars in the half time show at the Super Bowl.
PAUL: Really?
CARTER: That's what they're saying, yes.
PAUL: All right.
BLACKWELL: All right.
CARTER: Should be a good show.
PAUL: Ought to be a good one.
BLACKWELL: All right, Joe Carter, thank you.
PAUL: Thank you, Joe.
BLACKWELL: So this morning, thousands of pages of documents released in the investigation into the New Jersey bridge scandal and more information on who in Governor Christie's inner circle knew what was going on. Stay with us.
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CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Bottom of the hour right now. Welcome back. I'm Christi Paul. I hope that Saturday morning has treated you well so far. I know it's early.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: It's just the start. If it isn't going well, it will get better.
PAUL: Yes.
BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell.
We start with five things you need to know for your new day this half hour.
Number one, FEMA is sending 75 tanker trucks filled with fresh water to West Virginia. That's where as many as 300,000 people are being warned not to bathe, drink, wash anything in the tap water.
All of this is coming after a chemical at a coal industry company seeped into the water supply. The tests show the chemical level is dropping but still no end in sight.
PAUL: We could be getting closer, number two here, to the peak of the flu season. Ten more states reported widespread flu activity last week. This is according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Now, in some places, such as central Texas and the Bay Area, overflow tents have been set up to help flu patients. However, help officials say, so far, overall, this is a pretty typical flu season.
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(GUNFIRE)
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BLACKWELL: Yes, the middle of a neighborhood. High-speed chase here. Bloody shoot-out. This is southern California. This story is wild. It started when cops tried to pull over a driver for using a cell phone behind the wheel, but that driver raced off, took officers on an hour-long pursuit through crowded residential streets. Sirens screaming.
You heard those, cops eventually caught up with the driver, fired almost two dozen rounds at the suspect. You saw a few of those bullets go through the windshield. KGTV reports the suspect is in critical condition at a hospital. A firearm and illegal drugs were also found at the scene.
Now, officers say that driver pulled out a gun and that's why they started firing.
PAUL: Number four, a trial is set for the hazing death two years ago of popular drum major at Florida A&M. CNN affiliate WFTV reports lawyers for the six defendants said their client opted not to take pleas. They face manslaughter and hazing charges in the death of Robert Champion drew national attention. I know you remember this. It sidelined the Marching 100 for more than a year.
BLACKWELL: Number five, the number of people hit by last month's data breach at Target is 70 million. Not 40 million as initially reported. On Friday, the company announced in addition to credit and debit and PIN numbers, customers' names, addresses, phone numbers and emails were compromised. Target says it will offer one year free credit monitoring to its customers. The shoppers have three months to enroll in that program.
PAUL: All right. Well, let's talk about what a lot of people are talking about this morning, as we get new insight on the investigation into the intentionally manufactured traffic jam on the world's busiest bridge. Now, this comes as Governor Chris Christie is in the spotlight. "The New Yorker" cover shows Christie playing games in traffic.
But newly released documents do not prove Christie played a role in that scandal.
BLACKWELL: Yes, CNN crime and justice correspondent Joe Johns is combing through those thousands of documents -- Joe.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Christi and Victor, the paper trail so far shows that at least one other member of Governor Christie's senior staff who has not been named publicly was forwarded an e-mail detailing the extent of problems on the George Washington Bridge. However, we don't know whether the staffer read the document and there's no indication she was involved in any alleged political retribution.
There's also a document that says the mayor of Fort Lee thought that the lane closure was simply done to make him look bad. And after the traffic mess cleared up, there was an active attempt to stone-wall media questions about what happened.
(voice-over): The nearly 2,000 pages of documents released by a committee of state lawmakers within the last few hours come as the committee continues to hone in on why traffic was snarled back in September.
Chris Christie's former deputy chief of staff, whom he fired Thursday, may be the next person subpoenaed to testify in the widening probe.
Sources tell CNN lawmakers want to question Bridget Kelly about her involvement in closing two lanes of traffic onto the George Washington Bridge. Kelly's e-mail, "Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee," was made public this week.
DAVID WILDSTEIN, FORMER PORT AUTHORITY OFFICIAL: On the advice of counsel, I assert my right to remain silent.
JOHNS: On Thursday, David Wildstein, the Port Authority official that Kelly sent that e-mail refused to answer state lawmakers' questions. He was held in contempt.
The pair are accused of snarling traffic on the bridge as political retribution.
Thursday, Christie said he was unaware of the plan to cause the traffic jam.
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: I had no knowledge or involvement in this issue, in its planning or its execution, and I am stunned by the abject stupidity that was shown here. Regardless of what the facts ultimately uncover, this was handled in a callous and indifferent way.
JOHNS (on camera): So, how bad was the mess on the bridge? Twenty-eight hundred vehicle hours were lost during the traffic test according to a report. The documents paint a fuller picture of the chaos and outrage that occurred in the days after the traffic test. The Fort Lee police chief was quoted as saying it was a monumental failure. There's no indication from the documents we've seen so far that Governor Christie played a role -- Christi and Victor.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACKWELL: All right. Joe Johns, thank you.
PAUL: And today, a family in North Carolina is going to lay to rest Keith Vidal. But if they're waiting for closure in his death, they're still waiting because that's not coming.
BLACKWELL: Yes, authorities are still investigating why a police detective shot the schizophrenic teenager.
CNN's David Mattingly spoke with the lawyer defending the detectives -- David.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Victor, Christi, funerals services are today for Keith Vidal, as the question looms, why did a police detective believe that lethal force was necessary.
(voice-over): Shortly after he shot and killed 18-year-old Keith Vidal, we could hear South Port Police Detective Byron Vassey on the radio saying he was defending himself.
BYRON VASSEY, POLICE DETECTIVE: I don't know if you've been advised or not but shots fired. I've had to defend myself against the subject.
MATTINGLY: Apparently suffering through a schizophrenic episode and holding only a screwdriver, Keith Vidal had been hit with stun guns and was on the floor of his home restrained by two officers when Detective Vassey shot him in the chest. Vassey's attorney now tells me why.
(on camera): You're telling me this young man was not subdued and that he was fighting back?
JAMES PAYNE, BYRON VASSEY'S ATTORNEY: He was, yes, sir.
MATTINLY: He was actually taking that screwdriver and stabbing one of the officers multiple times?
PAYNE: In the abdomen area, yes, sir.
MATTINGLY: But not causing any injury?
PAYNE: Apparently he had not. Again, apparently the officer had a bulletproof vest on.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): Just 5'3" and maybe 100 pounds, the smiling teen in these pictures, according to Vassey's attorney, had become such a threat to the safety of the one officer that Vassey had no choice but to use deadly force.
(on camera): Did that officer yell for help or ask for someone to shoot this man?
PAYNE: No, sir, did not.
MATTINGLY: Then why did the detective feel like he needed to use deadly force at that moment?
PAYNE: Because the stabbing motions travelled to an exposed part of the down officer and he was not being subdued.
MATTINGLY: The North Carolina Police Benevolent Association agrees. The legal support group calls the situation dangerous, call Keith Vidal's screwdriver a deadly weapon. And says Detective Vassey used authorized law enforcement action. The aggressive and threatening picture described is in sharp contrast to the family's belief that Keith Vidal should not have died.
MARK WILSEY, SHOOTING VICTIM'S BROTHER: Why would somebody shoot a 90-pound kid with two full-grown officers on top of him with two tasers deployed inside him? There's no reason.
MATTINGLY (on camera): Was that the only option here, to pull a firearm and pull the trigger?
PAYNE: At the instant that it occurred, again, having to step up into the shoes of the officer to make that judgment call, he had to make it in a split instant.
MATTINGLY: Was it the right decision?
PAYNE: Yes, sir.
MATTINGLY: The family released a statement Friday through their attorney, not responding to any of these latest accounts but saying that they will allow for time for the investigation to continue -- Victor, Christi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL: All right. David Mattingly in Southport, North Carolina, thank you so much.
BLACKWELL: Well, in the shadow of last month's deadly bombings in Volgograd, Russia, Russia has now mounted a huge security initiative. What they're doing to protect athletes and spectators, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLACKWELL: Happy Saturday to you, Paris. We're looking at the Eiffel Tower. Well, live look, well, half of the Eiffel Tower. A little foggy this morning. That's all right.
Let's head to Christi who has a look at some of the other news making headlines around the world this morning.
PAUL: Hey, that was a good call, Victor. Let's go ahead and start in France, shall we?
A brewing scandal there with French president who's considering legal action against a magazine that accused of him of having a salacious affair with an actress.
CNN's Jim Bittermann is there in Paris -- Jim.
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christi, the French president certainly is not stranger to (INAUDIBLE) involving his private life. He lived for 30 years with Segolene Royal, had four children by her but never bothered. And the day she lost the elections, he announced he was living here and taking up with the journalist here.
That journalist now, Valerie Trierweiler, he lives with now in the Elysee Palace, referred to sometimes here as the first mistress because she's not married to him either. And now, this latest scandal coming from the magazine, the same magazine, by the way, that published those revealing photos a couple of years ago of Kate Middleton and Prince William -- Christi.
PAUL: All righty. Jim, thank you so much. We appreciate it.
And now to Moscow, and new concerns about the Winter Olympics in Sochi. CNN senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is there in Moscow.
Nic, what do you know?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The State Department has issued a new travel alert for the Winter Olympics, saying medical facilities in Sochi don't match western standards untested for high volumes of casualties, saying that travelers should get medical and repatriation insurance, also warning about the risk of terror strikes. Three suicide bombings in the past three months in the region, attacks over the past decade and a half they say on government institutions, transport networks and schools.
Back to you, Christi.
PAUL: All right. Nic Robertson, thank you.
And now to London and CNN's Erin McLaughlin with the latest on the nominations for the British Film and TV Awards known as BAFTA.
Hi, Erin.
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: BAFTA nominations were announced this week. Leading the pack with 11 nods from BAFTA judges, 3D sci-fi flick "Gravity", including outstanding British film. Though it stars American actors Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, it was produced in the United Kingdom.
Another British film to watch, "Philomena," with four BAFTA nominations, including a nomination for leading actress Judi Dench. And then, there's "Blue is the Warmest Color", a controversial French love story that picked up a BAFTA nomination.
All three of these films have also been e nominated for Golden Globe. It will be interesting to see how they do Sunday.
Back to you, Christi.
PAUL: It will. All righty. Thank you, Erin. We appreciate it.
And, Victor, the only thing I've seen this year is "Frozen", and I've seen it twice. So, what do you? That's what happened when you have kids.
BLACKWELL: I would love to see "Philomena", but you know how I feel about movie theaters.
PAUL: I got you hooked up. Don't worry.
BLACKWELL: They just do, the whole film. So, I got to wait until it comes out. I can watch it at home.
So, let's talk about movies and the Golden Globes coming up. The hosts, the first ladies of comedy, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, they're getting ready to host tomorrow night, the Golden Globe Awards for the second year in a row. What will they do to top last year's performance? That's ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAUL: All righty. And that is Hollywood. A live look, in fact.
Good morning -- or good night, depending on what you're doing there at this hour. That's Hollywood Boulevard, you see at Pacific. It's going to be so busy this weekend because the Golden Globe Awards are handed out there tomorrow. So, you know, all the stars, they're picking out outfits and speeches today. I hope they know what they're wearing.
BLACKWELL: They're rolling out the red carpet. It's part of the preseason, the preshow -- preseason, we were just talking football. The preshow that becomes a show in itself at Golden Globes.
PAUL: Yes, two stars that will steal the show.
BLACKWELL: Absolutely.
PAUL: It's Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Come on, people. The comedy duo is set to host the awards the second year in a row, which makes you think, what could do they do better?
BLACKWELL: Yes. And if this year is anything like the last, viewers can expect a lot of laughs.
CNN entertainment correspondent Nischelle Turner has more.
Hey, Nischelle.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Admired by their comedy peers and respected by their comedy icons.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're very witty and they bring brains. They are very smart and they know how to deliver a line.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Meryl Streep is not here tonight. She has the flu and I hear she's amazing in it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're like a single being. They made me laugh.
TURNER: Two wildly accomplished writers, producers and actresses. For Tina, her career has become more than she ever imagined.
TINA FEY, HOST, GOLDEN GLOBES: I feel like I've exceeded my wildest dreams.
TURNER (on camera): When you think about what you're doing now and your life now, do you pinch yourself and say, wow?
FEY: I really always wanted my life to be filled with doing good work with my friends, so I feel like I'm getting to do that now, which is awesome. It's been a very slow and steady race for me. I like the long game or the long con is maybe better to say.
TURNER: You're the tortoise, not the hare.
FEY: Maybe I am the tortoise and will eventually win the race, I don't know.
TURNER (voice-over): Amy and Tina, indisputably, the reigning first ladies of comedy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACKWELL: All right. Nischelle Turner, thank you so much. You can see the first ladies of comedy tonight at 7:30 here on CNN.
So, football may be considered America's game. Many fans consider that to be the game of the country. But one fan is suing the in NFL because he says the average fan cannot afford to go to the Super Bowl.
PAUL: I hear a lot of people are agreeing with him. His name is Josh Finkleman. He apparently paid $4,000. Yes, $4,000 for two ticket to the big game. He said the league just isn't offering enough tickets to the general public.
CNN's John Berman has this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN BERMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christi, how would you like to pay thousands of dollars on sitting on exit 16W of the New Jersey turnpike? How awesome is that. Well, some people want to do that, see the Super Bowl in person next month in New Jersey, but the big game comes with a big, big price tag.
Now, one man is becoming a hero to the downtrodden fan, suing to get the prices lowered.
(voice-over): It's packed with superstar athletes, supercharged performances --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Davis, touchdown!
BERMAN: -- and it promises super high television ratings. But if you're looking for a seat inside New Jersey's MetLife Stadium --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The average fan, the true fan can't afford to go to the game and enjoy it. They have to watch it at home.
BERMAN: The average Super Bowl ticket price has risen by $2,000 in the past five years. But that's just face value.
Tickets for Super Bowl 48 Soaring into the thousands via secondary markets like Stub Hub and Ticket Exchange. One fan, Josh Finkleman, is so upset, he's suing the NFL after shelling out to $4,000 for two tickets, much higher than face value.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think probably all the corporate big ones are taking all the tickets.
BERMAN: His lawsuit said the league violates New Jersey's consumer fraud Act by only releasing a meager 1 percent of these tickets to the general public, through a lottery system, leaving a majority of tickets susceptible to enormous price gouging.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With demand being so intense in supply, right, being so low, obviously, you have this gouging that comes about and it becomes problematic for the common fan who wants to go to the game.
BERMAN: To the NFL, roughly 75 percent are given out to individual teams who in turn are supposed to sell a percentage at face value to fans. But the lawsuit alleges teams instead often them in large part to resellers who grossly inflate the price.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think more people should have access to the tickets.
BERMAN: Lawsuit claims one such reseller packaged their tickets for a whopping $19,000.
(on camera): In a statement, the NFL claims the Super Bowl ticket distribution process has been in existence for years and is well-documented. We are confident it is in compliance with all applicable laws -- Victor.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACKWELL: All right. John Berman, thank you. There are some people still concerned that the regular season games are so expensive.
PAUL: Yes, yes, it's hard for anybody to just go. Especially if you get two, three, four tickets, you want to take the family.
BLACKWELL: Yes. We'll see if anything changes.
Hey, still to come on NEW DAY -- you just never know what you're going to find when you do much needed home repairs.
PAUL: Well, one couple discovered a beautiful long lost wedding ring.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
JIMMY FALLON, COMEDIAN: New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. He's having a rough week. I'm sure you heard about this. He's in a lot of trouble because his staff shut down part of the bridge to get back at a political rival. Yesterday, Christie gave a 107-minute press conference to address the scandal. Last time Chris Christie talked for 107 minutes, he was ordering at IHOP.
JAY LENO, COMEDIAN: We're learning more and more about New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, you know what his least favorite game is? Bridge!
DAVID LETTERMAN, COMEDIAN: I have trouble getting out of here. The darndest thing happened. We have a hallway that leads right out of here to the stage, and I couldn't get through because Chris Christie had shut it down, ladies and gentlemen!
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
BLACKWELL: It is just a beginning, I'm sure for those guys.
PAUL: Oh, yes. I know.
BLACKWELL: Hey, although more than 100 million Americans suffered through ugly, ugly winter storms and painful freezing temperatures this week, the cold snap turned out to be pretty good news for one couple in Chicago.
PAUL: Yes, take a look at this, while repairing frozen pipes, they literally found a diamond in the rough, a lost wedding ring. And after a whole lot of cleaning to get the muck off of it, the couple discovered that ring belonged to the previous homeowners who lost it years ago.
BLACKWELL: Talk about a nice surprise.
PAUL: Here's my question, if you lose the ring and you have importance on it and you find the ring, do you have to give the money back?
BLACKWELL: I don't know. That's a very complicated question for this hour of the day. But we'll figure it out.
PAUL: I'm just -- something I'm wondering. I'm sure there's somebody out there that can tweet me with the answer. And thank you for doing so.
BLACKWELL: Someone in insurance knows.
PAUL: Yes.
BLACKWELL: You have my Twitter handles.
Hey, time now for today's must-see moments.
PAUL: One "Price is Right" contestant decided to mark the occasion of her big win in a very memorable way. Let's say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How much are the paddle boards?
UNIDENTIFEID FEMALE: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two thousand nine hundred sixty dollars. Congratulations.
Oh!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: Ooh, there they go.
BLACKWELL: Oh! Whoa! Oh, well, at least she does win a couple of TVs.
PAUL: Yes.
BLACKWELL: Hey, in addition to the obligatory arm flailing you saw jamming around, she tripped and face planted into the show's announcer George Greg, causing him to fall back on the TV. The stunned celebrity model jumps in to help. And group hug, cap it all of, Drew Carey laughed off. Everybody is OK.
PAUL: Everybody is laughing about it.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
PAUL: She's laughing about it because she won.
BLACKWELL: Why is he down there, he should be down in the booth? The announcer is not supposed to be down with the prices.
PAUL: I don't know. Maybe he just wanted to give her a big hug.
BLACKWELL: Lesson for George Greg.
PAUL: Thank you so much for starting your morning with us on a Saturday.
BLACKWELL: Next hour of your NEW DAY starts right now.
