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New Day Saturday

Chris Christie Faces New Allegations; Security Tight Ahead of Sunday's Game; Amanda Knox Found Guilty, Again; Ex-TSA Screener: Yes We Laughed At You

Aired February 01, 2014 - 07:00   ET

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

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: They look exactly the same.

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: I was going say, they all look great, don't they?

BLACKWELL: Exactly the same.

PAUL: Thank you so much for starting your morning with us.

BLACKWELL: Next hour of your NEW DAY starts now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: I knew nothing about this, until it started to be reported in the papers.

BLACKWELL (voice-over): Will new evidence dispute Governor Christie's claims? That's what one former appointee is saying in a letter sent by his letter. But is there proof or is this just a red herring?

PAUL (voice-over): While we watch the big game like this, U.S. Customs and Border Protections are watching it like this. Our exclusive right-along with the men and women who are watching us on the Super Bowl.

BLACKWELL: Gawking, mocking, laughing, it's not a scene from "Mean Girls," it's what GSA agents are allegedly doing every day. New claim from a former agent on what workers are really doing at security checks.

Your NEW DAY continues now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL: Yes, we know you wondered about that before, too.

BLACKWELL: Every time you stand there with your arms up.

PAUL: I know it. Grab your coffee, your juice, whatever your pleasure is in the morning, sit back and relax. We've got you covered up.

BLACKWELL: I don't know whatever your cup of pleasure is. Add tea to the list. PAUL: OK. There you go.

BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell, 7:00, NEW DAY SATURDAY.

PAUL: OK. We want to start this hour with the new revelations in the George Washington Bridge scandal that's threatening New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's second term, and really at the end of the day, his larger political future.

BLACKWELL: Yes, it centers around this man, not this man, the next guy. Yes, him, because he's standing there, David Wildstein. He's the former New Jersey Port Authority official who carried out a Christie staffer's order to close access lanes to the bridge.

Now, his attorney is suggesting Christie knew about the incident as it was unfolding. Although Christie said in public on several occasions that he did not.

PAUL: So, Erin McPike is live in Washington this morning, has been looking at this.

Erin, what do you know this morning?

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christi and Victor, there's what you might call tricky wording in one paragraph of a three-page letter that Wildstein's attorney sent to the Port Authority.

So here it is, "Evidence exists as well, tying Mr. Christie to having knowledge of the lane closures during the period when the lanes were closed, contrary to what the governor stated publicly in a two-hour press conference."

Now, to stretch, this doesn't say Christie knew about the underlying alleged reason which is political retribution against the mayor of Fort Lee for not endorsing Christie for re-election last year. Or that he knew about the lane closures ahead of time.

So, Christie's administration responded in a statement saying, "Mr. Wildstein's lawyer confirms what the governor has said all along. He had absolutely no prior knowledge of the lane closures before they happened. Now, as the governor said in a December 13th press conference, he only first learned lanes were closed when it was reported by the press and as he said in his January 9th press conference had no indication that this was anything other than a traffic study, until he read otherwise the morning of January 8th."

So, here's what Christie claims he knew and when he says he knew it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTIE: And I knew nothing about this, and until it started to be reported in the papers about the closure. But even then, I was told this was a traffic study.

(END VIDEO CLIP) MCPIKE: There's still some confusion about whether it was the closures themselves. Or the motivation for them that Christie was referring to in the later press conference. And that's what makes this latest revelation kind of murky, Christi and Victor.

BLACKWELL: So, Erin, take us back. People who are kind of listening from the peripheral here, David Wildstein, what was his original role in this scandal?

MCPIKE: OK. Well, it was Christie's deputy chief of staff Bridget Kelly who e-mailed time for traffic problems in Fort Lee to David Wildstein, who was a Christie appointee at the port authority. And Wildstein had that famous reply "got it." OK, well, also, I want to tell you that the second claim in the letter is Wildstein contesting accuracy of statements that Christie made about him and that he can prove those are wrong.

But it could be, there are differing recollections, rather, of their relationship which goes all the way back to high school. So, they were high school classmates, OK? So, take a listen to what Christie said about him at this press conference.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTIE: David and I were not friends in high school. We were not even acquaintances in high school. We didn't travel in the same circles in high school. You know, I was the class president and athlete. I don't know what David was during that period of time. We went 23 years without seeing each other.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCPIKE: And let me point out that the whole purpose of this three- page letter from Wildstein's attorney in the first place was to the Port Authority, asking them to reconsider their initial decision not to pay Wildstein's legal bills for this whole fiasco, Christi and Victor. So, make of that, what you will.

<07:05:17>

BLACKWELL: We're going to talk more about it throughout the morning.

Erin McPike, thank you.

PAUL: So, as these new allegations surfaced, Governor Christie, himself, he hit the town last night to help the king of all media celebrate his birthday. So, he seemed to be upbeat, Christie did, dropped by Howard Stern's star-studded birthday party. It was in Midtown Manhattan.

Christie told a few jokes, introduced the man he calls the real representative of New Jersey, Jon Bon Jovi, of course. And we know the governor spent about 30 minutes at the party and he was able to avoid reporters.

BLACKWELL: Well, if there's any weekend that New Jersey cannot afford distractions, this is that weekend.

PAUL: Oh my gosh. The state, of course, hosting the Super Bowl there and in New York City, we should point out, police are really -- they've got their guard up. We're going to show you some live pictures at Times Square and Super Bowl boulevard there. Yesterday's hoax where suspicious white powder was found at several sites just kind of added to the tension.

So, CNN's Alexandra Field is live in New York for us.

BLACKWELL: You got an up close look at all the precautions that police are taking. Tell us about it.

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sure. Good morning, Christi, Victor. We know that state police and military aircraft will both be used to help secure the Super Bowl come Sunday. But, really, on the front of that effort, you will find U.S. Customs and Border protection agents. They took us up in the air and they showed us exactly how they would respond in the case of any kind of threat.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FIELD (voice-over): Protecting MetLife Stadium and patrolling the spectacular airspace around it. It's expected 180 million fans will have their eyes on the field, while U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents take over the skies above it.

We took a ride on one of three black hawk helicopters that will form part of Super Bowl XLVIII's defensive line, a 10-mile perimeter, a strict no-try zone. If anyone breaches that perimeter for any reason, they should expect to see a Black Hawk up close.

(on camera): Sort of a scary experience if you're up there flying and you unintentionally breach the perimeter?

PHIL PETRO, AIR INTERDICTION AGENT: Exactly, unless you've been trained in the military, it's highly unlikely you've ever flown in formation with another aircraft, meaning you've never been within 500 feet of another aircraft while flying.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got the Black Hawks in sight.

FIELD (voice-over): In the case of an air space intruder, a Black Hawk will be first to intercept, flying alongside the offending the aircraft and escorting it to the ground where federal agents would be waiting.

PETRO: They're going to first be shocked to have a large aircraft like this come up very close to them. And then, secondly, they're going to come to the realization that something is wrong.

FIELD: On our own tour, we got a surprise, although this was a welcome one.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chinooks and Black Hawks, amazing. FIELD: A fleet of military helicopter appearing in the distance, and then heading for MetLife stadium where military aircraft will perform ceremonial Super Bowl duties on Sunday.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a spectacular sight.

FIELD: An exception to the no-fly rule and a stunning one.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're just going to hold out here for a few minuts.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FIELD: The border agents have told us in past Super Bowls we actually have had cases of intruders. They say usually it's someone making a simple mistake or even sometimes student pilots -- Christi, Victor.

PAUL: All righty. Alexandra Field, good to know. Thank you so much, ma'am.

BLACKWELL: Let's take a look at your money now. Wall Street is saying good-bye to January. It was a brutal month. The Dow tumbled more than 5 percent last month and marked the worst January performance since 2009. The blue chips stock index finished down 150 points. There are concerns over weak corporate earnings and the slowing growth overseas. Those are continuing to keep investors on edge.

PAUL: And, you know, California is experiencing one of the worst droughts in its history. Officials are cutting off the tab that it sends from the state's reservoir system to local agencies, which means those local agencies are going to have to look elsewhere for water now. We do know that most water districts have local storage and groundwater that they can draw from.

But the other bad news for the rest of the country is the fact that this state produces nearly half of U.S. grown fruits, nuts and vegetables. So, this drought could mean either shortages, or price hikes or both. Just so you're prepared.

BLACKWELL: Well, another winter storm is expected to bring some other out of places like Chicago, Kansas city as well.

PAUL: Yes, and I happen to be sitting next to someone who knows firsthand how cold it's been. Poor guy was out there this week. Look at him bundled up, talking about the ice and the snow.

But it was nothing to joke about, really, because it did paralyze the city. And at least here in the south, we know that it's starting to warm up.

<07:10:02>

But we hear there's another round of that possibly coming next week as well.

But, you know, enough about us. Let's get to Chicago, for you folks.

We don't want to leave you out in the cold -- Jennifer.

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, we are looking at another winter storm in Chicago. And places in the Midwest are seeing some of their top 10 snowiest Januarys and snowiest winters on record. It just will not let up.

Winter storm warnings in effect for Chicago, we have winter weather advisories out to the surrounding areas. You can see the snow already pushing into Chicago. The Great Lakes, just to the south of you in Green Bay, Des Moines, though, Kansas City also get something of the snow.

We're expecting anywhere from four to eight inches of snow around Chicago. And in the next couple of days could get even more. So this is going to be a snowy situation for you.

Detroit, you could see anywhere from four to six inches, but this should be pushing out by later this afternoon. Left just a little bit of rain and snow around Chicago. Then, it pushes on out, guys, doesn't even touch the coastal northeast areas. We're going to see a dry Super Bowl. And temperatures are going to be a lot warmer than they could be this time of year.

BLACKWELL: I'm sure folks there at the game appreciate it.

GRAY: Yes.

BLACKWELL: Jennifer Gray, thank you.

GRAY: All right.

BLACKWELL: So, Justin Bieber -- what do you think I'm going to say next? -- is in trouble again.

(LAUGHTER)

BLACKWELL: That's what I'm going to say.

PAUL: Yes. And this time, officials at the New Jersey airport are the ones that search this plane. We're going to tell you exactly what they were looking for.

BLACKWELL: And a guilty verdict against Amanda Knox could set off a monster extradition battle as Italy tries to bring her to justice for murder. And Knox, she's fighting to stay out of the prison.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

<07:15:22>

BLACKWELL: Jersey, good morning. Well, actually, it's a shot of the New York skyline. But it's from the camera in Jersey City, so we'll take that. Jersey -- New Jersey -- I should stop calling it Jersey. New Jersey is home to tomorrow's super bowl. And New Jersey is where Justin Bieber -- oh, Biebs -- got himself in question for quite some time last night. That's because a flight crew smelled on the plane.

Officials, I mean, they brought in dogs to search this jet. They questioned the 19-year-old singer we understand for several hours.

Nick Valencia is following this story with a big sigh.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, we only talk about Justin Bieber when he does good stuff, right? It's been a couple of weeks for the singer. He doesn't have a normal life, right? Superstardom is clearly or seemingly I should say getting to him.

And he had this latest incident in New Jersey, he was there, where Custom and Border pulled him over. He was flagged because he had two pending criminal cases, one DUI case in Miami, the other in Toronto.

And this thing has gotten really serious, guy. People want him out of the country. They're tired of hearing about him. They're tired of talking about him.

Jay Carney, the White House spokesman, took a question earlier this week about this petition signed to deport the Biebster. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: The White House petition that Americans would like to see Justin Bieber deported --

(LAUGHTER)

REPORTER: -- has now reached 222,000.

JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I just want to know if people go back and look at all the questions that NBC is asking here, I want to follow the coverage.

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

REPORTER: After 100,000, the White House administration is supposed to have a proper reply. So, we request yours (ph).

CARNEY: Well, that process will occur, as is our commitment. There will be a response when the threshold is crossed. That response will come, I'm sure, relatively soon. I don't have one now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: So, they may not have one now. But kind of laughable moment there at the White House, if they're even forced to address something like this. Of course, as they said in that sound bite, 100,000 signatures. After that, that's when they're officially supposed to address.

PAUL: They're mandated to reply, to address it at that point.

Is that -- last time I saw it, we got 170,000 and something.

BLACKWELL: Doing some changes (ph).

PAUL: Right.

VALENCIA: And there's a counter-petition, because people -- they're still fans of him. They still love him. You know, he just released a music video, even though he said he tried.

He's not getting out of the news, guys.

PAUL: I didn't know he said he retired.

BLACKWELL: Oh, yes.

(CROSSTALK)

PAUL: I can't keep my (INAUDIBLE) with all the news about him.

BLACKWELL: Did they find anything?

VALENCIA: No. Short answer, no.

BLACKWELL: They didn't find anything.

VALENCIA: They didn't find anything at all.

BLACKWELL: All right. Thank you, Nick.

VALENCIA: We'll talk about it soon.

BLACKWELL: Yes. I'm sure you'll have another reason to.

PAUL: But, you know, look, when we're talking about this, we'll laugh and I know it, and it is kind of serious because this is a 19-year-old kid who has a lot of influence. And you -- again, like Rodman we were talk about, you hope he gets better.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

PAUL: Amanda Knox's legal nightmare makes this stuff look mild.

BLACKWELL: Yes. Her attorney plans to appeal the murder conviction against her handed down by an Italian court. This is the second time Knox has been found guilty. But as she explained to ABC's "Good Morning America," she has no attention of going to prison without a fight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMANDA KNOX, FOUND GUILTY OF MURDER: I will never willingly go back to the place where I -- I'm going to fight this until the very end. And it's not right. And it's not fair. And I'm going to do everything I can, granted, I need a lot of help. I can't do this on my own. And I can't help people understand --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: Boy, you can hear her voice cracking. How hard it is for her.

Now, remember she and her former boyfriend were previously convicted in 2009 and acquitted on appeal in 2011. So, we'll keep you posted on that.

BLACKWELL: And using the same evidence. I mean, she was acquitted of using this evidence, and now she's convicted.

PAUL: Very odd.

BLACKWELL: Have you ever worried about those TSA screeners making fun of you when you go through that scanner.

PAUL: Uh-huh. Guess what -- apparently they are. A former TSA worker tells all, confirming some people's worst fears about what those screeners are up to when they're looking at you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

<07:22:49>

PAUL: Good morning, Seattle. Rise and shine! Just after 4:00 in the morning on the West Coast. I guess you could get a little more shut eye if you really wanted to. But you know if you're gearing up for the big game, you probably have been ready.

And Seattle's airport is getting some unwanted attention this morning, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Yes, Seattle had a scare at its international airport earlier this month. And just released video shows how a man was able to walk through a restricted emergency exit and just walk on to the tarmac.

PAUL: This security breached happened January 9th, by the way. And airport security says baggage handlers tackled the mentally ill man as he tried to run from the terminal.

Now, the airport is standing by its security team, saying very few breaches ever happen there.

BLACKWELL: So, let's stay at the airport and talk about the article. The title will get your attention. "Dear, America, I saw you naked."

PAUL: I don't like it already.

But it appeared in "Politico". And get this -- it was written by a former TSA screener, possibly confirming, really, some of our ugliest suspicions about the TSA. And some of our fears, too, that while they're patting us down, you know, looking for weapons, contraband. They're judging us. They're making fun of our bodies. They're laughing at us.

BLACKWELL: And not all of the allegations in this article are in any way comical. Like the idea that full body scanners don't even work.

Rene Marsh has more -- Rene.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christi and Victor, a former TSA agent penned an article for "Politico" and it reads like an expose of the agency he once worked for. And these allegations -- well, they do nothing to help clean up the agency's public image.

(voice-over): A former TSA officer calling out the agency he once worked for, stirring up fears and suspicions many fliers already had. Jason Harrington says the agency uses ineffective anti-terrorism security measures at the expense of the public's health, privacy and dignity. And he's just getting started, adding officers would pull a passenger's bag or give a pat down because a flyer was rude.

Those body scanners that gave flyers a virtual trip search and produced graphic images Harrington describes as entertainment.

<07:25:05>

Officers gawking at images of overweight people and genitals, their every fold and dimple on full, awful display, piercings of every kind were visible. He adds the wrap a scan full body scanners couldn't distinguish classic explosives from body fat and guns were practically invisible if turned sideways.

TSA says many of their procedures and policies referenced in the article are no longer in place or characterized inaccurately. For example, scanners that show graphic images are no longer in airports.

MARC ROTENBERG, ELECTRONIC PRIVACY INFORMATION CENTER: For them to be saying today it's not a big deal because they've been now removed after all the years when they resisted removing those in airports I think is a little hard to take at this point.

MARSH: When it came to profiling, Harrington says until 2010, officers had a list of 12 nations whose passengers automatically received enhanced screening. To that, the TSA said, no comment.

(on camera): Well in a statement, the TSA tells us that they don't tolerate unethical or you unlawful behavior. They take quick action when it is discovered. We should note we did reach out to the author of this article, that former TSA employee, but we got no response -- Christi, Victor.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: All right. Rene Marsh for us -- thank you.

PAUL: Wow, all right. Still to come on NEW DAY, let's change it up here, because there are new claims challenging Governor Chris Christie about what he knew regarding the George Washington Bridge scandal and when he knew it.

BLACKWELL: And if you use Yahoo! e-mail, check your account and reset your password now. The tech giant has been hacked. We've got more after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Well, mortgage rates dipped this week. Here's your look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

<07:30:31>

PAUL: All righty. Bottom of the hour right now. In case you need help with the clock. I'm Christi Paul.

BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. Good to have you with us this morning.

Five things you need to know for your NEW DAY now.

PAUL: Yes. Number one, a former New Jersey official is making new claims against Governor Chris Christie. Now, this is all part of a scandal over lane closures at the George Washington Bridge. David Wildstein's attorney said in a letter that, quote, "evidence exists" to contradict Christie's claim that he didn't know about the closures until after they happened. No evidence, though, has tied Christie to ordering the lane closures which a lot of people suspect was political retaliation.

BLACKWELL: Number two, investors gave stocks the cold shoulder on January. Dow tumbled 150 points on Friday, which pushed the index lower by 5 percent for the month. That makes it the Dow's worst monthly performance for January since 2009. Investors are concerned over falling currencies and emerging markets and disappointing corporate earnings in the U.S.

PAUL: Number three, police are hunting right now for a gunman who allegedly shot two students near Michigan state university. We know one of the victims is in critical condition. The other has been treated and released. But the shooting happened at an apartment complex. And police they do not believe this was random.

BLACKWELL: Number four, if the FBI says that white powder found at several hotels near the site of the Super Bowl is harmless. But authorities are running test to learn more about it. Powder was also found at the Manhattan office of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, along with a strain letter that included the line "you're being my best friend." No injuries, fortunately, have been reported.

PAUL: Number five, are you counting down yet? Yes, tens of thousands of you are going to pack MetLife Stadium for the big game. And despite weeks of bone cold temperatures, the weather's expected to warm up just in time for kickoff. CNN meteorologist Jennifer Gray here.

Do not put your bathing suits on, people. We're not talking that warm.

GRAY: Yes, it's all relative, but considering the winter we've had, it could be much, much worse. Let's look at the radar forecasted for Sunday morning at 8:00, just a couple of showers offshore, but not seeing anything as far as onshore. And then as we go through game time, looks like a dry forecast.

We are going to see those temperatures warm up just a little bit. In fact, tomorrow, we are going to see those temperatures reach around 47 degrees, but right around kickoff, temperatures will be at 43, feeling like 37. So, guys, it will be chilly, but definitely not as bad as it could be this time of year.

BLACKWELL: I'm going to take chilly compared to freezing. Yes, chilly is good.

PAUL: That's true.

BLACKWELL: Thanks, Jen.

If you use Yahoo! e-mail, check your account and reset the password and do it now, because Yahoo is the latest now in this growing list of companies that's been hacked.

PAUL: We do know they've declined to go into more detail for us, or even say how many user accounts are at risk right now. But Yahoo! does say every user, every one of you, go online to re-secure your information immediately.

Well, Harry Sverdlove, the chief technology officer at Bit9, is joining us right now.

And, Harry, I've got to ask you, we hear this over and over again at this point. Is this the norm?

HARRY SVERDLOVE, BIT9: Unfortunately, in the world we live in now, where everything is interconnected and so many people rely on the Internet to do e-commerce. Unfortunately, this is going to become more and more common.

BLACKWELL: So explain this to us how the systems work. How this criminal system works. I mean, it seems like people don't rob banks anymore, they go to a Target or Walmart, and steal a million people's information. How's it work?

SVERDLOVE: Why rob a bank when you can do this from 6,000 miles away?

It's actually a pretty complex ecosystem. They have an entire supply chain. They are people who write the programs that are used in the attacks. Those are often purchased by criminal organizations usually out of Eastern Europe but elsewhere as well.

Then, those programs are used to steal credit card information. Those credit cards are then taken by brokers who sold on the black market and then carders actually purchase these cards in bulk and use to make fraudulent purchases.

So, there's actually allot of people involved in the supply chain.

PAUL: OK. So, this is something I read that I thought was really interesting. Everybody remember the number $9.48 -- $9.48 on our debit and credit cards. Why is that charge, Harry, so important?

<07:35:00>

SVERDLOVE: Actually, $9.84.

PAUL: Eighty-four cents. Thanks.

SVERDLOVE: But both would probably be suspicious. No problems.

What happens is there's one of the carders, one of the organizations purchasing cards in bulk based out of the UK., Cyprus and India are making charges of $9.84, just under $10 across tens of thousands of cards, essentially racking up millions and millions of dollars in charges.

So, if you see that specific charge on your card. You should call your credit card company. You should call your bank, because it's very likely that your card has been compromised and you should get a new card issued.

PAUL: OK, thank you for the correction, $9.84.

BLACKWELL: Eighty-four cents.

So these criminals, obviously, are getting good at this. And getting better. And more of them are coming on. Is there any way possible to even catch all of these digit criminals across the world?

SVERDLOVE: Well, there's no way to stop crime in general. You know, as a single swoop, although that would be really nice. But there are ways to track down different parts of the infrastructure.

So, we often do here. And there are organized police efforts and international efforts to either track down the people who write the malware code or the organizations that are selling the credit card numbers. Or, in this case, the organizations that are actually using the credit cards.

Unfortunately, there's no one piece that will break the entire organization. There's a lot of money that can be made. So, when there's money to be made. Criminals will flock.

BLACKWELL: Wow, it is amazing we're having this, one, conversation so often, and that so many Americans, people around the world, their information is just snatched. And remember the number $9.84. So, look for that one.

Harry Sverdlove, chief technology officer at Bit9. Good to talk to you this morning. Thank you.

SVERDLOVE: Nice talking to you. Thank you.

PAUL: Thank you.

So, still to come on NEW DAY -- ahh, forget about that football game tomorrow. We'll head to Super Bowl boulevard to look at a battle brewing off the field.

BLACKWELL: Yes, we're talking about the Super Bowl ad war. Stick around to see what everybody is talking about.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

<07:40:30>

BLACKWELL: What's football without the cheerleader, huh? Well, check out this video, Broncos and Seahawks cheerleaders practicing before their big performance tomorrow.

PAUL: They're probably nervous, too.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

PAUL: Don't want to get out of the line.

BLACKWELL: They've made it to the Super Bowl, too.

PAUL: That's right.

BLACKWELL: Huge stage, 100 million viewers.

PAUL: You know, all day today, New York City has really been transformed into what's got to be the coolest place on the planet for football fans.

BLACKWELL: And Andy Scholes who is a football fan. He is there living the dream. Live on official Super Bowl Boulevard.

Andy, what's going on over there as people start to trickle in?

ANDY SCHOLES, BLEACHER REPORT: Hey, you know what, you know, it was quiet earlier. But they're starting to get crowded. I'll tell you what, guys, yesterday, this place was slammed 13 blocks here on Broadway, in Times Square, transformed into Super Bowl Boulevard. There are tons and tons of fun things to do.

You know how I know? I've been doing them all week. The best thing out there is the 60-foot toboggan run. The only thing that costs money, it's $5 but it's well worth it.

You can also do tons of other things, guys. Like I said, make a field, you can take a picture with the Lombardi trophy. Get autographs from NFL stars and much, much more. Now, this year's Super Bowl right now is on pace to be the biggest, best super bowl of all time. According to pregame.com, an estimated $10 billion, that's right, billion is projected to be bet on Sunday's game.

Now, more than half of adult Americans are expected to have some sort of money at risk in the game, 70 percent of the bets to date have backed the broncos. And, guys, veterans everywhere, they have been waiting everywhere on certain picks to happen.

Check this out. Animals around the world have been making their predictions for Sunday's game. And at Tennessee zoo, Lili (ph) the panda he made his picks. And it looks he wrestled with it a while before eventually going with the Broncos.

Gabby the sea turtle meanwhile in Myrtle Beach, also going with the Broncos.

Guys, it seems like a theme. Buffett the manatee yesterday went with the Broncos as well. So, I think they might know what they're talking about. If you're going to pick a team, I'm going Broncos. I'm going to go Broncos, I'm not disagreeing with these guys.

PAUL: When all the animals on the planet are picking the same thing, there might be something going on.

BLACKWELL: As Lili goes, so goes the game. I'm just saying. Trust Lili.

Andy Scholes, thanks.

SCHOLES: Have a good one.

PAUL: You, too.

BLACKWELL: So, we're in the E-block, this is the time where we talk entertainment, since the big game is tomorrow, we thought we'd do something special, a Super Bowl edition.

For the folks who are not into so much every down and every play, like myself. The ads in between the downs are attractive. And thanks to the Web, most of the major advertisers have released early versions of their ads.

PAUL: Well, you understand, why, too, right? I mean, what, they spent $4.6 million for a 30-second spot? So, you know, early release -- hey, that's more exposure for me.

BLACKWELL: It's a money war.

So let's take a look at a few of the ads that are really getting buzz so early, starting with Newcastle. OK, it posted an ad featuring actress and singer Anna Kendrick on Sunday.

So far, it has 2.5 million views on YouTube alone. All right, watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNA KENDRICK: I was surprised that I even got offered the part, you know, because I don't think of myself as like beer commercial babe hot, you know? I mean, I'm hot, but like -- like approachable hot, like the-hottest-girl-in-your-improv class hot. We were like days away from shooting.

And then they called and told me they didn't have any money. It's disappointing, you know because I was really looking forward to the paycheck. So, I'm like back to doing indie cred stuff, which is great, but you can't stuff indie cred down a male stripper's G-string. You know what I'm saying?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: She is so good.

BLACKWELL: It's a great ad. But if I say, Newcastle, would you have any idea what she was saying?

PAUL: I think later in the ad, she says something about it. You're right, because part of -- think, oh, my gosh, she spent all this money. The latest research shows only one out of I think five ads that air in the Super Bowl actually get consumers to part with their money.

<07:45:01>

BLACKWELL: Yes. Because they're great to watch, if I'm not drinking Budweiser, you can run as many says as you like, I'm not going to get it.

All right. So, here's another that release Friday. This was for T- Mobile starring unemployed quarterback Tim Tebow on the benefits of not having a contract. OK. You'll get the irony, watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIM TEBOW: Tim Tebow here. Still no contract, but it's all good. Without a contract, I can do my own stunts. I can save these puppies.

And I can tour the world. You might want to hold on to those donuts.

Bottom line -- those contracts hold you back. Switch to T-Mobile, and we'll buy you out of yours.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Well done. That one, I like.

PAUL: And I'm sure he got paid for that contract, anyway, for the commercial.

BLACKWELL: And probably very well.

PAUL: Yes. So we wanted to leave you with this ad featuring the little known breed the -- is it Doberhuahua? Am I saying it right? Doberhuahua.

BLACKWELL: OK. PAUL: And see if you can tell what it's trying to sell. The Doberhuahua.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I kind of like this little guy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love this one.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can always compromise and freedom together. Doberhuahua. You know what I mean?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've never seen a breed like this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nor have I.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know how to make it frankly. It's unsettling.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's disturbing to look at it directly. How did this dog get past regionals? That's what I wanted.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm Sarah McLachlan, will you help --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't like the fact that it's looking this way.

(SCREAMING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: How does that happen?

BLACKWELL: Yes, I --

PAUL: What's the connection? Am I the only one that doesn't get it?

BLACKWELL: Hopefully, at the end of the line there's a line that connects Doberhuahua to --

PAUL: To Audi.

BLACKWELL: Yes, but I like the Doberhuahua part. It was hilarious. It was good.

PAUL: Audi's not looking so bad.

BLACKWELL: That's true.

PAUL: Well, there you have it. We're going to continue to show you more of the ads throughout the day.

BLACKWELL: Yes, a more serious thing -- Dennis Rodman, you remember that interview with Chris Cuomo on NEW DAY during the week. Well, he opens up again to Chris Cuomo, this time about alcohol addiction.

PAUL: A lot of people saying is he speaking too soon? Up next, Jane Velez-Mitchell who wrote her own memoir, mind you, on abuse and overconsumption, has something to say about this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

<07:50:24>

BLACKWELL: Ten minutes until the top of the hour now.

Officials at a Utah elementary school are apologizing after dozens of students had their lunches taken away and tossed in the trash. Parents consider the reason here. The students did not have enough money in their accounts to pay for the food.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: She took my lunch away and she's like, go get a milk. I'm like, OK, I come back up and I said what is going on (INAUDIBLE). She said you don't have money in your account. You can't get lunch.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There were lots of tears and it was pretty upsetting for them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: School officials say they notified parents in advance that the children's accounts had a negative balance, but parents said they never were notified. The cafeteria manager and the supervisor are both on paid leave.

PAUL: So, former NBA star Dennis Rodman was back on CNN, this time from a New Jersey rehab center where he's battling an alcohol addiction. I know you remember Rodman kind of flew into a rage earlier this month during an interview with our NEW DAY anchor Chris Cuomo. Well, the topics were Rodman's trip to North Korea and his relationship with dictator Kim Jong-un.

Rodman spoke again with Cuomo yesterday. This time, it was face to face, as you see here. It was an unidentified rehab center in New Jersey.

But HLN's Jane Velez-Mitchell wrote a memoir about addiction and overconsumption and I spoke with her earlier about what advise she would give to Rodman at this point.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HLN: Dennis Rodman, you're in rehab, you should be focusing on yourself. Why are you giving interviews? Is that part of your egomania? Is that part of your grandiosity, which is really a component of addiction?

So, what I see is somebody who's still trying to cover his tracks and trying to make things look good on the outside, because he embarrassed our nation by going over there and instead of working on himself. This guy is an addict. He is a chronic relapser. We all remember him from "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew." And he hasn't gotten his act together.

I have been covering him for years. I've been assigned to cover his wild parties in L.A.

So, this has been going on and on and on. It's not burden. It's that if you're an alcoholic, addict, you cannot have one drop, one taste of your substance of choice. You become a zombie to that drug or booze and that rules you. And that's what happened with him.

PAUL: OK. Let me ask you this, because he is famous, because he has money, you are talking about the parties in Hollywood. Does that fuel the fire for him? Is there a sense, do you believe, of invincibility because he is who he is? Because when you think about just Joe Schoe who has this problem and goes into rehab, they did recover better than people who have all of that?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Addicts and alcoholics come in all sizes, shapes and colors. I'm happy to say I'm 18 years sober. Knock on wood. If I stick with it, I'll get to 19 years in April.

Really, the wreckage can be bigger for somebody who's famous. All addicts and alcoholics create wreckage. But when you're famous and/or you got of money, you can create even bigger wreckage on the world stage. And that's precisely what he has done. He has used North Korea as his night club to just create wreckage in.

And now, he is trying to clean it up. But the only way to really clean it up is going inside. It's an inside job and looking inside why you need to escape with drugs and booze. That is the key to any addict's recovery.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: Congratulations again to Jane Velez-Mitchell on 19 years strong, almost there. She is, of course, on our sister station HLN, weeknights at 7:00 Eastern.

BLACKWELL: Well, for 22 years, Jay Leno has been cracking jokes and interviewing Hollywood's biggest stars.

PAUL: And next Thursday, he's going to leave the cue cards and say goodnight for good. What does that going to be like?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

<07:57:58>

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY LENO, COMEDIAN/TV HOST: Well, Sunday, of course, a big day for the state of New Jersey. Not only hosting the Super Bowl, it's also Groundhog Day. Do you know that?

Well, Groundhog Day is different in New Jersey. In New Jersey, if Chris Christie sees his shadow, six more weeks of bad traffic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: Oh, my goodness. They are clever.

BLACKWELL: It goes on and on and on. We're going to miss that voice.

PAUL: I know because late night is getting a makeover. Viewers, we're going to have to say good-bye to Jay Leno. Next Thursday, he's going to pass the tonight torch to comedian Jimmy Fallon.

BLACKWELL: And thousands of monologues, punch lines and big name guests. Leno's departure is bittersweet for those who know him best, of course.

CNN entertainment correspondent Nischelle Turner takes a look at Leno's legacy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): And after 22 years and thousands of shows, Leno is finishing as number one.

(on camera): What do you think Jay's legacy is?

BILL CARTER, MEDIA REPORTER, THE NEW YORK TIMES: Two words: a winner. That's Jay's legacy. He, against people's expectations, always won.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you want to succeed in life, all you have to do is go to Jay Leno university. He can take a punch. The guy can take a punch. He may go down, but he gets right back up.

TURNER (voice-over): As for what Jay will be up to next --

KEVIN EUBANKS, FORMER BAND LEADER, THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO: Whatever happens with Jay, I want it to be something that he enjoys doing, something that he wants to do.

LENO: Porn done by people in their 70s and 80s. I'm 63, and I can't even keep hosting this show. What -- I'm going to Japan. I'm going to go to Japan and do porn. That's what I'm doing.

(LAUGHTER)

TURNER: Still drawing the laughs. It's a good bet this Mr. Comedy just may show up at a club near you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL: We wish him the very best.

BLACKWELL: I remember the first guest. It was Billy Crystal. He said you made me first guest and I didn't want to do it. I didn't want to do it.

Our thanks to Nischelle Turner for that.

PAUL: And again, best of luck. And thank you for starting your stay with us.

BLACKWELL: The next hour of your NEW DAY starts right now.

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