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CNN Sunday Morning
Protesters Clash With Security Forces in Beirut; Suspect in Gay Bar Assaults Captured
Aired February 05, 2006 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: We are keeping a close eye on the developing situation in Beirut, Lebanon, this morning. Listen to this. Muslims there are protesting. They're also clashing with security forces.
Security was stepped up in efforts after these protesters set the Danish consulate on fire. Now the latest in a string of similar demonstrations we've been following all weekend long. The protesters are angered by newspaper cartoons of the Islamic Prophet Mohammed.
We're going to get you the latest in a live report. That is straight ahead.
Also in the news, an 18-year-old wanted in a trio of assaults at a Massachusetts gay bar is in critical condition after a shootout with Arkansas police. Take a look.
Jacob Robida was captured after a 16-mile chase. The female companion is also dead, along with an Arkansas police officer.
We're going to have a live report on all of this straight ahead as well.
And order has been restored at a Los Angeles County jail where inmates rioted for hours late yesterday afternoon. One inmate was killed and more than 100 wounded in this melee which authorities describe as massive chaos involving thousands of prisoners.
We'll have more on this in just a moment.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: The day after the world's nuclear watchdog voted to refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council, the rhetoric ramps up yet another notch. Iran has ended snap U.N. inspections of its nuclear facilities while threatening to significantly raise oil prices if the U.N. imposes those sanctions.
In Atlanta, more than 40,000 people braved the cold to view the late Coretta Scott King at the Georgia state Capitol. Mrs. King is the first woman and the first African-American to lie in state at the Georgia State House. Her funeral is Tuesday. President and Mrs. Bush plan to attend.
Feminist author Betty Friedan died yesterday at her Washington home. It was her 85th birthday. Friedan's 1963 best-selling book, "The Feminine Mystique" is considered a cornerstone of modern feminist movement.
NGUYEN: And finally want to give you a live picture right now of Detroit. A little dark outside.
You know, thought, Super Bowl XL is going to be kicking off a little bit later once the sun comes up this afternoon. The super venue, though, is working hard to clean up from the overnight snow.
You can't see too much of it right now. You only get a little bit of it covering the ground there under the trees. There are more flurries that could be coming this afternoon, but the city and the NFL say they're embracing the weather, calling it a winter wonderland.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It is Super Bowl Sunday. Are you ready for some football?
February 5. Good morning, everybody.
Look who is joining us again, Rick Sanchez.
Good morning, Rick.
SANCHEZ: Happy to be here.
Some people would wonder why you're having a Super Bowl in Detroit. I say, why not?
NGUYEN: Why not?
SANCHEZ: Cold is what Super Bowls are all about.
NGUYEN: That's Super Bowl weather, yes.
SANCHEZ: It's the frozen tundra, it's John Vicenda (ph).
NGUYEN: You're into this.
SANCHEZ: It's football, baby. Thanks.
Here are some of the stories that we're going to have for you on this day.
The next three hours of CNN morning news, it is, of course Super Bowl Sunday, as we have been discussing.
What's your pick, by the way, between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Seattle Seahawks? Just ahead this hour, our holy selector may have help from above in picking the winner. She's pretty good. We're going to tell you who it is.
Also, we're going to hear from diehard Steeler fans who almost didn't make it to the Super Bowl. That's at about 9:00 Eastern.
And protests spread across the Muslim world, sparked by outrage over newspaper cartoons. We're going to hear from an editorial cartoonist who sometimes sparks outrage himself to get inside the story -- Betty.
NGUYEN: But first, we want to get right to the latest protest.
Lebanese Muslims have set the Danish consulate on fire this morning. Check out this new video coming in to CNN. It's been one of the biggest demonstrations to date over those newspaper cartoons.
Journalist Anthony Mills is in Beirut now. He joins us on the phone for the latest.
Has the rioting stopped very much at this point? Has it died down?
ANTHONY MILLS, JOURNALIST: Yes, the rioting appears to have been brought under control here in Beirut in the vicinity of the Danish consulate which was torched about an hour and a half, two hours ago. There's a massive military and security force presence in the city now, and they do appear to have clamped down on the unrest. And things are under control now, although smoke is still come out of the building that houses the Danish consulate. It's about a 10-story building.
NGUYEN: We're looking at pictures right now of the protesters and the consulate being on fire, the big black smoke coming from it -- from it. Take us back to that point in time and kind of go through what was going on and the reasoning behind this. I know we've talked a little bit about the cartoon flak, but take us back and give us some perspective.
MILLS: Well, that's right, the protest began here in front of the Danish consulate because of the cartoons that were printed in the Danish newspaper and then reprinted around Europe in different newspapers and that were deemed to be insulting to the Prophet Mohammed. And of course we've seen demonstrations around the world, really, an uproar over these cartoons. So this demonstration originally was organized as a protest against the republishing, the initial publishing and the republishing of these cartoons.
Protesters then walked down the road. It's a big avenue that leads from the Danish consulate, deeper into the Christian neighborhood of Beirut, the Christian half of Beirut. On their way, they torched at least two cars that are now burned-out carcasses. They overturned big trash cans. They smashed windows, and they went into side streets as well, causing damage there.
And then they turned right up another avenue towards a square that really lies at the heart of the Christian part of Beirut, and there were members of a Christian militia, a Christian group who were there on the square. And of course as they came through that square, violence broke out.
There were running battles. I saw at least one person set upon by six or seven young men. He was kicked and pummeled.
Initially, no security forces were either willing or able to intervene. But subsequently, the army did deploy armored personnel carriers and clamped down on the situation which, as I say, now appears to have calmed down.
NGUYEN: That is good news, considering the video that we're looking at right now. A lot of violence in the streets. And as we can see from the pictures, it appears that hundreds came out to protest.
Anthony Mills joining us live on the phone from Beirut.
Anthony, thank you.
And we do want to talk about a little bit of a bigger topic right now. How far is too far when it comes to editorial cartoons? Well, you saw one example of what it can do. So how far is too far?
Political cartoonist Mike Mikula is no stranger to this kind of controversy. He's coming up in our 9:00 a.m. Eastern hour to talk about it.
SANCHEZ: Meanwhile, back in the U.S., massive chaos. That's the description from Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca of a jail riot involving thousands of black and Latino inmates.
CNN's Kareen Wynter has the very latest from inside the lockup, now back under control of authorities.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Overturned mattresses, debris-filled hallways, this is what's left following a state of massive chaos. We're inside a southern California maximum security jail just hours after a deadly weekend riot.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a racial turf war.
WYNTER: The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department says as many as 2,000 inmates were involved. Two hundred of them reportedly engaged in serious fighting inside dormitories at the Wayside (ph) North County Correctional Facility. Instead of improvised weapons, officials say the inmates used their fists, heavy metal objects, and even threw bunk beds from a top level of the facility.
A medical triage unit was set up outside the complex to treat the wounded, dozens of them, while teams in riot gear stormed the jail with tear gas. A 45-year-old black inmate, a registered sex offender, was killed in the riot. The L.A. County sheriff read a letter written by an inmate, evidence he says of racial tension.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It says, "No disrespect, but if blacks come in any dorms, we will fight. We do not want to go against the sheriffs. Please separate us by race."
WYNTER: Officials say the attack may have been retaliation for a recent stabbing last week by a black inmate on a Latino member.
Sheriff Baca says while it's against the law to segregate inmates, they may have to do that to create a safer environment. Until then, the facility remains on lockdown.
Kareen Wynter, CNN, Castaic, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Want to get you more now on the capture of Joseph Robida (sic). He's the teenager accused in the brutal attack on three people at a Massachusetts gay bar.
Robida ended up in the Gassville, Arkansas, area, where he and a police officer got into a shootout. One officer was killed. Authorities believe Robida also killed a female companion before being shot and critically wounded himself.
CNN's Allan Chernoff is live in New Bedford, Massachusetts, where the sordid story unfolded.
Allan, what's the reaction there in New Bedford with Robida's arrest down in Arkansas?
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Betty, instead of jubilation, there is tremendous sadness. As you can see behind me, the flag is at half mast here at the New Bedford Police headquarters, and that's because there was such a tragic conclusion to this three-day manhunt.
It all ended in Arkansas yesterday afternoon. Police finally captured Robida after a shootout.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHERNOFF (voice over): Eighteen-year-old Jacob Robida began his violent rampage at Puzzles lounge, a gay bar in New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he allegedly assaulted three men with a hatchet and a handgun. Robida fled, and for three days police around the nation were alerted to be on the lookout.
Yesterday afternoon police got their first sighting of Robida. In Gassville, Arkansas, a 63-year-old police officer pulled over his car for a traffic violation.
PAUL WALSH, BRISTOL COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: An officer approached the car. He was shot twice and killed. Mr. Robida then attempted to flee.
CHERNOFF: About 10 minutes later, in Mountain Home, Arkansas, police officers began chasing Robida. The chase extended for 16 miles into Norfork, Arkansas.
WALSH: Finally, he was stopped. His car ended up wrecking on the side of the road, turning around 180 degrees. He was being pursued by state troopers at that point.
At that point, our best information is that he shot and killed the woman who was seated next to him in the car that he had taken from New Bedford. At that point, police officers opened fire, striking him, we believe, again, twice in the head. He's in critical condition, and it doesn't look very good right now.
CHERNOFF: The bartender at Puzzles lounge says he's disappointed with the outcome.
PHILIP, PUZZLES BARTENDER: I just wish he was hit somewhere else other than a fatal area, because I want him to live every day to remember this, and to think about what he did and to realize the pain and heartache that he caused on everybody in this bar, not just the victims, but everybody in the bar and everybody in the community.
CHERNOFF: One of Robida's three alleged victims in New Bedford is out of the hospital.
ROBERT PERRY, VICTIM: I'm feeling very lucky to be alive. I should be dead or I should be paralyzed.
I had -- a bullet went between my skin and spine, and somehow entered over here on my right side and came out on my left shoulder. And I'm just so thankful to be alive because I should be paralyzed or I should be dead.
CHERNOFF: New Bedford officials say they, too, are grateful to authorities in Arkansas.
MAYOR SCOTT LANG, NEW BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS: I want to tell everyone in Arkansas that New Bedford has a tremendous, tremendous debt and sympathy for everything that's gone on down there.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHERNOFF: Arkansas law allows for the death penalty for the killing of a police officer. So the district attorney here says even if Robida were to recover from his wounds, he doubts that he would ever return to Massachusetts to face the charges for the assault that first got him in trouble -- Betty.
NGUYEN: There's so many unanswered questions here, like, what caused him to snap? I know we don't have the answer to that right now. But do you have any idea who this woman was that police say that he took from New Bedford with him down to Arkansas who was killed in that shootout?
CHERNOFF: Right, everything that the police have been saying here is that they really just don't know. They were exploring the possibility that she was from Kentucky or West Virginia. They said that she was not from New Bedford.
So we do know that he did apparently change the license plate on the car. Originally, his green Pontiac Grand Am had a Massachusetts plate. When he was caught, it had a Kentucky plate on it.
So perhaps there's the possibility that this was an abduction, but also there is the possibility that she accompanied him as well. We just don't know the ultimate conclusion of that.
NGUYEN: Well, Allan, as you were just saying that, I'm looking at the bottom of the screen right now. It says, "West Virginia police identity the dead woman as Jennifer Bailey." So I imagine with a name now we're going to learn a lot more about who this woman was.
Thank you, Allan.
SANCHEZ: Other stories making news "Across America" this morning.
In Seattle, fierce winds forced the city to shut down its floating bridge for the first time in nearly seven years. The bridge takes passengers across Lake Washington. The winds downed trees and power lines across western Washington and parts of Oregon.
Winds gusted up to 75 miles an hour. At least 160,000 homes and businesses are in the dark.
In Lunenburg, Massachusetts, police say a 7-year-old boy was mauled to death by a neighbor's dog. The boy died at the hospital. Police say he was playing in a neighbor's yard when he was attacked by an English Mastiff. No charges have been filed yet, but police say they are investigating.
In Arkansas, an apparent crime of passion is caught on tape at a Wal-Mart. Police say a man saw his's estranged wife and her boyfriend in the store. He grabbed an aluminum bat, as in baseball bat, from the aisle and started hitting them, both in the head. The victims' injuries are minor and the suspect is free on bond right now.
NGUYEN: My, he just grabbed a bat and went at it.
SANCHEZ: Wow.
NGUYEN: All right. Many of you are waking up and gearing up for those Super Bowl parties. Well, take a look at this.
There is a snowstorm watch in Detroit. I bet that's not going to stop thousands of fans from going to Ford Field.
SANCHEZ: We want to know who you're rooting for, by the way. We want to get involved in this.
So who do you think will win the Super Bowl and why? We're gong to take you out with Frankie as you send us your e-mails to weekends@cnn.com. And we'll be reading them throughout the morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: He is tough as steel, and not even a heart attack can stop him from cheering on his favorite football team today. We're going to go live to Pittsburgh to check on super fan Terry O'Neil. That's coming up at 9:00 Eastern.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Welcome back. In America, rare is the case when murders are committed by total strangers. More often than not, they're committed by someone very close to the victim. And when it comes to women, especially, by the way, statistics say on days like Super Bowl Sunday, very often it's the husband or the boyfriend involved in the domestic abuse or even a homicide, a murder.
We're taking a closer look at domestic deaths in our investigative unit spotlight.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Redwood City, California, December 2002, Scott Peterson kills his wife, Laci. She was eight months pregnant.
Boston, 1989, lawyer Charles Stuart makes up a story about a "black man" who shot his wife. Turns out it was Stuart who pulled the trigger.
North Carolina, 2003, novelist Michael Peterson is convicted of bludgeoning his wife of five years. He did it in the stairwell of their Durham mansion.
All are cases that fascinated and made us wonder why. Why would a husband kill his own wife? Even mere accusations seem to make us all take notice. Who in America can say they don't remember this?
O.J. SIMPSON, DEFENDANT: Absolutely, 100 percent not guilty.
SANCHEZ: O.J. Simpson was found not guilty, but the fascination with everything O.J. continues, as does every book, TV show or movie on husbands who stand accused of killing their wives.
TOMMY LEE JONES, ACTOR, "THE FUGITIVE": Your fugitive's name is Dr. Richard Kimble.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have crime. You have sex. You have money.
SANCHEZ: Criminologist Robert Friedman (ph) has spent decades studying why people kill. He says, to understand the motives of men like Scott Peterson, you first have to understand not why they did it, but why they needed to do it.
(on camera): What's to gain? Why -- why not walk out?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If the convenience of the moment is that he deems her standing in his way, he will resort to that resolution that, for the wide majority of the population, is incomprehensible.
SANCHEZ (voice-over): Friedman (ph) says wife-killers all have a problem they need to resolve. Whether it's greed, lack of freedom, convenience, ego or jealousy, the answer tends to be the same, if the man views life as frivolous.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The ultimate resolution that he arrives at is that taking her out is best for him.
SANCHEZ: So, for police, the challenge is to find out what their suspect was trying to resolve.
(on camera): So, when you figure out what the conflict is, that will lead you to figure out what the motive was?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly.
SANCHEZ (voice-over): So, why do husbands kill? Power, authority, possessiveness. We have all heard the pop psychology, but key to breaking any case, says this veteran investigator, is finding out what conflict was seemingly resolved when a spouse turned up dead.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: And this story is particularly interesting on days like this, especially if the focus is what men do to women of a violent nature, even involving homicides.
Betty, you and I were talking just a little bit -- a little bit ago, and we were talking about Super Bowl Sunday being one of the most dangerous days for women, right?
NGUYEN: Yes, a lot of people say that, it's one of the most violent days. You need to check out the statistics to see indeed how violent it is, but that's one of those things that we've heard through the lines down through the years, and it is Super Bowl Sunday.
So all you've got to say is, be careful out there. Make sure you enjoy the game.
SANCHEZ: You could pick it up -- Betty.
NGUYEN: All right.
Well, much of the focus is on Detroit this Super Sunday, speaking of football. Thousands of people out West are without electricity. The nation' forecast is coming up.
Plus, more violent protests today as Muslims across the globe grow more and more upset about an editorial cartoon. Speaking of violence, look at this. Coming up in our 9:00 Eastern hour, we ask, how far is too far when one noted cartoonist joins us live.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: We're trying to get a better feel for what's going on in Detroit, because it's going to be great inside the stadium, but we're hearing all kinds of stories about eight inches of snow starting at 3:00.
What is the skinny, Bonnie Schneider?
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Rick and Betty, it looks like much of the heavier snow has already fallen. (WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: That is some extreme football weather.
SCHNEIDER: Yes.
NGUYEN: All right, Bonnie. Thank you.
Speaking of football, more than 80 million people are expected to watch -- Rick's going to be one of them -- the Super Bowl between the Steelers and the Seahawks. Well, there's plenty of betting in Las Vegas. You know that. One super fan says she has the upstairs advantage.
We're going to explain what that means when we talk to Sister Jean next.
SANCHEZ: Also, a reminder. We want to know who you think is going to win the Super Bowl tonight and why.
All right, lets get it going, Steeler fans and Seahawks fans. Just e-mail us right here at weekends@cnn.com.
We'll be back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Massachusetts gay bar attack suspect Jason Robida is in critical condition after a shootout with Arkansas police. Arresting officers shot Robida twice after a 16-mile chase. Police are saying that Robida killed his female companion and a police officer before being taken into custody last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAPTAIN RICHARD SPIRLET, NEW BEDFORD POLICE: Mr. Robida was stopped in Gassville, Arkansas, by a police officer. During the stop he shot and killed the officer. He was pursued and at some point, Arkansas authorities then shot Robida and at this time, he is in critical condition. A female passenger in his vehicle was also killed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: In Southern California this morning African-American and Latino prisoners are being segregated and held in a lockdown, following a massive riot at a prison near Los Angeles. Officials say one inmate is dead. More than 100 others injured after riots erupted Saturday between the two groups.
Black smoke over Beirut this morning as the growing Muslim uproar over Danish cartoons of the prophet Mohammed turns violent in Lebanon. Tens of thousands of protesters swarmed through Beirut streets, setting fire to the Danish consulate. Pictures from the city show cars overturned, some set on fire. The report of the latest that is from the scene says the troops and security forces are now finally getting the rioting under control.
NGUYEN: Rick, Japan hints it may seek on-site inspections before Tokyo resumes importing U.S. beef. Japan's agricultural minister says Tokyo may dispatch officials to inspect U.S. meat processing facilities. Tokyo stopped beef imports last month after a veal shipment contained parts that Japan considered at risk for mad cow disease.
And you probably know him as grandpa on TV cult classic "The Munsters." Actor Al Lewis has died. Lewis was widely reported to have born in 1910. That would have made him 95 years old, but his son says Lewis was 82. Lewis once ran for governor of New York as a green party candidate.
And utility crews in Washington State are working against the clock to get power restored across western Washington State. Yesterday high winds downed trees and power lines, cutting electricity to some 160,000 people. That's a big concern because fans don't want to miss today's Super Bowl between the Seattle Seahawks and those Pittsburgh Steelers.
SANCHEZ: When it comes to Super Bowl predictions, a zoo elephant - I can't believe on this day we talk about zoo elephants in Texas. And they say that this elephant is real good at picking winners. When given a choice between the two teams, Sasha the elephant pointed her trunk directly at the Seattle Seahawks symbol. In fact she's picked the Seahawks three out of three times. I guess in the last three games that they've won. Now the last time that she got it right was in 2003. Hmmm.
When Super Bowl XL kicks off tonight, millions of football fans will be praying for their team to win, but only one person is making what might be called a heavenly pick. Sister Jean Kenny is a nun who knows her way around the gridiron since 1986. She's written poems about her Super Bowl pick and she's been right 17 of the last 20 games, 17 out of 20. Let me tell you something, there's a lot of people in Vegas who wish they could brag about those kind of odds. So if you're looking to make a friendly wager, pay attention. Sister Jean is joining us now from Chicago. Sister Jean, how are you?
SISTER JEAN KENNY, FOOTBALL FAN: Good morning, Rick. I'm fine, thank you. How are you?
SANCHEZ: I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm wondering, is this a heavenly aspiration thing or inspiration? Is this a Jesus thing? Are you getting power that the rest of us don't have?
KENNY: No, it's strictly from "Pro-Football Weekly."
SANCHEZ: I had a feeling you might say that. What made you such a football fan?
KENNY: Back in 1985, when the Bears were so good, William Perry was one of the players and I wrote a poem about the Refrigerator called hurricane William, and it won a prize and then Monday night football came to my classroom that year in college prep and every year I've been on since.
SANCHEZ: What turned you into such a football fan or have you been into sports since you were a kid?
KENNY: Yes, a Chicago White Sox fan since a little girl.
SANCHEZ: Now, is there any particular system that you use in trying to figure out who is going to be the winner in the Super Bowl?
KENNY: Yes, I do read "Pro-Football Weekly" every week and the "Chicago Tribune" and "Chicago Sun-Times," "USA Today," do a lot of statistics and analysis and come up with a pretty good record.
SANCHEZ: We all can sit there and look at the stats and say, this team passed for so many yards. This team gave up. In the end, you've got two pretty equally matched teams and by the way are in different conferences. So it's kind of hard to make a prediction here, isn't it? I mean there's a whole lot of people who get paid a lot of money who can't doing this.
KENNY: Right and I'm going out on a limb this year, taking the underdog team.
SANCHEZ: You're going with the Seahawks.
KENNY: Yes and since it's the year of the dog I think that's another sign, Chinese year of the dog.
SANCHEZ: But wait a minute, now you're telling me that there's something other than statistics that you use to make these predictions.
KENNY: Right, that might be the edge. (speaking Chinese)
SANCHEZ: Is there a feel involved here something...
KENNY: Yes.
SANCHEZ: There is.
KENNY: I watched both the AFC and NFC championship games and I thought that the Seahawks played a better game and the one edge that Pittsburgh does have is the field goal kicker. I think he's slightly better. So I hope it doesn't come down to a field goal, but if it does, Pittsburgh could have the edge but overall, I think Mike Holmgren has done a fantastic job and I'm going with the Seahawks.
SANCHEZ: A lot of people would say the fact that Jerome Bettis is playing in what probably is his final game would give him a little bit of an edge. Did you consider that at all?
KENNY: Yes, and he and Bill Cowher, those would be sentimental favorites. Bill Cowher lost the Super Bowl 10 years ago so he's 0-1. This might be Jerome Bettis's last game and he's the big bus and it's in Detroit. But I've learned from losing in the past with my heart to stick with going with my head. SANCHEZ: Sister Jean, let me ask you something. I know there's a lot of folks you work with in the Christian community who you probably have conversations with about things other than football. When you talk to them about this and the fact that you're so inspired by it, do they think you're a little crazy?
KENNY: No, no. They listen and laugh. It's an interesting hobby, and people have been very, very supportive. In fact, at church last night people clapped for me after communion because a pastor mentioned that the poem was in the bulletin and also on TV and even on CNN this morning.
SANCHEZ: I notice you're wearing a 12th button. What does that mean?
KENNY: That means I'm the 12th fan. I'd like to tell you that owner Paul Allen sent me my Seattle Seahawks hat and the 12th fan pin. So I've got him on my side as well.
SANCHEZ: Well, I'll have you know that my son and I were talking about the game yesterday and I decided I'm going with Seattle, too, so you and I are in the same camp, sister.
KENNY: That's what I like to hear, Rick.
SANCHEZ: God bless you, Sister Jean. Thanks so much for being with us.
KENNY: Thank you very much and remember, soaring Seahawks stymie Steelers.
SANCHEZ: Soaring Seahawks stymie Steelers.
KENNY: 30-27.
SANCHEZ: Shakespeare would envy that. Sister Jean...
KENNY: A lot of alliteration. You're welcome, Rick.
SANCHEZ: Betty, back over to you.
NGUYEN: She's such a poet. I got to tell you, I'm going with you guys, too. I think the Seahawks are going to pull this out. I don't know what the year of the dog has to do with it, Sister, but hey, 17 out of 20 you got to be right for some reason.
All right. Well, there have been some amazing medical advancements in the news recently. Remember the woman who received a face transplant? We've got an update for you when we go global in just 10 minutes.
But before some people who have paralysis, this time we're going to talk about how time is of the essence. Up next, a boost in brain power and how all this comes together.
If you're just waking up in Detroit this morning, you're probably wondering what happened to all that heavy snow? Well, lucked out I guess. We only had about an inch of snow from yesterday. More is expected with blowing snow (INAUDIBLE) about today and that will definitely kick up the winds for the Super Bowl. Good thing the game's indoors. Let's take a live look now and we can show you what's happening in Detroit. We'll show you a live picture this morning, cloudy skies, snow flurries. I'll have your complete forecast for the Super Bowl and the rest of the country coming up next on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Here's something to think about. Humans use less than 10 percent of their brain's capacity, just 10. Wonder what we might be able to do if we really tried? From the cutting edge of technology, welcome to the future of brain power. Our Miles O'Brien reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was one of the people that whenever anybody did something nice for me, I would send them a thank-you card, just silly things, just writing what's going on in our lives. And I can't do that anymore.
My family thought I was nuts, but I used to love going out and shovelling snow. It was just invigorating. And I do miss that. I love to blog, because I'm able to write my feelings down. Most times, I have to use my left hand to move my right hand on the mouse.
One of my concerns for the future is that I'm not going to be able to write in my blog, because I won't have the functioning at all for my hands.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Rosemarie was diagnosed with ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease, about two years ago. Rapidly, she's losing the ability to move or even speak. But there's nothing wrong with her mind.
What if she had the ability to write her blog, to control her computer, simply by thinking about it? This man believes the future is now. Dr. Leigh Hochberg of Massachusetts General Hospital is one of the nation's top neurologists. His focus, a mind-boggling clinical study called BrainGate.
DR. LEIGH HOCHBERG, MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL: The goal of the BrainGate neural interface system is to determine whether someone with paralysis is able to use their own thought or their own intention to move, to, at first, to control a computer cursor on a screen.
O'BRIEN: It all begins with this tiny chip. Attached to the part of the brain that controls movement, it detects electrical activity and sends those signals to an external device, a processor, which then interprets those brain waves and feeds them into a computer, literally turning thought into action.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi there. O'BRIEN: Twenty-six-year-old Matthew Neagle (ph) was the first patient to participate in BrainGate clinical trial. Paralyzed from the neck down, watch what he accomplished purely through the power of his mind.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Next one, turn on my television.
O'BRIEN: He was able to use his computer cursor to change channels on a television, read simulated e-mail, even open and close a prosthetic hand, just by thinking about it.
HOCHBERG: I'm really hopeful that these technologies will be able to help people with paralysis in the future control their environment more directly, and I hope one day to be able to move again.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a diagnosis, some people live 10 years, some of them live 20 years, which I plan on being one of those people.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: We use the word amazing a lot in this business, but that program really amazing. A second pilot study is now enrolling people just like Rosemarie to see how brain gate can specifically help victims of Lou Gherig's disease.
SANCHEZ: Here's a look at a few of the morning's top stories that we've been following for you. The teen accused in a vicious bar attack in New Bedford, Massachusetts is in critical condition. Jacob Robida was shot twice in the head during a shootout with police in Arkansas. Police say that Robida shot an officer and a female companion he was traveling with before he was shot.
One man is dead, more than 100 others hurt after a riot in a California corrections facility. Police are saying the fight broke out in a dorm that houses gang members.
And President and Mrs. Bush will be in Atlanta Tuesday for Coretta Scott King's funeral service. The King family is still finalizing the program but the president is expected to make remarks as part of the service.
The back and forth threats concerning Iran's nuclear program continue this morning. Danielle Elias is following this from our international desk and she joins us now with those developments. Good morning to you Danielle.
DANIELLE ELIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Betty. We will have new developments for you, all of those that you need to know about when we go global, next on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: There are more developments this morning on the issue of Iran and its nuclear program as Tehran has yet again changed its tone. SANCHEZ: Danielle Elias is joining us now at the international desk with more of these details and other stories as well. Danielle, what you got?
ELIAS: Thank you, Rick. Iran is hardening its stance on nuclear activity but it's still attempting diplomacy. Iranian officials now say the country is willing to negotiate with the international community over its nuclear program. Now this comes just days after the U.N. nuclear watchdog voted to refer Iran to the Security Council but Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says he will no longer allow snap inspections of his country's nuclear facilities and he's ordered Iran to resume its uranium enrichment activity.
Well, investigators are searching for answers in Friday's sinking of an Egyptian ferry in the Red Sea. A crewman from the ship says a fire broke out shortly after leaving a port in Saudi Arabia, but the captain decided to continue on to Egypt. Now officials say some 1,400 people were on board the vessel and about 400 survivors have been found.
Well, do you remember the world's first face transplant, Betty?
NGUYEN: I do.
ELIAS: It was just a few months ago.
NGUYEN: We were all over it. Everyone wanted to see what she looked like.
ELIAS: You got it. Well the woman who underwent this risky operation to replace her badly damaged nose, lips and chin is expected to speak out tomorrow. She has reportedly struggled with the healing process and has since picked up her old habit of smoking. Of course, you can stay with us here on CNN. We'll be covering this throughout the day and night. Betty?
NGUYEN: I'm surprised that wasn't one of the regulations that if you go through this, there were some things that you can and can't do.
ELIAS: Apparently the doctors had some question about it, but in France, apparently they allowed it.
NGUYEN: All right, thank you, Danielle.
ELIAS: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: Some things are just uniquely American, not exactly what you would call international and one of them is by far the Super Bowl.
NGUYEN: I knew you were going to say frozen tundra because that's what that looks like there.
SANCHEZ: That could be Moscow. It's Detroit, folks, where snow is falling. We're going to get an update on the forecast for the folks who are going to be trying to get to the stadium where it will be nice.
NGUYEN: Get through that snow first, though.
Also remember to send us your Super Bowl picks. Who do you think is going to win Super Bowl XL and why? Why do you think that team is going to take it home? Let's listen to the sounds of Motown as we tell you all you have to do is write us, weekends@cnn.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: As we show you our digs, let's show you Bonnie's digs. She's going to bring us up-to-date on what's going on in the weather. We're confused because we've been hearing that starting 3:00 or something like that, it was going to start to snow and snow pretty bad, but now it sounds like you're saying, when did all this change?
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It all changed actually yesterday. We were expecting earlier about six to eight inches of snow. It didn't happen. It all has to do with timing. Timing is everything in football and in weather, because the changeover to snow from rain yesterday didn't happen as early as anticipated. That's why the snowfall amounts were less than what you saw. Still a couple of inches of snow is expected on and off throughout the afternoon. We're seeing light snow showers right now across the Detroit area, but the bigger news, even more so than the snow will be the blustery, windy conditions we're expecting for the region. The winds aren't too bad right now. The temperature in Detroit fluctuating between about 32 and 31 degrees and temperatures will be falling throughout the day as that colder air comes into play and kind of gets pulled down from the north.
In fact, take a look at what's happening. Here is our area of low pressure and here is that brisk wind dropping down from Canada, pulling in all that cold air. So we are looking at some blustery conditions in the forecast. Ahead of the front, though, you can see it's pretty mild. In fact temperatures as we start heading closer to New England and New York are in the 40s. They're falling throughout the day as well. So much of the northeast and the great lakes will be turning colder as we work our way into the forecast period.
Here's a look at your Super Bowl forecast and yes, it does call for some snow showers accumulating snow maybe a couple of inches, if that but the wind will be blowing about. The Steelers versus the Seahawks Detroit, Michigan, at kickoff, 29 degrees. Luckily though they think of this in Michigan as they do in many locations where it's generally very cold this time of year, we'll be looking at the game inside. The tailgaters though will be bundled up.
NGUYEN: They better bundle up. OK, Bonnie, Rick and I have picked the Seahawks. We never got your pick. Who do you think is going to win?
SCHNEIDER: I'll pick the Seahawks too, because I always go for the underdog.
NGUYEN: There you go. We'll see how it plays out. SANCHEZ: I actually think the Steelers are probably the better team. I'm just going to give the Seahawks the intangibles.
SCHNEIDER: One other thing to note, Betty and Rick, the weather in Seattle has just been so bad this year, so you got to give them something.
NGUYEN: Yeah, and some areas, electricity is out which is not going to be good for those fans who want to watch the game today.
SANCHEZ: Thanks, Bonnie.
NGUYEN: Speaking of who's going to win in the Super Bowl, that's our e-mail question today, who do you think is going to win Super Bowl XL and why? We've got lots of interesting responses. It's either one way or the other though.
SANCHEZ: This first one is a Dolphins fan. True to my heart.
NGUYEN: You like that don't you Rick?
SANCHEZ: You want me to read it or do you want to read this one?
NGUYEN: You go ahead.
SANCHEZ: Pittsburgh Steelers win those too who suffer from asthma will win having Bettis - that's Jerome Bettis, the running back -- as a role model and inspiration as a fellow sufferer of asthma. That's nice. From a Dolphins fan, go fish. (INAUDIBLE)
NGUYEN: Well, Tom actually has a different take on all this. He's not picking a team. He says, who's going to win today? The retailers, the hotel companies, the scalpers, the players who make as much in a minute as a lot of their fans do in a whole year. Who's going to lose? The families who feel they need to spend a month's salary or more just to see the game live in person.
SANCHEZ: And for some people, it's all about presentation like Chason who says, the Steelers are going to win because they have the better looking costume. Being in the military, you can call it a uniform when you strap on a side arm.
NGUYEN: I guess in the end, it is all about fashion too, kind of doubt that (ph) on the field today.
SANCHEZ: But that's funny that he doesn't - he doesn't refer to it as a uniform. It's not a football uniform. It's a football costume.
NGUYEN: All right. Want to know what you think, e-mail us, weekends@cnn.com and tell us who you think is going to win the Super Bowl and why.
Next hour, CNN SUNDAY MORNING begins right now.
SANCHEZ: Fire and smoke in the streets of Beirut has hundreds of demonstrators protest the controversial cartoons first published in a Danish newspaper. A lot of the cartoons depict the prophet Mohammed with an explosive bomb around his turban. The protesters set fire to the Danish consulate, then attacked the building with picks and stones.
NGUYEN: A teenager accused of shooting and hatcheting patrons at a gay bar in Massachusetts is in critical condition this morning. Police shot Jacob Ribida during a shoot out in Arkansas after they say he killed a police officer. Ribida's female passenger was shot and killed.
SANCHEZ: One inmate is dead and at least 20 others hospitalized in serious condition after a riot at a California jail. The police used tear gas to stop, what they called, massive chaos among thousands of prisoners. Officials are blaming the riot on racial tensions between African-American and Hispanic inmates.
NGUYEN: A crew member in the Egyptian ferry disaster says the captain chose to press on despite a fire alarm that went off shortly after departure. He testified that the weight of the water used to put out the fire, combined with heavy winds, caused the ferry to tilt. A thousand people are feared dead.
And today, angry relatives stormed the port's gates in Safaga, Egypt, waiting to hear about the victims.
SANCHEZ: The body of Coretta Scott King goes on public viewing tomorrow where her husband pastored throughout the '60s. Yesterday, at least 42,000 people waited in line for a public viewing at Georgia's state capitol.
CNN will have live coverage of King's funeral Tuesday. President Bush plans to speak at the service.
NGUYEN: Well, women around the world are reflecting on Betty Friedan's impact in their lives today. The feminist writer and activist died yesterday of congestive heart failure. She was 85 years old.
Friedan's 1963 book, "The Feminine Mystique" helped spark the women's rights movement.
From the CNN Center, this is Super Bowl Sunday, Sunday morning. Yes, the Super Bowl is going to kick off a little bit later this afternoon.
Do you know the exact time?
SANCHEZ: Sometime around 6 o'clock.
NGUYEN: Six. I think it's 6 eastern, yes.
It's February 5, everybody, 8 a.m. in Detroit where it is cold. I we mean cold; 5 a.m. in Los Angeles.
Good morning, I'm Betty Nguyen. SANCHEZ: And I'm Rick Sanchez. Thanks so much for being with us. And let's bring you up to date now on the big stories we're following.
First, the faith of American soldiers. Do life and death confrontations on the battlefield put military men and women closer to a higher power? That's our "Faces of Faith." It's coming up in 13 minutes.
One hundred million dollars could be up for grabs on Super Bowl Sunday. But not all that money is bet on the Steelers of the Seahawks. We're going to tell you where some of it is going in 20 minutes.
And diehard Pittsburgh Steelers fans who refuse to die, literally. Terry O'Neil, live, in the next hour on "CNN SUNDAY MORNING."
NGUYEN: That's really a remarkable story. I can't wait to talk to him.
Well, we're going to start now with outrage in Lebanon. It is the latest hot spot for Muslims protesting cartoon caricatures of Islam's prophet Mohammed.
Thousands of angry demonstrators packed the streets of Beirut. They attacked police with stones and set fire to the building housing the Danish consulate.
CNN's Brent Sadler has been following the new developments from Beirut and he joins us now with the latest.
Has the rioting subsided, Brent?
BRENT SADLER, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, indeed, after hours of pitched battles, the Lebanese security forces in downtown Beirut have, more or less, got the event under control.
This was a protest that once again, Betty, targeted the interest in Denmark in the sense it was the consular offices of the Danish embassy that's headquartered in Damascus, that building set ablaze yesterday by angry protesters.
The consulate of Denmark attacked here in Beirut. It was housed in a building, a 10-story block, the first five stories of that block set ablaze, no diplomats inside the building at the time.
And then the mob turned their anger, not just against the interest of Denmark, but also against commercial premises and vehicles. They even managed to set fire to a Lebanese army jeep, attacked dozens of cars with sticks and stones. There were reports of violent scruffles with injuries between Muslim and Christian demonstrators, after some stones were thrown at a Maronite Catholic Church.
On the Lebanese level, Betty, this has got politicians here very, very worried, because Lebanon is going through a period of political instability right now. And the last thing those politicians want to see is a cartoon controversy degenerating into a Muslim-Christian conflict in a country that's suffered so long as a result of Muslim- Christian civil war -- Betty.
NGUYEN: A lot of violence there, Brent. We're going to stay on top of it. Thank you for that report.
SANCHEZ: Back in the U.S., what began with violence at a bar in Massachusetts has ended in even more violence. Hundreds of miles away in Arkansas, a teenager, suspected of attacking people at a Massachusetts gay bar, is in critical condition after a gun battle with police in Arkansas.
His female companion is dead, along with a police officer.
CNN senior correspondent, Allan Chernoff, joining us from New Bedford, Massachusetts, where this twisted story really began.
Allan, take it away.
CHERNOFF: Rick, police had been looking for Mr. Robida for three days. It was a nation-wide manhunt after he allegedly assaulted three men at a gay bar here in New Bedford. It ended yesterday afternoon in Arkansas.
Police say that an officer pulled Mr. Robida's car over for a traffic violation. He then, according to police, shot the police officer and killed him.
Police, then, chased the car until Robida crashed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL WALSH, JR., PROSECUTOR, MASSACHUSETTS: His car ended up wrecking on the side of the road, turning around 180 degrees. He was being pursued by state troopers at that point.
At that point, our best information is that he shot and killed the woman who was seated next to him in the car that he had taken from New Bedford.
At that point, police officers opened fire striking him we believe, again, twice in the head. He's in critical condition and it doesn't look very good right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHERNOFF: Police have identified that woman as Jenniferina Bailey (ph). And police in West Virginia say apparently she had been corresponding with Robida and apparently did know him. They said that Robida had picked her up at her home in Charleston, West Virginia, and then they headed down to Arkansas.
Now, Arkansas law does call for the death penalty in the killing of a police officer. So the district attorney here says, even if Mr. Robida were to recover from his wounds, there's no chance that he would be returning to Massachusetts for the charges that he is facing for the assault at the gay bar.
One of the victims from that bar has now been released from the hospital. Robert Perry (ph). He said last night that he was relieved that Robida had been caught.
He suffered severe wounds to his face from the hatchet, and also injuries to his back. A bullet actually went through his back, right near the spine, and exited just below his left shoulder. It's simply astounding that he's walking.
He said he's feeling pretty well and, in fact, he plans to go back to work on Monday. He's a paramedic.
Tragically, two other victim's of that bar attack still remain in the hospital, one of them in critical condition. Rick --
SANCHEZ: All right. Allan Chernoff following that story for us. We thank you, Allan.
It is snowing in the motor city, is it, Betty?
NGUYEN: It sure is awfully cold there. Yes, the site of Super Bowl XL today. But you know what? Snow? Who cares, right? Forecasters expect four to nine inches in Detroit before it's all said and done. But nobody seems to mind. That's right.
Players want to win the game. The ad exec.'s, well they want to win consumers. And fans, they just want to watch is all go down and they'll be inside the stadium so it's not going to be all that cold in there.
As a matter of fact, Detroit and the NFL officials say that the city will be a winter wonderland, when it's all said and done, by kick-off this afternoon.
SANCHEZ: They key, of course, is, if he snows too much, it might be tough to get to the stadium.
NGUYEN: That's true.
SANCHEZ: So if the buses stopped running and stuff. But we don't think it's going to be that bad.
Bonnie Schneider?
SCHNEIDER: Yes. No, I don't think so. I think it will lead up to basically, maybe, four inches on the high side actually. What we're looking at is blowing snow coming down and also temperatures that are dropping throughout the day today.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: All right. That's good news, Bonnie. We'll keep watching. Thank you. SANCHEZ: Super Sunday is a day for super wagers. But not all the fans place on the bets on the actual game.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL KRACKOMBERGER, SUPER BOWL GAMBLER: Will the B.K. man in the commercials, the king, score a touchdown during one of the commercials? Absolutely. He's absolutely going to score a touchdown.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: They're betting on that?
SANCHEZ: Yes.
NGUYEN: Coming up, the big game with big bets on just about anything apparently. We'll have all the odds ahead.
SANCHEZ: They're actually betting on commercials?
NGUYEN: Yes, and if the Burger King guy is going to score a touchdown. That's too much time on your hands.
SANCHEZ: He does. He does. I've seen it.
It's a test of faith also when soldiers step onto the battlefield. But do the horrors of war actually bring them closer to their religion? Up next, we'll examine the faith of the American soldier in our "Faces of Faith."
"CNN SUNDAY MORNING" continues in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: An update, now, on a developing story that we're following out of Beirut, Lebanon. Things are finally starting to calm down, but a few hours ago angry protesters set fire to the Danish consulate building and clashed with security forces there.
The crowd was protesting editorial cartoons of Islam's prophet Mohammed. The pictures were first published in a Danish newspaper and then reprinted in some other European papers.
On a broader topic, how far can you go when you're a political cartoonist. We're going to talk to one. It's Mike Mikula. He's no stranger to this type of controversy. We're going to be talking to him about this specifically in his line of work. He's coming up live in our 9 a.m. eastern hour. Betty --
NGUYEN: As thousands of young men and women step onto the battlefield it is a matter of life or death. Their thoughts are often clouded with the fear of not returning, of returning without a friend, or returning deadly fire.
When you only have a choice to kill or be killed, how do you maintain your faith in a higher being? Or is it even possible to find faith that they never had?
Well, joining me to talk about that, from Nashville, is Stephen Mansfield, the New York Times best selling author of "The Faith of the American Soldier." The book looks at the role religion plays in the lives of American service men and women.
We appreciate you being with us today. Good morning to you.
STEPHEN MANSFIELD, AUTHOR: Good morning.
NGUYEN: You know, there's a saying that says, "There's no atheists in foxholes." Does that hold true today?
MANSFIELD: Well, I'm sure there are some atheists in foxholes. But the reality is that war presses religious questions into the lives of those who fight them.
Soldiers have to face their moral rationale for killing the other side. They're facing their own deaths, the deaths of their friends. And so wars have historically have always pressed religious questions. And especially this war, since essentially our enemy is a religious network that makes a moral claim against the American soldiers.
So religion is hot and heavy in the camps of Iraq and Afghanistan today.
NGUYEN: Yes, and, you know, this is quite a topic with many facets to it. Why did you want to write this book called, "The Faith of the American Soldier"?
MANSFIELD: Well, I've been watching this young generation of, what we call, millennials or older Gen-Xers for quite some time, and it's fascinating. They're so religious. They're so turned towards God, turned towards faith. And, yet, their parents at the same age were actually moving secular. So I was interested in that trend.
And then, when they went off to war, I knew enough military history to know that, when any generation goes off to war, they tend to gravitate to faith, the faith of their childhood, or the faith of those around them. So I had a feeling that we would be seeing a lot of expressions of faith.
And then, when these young soldiers went into the field, we began to hear about baptismal services and the sounds of Iraq, you know. And worship services before they went in the fields.
I felt like it was a story that wasn't being told and I wanted to capture it.
NGUYEN: Well, and your book answers a lot questions, or at least it asks and attempts to answer them. Like, for example, are today's soldiers more religious in those in wars in the past? I mean, do you feel that they've come to find their faith a lot more in today's modern day war?
MANSFIELD: They do more so than Vietnam, for example. Throughout America's earlier wars, there was a strong emphasis on religion. We were a different society then with pretty much a Judeo- Christian consensus.
Vietnam was a time when the whole culture was moving away from that religious consensus.
And then, things really began to change in the first Gulf War. One of the generals said that it was the most religious America's had since the army of Northern Virginia during the Civil War.
And then, this war is very, very different because you've got a different kind of soldier. You have technology that sort of delivers religious services and religious ministry into the lives of soldiers more directly. Then, you just have a generation that's more turned towards God.
So, in a sense, yes, we have returned to something that was the norm earlier in American history.
NGUYEN: All right. I have to ask you this too because you've been to Iraq. You've been on the ground there. Do you feel faith makes the better soldier? Does it allow them to cope with the situations out there and deal with post-traumatic stress a lot better?
MANSFIELD: Yes. The statistics do show, and just anecdotal information does show that a soldier who has a clear and defined faith, especially of a traditional variety, is going to be more respectable of authority; is going to have worked out a moral rationale for what he or she is doing; is going to believe in a higher cause; is going to be more courageous because he or she believes in the protection of a God.
Obviously, you can have odd religious thinking that can conflicts with the soldier doing his or her best. But, for the most part, a soldier having a clear defined faith that brings them comfort and brings them focus, does, in fact, make them a better soldier.
NGUYEN: Stephen Mansfield, author of "Faith and the American Soldier," keeping the faith again today.
Thank you for your time.
MANSFIELD: It's great to be with you.
NGUYEN: Thank you -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: In Vegas, it's the biggest betting day of the year. But, you know, not all gamblers -- they don't bet on the big game itself. They're wondering who will win other things, like, for example, the coin toss. Or what's the first song that the Rolling Stones will sing at half-time?
Coming up, super strange wagers on this Super Sunday.
Also, don't forget to send us your e-mails on this. Who do you think is going to win Super Bowl XL and why? We want to hear your thoughts, so send them to weekends@cnn.com.
We're going to be right back and, maybe, share a few of those. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Welcome back, everyone. We're inside the control room now and I'm surrounded by some real smart people. So smart, in fact, they all are convinced they know who's going to win this Super Bowl. In fact, people all over America think they know who's going to win this Super Bowl.
Chances are, you or somebody you know, has a stake in tonight's outcome. But who's going to win by what, isn't the only thing gamblers are wagering on. As a matter of fact, they're wagering on a bunch of stuff.
CNN's Randi Kaye has more now on prop betting. It's really a game within a game.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Las Vegas casinos call Super Bowl Sunday the biggest betting day of the year. The Pittsburgh Steelers are favored to win.
But gambler, Bill Krackomberger, isn't interested in those odds.
KRACKOMBERGER: What's the first song the Rolling Stones is going to sing for the Super Bowl half-time show?
KAYE: Did you going to put that down?
KRACKOMBERGER: I bet "Start Me Up." I think it's a positive song and everyone will -- actually it's the favorite now.
KAYE: Krackomberger is putting his money down on proposition wagers, bets placed on anything having to do with the game, other than the popular outcome. A popular prop bet is the coin toss, 50-50 odds.
UNIDENTIFIED REFEREE: It is tails. Philadelphia won the toss.
KAYE: Or who will score the first touchdown. There are even bets on commercials.
KRACKOMBERGER: Will the B.K. man in the commercials, the king, score a touchdown during one of the commercials? Absolutely. He's absolutely going to score a touchdown.
KAYE: By the end of the fourth quarter, Krackomberger says he'll have placed at least 60 different bets.
KRACKOMBERGER: Something that jumps out on this piece, of paper on the props that I've seen, is will Seattle score a touchdown on a reverse? The Seahawks have not scored a touchdown ever in their history on a reverse. So I seen that one right away and I pounced on that one.
KAYE: Robert Walker is the director for sports betting at top hotels in Las Vegas.
ROBERT WALKER, DIRECTOR FOR SPORTS BETTING: It's a game within a game.
KAYE: His casinos offer about 200 different prop bets. Walker says prop bets are so popular, they've become synonymous with the Super Bowl.
WALKER: It's exploded and it's become, you know, the biggest thing -- you know, and there's some books in this city right now that 50 percent of the handle is on the props.
KRACKOMBERGER: Ten years ago, you'd come to Vegas. You'd watch it. You'd pay your $1, $10 to $100 and watch the game and hope you have a winning ticket. Now, you can do everything on the Super Bowl. And these prop bets are definitely a fun part.
KAYE: But it's not all fun and games. Rick Benson is a counselor and a former addict, who worries that prop bets create moment by moment excitement that can lead to addiction.
RICK BENSON, COUNSELOR AND RECOVERING GAMBLING ADDICT: Could that crystallize for me the addiction and move me from that place of being a problem gambler to that place of being a pathological gambler? Certainly, there's potential in that.
KAYE: But for Krackomberger and his friends, prop betting is an annual event.
KRACKOMBERGER: We need some luck.
KAYE: Their wagering is here to stay.
Randi Kaye, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: They'll bet on just about anything?
SANCHEZ: Just don't bet the farm.
NGUYEN: That's true.
SANCHEZ: All morning long we've been asking for your thoughts on your e-mail question. Who do you think is going to win the Super Bowl and why? You can e-mail us at weekends@cnn.com.
NGUYEN: Well, here's one of those e-mails that we've already received today. We're getting lots of them.
This refers to your interview with Sister Jean a little earlier, Rick. Mary Lou says, "Sorry Sister Jean, but the Steelers will beat the Seahawks." Because Sister Jean said the Seahawks would win. "So much for divine intervention." she says.
SANCHEZ: Seahawks all the way. Why?" says Jen from Alabama. "Well, one name...Shaun Alexander." Say all you want about Jerome Bettis -- Oh, no, that's me talking now. Back to her. "He was an outstanding athlete when he played for the University of Alabama, and he's an even great athlete now. Roll Tide. Go Seahawks."
NGUYEN: And Ms. Charlye says, "I know who the winner will be; as you can plainly see; there's going to be some jolly reelers; the game will be won by the Pittsburgh Steelers. What a poet.
SANCHEZ: Finally, this one comes from Kirk Kinderdietz in Phoenix, Arizona, where the Cardinals haven't won in, well, quite a while. "The ultimate winners are the advertisers." he says.
NGUYEN: That is true, $2.5 million for 30 a second spot. I'd say they're winners.
Here's our question though. Let us know what you think. Send them in: weekends@cnn.com. The questions is, who do you think's going to win Super Bowl XL and why?
SANCHEZ: We'll have more on our Super Bowl coverage on the top of the hour.
Also, including our favorite diehard fan. He's had some set- backs, you might say.
NGUYEN: Yes, he has.
SANCHEZ: I would say, after a heart-stopping game, literally. But Terry O'Neil is ready to cheer on his favorite team once again. That's all at 9:00 Eastern.
NGUYEN: But first, the struggle to be thin. It used to be considered a teenage girl's disease. But eating disorders are crossing gender and age lines.
Next, on "House Call" Dr. Sanjay Gupta helps identify the danger signs and ways to help battle this sometimes deadly disease.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
