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CNN Sunday Morning
Two Americans Killed in Afghanistan; U.S. Stance On Syria; RFK's Son Arrested; CNN Hero; Next Primaries Two Days Away
Aired February 26, 2012 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN ANCHOR: From CNN Center, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It is February 26th. Good morning, everyone, I'm Deborah Feyerick. And welcome to all the service men and women watching on the American Forces Network. So glad you could join us. Here's what's happening now.
New details about the deadly shooting of two American officers in Afghanistan. The gunman, who's still on the loose, opened fire in the highly secured interior ministry.
And check out this surveillance video from a commuter bus. That's the driver restraining a passenger after being stabbed in the face with his own pen, but he is the one in trouble with his company. We're going to tell you why.
And, two crashes in three days. That is certainly not the way race car driver Danica Patrick wanted to start the weekend at Daytona. But she's upbeat about the big race.
ANNOUNCER: From CNN's world headquarters, bringing you news and analysis from across the nation and around the globe, live from Studio 7, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
FEYERICK: Well, we start with the search for a gunman in Afghanistan blamed for killing two ranking U.S. officers inside the heavily fortified interior ministry, which is in charge of all Afghan law enforcement. NATO is pulling its military advisors from Afghan ministries, suggesting that it may have concerns over Afghan security forces. We're going to bring in Nick Paton Walsh now from Kabul.
And, Nick, the two officers who were found dead, they were in their office. They must -- the gunman must have had some sort of security clearance. What are you learning?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're getting some remarkable new details from an Afghan counterterrorism official about the identity of this gunman. He says he's Abdul Saboor, a junior intelligence officer who worked in the intelligence department of the ministry of interior. Now, he appears to have managed to get access to what's called the command and control center inside the interior ministry. A very secure part where these high-ranking Americans worked.
I understand this man arrived at work, logged in about midday, drove his own car, got his pistol, and then went to this office and then the shooting occurred. Remarkably, also we understand, in fact, it's now known he spent two months in a Pakistani madrassa, a kind of religious school, some point prior to him joining the service. So big questions being asked now about how a lapse in vetting could have let this man into the ministry.
The Taliban, of course, have claimed him as one of those. Many of their details, in fact, matching one key thing. The Taliban said this was a shooting carried out in revenge for the burning of Korans. And that's exactly what the Afghan intelligence official said to us as well. So, some cohesion there, but at the same time ISAF not drawing any conclusions right now, saying their investigation is still ongoing. They're aware of these reports, but they're not going to confirm them.
Deb.
FEYERICK: Nick, do you know, were there any sort of closed- circuit television cameras inside? Do officials know exactly how this played out and how this junior officer made his way to these two Americans?
WALSH: That is exactly the heart of the investigation right now, but I think the real question is, how did he escape? They can pour over how he got there, they can pour over footage of perhaps the shooting even taking place, if such exists, and I'm sure there will be heavy security in that particular area. The question is how, when those shots were heard, if they were heard, how was he able to leave the entire ministry and now be at large. I think that's going to playing much into this issue of trust between American and NATO soldiers and the Afghans they're training. So key. And many must be asking themselves across Afghanistan how they stand in the wake of this shooting in what should have been one of the safest places for them in the country.
Deb.
FEYERICK: OK, Nick Paton Walsh, we're going to be checking in with you a little later. Obviously big question as to whether this suggests that the Taliban may have infiltrated Afghan security forces as well. We'll get some more details from you on that in the next hour. Thanks so much, Nick.
Well, to Syria now where today brings a mix of voting and violence. People are voting today on a new constitutional referendum that could make some small changes in the way the country is governed. There are already charges that the voting is rigged. But in Homs, the shelling continues today. Homs has been the epicenter of the uprising and activists say at least 11 people have been killed there today after nearly 50 were killed yesterday. The international community is calling for an end to the violence and an end to the reign of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Let's bring in CNN foreign affairs reporter Elise Labott, who is in Morocco.
And, Elise, you just spoke to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. What is she saying about Syria right now?
ELISE LABOTT, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS REPORTER: Well, basically, Deb, we came to Morocco from Tunis on Friday, where Secretary Clinton was attending the Friends of Syria meeting. More than 70 countries gathered together to try and get an end to the violence. But more importantly, immediately getting some humanitarian aid in. And the conference came with a very detailed plan to get the aid in. Unfortunately, the main thing you need right now is the permission of President Bashar al-Assad. So here's what Secretary Clinton had to say about what he is going to do if they don't let the aid in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LABOTT: What are you -- how far are you prepared to go to get this aid in? I mean the shame tactic, it doesn't seem to be working. Today Russian state paper Pravda is calling you the despicable one. I mean, how are you going to get that aid in if they won't -- if President Assad won't do it and the Russians won't pressure him to do it?
HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, I think that that speaks for itself. I think that the Syrian people themselves need to start acting on behalf of their fellow Syrians. You know, where are the people inside Syria who are going to demand that men, women, and children cannot be assaulted and left to die, given no medical care, no food, no water. And, you know, look, I think that, you know, Russia has a commercial relationship, an ideological relationship with Syria. It's made its decision to stand on their side.
LABOTT: But are there going to be any consequences to the relationship with Russia if they're not willing to at least help use their influence to provide the aid?
CLINTON: Well, I mean, I think we've already seen some very clear disagreements played out in public between us, but at this point we're doing everything we can to marshal public opinion internationally and work with neighbors in the region to try to get that humanitarian aid in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LABOTT: So, Deb, what she's trying to do is peel that inner layer away from President Assad, from the military, from the regime, even from his family. And she says that there's some evidence that his inner circle is starting to think about the day after. But as we've seen so far, President Assad not balking and Russia not really ready to use their influence on him.
FEYERICK: Right. And, you know, Elise, obviously one of the key issues with Syria is just a strategic location. It's bordered by Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, Turkey, Israel. Secretary Clinton was meeting with a group of very influential people and she basically said she thinks President Obama will be re-elected. Is that to reassert sort of the U.S. position on the world stage? Did you ask her about that?
LABOTT: I did. But I think, you know, secretaries of state really are not supposed to be political. And so I -- when we heard that the other day, we were kind of confused. And what she said is, she got a little too forward on her skis. She -- her enthusiasm for President Obama, she was talking about the context about campaign rhetoric right now. There was some questions from Tunisian youth about some statements that the campaign candidates have made. And she said, listen, don't listen to the campaign rhetoric. Listen to President Obama and he will be re-elected. I said, sounds like a campaign statement. And she said, well, you know, it's hard to get politics out of your DNA, out of her veins, but she recognized she went a little too far.
FEYERICK: All right, Elise Labott for us, traveling with Secretary Hillary Clinton. Thanks so much. Appreciate it.
Well, Obama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan is being knocked down. The Pakistani military says they don't want the site to become a shrine for all al Qaeda sympathizers. The madham (ph) was killed by a Navy SEAL team last year. Some U.S. officials believe Pakistan knew bin Laden was hiding in Abbottabad.
And Nelson Mandela could be going home from the hospital perhaps as early as today. A statement from the South African president says Mr. Mandela is in satisfactory condition after being hernia surgery. Mandela is 93 years old. He's had a few health issues recently and has kept largely out of the public spotlight for the last couple of years.
And to politics now. It has been four days since we've had a Republican primary. But, don't worry, we've got two this week. And the stakes are high for the candidates in Michigan and Arizona. CNN political editor Paul Steinhauser has more on the contests.
Paul.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Hey, good morning, Deb.
That's right, just two days now until those crucial primaries in Arizona and Michigan. And, yes, a lot at stake. So, let's break it down and let's go alphabetically.
Arizona first. Twenty-nine delegates at stake there. And it's winner take all. You win, you get all 29. You lose by a couple thousand votes, zip, you don't get a delegate. It's a semi-open primary. That means that Republicans, of course, can vote in the GOP president primary, but so can independent voters. And they've got early voting in Arizona. It started back on February 2nd and a lot of people have already cast ballots. Maybe up to half or more will have already voted before primary day.
Moving on to Michigan. Thirty delegates at stake. But it's proportional, which means you don't have to win to get delegates. Also, it's an open primary. That means Republicans, yes, of course, they can vote in the GOP primary. So can independents. But so can Democrats. And that's very important. It will be interesting to see how many Democrats cross over and vote in the Republican presidential primary. And no real early voting in Michigan. Just absentee ballots. So, a lot less people casting ballots before primary day. Deb.
FEYERICK: Paul Steinhauser for us, thank you.
Well, there's also going to be a little campaigning in Florida today. It's the great American race, the Daytona 500. And both Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum, they're going to have a presence there. Romney's actually expected to be there for part of the race. He was there last year as well. The United Autoworkers plan to protest his appearance at the race track.
Rick Santorum also is going to be at the Daytona 500, and in name -- in spirit and in name. he's actually sponsoring a car in the race. And as you can see, the number 26 Ford will have Santorum 2012 on the hood. It can cost between $2 million to $20 million for that kind of exposure.
And Danica Patrick will be one of the most watched drivers in today's race, but she didn't finish so well yesterday. A wreck early in the nationwide race at Daytona pretty much ended her day, but she still seemed pretty upbeat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANICA PATRICK, NASCAR DRIVER: More than anything I'm just frustrated because the Go Daddy car was so fast. It was so fast. And I could keep up to tandem cars in front of me all by myself. And it's so frustrating when you have one of those kinds of cars and it's -- and it's gone, because there are other days where you don't have that kind of a car and nobody seems to manage to find your bumper ever.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FEYERICK: Well, Patrick starts 29th in today's race. She's just the third woman to ever run in the Daytona 500 and the first since Shawna Robinson did it exactly 20 years ago.
And here's a rundown of some of the stories that we're working on.
A close call on a Florida interstate for one state trooper, and it's all caught on tape. We'll show you what happened.
Plus, one of Robert F. Kennedy's sons is facing charges for a hospital confrontation involving his newborn.
And, Super Tuesday right around the corner. We're looking at how social media will impact the race.
And finders keepers. Not so fast says a U.S. court. A Florida salvage company ordered to hand over an estimated half a billion dollars in treasure to another country. We'll explain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FEYERICK: Well, months after this deadly stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair -- take a look -- one teen is trying not to let the tragedy hold them back. Eighteen-year-old Brad Humphrey was paralyzed from the chest down, but that's not stopping him from doing the things he loves, like playing the violin. He also, believe it or not, just went on a ski trip to Colorado. Oh, and like any teen, he's also talking about getting his own car soon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRAD HUMPHREY, PARALYZED IN STAGE COLLAPSE: It's been hard, but it's getting easier. Learning how to do different things.
SUE HUMPHREY, MOTHER: I've noticed that other people like to relive it. I think we're the two that has wanting to move on. You know, it happened. There's nothing you can do about it. We have to move on and change our lives a little bit.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FEYERICK: Well, Alexandra Steele in for Reynolds Wolf this morning. She has our first check of the weather.
Snow and cold, Alexandra, like we just saw in the video from Colorado. That's actually kind of good news out there, right?
ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. Where has been winter, right? Then finally last week we saw it. Right now, winter a little back in action. So some skiing is certainly good. Here's the big picture. This is the radar map with the snow on it.
So, here's where we're seeing the snow today. It's really kind of the upper Midwest and northern Plains. This I-94 corridor points north. That's where we're going to pick up about five to eight inches of snow. So that's kind of the snow scenario today.
And then we have a rain scenario. No severe weather expected. But the southeast Georgia, northern Florida, that's where this kind of batch of rain moving northeast coming onto the coast, unfortunately making a beeline toward Daytona, unfortunately. The race, 1:00 today. It looks as though we will see some light rain. So even light rain could delay. So we're going to keep an eye on that.
So, big picture, there's the snow in the upper Midwest. Southwest, another beautiful day around Los Angeles. Temperatures there, comfortable. Here's that rain here in the Southeast. What we're seeing also, though, the rains and the wind from yesterday in the Northeast certainly have abated, although the farther east you go, the Cape and the islands, the eastern end of Long Island, that's where the winds are still a bit brisk. And we'll see those, though, abate during the day.
Sunny skies in the Mid-Atlantic. Temperatures a little bit cooler than where they've been. They were so warm. Temperatures now coming down to just about seasonal averages. Fifty-nine today in Atlanta, 30s and 40s in New York. But they will rise into the 50s for kind of the balance of this week. So certainly not an arctic week. Temperatures in the Southeast will warm up dramatically, Deb, back into the 70s today. And if you are out there flying, I know you're really concerned about travel delays. Minneapolis, Chicago, the rain, the wind, the snow. Orlando with the rain and Miami as well. So, those are the two quadrants of the country, Florida with the rain and then the wind and the snow in the upper Midwest. Kind of the travel troubles today.
FEYERICK: Alexandra, thank you so much. Boy, 50s in February in the Northeast. It's just remarkable.
STEELE: That's right. Yes.
FEYERICK: Thanks so much.
STEELE: Sure.
FEYERICK: We'll check in with you in a bit.
Well, Robert F. Kennedy's son facing charges over a recent hospital confrontation. Now it's turning into a he-said-she-said situation. So, who's telling the truth? You decide, coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FEYERICK: Checking stories cross country.
We start in Massachusetts. And that's where Ben & Jerry's is apologizing for a frozen yogurt named for NBA sensation Jeremy Lin. "Taste the Lin-Sanity" originally featured fortune cookies. Well, it's since been replaced with waffle cookies. The treat is sold at a shop at Harvard Square to honor the Harvard grad, an Asian-American guard for the New York Knicks.
And a close call for one Florida state trooper. Newly released video record on a dashboard camera shows a car hitting Officer Daniel Morley along I-95 in Palm Beach County. Morley suffered only minor injuries.
Finally, to New Mexico, where one groom ran into a little trouble on his way to the chapel. Police arrested Caleb Rogers at an Albuquerque gas station for probation violations. When they learned it was his wedding day, well, they arranged a rather unique ceremony.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OFFICER MARK ARAGON, ALBUQUERQUE POLICE: Obviously they had the compassion to go ahead and allow the ceremony to occur, but we were also safe about it.
ELLEN COFFMAN, GAS STATION CASHIER: To marry them on pump three, which I thought was really funny, and at the time I thought, well, I guess you were part of the wedding party and you're all the groomsmen.
(END VIDEO CLIP) FEYERICK: Married at pump three. A justice of the peace married Rogers and his fiance as the officers looked on. Rogers is now being held without bond.
And this morning, Robert F. Kennedy's son, Douglas, is facing child endangerment and harassment charges. He's accused of knocking down a New York nurse during a confrontation over his newborn son. Our national correspondent Susan Candiotti has more.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Deborah, good morning.
Was he defending his rights as a parent and protecting his child, or refusing to follow a nurse's order? Douglas Kennedy was visiting his wife, Molly, in the maternity ward about two days after her c- section and said he wanted to take his baby outside for some fresh air. It was about 7:30 on a Saturday night last month in a hospital in a New York City suburb. Baby Bo was swaddled in his blanket and cap. Kennedy says some nurses were willing to let him go, but when others disagreed, things took a nasty turn. In sworn depositions to police, nurses say they convinced Kennedy to leave an elevator, but then he headed to a stairwell. The nurses say that's when things got physical.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELLIOT TAUB, NURSES' ATTORNEY: And this particular father ramped her wrist, her arm, and twisted it so severely that she had tremendous pain in her arm. She then backed off with the other nurse standing right there. This gentleman then proceeded to kick her and kick her so hard with so much violence that she flew through the air and landed in the middle of the corridor."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: Kennedy's lawyer says Kennedy was trying to protect baby Bo and used a knee, not a foot, to stop the nurses who were grabbing for his baby.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT GOTTLIEB, DOUG KENNEDY'S ATTORNEY: The only aggressors were the nurses. And, in fact, initially, the nurses said that he could go outside. And it only changed when another nurse and then another nurse after that became aggressive and blocked Douglas from walking with his baby outside to get fresh air.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: The nurses told police the baby's head was, quote, "shaking violently from side to side." Kennedy's lawyer denies it, adding the baby slept through the whole thing. Attorneys for both sides agree the baby was not injured. An emergency room doctor, who was visiting Kennedy and saw what happened, defended his boyhood friend in a statement. Quote, "I can state unequivocally that the nurses were the only aggressors. To charge Mr. Kennedy with a crime is simply incomprehensible." Well, seven weeks later, the local D.A. charged Kennedy with a misdemeanor for child endangerment and harassing the nurses. It's not clear whether the nurses will sue Kennedy civilly, but last month they sent him a letter suggesting he might want to hire a lawyer.
Deborah.
FEYERICK: Susan Candiotti for us, thank you.
Well, a bus driver is stabbed on the job with his own pen. Police say an unruly passenger is to blame. So why then is that bus driver the one in trouble? That's coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FEYERICK: Taking medicine to remote areas. The lack of easy access isn't keeping this CNN Hero from making his rounds. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. BENJAMIN LABROT, MEDICAL MARVEL (ph): My name is Dr. Benjamin LaBrot. I don't have a private medical practice. And I make no salary.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ben, do you want to take her? This is Ingrid.
LABROT: I started an organization called Floating Doctors to use a ship to bring health care to communities that had fallen through the cracks and been denied access to health care. Floating Doctors has a 76 foot, 100 ton ship that we refurbished from a completely derelict hull and we use that to transport all of our supplies.
Since we set sail about two and a half years ago, our mission has been continuous. We were two months in Haiti. We transited to Honduras. And we've been working in Panama for about the last eight months.
In the last two years we've treated nearly 13,000 people in three countries. I'll find patients who have never seen a doctor before in their lives.
That was about as good a result in that ultra sound as we could possibly hope.
Typical community is usually living with no electricity, with no running water, with no sewage. Essentially living with none of the basic requirements, as we understand it.
We've built schools. We've done community projects. We've provided health education for thousands of patients. Floating Doctors is an all-volunteer organization. Nobody gets paid. All of our medical supplies are donated.
I had to postpone many aspects of my own personal life. I don't have a home somewhere. I had to give up a lot, but I gained everything.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK: And, remember, all of our heroes come from your nominations. So go to cnnheroes.com and share your inspirational stories.
Well, I'm going to walk you through this next story. What you're watching here is an argument on an Atlanta area transit bus. And you see the driver and a passenger arguing. Well, after the driver intervenes between an argument between bus passengers, that's when things turn violent. The woman there who's being subdued, she actually pulls a knife and lunges at the driver. Well, during this struggle, she then pulls a pen from the driver's pocket and repeatedly stabs the man in the neck and face. Police show up and they arrest the woman. But now the driver has been suspended with pay while the company investigates whether or not he followed proper protocol. Passengers say the driver was just protecting himself and concerned for the other passengers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think he should have gotten suspended. I mean he was unsure about his safety and unsure of the passengers also, but I don't think he should have got suspended.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FEYERICK: Well, we want to know what you think. Was it fair to suspend the bus driver from his job for not following proper protocol? Tweet me @debfeyerickcnn. I'm going to read all your tweets. I'm going to actually share some of them on the show. So, look forward to hearing from you.
Well, President Obama's victory in 2008 is often attributed to his mastery of online campaigning. But just how big of a part will social media play in this year's race for the White House? That is coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FEYERICK: Welcome back, everyone. I'm Deborah Feyerick. It is just half past the hour.
And checking your top stories, a gunman has been identified in the shooting deaths of two U.S. officers inside the Afghanistan Interior Ministry in Kabul. Officials say the suspect who remains at large is a junior intelligence official with ties to a religious school in Pakistan. Authorities believe the shootings are related to outrage over Koran burning by NATO troops.
The top NATO commander has ordered all personnel to withdraw from the ministries in Kabul and other areas while this is under investigation.
Polls are open in Syria where voting has begun on a constitutional referendum. The Bashar al-Assad regime says the measure if passed will allow a multi-lateral government, the change from this current constitution. The critics are dismissing the referendum saying it's superficial.
Speaking to CNN, Former President Jimmy Carter talked about what he thinks is necessary to create true reform.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY CARTER, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Well, for a number of months now I have advocated to first to the Arab League and then to the Prime Minister of Calcutta and then later to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and then to the Chinese on an approach to Syria that I thought would be effective, and that is, you know, for United Nations to pass a unanimous demand that the 2014 election for president and other parliament offices in Syria be moved up to 2012 with complete supervision of the United Nations and the Arab League and with monitors coming in to make sure that the election is free and fair and safe, including (INAUDIBLE).
I would guess that both the revolutionaries, I'll call them, and the Bashar administration feels that if they have an honest vote by the people, they will surely be chosen to continue the leadership or to have new leadership of Syria.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FEYERICK: Well, new details are emerging about a journalist killed in Syria. The "Sunday Times" reporting that Marie Colvin was trying to get her shoes in an effort to escape a shelling in Homs last week. Colvin, who works for "The Times," had removed her shoes upon entering a building as part of the Syrian custom.
Colvin's mom says she'll likely be buried in Syria because the situation is simply too dangerous to get her daughter's body out.
Sixteen American aid workers, including the son of Transportation Secretary Ray La Hood, they're heading to court in Egypt today where they're charged with fraud. The trial follows a December raid on several nongovernmental organizations, which Egyptian officials say are examples of foreign interference sparking unrest.
Some members of Congress say that Egypt's actions could threaten more than $1 billion in U.S. military aid.
To politics now, well, we are just two days away from the next primaries in the Republican presidential race, Arizona and Michigan.
But, first, take a look at this daily tracking poll from Gallup. It shows Rick Santorum with a one point lead over Mitt Romney, but remember, Santorum had a 10-point lead in the same poll on the day before the CNN Arizona Republican Debate last Wednesday.
In Arizona, Mitt Romney is up by four points ahead of Tuesday's primary. This one is inside the margin of error, so basically it's a dead heat. In Michigan, the numbers are basically flip-flopped. This American Research Group Poll has Santorum on top by four.
In all 13 states, they're holding their contest in the next 10 days, and the candidates, they're reaching out every way they can, including online. Josh Levs is here to walk us through some of those online efforts, and, Josh, are they paying off?
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, they are to some extent, absolutely. And it's a critical part of what campaigning is about these days. You can see more and more moving online.
Also, if you just want to know the pulse of a campaign, what the campaign is pushing any given day, good place to look is the main page of their website.
Let's pan to this quickly and then I'll talk to you about the actual value of social media. This is Rick Santorum's website. It's always interesting to see what the primary image is that you get when you get to the website. So he is in the main section of his website we are pushing fund raising at the top.
Let's pan to this. Mitt Romney, here his first main message all the way at the top of his is - oops -- didn't pull up here. There you go. Mitt Romney is getting - there you go. It's about the Michigan Bus Tour. That's what he's focusing on there before you see the other things. Obviously we know Michigan is a critical state for him as well.
Let's go over to Newt Gingrich here. Newt Gingrich is pushing various ways to get involved in the state. He also talks about some of his most well known supporters when you take a look here. And what you end up seeing is one of them that he points to at the top is Chuck Norris.
And one more, let's take a look at Ron Paul here. Ron Paul is pushing fundraising here as well at the top of his website, looking at some very specific numbers trying to gather money in advance of Super Tuesday.
All right. Let's go to - I want to you see the Twitter numbers about these candidates and I want to talk to you about this, because Newt Gingrich brought this up at one point in the campaign. Now by far, Newt Gingrich has the most Twitter followers, more than anyone else.
But he's actually had them for a while, and in some cases these are people who followed a list years ago of automatic - basically you automatically follow lots of suggested Twitter followers. So what happens here is that it's not a direct correlation to anything about your supports or your voting on the ground, but you can see he has a lot more.
I want to show you a Facebook numbers as well. And you could see here it's different and when it comes to Facebook, Mitt Romney is on top with almost 1.5 million people following him on Facebook. No one even comes close. Ron Paul, 875,000; Newt Gingrich, 287,000; Rick Santorum, 154,000.
And if you want to talk about reach on social media in terms of immediacy of the message, take a look at what President Obama has. No surprise there. President Obama's numbers would be higher. He is the president, after all. About 25 million on Facebook, 12.7 million Twitter followers. Just about half as many as he has on Facebook.
So Deb, look, they are constantly putting all sorts of messages out there on all these forums, and it is a critical way of advancing messages, of reaching voters and of getting, you know, basically fundraising going at all times. But people shouldn't make the mistake of thinking that the number of people following on Twitter or on Facebook is any automatic correlation to whether you're going to win or not.
FEYERICK: Yes, absolutely. And not only that, nor does it suggest, you know, what kind of - what they think about each candidate or what it is they're actually supporting or not supporting or whether they're going to vote or not vote.
But, yes, so interesting because we all look at our Twitter numbers every now and again to see how they're inching up, but it never is a gauge -
LEVS: It's not.
FEYERICK: -- of how people think you're doing.
LEVS: Just want to talk about sort of (ph) activity, it's about being engaged, it's about how many people that are following you are also engaged and even using that social medium to try to get something done. That's why it's so important to use this. Also why people should not get caught up in numbers.
FEYERICK: Absolutely. All right, Josh Levs, thanks so much.
LEVS: You got it. Thanks.
FEYERICK: We'll check in with you a little later on.
LEVS: Yes.
FEYERICK: Well, up next, how spoiled milk and moldy bread can actually help keep - listen to this - $600 in your pocket. No, I'm serious. Really. Seriously.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FEYERICK: Well, when you see that moldy bread in your pantry or the sour milk in the fridge, the last thing you probably want to do is eat it, let alone save it.
But Environmental Lifestyle Expert Danny Seo says doing this could save you up to $600 a year, not to mention not wasting the food. He calls it the "dumpster diet," and he told me how it works.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK: Let's say I've got wilty or moldy food -
DANNY SEO, AUTHOR AND LIFESTYLE EXPERT: Yes.
FEYERICK: -- in my refrigerator. How do I make that edible? Because, look, I see the celery here. I love celery. I have the fantasy that I'll eat celery all the time, and it just ends up going to waste in my refrigerator.
SEO: If it sort of feels bendy, like it's not crispy anymore, a secret tip, get a large like glass or a vase, just you can fill it with cold water, a couple of tablespoons of white vinegar, and then you take the celery and you stick it inside. Let it soak up the water and it crisps right back up. So you have another three to four days that you actually can use the celery.
FEYERICK: Does it taste like vinegar then, though?
SEO: No, no. And little drops, little drops.
FEYERICK: OK.
SEO: So don't - that's the key thing. Don't use the whole jar of white vinegar.
FEYERICK: I'd better be calling you telling you my celery tastes vinegary.
SEO: It's now pickled celery then.
Other things, for example, is I think a lot of us will take our bananas and our peaches and our avocadoes, making them - put them all together in a bowl in the center of the table.
FEYERICK: Right.
SEO: It's actually ethylene gas that they're all emitting, and so it's causing them to ripen up.
Look at this thing, I've had this next to the avocado and this nectarine here, these bananas and in two days they ripened this quickly.
FEYERICK: OK.
SEO: If you keep them separate from each other in separate brown bags, you're going to get a longer shelf life for all your fruits and vegetables.
FEYERICK: I would you never think that they actually affect each other.
SEO: They're not - Mother Nature didn't grow them this way, so keep them separate from each other.
FEYERICK: OK. Great. So how did you - and, for example, like, you've got cheese here and also - and the bread. Explain.
SEO: OK. So bread, if it tastes like it's gone stale and you want to crisp it up again, all you've got to do is get a spray bottle with water, spray it with water, put it back in the oven to crisp it up and you've got a brand new loaf of bread.
FEYERICK: So really what you're doing is you are extending the life of this food. How do you know that you're not going to get sick, for example?
SEO: OK. It's called intuition. So a lot of things - like a lot of cheeses that might have mold on it, for example, if it's a hard cheese or a salami, you guys you can cut away about an inch away from the mold, and you'll still have perfectly good food.
But if it's a soft cheese or something that doesn't normally actually have any kind of a mold -
FEYERICK: Like a brie.
SEO: Yes.
FEYERICK: You sometimes see the white kind of fuzz growing on the outside.
SEO: You want to throw it away.
And like a lot of people think if you freeze things, it's actually going to like kill the bacteria. It actually just preserves it.
So what you want to do is if you want to freeze berries, let's say they're in season and really peak and you freeze it, you're good to go. Once you thaw them the second time around, you can't refreeze it.
For the first time it's great then all summer long and all fall long, you have something for smoothies or for recipes, so it's a great way of extending fresh produce if it's about to be thrown away.
FEYERICK: Does organic food have a longer shelf life?
SEO: It doesn't, you know?
FEYERICK: OK.
SEO: But it is healthier for you.
My big tip is if people want to buy organic but they think it's too expensive, look for generic brands, like store brands, and so anything in cans, it's USDA certified organic. It's pesticide free or chemical free, it's a lot cheaper than the national brands.
FEYERICK: You know, it's also a way of sort of changing the way you think about your food, because I do think we tend to buy thinking we're going to use, and then when it reaches sort of the end point, we say, oh, I'm just going to throw it away and buy fresh.
SEO: Right, right. And you really should actually take note of things that you're throwing away. You know, there's even like fragile things or common things we buy all the time like milk and eggs.
Like my big trick is like when you go to the store, get the milk in the back of the refrigerator and get the eggs in the bottom of the stack because they've been coldest the longest. And you actually get another week's worth of use out of them so you never have to throw it away.
FEYERICK: Well, that's very interesting. Because in New York where I'm from, we often see on the date it says will expire like a week earlier if you get it in New York, which is always interesting to me, so where you buy it also.
SEO: And also where you store it, because a lot of us if you have the older refrigerators, they have those egg trays on the inside.
FEYERICK: Right.
SEO: But actually when you open the fridge all the time, that's the place that gets warmest quickest and so that's the worst place to put eggs and milk. You actually want to put it in the back of the refrigerator.
FEYERICK: Right.
SEO: Because that's the coldest spot to do it.
FEYERICK: Fascinating. Well, saving food and using them a little bit longer, and I think that's great, because nobody wants to throw away food. Especially I've become my mother. There are people who are starving and you have to save that food and these are great tips, too.
SEO: $600.
FEYERICK: Danny Seo, thank you so much. Really appreciate it. Really, really useful tips.
SEO: Thank you.
FEYERICK: Thanks so much for coming by.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK: Well, it is the subject of fairy tales and movies - a true to life deep sea treasure worth half a billion dollars. More in a minute.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FEYERICK: And for this "Morning's Passport," our very own Nadia Bilchik combed the high seas to dig up news on what many believe is the most valuable sunken treasure discovery in history. Nadia, this is incredible. A half a billion dollars, and the people who found it can't keep it.
NADIA BILCHIK, CNN EDITORIAL PRODUCER: Well, not only can't keep it, but yesterday morning half a billion dollars of gold and silver coins were taken by the Spanish government from Fort Lauderdale back to Spain.
So the treasure was found by a U.S.-based company known as the Odyssey Marine Exploration Company. They spent $2.6 million retrieving this treasure with the most unique technology known as a submersible.
FEYERICK: Right.
BILCHIK: So they found it in 2007. For the last five years, there's been this legal wrangling with the Spanish government because it was a Spanish ship found off the Coast of Portugal, and apparently it was on his way from Peru.
So now the Peruvian government has gotten in the act as well, but the bottom line is right now the treasure is in Spain, and the lawyer, Jim Gould has been acting on behalf of the Spanish government said, "Finally, Spain has now been victorious at every level of the U.S. courts from Tampa, to Atlanta, to Washington."
FEYERICK: But what's incredible is they wouldn't have been victorious had there been no discovery of the treasure to begin with. Where does the Florida company come in?
BILCHIK: Exactly.
FEYERICK: Why don't they have even access to any of that?
BILCHIK: Not only access, but they don't even get their money reimbursed.
So it's already very controversial because it's saying is this going to dissuade people from finding this kind of treasure, but what they found is that the actual coins were on a military ship so to speak.
FEYERICK: Oh, my goodness.
BILCHIK: Had it been a commercial ship, then they might have had access, but once they found that, in fact, it was a Spanish military ship, so today Spain is half a billion dollars richer, and the Spanish government says it is going to be used for artistic exhibition.
FEYERICK: Oh, absolutely. You know what? I think this company needs to re-evaluate its business plan and actually find it for a percentage, assuming they can't keep it.
Nadia Bilchik, thank you so much. We'll check in with you in a little bit. Appreciate it. Well, a Marine sent home because of a severe injury in Afghanistan. A documentary shows how his physical pains were matched by the anxiety of normal, regular life.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SGT. NATHAN HARRIS, MARINE SEVERELY WOUNDED IN AFGHANISTAN: Look at this. There's not a single parking spot in this gigantic parking spot. It's like, my God, I would rather be in Afghanistan where it's simple.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FEYERICK: Well, coming up I'm going to be talking about what it's really like to come back home.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FEYERICK: Good morning and welcome back, and a special hello to our men and women watching on the American Forces Network.
The decade-long war in Afghanistan has claimed the lives of 1,893 U.S. troops. More than 15,000 have been wounded in action. That staggering number represents only physical injuries, not the emotional and mental toll our wounded warriors face.
When they return home from war, their road to recovery can be rocky. Take a look at this clip from the documentary, "Hell and Back Again."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's go, let's go.
ASHLEY HARRIS, SGT. NATHAN HARRIS' WIFE: Are you all right?
N. HARRIS: I'm doing pretty bad, to be honest.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get that. Just shoot at the middle of the wall.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're shooting from there and directly down the road.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Roger. (INAUDIBLE). They need your drop.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK: That's up for Best Documentary featured at tonight Academy Awards.
And joining me now is the man you just saw, Sergeant Nathan Harris and his wife Ashley. Thanks so much to both of you for being here.
Sergeant Harris, you were part of an elite counter-insurgency unit in Afghanistan in 2009. A couple of weeks before you were to go home, you were injured. Tell us about that.
N. HARRIS: I was initially shot by an enemy machine gun, and the bullet did a significant amount of damage. The exit wound from the round was actually 24 inches, so it was very, very large. It was right where my femur meets my hip.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to be six months before you really feel like this leg is your leg again. A year before you really, you know, want to strap on it for you to get back to killing people.
A. HARRIS: You're doing great. Feel better? Big relief, huh?
N. HARRIS: A year.
A. HARRIS: I know. You got to remember that you are blessed that it's a year. You have your leg.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FEYERICK: What's amazing is watching Nathan, how difficult it is for a returning service member to come back and adjust, to get back to regular life?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
N. HARRIS: Look at this. There's not a single parking spot in this gigantic parking spot. It's like, my God, I would rather be in Afghanistan where it's simple.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
N. HARRIS: It felt that way every time. And it's just, you know, whether it's in a Wal-Mart parking lot, whether it's in a parking lot anywhere or just a mundane task, the stresses that go into it and the new type of things you have to think about, the new decisions that you have to make are completely different.
You're doing everything as aggressively and quickly as humanly possible, and now you can't even get into a parking spot and get into Wal-Mart without it taking too long, and it makes you feel a certain way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
N. HARRIS: Do you think I'm lying about it when I tell you I'm getting sick?
A. HARRIS: No. Just leave me alone. I'm tired of arguing with you over stupid [bleep].
N. HARRIS: I know. If you insist.
A. HARRIS: You got to leave me alone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FEYERICK: Ashley, I want to ask you because, really, you - when he came back, he was a different person, and this documentary shows you as a good Marine wife. You helped him with his medications. You helped him dress. There were oftentimes that you were the brunt of his frustration and his anger. How did you deal with that Nathan who left and then that Nathan who came home?
A. HARRIS: Well, I guess the best way to explain it is, is I've kind of gotten used to it. This is the third deployment we've had, and each time he came back, he was a little different, and it's almost like learning somebody new again.
I mean, we've - I've been away from him just as he was away from me, so he had to learn me again also, you know? And you just have to look at it as you love each other, you made this commitment, and no matter what, you're there, and you're going to stick through, you know, no matter what.
FEYERICK: Absolutely. Well, listen, on a lighter note - and this is such a powerful documentary. It's up for an Academy. Are you excited to walk the red carpet tonight, the two of you?
N. HARRIS: Yes, ma'am.
A. HARRIS: Oh, yes, ma'am.
N. HARRIS: Unbelievably excited.
A. HARRIS: We can't wait.
FEYERICK: Thanks so much, and good luck.
And be sure to tune in to "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." A.J. Hammer hosts our special live coverage of the Oscars, "The Road To Gold." That airs Sunday, 6:30 P.M. Eastern.
Americans targeted in Afghanistan by people who are supposed to be U.S. allies. Ahead, we'll take you live to Afghanistan.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FEYERICK: From CNN Center, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It is Sunday, February 26th.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Deborah Feyerick.
New details about the deadly shooting of two American officers in Afghanistan. The gunman? Still on the loose opened fire in a highly secured interior ministry.
An 86-year-old war veteran crawls to safety after being attacked at a gas station. What's outrageous? No one offered to help him.
And it's a big night for Billy Crystal in Hollywood as the Oscars get ready to honor the year's best movies and hottest stars. We start with the search for a gunman in Afghanistan blamed for killing two ranking U.S. officers inside the heavily fortified interior ministry in charge of all law enforcement. NATO is pulling its military advisors from Afghanistan ministry, suggesting that it may have concerns over security forces there.
Let's bring in Nick Paton Walsh from Kabul.
Nick, what do we know about the gunman?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Remarkable details, actually, from an Afghan counterterrorism official. This man is called Abdul Saboor, and was an employee of the intelligence department of that interior ministry. Now, he appears to have gone to work normal in his own car., logged in, picked up his pistol and then gone to this highly secure command and control center in which these two high ranking American officers were sat. He shoots them and then leaves. It is now escaped on the run. The ministry interior said they were doing their best try and find him.
Another remarkable detail from this unnamed official is that he apparently spent two months recently in Pakistan at a madrasah, a religious school there, which surely had people known about it, could have raised red flags. It's become possible Taliban affiliation.
Now, it's not clear at present if he does have an affiliation with the insurgency. What is clear is the source we spoke to believes this was 100 percent linked to the recent burnings of Korans and, in fact, this source pretty much tallies with the explanation the Taliban gave in an e-mail yesterday. They called the government, Abdul Rahman, but said he too was acting because of this Koran burning, Deb.
FEYERICK: Nick, is there any suggestion that he maybe one of many who may have infiltrated security forces and thereby, pose a threat to all U.S. and other NATO forces in those ministries that are providing security and helping the Afghan government get on its way?
WALSH: That's the concern of the past and of the longer term future as well. The Taliban have said they've infiltrated the police and security ministries, and there are repeated instances in which men in Afghan army uniform opened fire, killing ISAF personnel. Two Americans just three days, two incidents with the French that made them reconsider their presence here. That is a long-running concern, and one which we regularly see coming to fruition here.
Of course, much of the time ISAF say, these are soldiers acting on their own. Perhaps out of frustration or personal tiffs with the ISAF people they work with. But it's vital that there's trust between American ISAF and Afghan forces. They have to train the Afghans to take over security here so NATO troops can leave, Deb.
FEYERICK: All right. Things so unstable there. Nick Paton Walsh, thanks so much. We appreciate it.
And obviously, a key point you mentioned earlier, and that is -- how did he even leave the interior ministry? Nick, thanks so much. Well, to Syria now, where today brings a mix of voting and violence. People voting today on a new constitution referendum. But in Homs, the shelling continues. Activists say at least 11 people have been killed there today after nearly 50 were killed there yesterday.
The United States has promised humanitarian aid. A short time ago, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton talked about Syria and American intervention.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: The Syrian people themselves need to start acting on behalf of their fellow Syrians. You know, where are the people inside Syria who are going to demand that men, women, and children cannot be assaulted and left to die, given no medical care, no food, no water, and, you know, look, I think that, you know, Russia has a commercial relationship, ideological relationship with Syria. It's made its decision to stand on their side.
REPORTER: Will there be any consequences to the relationship with Russia if they're not willing to at least help use their influence to provide the aid?
CLINTON: Well, I mean, I think we've already seen some very clear disagreements played out in public between us. But at this point we're doing everything we can to marshal public opinion internationally and work with neighbors in the region to try to get that humanitarian aid in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FEYERICK: Secretary Clinton also said it would be difficult to try and arm the opposition because there's no clear path and no clear leadership inside the country to contact.
Well, Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan is being demolished. And if you look close here, you can see the heavy machinery just there on the right knocking it down. The Pakistan military says they don't want the site to become a shrine for al Qaeda sympathizers.
Bin Laden was killed by a Navy SEAL team last year. Some U.S. officials believe Pakistan knew bin Laden was hiding in Abbottabad.
And Nelson Mandela could be going home from the hospital as early as today. A statement from the South African president says Mr. Mandela is in satisfactory condition after having hernia surgery. Mandela is 93 years old and he has had a few health issues recently, but he's kept largely out of the public spotlight for the last couple of years.
And to politics now. Well, we're only two days from the next Republican primaries in Michigan and Arizona, and just a week away from Super Tuesday.
And joining me is Patricia Murphy, founder of Citizen Jane Politics and a contributor for the Daily Beast.
And, Patricia, you know, Mitt Romney has made a few misstatements.
PATRICIA MURPHY, CITIZEN JANE POLITICS: Yes.
FEYERICK: Things he probably wants to take back. There was the $10,000 bet he made with Rick Perry -- $10,000 being kind of a lot of money.
MURPHY: Too rich for some of our blood.
FEYERICK: A little bit, a little bit. There was also this one. Just take a listen.
MURPHY: OK.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I love this country. I actually love this state. It just feels good being back in Michigan. You know, the trees are the right height.
(APPLAUSE)
ROMNEY: The streets are just right. I like the fact that most of the cars I see are Detroit-made automobiles. I drove a Mustang and a Chevy pick-up truck. Ann drives a couple of Cadillacs, actually. And I used to have a Dodge truck. I used to have all three covered.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FEYERICK: You know, Patricia, when I look at him, it's almost as if -- you know he wants to say something, and you know he wants to come across as sort of, you know, an uncomplicated, one of the folks kind of guys, you know --
MURPHY: Yes.
FEYERICK: And at the same time when he talks about a couple of Cadillacs, you know, it's like a land mine.
MURPHY: It just hurts so much, and the problem for Mitt Romney is that people are saying, where is the authenticity? Who are you?
And he has had one after another after another of these gaffes that tell us, is that who you really are? It just feels like there's some sort of facade that he is putting up, and then he'll say something and say that's who you really are. Oh, you're a regular guy who drives a pick-up and your wife drives a couple of Cadillacs.
FEYERICK: Right.
MURPHY: So, this follows into a pattern. And we see this -- some politicians struggle with this. George H.W. Bush had a moment where he was amazed by a grocery scanner. In 1992, he lost that election.
John McCain said he can't really remember how many houses he has. He lost that election.
So, you know, especially when people are struggling, it is almost offensive to them when they see somebody trying to lead them who doesn't feel their pain or doesn't at least try to understand what they're going through. This is real for him.
FEYERICK: And he is also trying to make them seem as if they're just one of you. When they're not -- look, Mitt Romney has awe lot of very strong factors, but by trying to almost simplify them -- and I don't want to say dumb them down, but I don't understand why trees in Michigan are the right height. I don't even understand what that means. To me if I'm living in Michigan, I don't know. Maybe --
MURPHY: He keeps saying it. Why do you keep saying the trees are the right height?
FEYERICK: I don't understand.
MURPHY: Just tell voters who you are, and voters will embrace that. They just want authenticity.
FEYERICK: They want to respect you. You don't have to be liked as long as you're respected for who you are and what you bring.
Now, Rick Santorum started the week defending his vote in favor of No Child Left Behind. Now it seems like he has a higher problem with higher education, like it's too high. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: President Obama once said he wants everybody in America to go to college. What a snob.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FEYERICK: OK. Just go at it.
MURPHY: Well, this is a strange position for a man who has an MBA and a law degree. You know, I'll have several graduate degrees, but no -- I don't even know what he means by that, but he has put this language into his stump speech. It's new, that he calls the Obama administration a bunch of snobs, and Barack Obama is a snob.
That is an appeal, and you heard the applause there, and people applauded this. It sort -- it resonates with them. He is appealing to a blue collar, white Republican electorate that Mitt Romney is not appealing to, and he is really connecting with them, and he's been a lot more successful.
Rick Santorum, once he started to go after this blue collar working class vote, and it's worked for him.
FEYERICK: What I kind of find interesting also, and that is that you have to push somebody down in order to build somebody up. You have a college degree? That's great. You don't have a college degree? That's great too.
Patricia Murphy, thanks so much. We're going to be checking in with you in a bit.
MURPHY: Sounds good.
FEYERICK: Thanks so much.
Well, there's also going to be a little campaigning in Florida today. It's the great American race, the Daytona 500. And both Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum are going to have a presence there.
Romney is actually expected to be there for at least part of the race. He was there last year as well. The United Auto Workers plan to protest his appearance at Daytona.
Rick Santorum will be there in spirit, but also in name. He is actually sponsoring a car in the race. As you can see, the number 26 Ford, it's going to have Santorum 2012 on the hood, and that kind of advertising, it can cost between $2 million to $20 million for that kind of exposure.
Well, Danica Patrick will be one of the most watched drivers in today's race, but she didn't finish so well yesterday. A wreck early in the nationwide race at Daytona pretty much ended her day, but she still seemed to try to remain upbeat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANICA PATRICK, FINISHED 38TH IN SATURDAY RACE: More than anything, I'm just frustrated because the Go Daddy car was so fast. It was so fast. I could get up to tandem cars in front of me all by myself, and it's so frustrating when you have one of those kinds of cars and it -- it's gone, because there are other days where you don't have that kind of a car, and nobody seems to manage to find your bumper ever.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FEYERICK: Well, Patrick starts 29th in today's race. She is just the third woman ever to run in the Daytona 500, and the first since Shawna Robinson did it exactly 20 years ago.
Well, after the break, an 86-year-old World War II vet attacked, carjacked, and forced to crawl to safety without help. What is going on? And it happened in broad daylight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FEYERICK: Lake Winnebago in Wisconsin could start being called Lake Ford, Buick, or Toyota. Dozens of cars parked on the frozen lake are now soaking wet or worse after the ice broke under their weight. There were as many as 150 cars parked there for a popular fishing tournament. Ouch. Well, Alexandra Steele is in for Reynolds Wolf for a check of the weekend forecast.
But, first, ice is not my first choice of a parking space.
ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: No. You know, and because for the balance of this winter, temperatures have really been quite warm. We have had balances and kind of, like, hits of arctic air, but it's been a diet of warm temperatures.
So, I want to show you the ice thickness and the safety. I just did some research on the hole. People right now saying Lake Winnebago, about nine inches, and that's where, you know, on the whole that's what people are saying the depth is.
So, here's a rundown of how safe it is. This is talking about new clear ice. Clear ice, a lot safer than kind of a dirtier ice, two inches or less. You have to stay off. Four inches is for ice fishing or anything you are kind of doing on foot. And five inches snow mobiles, ATVs, safe, eight to 12, a car or small truck.
Now, if Lake Winnebago is at nine inches, not a lot of room for error there, and those are bigger trucks than small trucks. So, 12 to 15 inches is the depth of the lake has to be to safely hold a medium sized truck. So -- all right. There's that.
And temperatures now are certainly cool enough to support that ice around. We've got snow coming down as well.
So, here's a look at the radar picture. Right along this I-94 points north, kind of north of Bismarck and north of Minneapolis, maybe five to eight inches of snow today. But that's kind of it in terms of snow. The rain a big factor here in the southeast, kind of an area of low pressure moving off the coast.
Today, the Daytona 500, 1:00. I want to show you the radar and the movement of it. We're going to see here's Daytona. There's the rain, 1:00, 2:00, and, again, more rain coming in.
So, even some light rain kind of could cause some trouble with Daytona 500, so keeping an eye on that. It does not look good for today.
FEYERICK: All right. Alexandra, thank you so much.
By the way, I can't imagine explaining to somebody -- oh, my car got destroyed when I parked on the ice. OK. Thank you so much.
STEELE: Your insurance company.
FEYERICK: That's exactly right.
Taiwan earthquake, that's going to be coming up. We're looking forward to checking in with you on that in just a little while. Thanks so much.
Well, Detroit police are trying to find the person who carjacked a World War II vet in broad daylight at a gas station. Take a look.
Eighty-six-year-old Aaron Brantley was on his way home from church when someone jumped him from behind, broke his leg, and then drove off in his car. To top things off, no one bothered to help him as he crawled away. Look at this poor man.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AARON BRANTLEY, CARJACKING VICTIM: I opened the door and proceeded to get in, and all I knew I was on the ground.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FEYERICK: Well, according to affiliate WXYZ, the car was found a few hours later. The tires and radio gone. The gentleman's Bible was still in the car.
No one stopped to help. Unbelievable.
Well, Hollywood is getting ready to honor its best, and we have a preview of what to expect from our Oscar watcher Jawn Murray. That's coming up next. And he's dressed for the occasion.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FEYERICK: Well, tonight is the big night in Hollywood. What a night is that, you ask. The 84th Annual Academy Awards. Hollywood's finest will be hitting the red carpet, hoping to bring home that little gold Oscar.
But it hasn't exactly been a smooth start for this year's show, as you probably remember. Brett Ratner stepped down as a producer after a controversial comment. Then, Eddie Murphy, who was chosen to host -- well, he dropped out.
So, let's talk more about the Oscars with entertainment journalist Jawn Murray.
And, Jawn, let me ask you. First of all, are people disappointed that Billy Crystal is hosting again, or is there some enthusiasm there?
JAWN MURRAY, ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST: Well, I think, Deb, people are disappointed that Eddie Murphy isn't hosting. They were excited about the fresh perspective he was going to bring to the show.
But we know Billy Crystal has done it before. We know he's going to be brilliant and he's good at executing a great form.
At the end of the day, it's Hollywood's most magical night. People are going to be dressed in their Sunday's best, or whatever their stylist picks out, and it's all about hearing those famous five words: "And the Oscar goes to."
FEYERICK: That's exactly right.
What are your predictions for tonight? Are we going to see any big upsets in this?
MURRAY: I don't know about big upsets. I think best picture is definitely going to go to "The Artist". It has wonderful momentum going into the weekend. People are really excited about this film. I say put your money on "The Artist".
For best actor, I say Jean Dujardin, I'm having such a hard time trying to pronounce his name. But I think he's also going to win for "The Artist." He won the SAG award, which is always a great indicator going into the Oscar ceremony.
And I think the two heartthrobs are going to cancel each other out, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, not going happen.
For best actress, I would say go with Viola Davis. Now, some people say it's a toss-up between Meryl Streep and Viola, but Viola also won the SAG award, which I said is a great indicator.
And Meryl is presenting on the show, which can sometimes mean you're not going to win, and even she said Viola is her favorite actress. So, let's go with Meryl's choice for best actress.
FEYERICK: You know, it's interesting, Jawn. I was listening to something and they said, you know, both Meryl Streep, Glen Close have both been nominated. Whenever they're nominated together, neither of them wins. So, it's really -- it's very scientific as to how some people wins.
But let's move a little bit and talk about Sacha Baron Cohen, hilarious man. He has made headlines of his own because reports started to circulate that he was going to pull some sort of a stunt on the red carpet.
Cohen even posted a video addressing the drama. Just take a quick listen to this first.
Do we have it? Stand by.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FEYERICK: OK. That was not the clip. That's Christopher Plummer who is nominated for best supporting actor, but, OK, so, Sacha Baron Cohen --
MURRAY: Deb, let me point out real quick, though.
FEYERICK: Yes.
MURRAY: if Christopher Plummer does win, he will be the oldest actor to ever win in his category. Jessica Tandy for "Driving Miss Daisy" was 80 when she won, and he is 82.
FEYERICK: That's still possible.
MURRAY: But Sacha Baron Cohen, you know, when he takes on a role, he commits to it.
So, he wanted to show up tonight in his new character, the Middle Eastern General Aladeen, and they said, no, you can't do it, you can't come. And you know, he was not going to come, said they would take away his freedom of speech. But I hear that they have invited him again, so, you know, that's going to be all the rage on social media. If he shows up in character, it will bring the fun factor to the Oscar red carpet.
FEYERICK: It's so fascinating because you think of the Oscars, you want some spontaneity. You want some levity. And, obviously, you know, Sacha Baron Cohen, he is -- he -- that's his thing. He gets people when they least expect. Those hilarious interviews he does with people.
Well, it will be interesting to see what he does. Certainly, I think the Academy making more of a fuss than need be, brought a lot of eyes to Mr. Sacha Baron Cohen.
All right. Jawn Murray, thank you so much. We appreciate your insights, and we will look forward to seeing what you have to say once you're there. Thanks so much.
Well, be sure to tune in this evening as "Showbiz Tonight's" A.J. Hammer hosts our live coverage of the Oscars, "The Road to Gold" with A.J. Hammer airs Sunday 6:30 p.m. Eastern.
And a more serious note. A bus driver suspended from his job after confronting a passenger who was trying to stab him. His bosses say, well, he didn't follow protocol. What do you think about it? Tweet me, tweet me now @DebFeyerickCNN.
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FEYERICK: So, check out this surveillance video from a commuter bus. We told you about an Atlanta area bus driver restraining a passenger and then being stabbed in the face with his own pen. Well, he is now being investigated by his company and suspended with pay, but for not following proper protocol.
We asked you -- is that fair?
Well, JazzShaw tweets, "Typical. The criminal stabs the driver, and the working guy is the one suspended. Welcome to the new America."
Wayne writes, "The bus company needs to thank the driver for protecting the passengers."
And, Daniel, well, he's also weighing in.
Keep the comments coming. We're going to have lots more. Tweet @DebFeyerickCNN. Sanjay Gupta starts right now.
