Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Sunday Morning

Secretary of State: "Urgent Moment" for Syria; Coast Guard Rescue Mission

Aired April 01, 2012 - 08:00   ET

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

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: From CNN Center, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It's 8:00 a.m. in the East, 5:00 a.m. in the West.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye. Here's what's happening.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton doubles the amount of money for the opposition in Syria, adding an additional $12 million in aid. We'll have a live report from the region.

An around-the-world yacht race interrupted by stormy weather, and now, a rescue operation under way 400 miles off the California coast.

And the party is just starting. From sweet 16 to the Final Four, now the national college basketball championship, it is finally down to the final two.

ANNOUNCER: From CNN's world headquarters, bringing you news and analysis from across the nation and around the world. Live from Studio 7, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

KAYE: Hillary Clinton and regional leaders are gathered in Turkey right now, trying to stop the killings of thousands of people just across the border in Syria. The secretary of state says the Syrian regime is leaving a trail of broken promises.

CNN's Jill Dougherty has just interviewed Mrs. Clinton in Istanbul and joins us now by phone.

Jill, good morning to you. Can you tell us what the secretary of state had to say to you?

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, Randi, the schedule here has been changing, as you can imagine. And, actually, it's pushed back a little bit, and we will be speaking with her, I would say, about in an hour and a half. But she still has a news conference. It's a very, very busy conference. And you'd have to say it's moving very quickly.

The whole idea of this is to bring these nations together. There are about 60 countries here. Of course, the question is what are they going to do to help the Syrian people and stop the violence?

So, Secretary Clinton has been saying, number one, no time for excuses, time for excuses is over, and Assad has to stop the violence.

How do they do that? Well, number one, more pressure on the regime, more support for the opposition, and then more humanitarian aid. You mentioned that, Randi.

But there are other things they're doing. One is they're going to be tracking who gives arms and money to the regime, and they're also going to be helping the Syrians, train the Syrians to collect data on human rights violations so that eventually, if they can go to trial and prosecute some of the people who carried out these atrocities, that would be good in the future.

So, it's an intense schedule, and right now, the question is exactly how they can help.

KAYE: And this "Friends of Syria" conference, do they truly believe that talk there can translate into action?

DOUGHERTY: You know, that's been a big criticism of all of this. In fact, some diplomats have told us they really feel that this talk fest approach is too much. The administration is saying, look, you have to find some type of structure, and one of the problems is the opposition is really a disparate group. They're very, very different. There are many of them. And they have different goals.

So the most important thing is to unite them. And actually, Secretary Clinton met a couple of hours ago with members of the opposition. And, in fact, one of them said, why isn't the international community doing more? And Clinton, quite honestly, you know, admitted that in the beginning, it was hard to know initially how to help.

But what the opposition is doing is they've drawn up, in essence, the concept, the idea of the Syria that they want to see. Even if they can't get every single group aboard, they're hoping that they can get them at least united in a concept of what the future of Syria should look like.

KAYE: And even with the promise of the cease-fire from Bashar al Assad, the killing continues, the fighting continues. What can they actually do? I mean, he's already agreed to a cease-fire, and he hasn't followed up on it.

DOUGHERTY: Exactly. So I think you'd have to say that the mood is turning to, if he does not -- and it looks as if he is not following through on his promises -- what do you do? Now, some here, especially, let's say, in this region, in the Gulf region where we just came from with Secretary Clinton, they want to arm the opposition, and some of them already are. The U.S. isn't going that far.

But there are things, like Secretary Clinton mentioned, communications equipment. The opposition right now can't even talk to each other inside the country, let alone with the outside world. So, they are -- the U.S. is going to be providing some of the opposition groups communications equipment, things like that. So you have, on the one hand, the diplomatic pressure. You also have, let's say, some type of military aid, and then you also have helping the people who have fled and who are the victims.

KAYE: Jill Dougherty for us -- Jill, thank you very much. And keep us up to date on your interview with the secretary of state.

And as we said, even as the talks continue, in Turkey, there's more bloodshed in neighboring Syria.

This amateur video shows explosions rocking the city of Homs. The opposition stronghold has been under siege now for months. Activists say at least nine people were killed across the country today. And the U.N. estimates that more than 9,000 people have died since the unrest began just over a year ago.

Any moment now, the Coast Guard is expected to reach a crippled yacht that is stranded in the Pacific Ocean. The yacht was on its way from China to San Francisco as part of a race around the world when it ran into stormy weather 400 miles from the California coast. Several crew members were injured.

Last hour, I spoke with Coast Guard Petty Officer Levi Read about his agency and how they will rescue that crew.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEVI READ, U.S. COAST GUARD: Once the Coast Guard helicopter makes its way to the vessel, it will lower a rescue swimmer, just as any rescue closer to shore would. He is an EMT trained person. He'll do medical evaluation, check the injuries, treat the injuries as much as he can, and make a decision on what he needs to do at that point.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Levi Read says that yacht is still in rough waters with 9 to 15-foot seas. We'll keep you up to date throughout the day, of course, on that rescue operation.

But meanwhile, meteorologist Reynolds Wolf is joining me now.

Reynolds, you're actually taking a look at the weather the Coast Guard can expect as it attempts to rescue this yacht. How's it looking?

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's not going to be easy task for them, but I have to tell you, the men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard are an elite group. They're wonderful. They're certainly going to be up to the task. They'll have no problem getting out there. But it's not going to be easy by any stretch of the imagination.

To get an idea of what they're going to be dealing with out there. You first have to understand that the climate that you have along the coast of the Golden State, normally for the first few months of the year, you have a big area of high pressure that sits right off the coast. We call it door of high pressure in California. But this time of year, that high pressure is gone, and it basically opens up the storm track so you can have storms that just drift right along the coast and make their way into the interior. That is certainly the situation we had had yesterday. In fact, if you look at the weather map for today, you can see this frontal boundary, all this drifting from west to east. This was the primary instigator of the rough weather we've been seeing out there.

So, you have a very cold current that runs from north to south. You have at this time, again, you see the storm bringing some heavier rainfall to parts of the San Joaquin Valley and certainly up to the Sierra Nevada. But if you were to zoom in right along the coast itself, you have very, very choppy conditions out there.

In fact, right now, along the coast of central California, we have a small craft advisory, where we have swells anywhere from four to eight feet. And, of course, where the rescue operation is going to take place farther out in the Pacific, some 400 miles away from San Francisco, you can expect conditions out there to be considerably rougher.

That's the latest we have, Randi. Back to you.

KAYE: All right. Reynolds, thank you very much.

The Republican presidential candidates -- they are focusing on Wisconsin today with the primary coming up on Tuesday. A confident Mitt Romney is predicting victory. Campaigning in Wisconsin this weekend, the former Massachusetts governor said the campaign had had been an uphill battle just a few weeks ago, but he added that a Wisconsin win would put him on the path to the Republican presidential nomination.

Both Romney and rival Rick Santorum addressed the Wisconsin faith and freedom coalition forum.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's fair to say that people have not given up on themselves, have not given up on each other, have certainly not given up on America, but a lot of them have given up on this president, for good reason. And they know that we have a sacred duty to restore to America the promise of America, the conviction that if you're willing to work hard, to get an education, you have the right kind of values, you're willing to take a risk, that you can -- you can strike out and achieve for greatness.

RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That is what's at stake in this election. Is it the economy? Yes. Is it unemployment? Yes. Is it the size of the deficit? Yes. Is it the Obama administration feckless and not just feckless, but counterproductive and damaging foreign policy? Yes.

And it is all those things. But at the heart of it, even at the heart of our foreign policy is how we see ourselves. You see, we have a president who doesn't see us the way I just described. (END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: And be sure to tune to CNN Tuesday night to complete coverage of the Wisconsin primary. Maryland and the District of Columbia are also voting on Tuesday. Our live coverage kicks off with Erin Burnett at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, and then it's Wolf Blitzer and the rest of the team for the primary round-up.

We may never know who two of the three millionaires are. Kansas and Maryland, where two of the winning tickets were sold don't require winners to come forward publicly. The third ticket was sold in Illinois. But even though we don't yet know the winners' names, we do know they'll each get $218 million apiece before taxes. Pretty cool return on the dollar.

Coming up, people in New York, Paris, and other cities across the world, seeing some of their city's most famous buildings go dark. We'll tell you what happened and why.

Also ahead, a documentary is taking us inside the lives of bullied children and their families. We're asking one of those mothers if she saw signs of her son being bullied.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back.

I want to focus now on bullying. It's a topic I've reported quite a bit on. I've seen the pain in their mother's eyes when she didn't know how to help her son, and I've seen it in the children as well. And now, a new documentary titled "Bully" is taking education about bullying to a whole new level. The film explores the lives of five kids from suburban and rural communities, giving us all a look behind the curtain, at the pain and the emotional scars that bullying can leave behind.

Take a look at this clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED KID: There's two people over here!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sit down!

UNIDENTIFIED KID: Yes!

ALEX LIBBY, 15-YEAR OLD BULLY VICTIM: They punch me in the jaw, strangle me, and knock things out of my hand, take things from me. Sit on me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: That was Alex Libby only two years ago. This morning, Alex is joining me, along with his parents, Jackie and Philip Libby.

Also with us this morning is Cynthia Lowen. She's a producer on the film.

Welcome to all of you this morning.

Alex, I'd like to start with you. It's been two years since that clip we saw actually took place. What is it like for you to watch that?

A. LIBBY: Well, it just makes me think back to a time where kids were ignorant, and like, back then, I was just stupid and took it. So --

KAYE: I'm sure it was a painful time. Just tell me how things are for you at school now.

A. LIBBY: A lot better. I've gotten lots of friends and working on keeping my grades up. So great so far.

KAYE: That's good to hear.

Jackie, you didn't know that your son Alex was being bullied at school. And in many cases, parents don't know. But looking back, were there signs? Were there behavioral issues or anything like that?

JACKIE LIBBY, ALEX'S MOTHER: There were, but there had been for quite some time, and we thought it was -- he was becoming a preteen, and we just didn't know any better.

KAYE: Let's bring in Cynthia Lowen. She's a writer and producer on the "Bully" film, as I mentioned.

Cynthia, let's talk about the bullies because often times in my reporting, I found out it really turns out the kids doing the bullying have actually been bullied themselves. Did you find out the same thing?

CYNTHIA LOWEN, "BULLY" PRODUCER AND WRITER: You know, I think that there's been -- there's a lot of fluidity between the kids who are bullying, often the kids who are by standers, the kids who are bullied. All of the kids that we followed in this film had been bullied for years and years and years, and, you know, our goal with this film is to really see a school year through their perspective.

But we did speak with some of the bullies. Some of the kids you see on the bus, I think there were days where, you know, one kid -- they may be the sort of big fish one day, and then the high school kids get on the bus, and no longer are they necessarily the most powerful one.

So I think that these things can shift. I think that sometimes kids who are doing bullying in one situation may be bullied in others. I think that absolutely happens.

KAYE: What kind of impact do you think that the documentary can really have? Do you think it can change lives?

LOWEN: Absolutely. You know, we made this film feeling that every single person who sees this film can walk away from it, feeling that they have the opportunity to make a difference. I think that, whether you are a parent, whether you are in middle school or high school, whether you're a teacher or administrator, you can see this film and say, there are ways in which I can intervene in my life to make -- to protect someone from bullying and also hopefully to save a life.

KAYE: I want to bring in Alex's family again.

Philip, how did you feel about your son playing such a key part in this documentary and sharing his pain and your family's pain really with everyone?

PHILIP LIBBY, ALEX'S FATHER: Well, at first it was kind of shocking to see the footage. But I'm thankful for the opportunity we had with Lee and Cynthia and the other families in the film to be a part of this. It's completely changed Alex around, and it's made him who he was at one point previous in his life.

KAYE: You say it was shocking. I mean, was it hard for you to se what your son was going through? You had no idea, I take it.

P. LIBBY: Yes, it was -- it was really hard.

KAYE: Alex, your assistant principal knew that you were being bullied, and she actually confronted you for not doing enough on your own to handle it. I want to play this clip from the documentary.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's one thing that you need to start doing that you haven't done. Tell someone to help you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you trust us that we'll do something when you tell us that someone's bothering you?

A. LIBBY: Well, in sixth grade, you did nothing about Teddy sitting on my head.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: You really turned the tables around on her there, Alex. Did anyone ever stand up for you at school in the end?

A. LIBBY: Not that I know of.

KAYE: Nobody?

A. LIBBY: No.

KAYE: I have a question. We had asked for folks to tweet me some questions they might have for all of you.

And Travis Rogers tweeted -- Cynthia, this might be for you. Travis Rogers tweeted us this question. She said, "Is there help and support for the adult survivors of bullying?" He says that he survived it, and now he has PTSD, panic attacks, and depression.

Do you know, Cynthia?

LOWEN: Yes, I'm here. Can you hear me?

KAYE: Yes.

LOWEN: Yes. I think that this is one of the things that we've really learned in the process of making this film, that bullying affects 13 million kids every single year. If you extrapolate back generation after generation after generation, this is something that affected millions upon millions of people in this country and people around the world. And it doesn't end in high school, and the scars do not end once you graduate from high school.

I think that what we're seeking to provide through our Web site, www.thebullyproject.com are great resources for parents, for adults who have gone through this, for teachers and administrators. I think that there are absolutely organizations out there, including our own, that are providing support to adults, including adults who are being bullied in the workplace. So I would absolutely invite your viewers to please join us and contact us. If there are things that we could provide on our Web site, speaking specifically to that issue that could be increased, could be included, we would love to know that.

KAYE: All right. Cynthia Lowen, appreciate that. I have checked out that Web site. It's a great resource as well.

Jackie, Philip Libby, and, Alex, and all of you -- thank you so much.

And, Alex, you're a very brave young man for coming out and doing what you've done. And I salute you for that. So, best of luck to all of you.

A. LIBBY: Thank you.

KAYE: Let's check in with Reynolds and see what's going on in the land of weather -- Reynolds.

WOLF: OK. Yes, we're keeping a sharp eye on quite a few things. One is the chance of severe weather across the Ohio Valley that will probably strike later this afternoon -- scattered showers, thunderstorms, even the possibility of isolated tornadoes. Then across the Central Plains, very dry and breezy conditions, same story for the four corners, and heavy snow for the mountains out West.

We'll have the whole story coming up in just a few moments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back.

A fast moving storm did some pretty good damage in San Francisco's Marin County. Road crews walked away from 70 yards of mud after a rain-soaked hill side gave way yesterday. The mudslide closed the panoramic highway for several hours.

And Reynolds joins me now for much more on that. That's pretty dramatic stuff there.

WOLF: It really is. But, you know, how many times have we seen this play out from Marin County, as you mentioned, all the way down through the central coast of California, even in places like Ventura? Occasionally you'll have the heavy rainfall, and when it comes in and soaks the California coast, you see a lot of those beautiful panoramic hillsides just kind of slide off into -- slide down. Gravity certainly takes its toll, and it's certainly a mess, no question about it.

But what we're going to see in terms of your forecast is going to be pretty interesting. Most of the rain still in parts of California, into the central valleys, but in the high elevations, the story is going to be snow for the Sierra Nevada. For the center of U.S., we're not talk about rain at all, but rather, very breezy conditions, very low humidity, and we still have the fire threat that's going to be an issue for a good part of the day. Then for the Ohio Valley, it's all about the chance of severe storms.

And the storms that we're going to be seeing across parts of the Ohio Valley are going to be eventually severe. And with that, you can't rule out the chance of having some tornadoes. It may indeed happen, especially through the late afternoon hours.

Another big story we've got for you will be the temperatures. Very, very mild in many spots. Some places unseasonably warm, like Kansas City, where your expected high is going to be 87 degrees; 87 degrees shy in Memphis, with the high humidity, it's going to feel much warmer than that.

In Atlanta, 83; 65 in Washington, D.C. On the other side of the frontal boundary, in New York , in Washington -- New York and Boston, rather, they'll be in the 50s. Billings with 59 degrees and back towards Salt Lake City, 48 degrees.

Let's show you something else we have in terms of the (INAUDIBLE), where we have normally this time of year and what we can expect today. You take a look at that numbers, they're all in white, you see quite a few of them. Well, like Chicago, 53 degrees; 53 in Detroit, that's what you normally get.

But, today, we expect the temperatures in the yellows, 63, some 10 degrees above normal in Chicago, 88 today in Des Moines. Well above normal in places like Omaha, 89, one degree shy of 90. Even Kansas City, up by Kauffman Stadium, 87 degrees your expected temperature for the day.

Out West, it's all about the wind. Wind gusts anywhere from 40 to 60 miles per hour. We're talking tropical storm force winds that can be anticipated. Not really good news for parts of Colorado, where they're still battling these blazes, where the firefighters need very damp conditions, very light winds. But, unfortunately, that's not going to be in the cards today.

So, to wrap things up, you can expect some snow in parts of the Western Mountains, even into the Central Rockies, and into, say, Mt. Rainier, by Yellowstone National Park and even in the Tetons, snow is going to be around for the day.

So too will be the delays. In New York, Chicago, Miami, even Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, you can expect backups at each and every one of these locations. But thankfully, for the time being, delays may be under an hour. It's not listed of yet. But let me tell you, this afternoon, when severe weather pops up in places like Cincinnati, you're going to be grounded for quite a bit.

That's the latest we've got for you, Randi. Back to you.

KAYE: All right. Reynolds, thank you.

WOLF: You bet.

They are some of the world's most famous landmarks, known for lighting up their local skylines. But for one hour last night, they all went dark -- the Sydney Opera House, the Eiffel Tower, and the Empire State building dimming their lights during Earth Hour. It was part of an effort to boost awareness about energy use and climate change. Organizers say individuals and businesses and more than 147 countries committed to that event. Pretty cool.

John Paul II may be one of the most beloved popes of all time, and he seemed to be on the fast track to sainthood. But find out why the Vatican may be standing in his way.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: It's about 30 minutes past the hour. Welcome back. I'm Randi Kaye. Thanks for staying with us.

Checking top stories now:

A historic election in Myanmar today. Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is among those vying for one of the 45 open parliamentary seats in a country which was been led by military for decades. Suu Kyi spent years under house arrest following a landslide victory by her party in 1990.

Music pioneer Earl Scruggs will be laid to rest later this afternoon in Nashville. Scruggs, whose distinctive banjo style can be heard on the theme song of "The Beverly Hillbillies" is considered one of the creators of Bluegrass. Scruggs died Wednesday of natural causes. He was 88.

Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum are courting voters in Wisconsin today. The state's presidential primary is Tuesday. Romney says a win in Wisconsin would put him on the way to securing the nomination before the August convention. Voters in Maryland and D.C. will also go to the polls on Tuesday. Hillary Clinton says the Syrian regime will face serious consequences if it does not stop killing its own people. The Secretary of State and regional leaders gathered in Turkey for a crisis meeting on Syria. She also announced an additional $12 million in humanitarian aid to Syria's people, bringing the American total to nearly $25 million.

This morning in "Faces of Faith", kind words for Pope John Paul II. He seems to be on the fast track to becoming a saint. But as CNN special investigative correspondent Drew Griffin found out, there may be one obstacle standing in his way, the new Pope.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Joanna Lukasik doesn't need the Catholic Church to tell her who is and isn't a saint. She knows.

JOANNA LUKASIK, PRAYED FOR A MIRACLE: I'm absolutely 100 percent sure I -- am --

(CROSSTALK)

GRIFFIN: -- that -- that John Paul II --

J. LUKASIK: -- John Paul II is saint.

GRIFFIN (on camera): So these are all of your books.

(voice-over): This Polish-American immigrant is absolutely 100 percent sure Pope John Paul II is St. John Paul. Her proof is sitting right next to her, her son Christopher who today can see.

J. LUKASIK: Unbelievable, the miracle or what. I don't know. You didn't lose no vision at all.

GRIFFIN: Five years ago, Joanna got a phone call at work. There was an accident. A metal rod had bashed Chris's right eye, the damage severe.

CHRISTOPHER LUKASIK, SON OF JOANNA LUKASIK: You know most likely my vision is going to be lost in that eye.

J. LUKASIK: And I say John Paul II, please save his vision. Please, I'm begging you. Make miracle. Do it for him, please.

GRIFFIN: Christopher doesn't necessarily believe in miracles, but three days after the accident that should have taken his eye, he could see. Was it a miracle? Not yet, according to the arcane rules of the Catholic Church.

But when it comes to John Paul II, millions pray to him so critics say finding a miracle attributed to him may not be hard at all.

The business of making saints happens here in this building just off St. Peter's Square in Rome. It's where father Peter Gumpel worked for four decades and saw the naming of saints explode during the era of John Paul II.

REV. PETER GUMPEL, SAINT EXPERT: The more you multiply the (inaudible) and canonization, people are less -- maybe less impressed by that.

GRIFFIN: Pope Benedict XVI has literally slowed the sainthood train down, including the cause of his predecessor, Pope John Paul II. Critics say that's a good idea.

Back in Chicago, Joanna Lukasik says it really doesn't matter.

J. LUKASIK: Maybe nobody believe me but I am 100 percent sure he did it for me.

GRIFFIN: The man who she says healed her son is a saint, whether her church says so or not.

Drew Griffin, CNN, Chicago.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: And for more stories like this, go to our belief blog at CNN.com/belief. You can also share your thoughts there as well.

Coming up next, newly unsealed court documents add more questions than answers to February's bizarre murder/suicide of Josh Powell and his two young sons.

Plus New York Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin takes a seat and you won't be seeing him back in the game any time soon.

We'll tell you why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: There's newly released evidence in the 2009 disappearance of Susan Powell in Utah. That information has her family asking why wasn't her husband arrested sooner? The just unsealed court documents show investigators found Susan's blood inside her family's home, along with a handwritten will saying that she feared her husband would kill her.

Well last month the husband Josh Powell snatched his two sons from a social worker and police say killed the children and himself minutes before their house exploded.

Joining me now is criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor Holly Hughes. This is amazing, this new information coming out. How -- why wasn't he arrested?

HOLLY HUGHES, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: This is extremely tragic because now we have two dead children as well as a dead mother and let's just call it what it is. She's been missing all these years. (CROSSTALK)

KAYE: Yes even though the body was never found, right.

HUGHES: Right. It's a homicide case now and it's actually just been reclassified as a homicide case, which should have been done a long time ago, Randi.

KAYE: Yes.

HUGHES: Your question to me is why didn't they arrest him? I can't think of a good answer, quite frankly, in light of what we're hearing now. There is more evidence released here -- I've seen other cases be indicted, prosecuted and convictions have been won on less evidence, circumstantial as it is, than what we see here. I just don't see any excuse for an arrest not having been effectuated.

KAYE: You have a handwritten will locked away.

HUGHES: Yes.

KAYE: Blood in the house.

HUGHES: Correct.

KAYE: And what about the statement from one of the sons that they had gone camping and --

(CROSSTALK)

HUGHES: Right.

KAYE: -- and mommy was dead?

HUGHES: Mommy was dead. Mommy did not come back from the camping trip. And this is two weeks after she goes disappearing. And let's also point out for the viewers that blood was tested. That blood they found in the living room of Josh Powell and Susan Powell's home was definitively hers.

KAYE: Her blood, right.

HUGHES: So they find the blood in the living room. We're -- you know we know from the beginning, that when they showed up, there were fans blowing on a wet spot. The carpet had obviously been scrubbed and washed in that area.

KAYE: So at this point, though, I mean, we haven't found her. The rest of the family is dead.

HUGHES: Right.

KAYE: Does any of this matter?

HUGHES: It matters in that the family will want some type of closure. (CROSSTALK)

HUGHES: So the police department has said, well, we've reclassified it as a homicide, and it's still an active case. We're still going to go looking because right after the explosion, another piece of evidence came out. They went to Josh Powell's storage unit, executed a search warrant there and found a blanket that was bloody with Susan's blood.

And my question is why would you not have done that before --

(CROSSTALK)

KAYE: Right.

HUGHES: -- he had the opportunity to kill his children?

KAYE: Yes, it sounds so backwards.

HUGHES: It is.

KAYE: I want to quickly ask you about the Trayvon Martin case.

HUGHES: Ok.

KAYE: Any progress in terms of the investigation? And if there is this grand jury they're talking about, how will that work?

HUGHES: What will happen the grand jury is a collection -- it's kind of a jury you see in a trial. We call those petit juries. The grand jury is going to be a larger body; depending on your state it's going to be made up between 14 and 23 members. And the interesting thing is the defendant isn't present and he doesn't have a right, even if he requests to be there to have a lawyer with him. So he would go in completely unrepresented.

It's sort of a preview where the state will call witnesses, and they'll present to that grand jury, this is the evidence we have. Is there enough here to file an indictment? Is there enough to bring a charge against this person?

And it's not beyond a reasonable doubt which you know we need when we get to final trial.

KAYE: Right.

HUGHES: But it's to say you know is it more likely than not that a crime was committed? Can we reach that threshold and therefore file what they call a bill of indictment, which will just simply be a document saying formally this is what they're charging you with and those witnesses will be called in. But the defendant isn't there and even if he chooses to be he's not represented and the proceedings are secret. So we never know what really happens in a grand jury.

KAYE: Well we might know I guess at the end if we see charges eventually. But -- HUGHES: We'll -- we'll know the end result we won't know exactly what happened.

KAYE: Yes, right, right.

HUGHES: It's all sealed up. Yes, the grand juries are secret.

KAYE: Holly Hughes nice to see you on a Sunday. Thank you.

HUGHES: Thanks, you too.

KAYE: When we come back, Candy Crowley joins me live for a preview of CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION." Keep it here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: The latest news from Washington is coming up at the top of the hour on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION"; and for a preview now let's bring in Candy Crowley. Hi Candy

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN HOST, "STATE OF THE UNION": Good morning.

KAYE: Good morning to you.

CROWLEY: We have a jam packed show for you.

KAYE: I know. You always do. I want to talk about gas prices because they're quickly becoming a key part of the 2012 campaign. Do you think either side is gaining any traction on this with voters?

CROWLEY: You know, we have some polling that shows voters kind of split evenly down the line on who they blame. The President takes some blame but Republicans take almost as much blame. Oil companies get a huge share of the blame for the gas prices, but it's certainly in the political mix. It's something that Republicans really want to have out there.

Look, the economy has begun to show some signs of real life; some of the economic figures are getting better. This is going to be, everyone agrees -- unless something happens overseas that's untoward -- everyone agrees this is going to be about the economy.

And the gas prices right now, in some polls, even supersede the jobless rate in the concerns of Americans. They're concerned about the gas prices because, frankly, everyone is affected by it.

KAYE: Yes.

CROWLEY: So it's certainly now in the groundwater in this campaign.

KAYE: Another issue: Wisconsin's Paul Ryan unveiling his plans for the nation's deficit. Do you think it's dead on arrival in the Senate, or does it have some legs?

CROWLEY: No legs. No legs. KAYE: No legs at all. They've been cut off already?

CROWLEY: Look, it came out, and the White House said, no, we don't really see anything there we can work with, and the Senate Democrats went no. So in the Senate, as you know, the Republicans can block this -- they most surely will because -- I'm sorry, the Democrats can block this, and they most surely will block it. It is what Republicans believe. It is the budget they would like, but it was not a budget designed to bring in a whole lot of bipartisan support.

KAYE: And Paul Ryan, of course, as you know, among several big name Republicans, throwing their support behind Mitt Romney this week. Do you think that's going to change the shape of the race at all moving forward, especially looking at the primaries on Tuesday?

CROWLEY: Certainly looking -- as you know, Paul Ryan from Wisconsin. There's a Wisconsin primary that Mitt Romney has said, if I win this, I think I'm really going to win this nomination before the convention, which had been a concern previously. So it's a big, important race in Wisconsin. Other states, of course, Maryland and the District of Columbia, will be having their primaries as well. But Wisconsin is where the action is at this point. Paul Ryan is a congressman, so represents a district there. Certainly gives visibility to Romney, gives visibility to Ryan.

In terms of what do these endorsements mean, I think the collection of the endorsements that Mitt Romney has gathered this week -- Marco Rubio is one of them, former President George H.W. Bush is one of them, here's the signal from it. Here's what they want because hey, this thing is over. Get on board. The train is leaving the station, and it's Romney.

KAYE: Yes.

CROWLEY: And that's what the Romney campaign is trying to create, that sort of it's over, it's over, it's over. And that's what they think the endorsements help to do.

KAYE: Well, I will let you get back to preparing for your jam- packed show. We look forward to it, Candy. Thank you very much. And keep it here for "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley. It starts in about 15 minutes at 9:00 a.m. Eastern, 6:00 a.m. Pacific right here on CNN.

March madness time. Well, it's down to the final two. Stick around for highlights of yesterday's big games from the Big Easy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: And then there were two. March madness is coming to an end. HLN Sports anchor Joe Carter is here to tell us all about it. So we've got Kansas and Kentucky.

JOE CARTER, HLN SPORTS ANCHOR: I thought you were talking about us -- and then there were two. KAYE: It's over between us. It is, sorry. This is the time to tell you.

CARTER: You know, we are down to two. You're absolutely right. We've got Kansas and Kentucky. I mean these are two perennial powerhouses in college basketball. I mean you've got two of the best college basketball players who are going to be competing against each other Monday night, Anthony Davis for Kentucky -- and geez, I forgot the other guy's name.

KAYE: The other guy.

CARTER: Yes, the other guy, he's good too; Thomas Robinson for Kansas. But yes, this is -- it should be a good final on Monday night.

I mean last night we saw two interesting games, let's say that. You know the game between Kentucky and Louisville, obviously this is a heated rivalry; an interstate rivalry between the two teams. Kentucky now has the bragging rights, at least for the next year over Louisville fans.

You know this team Louisville was down by double digits several times. But I thought they showed a lot of grit in this game. They came back with about nine minutes left and actually tied the game 49- all. But then Kentucky showed why they're the number one team in all of the tournament; they went on an 11-point run which essentially put Louisville out of it for good. The final score is 69-60. It went a lot closer than the scoring indicates so several times throughout the game

Now, the game between Ohio State and Kansas -- really strange ending, we'll get to that in a second. But Ohio State dominated the first half, up by as many as 13. In the second half, Kansas rallied back, actually took a three-point lead. Had a chance to win the game right here if they just held onto the ball. They accidentally pass it away. Gives Ohio State basically another chance, they go to the free- throw line. They intentionally miss the free throw because they need two points instead of one point.

But they get what's called a lane violation. That pretty much ends all hopes for Ohio State, Kansas goes on to win. 64-62 the final.

Kansas and Kentucky meet Monday night for all the marbles.

KAYE: Wow. All right. I want to see this great highlight that I know you brought as well and people are talking about that today.

CARTER: You know the Kansas-Ohio State game ended kind of ugly. So leave it to the pros to show us how it's done properly. Chris Paul plays for the L.A. Clippers, very skilled basketball player. He's coming down the court here. You'll see, as he's on the break. He looks like he's going to pass it between his legs and then just goes to the hoop. Totally fakes out the defender.

KAYE: Nice. Oh, look at that. That's a great move.

CARTER: The Clippers are such a fun to watch, bottom line.

KAYE: And say it isn't so, Linsanity over?

CARTER: Yes, at least, Linsanity is over for the regular season. He's going to have knee surgery on his left knee. He's got a torn meniscus. It's about a six-week procedure, it's going to take in terms of healing time. So if the Knicks do make the playoffs, he would be able to come back, if the healing process goes according to plan.

KAYE: Wow that sounds pretty serious though. Hopefully he'll be back.

CARTER: You know, it's a tough way to end what was such a great story. But you'll see.

KAYE: Yes.

CARTER: You know a lot of guys have this type of injury. It's a slight injury. He can recover from it and be back. He'll be just fine.

KAYE: All right. I know you'll be watching the games Monday. We'll talk to you next week.

CARTER: Sounds good.

KAYE: All right. Thank you Joe.

A young soldier on duty makes the ultimate sacrifice to save a young child's life. He's now being hailed as a hero. His story, right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Checking today's top story, the U.S. Coast Guard is in the middle of a rescue operation 400 miles off the California coast. They're trying to get four injured crew members off a racing yacht. The (inaudible) Western Australia was hit by a huge wave when the yacht was taking part in the clipper round of the world race.

This story is one that we hear all too often and it never gets any easier. But it is the sad reality of war. Family and friends stood in the cold rain to meet the body of Army Sergeant Dennis Weichel. The brave young soldier was killed in Afghanistan but he wasn't killed fighting the enemy. He was killed saving a life.

CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has the heroic soldier's story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Daddy. Daddy. BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Three months ago, Specialist Dennis Weichel made a surprise visit home from his tour in Afghanistan. Now the flag flies at half staff over the Rhode Island state Capitol until the 29-year-old father of three is laid to rest. Weichel was killed in eastern Afghanistan saving the life of an Afghan child.

According to the Army, when Weichel's armored convoy came across Afghan children in the road he and others got out to move the children out of the way, but at the last minute, a little girl ran back to pick up some shell casings. Weichel saw her in front of the trucks and pulled her to safety at the last minute, but he was hit accidentally by the truck and died a short time later.

Captain Christopher John Ahlemeyer, Weichel's platoon leader during a previous tour in Iraq has been hit hard by his death.

CAPT. CHRISTOPHER AHLEMEYER, WEICHEL'S FORMER PLATOON LEADER: First, I was just, you know, overcome with emotion. I deployed with him. He was one of my guys. But then I took a step back, and I realized that he would have done that -- he would have really done that for anyone. That's the type of guy he was.

STARR: Dennis, he says, always responded to children.

AHLEMEYER: We would roll into local communities and villages, and set up security, and you'd see children peeking out the windows. It was Sergeant Weichel's calm demeanor and the way he handled children that these kids, he welcomed them. These kids would come out, and he would ensure that every single child received something, whether it be the smallest thing as a pencil or a booklet to write in.

STARR: During those days back home, everyone could see Dennis Weichel's own children meant everything to him.

DENNIS WEICHEL, ARMY: I'm just excited because these are the most important things to me, my kids. So I was glad to see them on the holidays.

STARR: Dennis Weichel was promoted posthumously to sergeant. He is survived by his fiance and his three children who were so thrilled to see him just a few short months ago.

Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: Well, I hope everyone -- thank you for watching. I hope you have a wonderful Sunday. "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley starts right now.