Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Sunday Morning
Tent Collapse in St. Louis; William and Kate Mark 1st Anniversary
Aired April 29, 2012 - 06:00 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 in Atlanta, this is WEEKEND EARLY START.
What began as a celebration, ends in tragedy. Dozens of Cardinals fans are hospitalized this morning after a massive burst of wind whips this tent right off the ground.
Plus, hard to believe, but today marks one year since Prince William and Kate Middleton said "I do." And oh what a year it's been.
And the leading comic takes on the commander in chief. And, yes, Jimmy Kimmel went there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY KIMMEL, COMEDIAN: Mr. President, you remember -- you remember when the country rallied around you in hopes of a better tomorrow? That was hilarious.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: That was hilarious.
It is Sunday, April 29th. Good morning, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye.
Now, we start with that tragic post-game party in St. Louis. One person was killed and 16 others sent to the hospital when strong winds tore up a tent at a sports bar. As many as 100 others were treated for minor injuries at the scene.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF DENNIS JENKERSON, ST. LOUIS FIRE DEPT.: They got hit with the metal pipes, the standards that hold these things down, the wires. We've got electric inside this tent. So it's -- we had a mix of about everything that could happen here. We had live wires laying on the ground. We've got some severe injuries to quite a few people.
DEPUTY CHIEF JOHN ALTMANN, ST. LOUIS FIRE DEPT.: We understand there was about 100, 150 people under the tent. And the weather came in. The music was loud. People had been, you know, in tent and to the ballgame all afternoon and I don't think they were really aware of the seriousness of the situation.
(END VIDEO CLIP) KAYE: The fans had gathered there after the Cardinals win over the Milwaukee Brewers. The tent was supposed to be able to withstand 90- mile-per-hour winds. The winds that tore up the tent were about 50 miles an hour. Reynolds Wolf will be along in just a couple of minutes with more on that storm that ripped through St. Louis.
The bunker standoff near Seattle that you first heard about here is now over. The SWAT team blew a hole in the underground mountain bunker looking for Peter Keller, and they found his body. Keller is accused of killing his wife and daughter. Here's what they found inside the bunker. A lot of guns. They feared he was heavily armed and well prepared. Police say that Keller had been dead for some time. He hadn't been seen for weeks sense the death of his family, and police believe that he died of a self-inflicted gunshot.
The U.S. Coast Guard and the Mexican navy are searching for a missing crewmember from a racing yacht. Three other crew members were found dead after the boat went missing during a race from California to Mexico. Other boats saw debris in the water, but there's no word on what actually happened to that yacht.
"The New York Times" is reporting that a government investigation has found that Google didn't break any laws when they mined thousands of e-mails, passwords and other personal information. The investigation also found that Google's claims that it was the work of a rogue engineer or that it was a mistake was untrue. It was all part of Google's "Street View" project between 2007 and 2010.
Newt Gingrich had picked a date to drop out of the race. A source close to the former House speaker tells CNN that it will be Wednesday. In his farewell speech, Gingrich is expected to back likely nominee Mitt Romney.
More powerful storms like the one that knocked down the tent outside Busch Stadium in St. Louis are headed through the central U.S. Meteorologist Reynolds Wolf has our first check of the weather now.
Good morning, Reynolds.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Randi.
What we're going to do is we're going to tell you really the scenario that took place last night. What we had in St. Louis yesterday afternoon into the evening hours, we had some immense thunderstorms that rolled through. Any time you have a large thunderstorm, it contains, as you might imagine, a great deal of water. So even without tornadoes, with a lot of that sheer volume of water coming down, air tends to move very quickly and get out of the way. You have very, very strong gust fronts or very strong winds that can be produced from these thunderstorms. So you can have all kinds of damage that can be created without even having a tornado.
Now, that is basically the scenario that we had yesterday. If we have any kind of video that we can show, let's roll that video while I fix the computer. We're going to show you the animation to what happened. Take a listen to those hail stones you had in parts of the country too due to the strong storms.
Now we're ready to go back to the weather computer. Now, as we do go to the weather computer, can you see plain as day what we had yesterday at 4:00 p.m. Notice St. Louis in the middle of the screen. Then you look back towards an area called O'Fallon (ph). Some very strong thunderstorm. As you put it in motion, you'll see them drifting right crossing over the St. Louis area and over the Mississippi River, moving back into parts of Illinois. That's that big cluster of thunderstorms. Even more development farther back along I-70. Just a huge mess. And that is the thing. That is the system that caused all the issues that we had in terms of the damage, the tent collapse in St. Louis and, unfortunately, the fatality.
The problem is, Randi, we've got a setup today that's going to be very similar to yesterday where we might be dealing with a chance of strong storms not only across parts of St. Louis, across the upper Midwest, but even across parts of the central and southern Plains. We're going to talk more about that coming up in a few moments. And also, a lot of travel delays that will no doubt effect millions of Americans as we start off the work week. That and more coming up, Randi.
KAYE: OK, Reynolds, thank you very much.
WOLF: You bet.
KAYE: And here's a rundown of some of the stories that we're working on for you this morning.
One year of royal wedding bliss and counting for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. We'll take you live to London to see how they're marking their first anniversary.
And back here at home, we're remembering a flashpoint in U.S. race relations. The 20th anniversary of the L.A. riots.
And her words could rewrite history. A witness to the RFK shooting says there was a second shooter.
And, she's only six months old, but her parents have created an infant's version of the bucket list. We'll tell you why.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Good morning, Washington. There you have a lovely look at the White House this morning. The president may be sleeping in a bit today. There was the big White House Correspondent's Dinner last night. So, maybe he's taking a few more z's this morning. But we're glad you're with us and that you're awake here for CNN WEEKEND EARLY START.
A chance for people -- as we mentioned that Correspondent's Dinner -- it's really a chance for people to poke fun at the president and a chance for the president to poke back. Here are some of the best highlights from last night's festivities.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Four years ago I looked like this. Today I look like this. And four years from now I will look like this.
JIMMY KIMMEL, COMEDIAN: Mr. President, you remember -- you remember when the country rallied around you in hopes of a better tomorrow? That was hilarious.
You know, there's a term for guys like President Obama. Probably not two terms, but --
OBAMA: We've got men in tuxes, women in gowns, fine wine, first class entertainment. I was just relieved to learn this was not a GSA conference.
KIMMEL: If anyone has tickets to the GSA after party, the plane is leaving for the Four Seasons in Dubai at midnight on the dot. Don't be late or you'll miss out on your complimentary white tiger cub.
OBAMA: It's great to be here this evening in the vast, magnificent Hilton ballroom, or what Mitt Romney would call a little fixer-upper.
KIMMEL: We have numerous members of the print media in attendance, which reminds me of a riddle. What's black and white and red all over? Nothing anymore.
OBAMA: Even Sarah Palin's getting back into the game, guest hosting on "The Today Show." Which reminds me of an old saying. What's the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? A pit bull is delicious.
KIMMEL: I do have a lot of jokes about the Secret Service. You know, I told them, for $ 800, I wouldn't tell them, but they only offered $30, so --
OBAMA: I really do enjoy attending these dinners. In fact, I had a lot more material prepared, but I have to get the Secret Service home in time for their new curfew.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: That is some good stuff. And for more jokes from last night, you can head over to cnn.com. They have got them all.
And coming up next hour, I'll be joined by Pete Dominik (ph). He was there and he'll offer up his own highlights. So grab some coffee and stick around for a few more laughs.
Well, it was a fairy tale royal wedding. One year ago today, hard to belief, the world watched Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton tie the knot in the public love affair with the royal couple. Well, it is just stronger than ever. We'll look at how they're changing the image of Britain's monarchy when we go live to London, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KAYE: Remember this moment? One year ago today, two billion people around the world watched the fairy tale wedding of Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton. And since then, the Duchess of Cambridge has become a global celebrity and a fully fledged member of tightly knit royal family. CNN's royal correspondent Max Foster joins me now in London.
Max, good morning to you. How are Prince William and Catharine marking their big day?
MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Very low key. They're not -- they're going to be together today, privately. Last night they were at a wedding, a friend's wedding. One of Kate's school friends. And a chance for them, I'm sure, to reminisce around (ph) about that big day a year ago. It's flown by hasn't it, really?
And, since then, Kate's gone through this very carefully planned process to emerge as an independent, working royal. And I'm told she's achieved all of her objectives, Randi, and very pleased with how the year has gone.
KAYE: Yes. I mean she is so well liked. I mean, do you think that the Duchess of Cambridge has changed the image of the British monarchy at all? Maybe softened it a bit?
FOSTER: She's updated it, I think. But she's still giving a big nod to tradition. There's this big debate about her fashion sense, for example. People saying she's a fashion icon. And I interviewed Amanda Wakely (ph) a couple of days ago. She's one of Kate's favorite designers. But Amanda doesn't think she's a fashion icon, although she has compared her to a modern day Jackie Onassis. She's saying that she has this amazing ability to buy clothes that suit her and suit the occasion, but she doesn't describe her as a cutting edge fashion icon. But she's not pushing forward boundaries.
KAYE: She does have a great look to her, though. She also has, from what I understand, some in-house palace training. I mean I don't even know what that entails, but this is all to help her, you know, handle the spotlight. Do you know more about this?
FOSTER: Yes, I've been speaking to the palace about this and they've taken this view of her. She's very in control in what she does and she approves everything. She wants to be in charge. She has a very small team of advisors, about four people, who actually are shared with William and Harry as well. So it's a small palace team, but William himself has very much taking control of her tutoring.
So, for example, she had her first speech recently in Ipswich last month, and William was coaching her on the phone from the Forklands (ph) where he was on military service. So he's taken charge of everything to do with her training.
And, interestingly as well, we hear a lot about how she's got this great relationship with Camilla, but actually Charles has been very involved with her training and they've formed this great friendship. They now go out to art galleries together and to the opera houses together, and shared interests that princes don't share. So interesting to see how that's developed over time as well.
KAYE: And she's also began some of her first solo engagements. How would you say she's doing?
FOSTER: Well, she's amazing, really. I have to say, you go to these events, and I'm just one of about 100 people there with our cameras, and CNN always films all the close-ups with the duchess. I'm often there close up with her. And it's interesting to see how composed she is, when she's only been in the job for a year. And I think there's a secret behind the success really and it's all about preparations. So she's always fully briefed. Always see this big pile of notes in front of her in the car as she gets out.
She's comfortable in what she's wearing and she's got this technique. She never ever -- you'll notice this in pictures here of her. We filmed all of this with her. She never ever looks at the cameras. So she blocks them out. And I'm told that she often leaves events forgetting the cameras were there at all. So it's a coping mechanism.
KAYE: That's incredible, because Diana was always so aware of the camera, right? I mean she was so uncomfortable --
FOSTER: Yes. And she would often --
KAYE: In public and around that camera.
FOSTER: Yes. And she would speak to journalists herself. I mean Catherine does speak to us on occasion, but it's entirely off the record.
KAYE: Yes.
FOSTER: And, you know, Camilla speaks to us and smiles at us, gives us a wave, but Kate just doesn't. Maybe it's early days.
KAYE: And they're also trying to be very down to earth, very relatable. And, in part, I guess, to prove that, they got this dog, right, Lupo? He's now part of the official royal family?
FOSTER: Lupo. Oh, my. That story.
KAYE: Is he a terror?
FOSTER: Basically -- well, there was a picture -- it appeared of Kate and William and a dog. And the palace eventually confirmed that they did have a dog. And then we managed to find out that it's the offspring of a Middleton dog. This is ridiculous. But finally -- we wanted to get the name of the dog, and they wouldn't tell us. And then I've since discovered that it actually was Kate saying, I don't want my puppy being PR'ed.
And it's interesting because this is where she draws the line between public and private life. She has this very private life, but she lives quite freely. She'll goes to Starbucks. She'll go to the supermarket. And the palace is really keen (ph) that she can protect that, because that's where she gets her normality. William and Harry get their normality from the military. But when it comes to private life, they protect it very carefully because that's how she gets her normality, which is why they didn't want to PR the puppy. Lupo was an interesting story.
KAYE: It sure is. He's pretty cute, too. All right, Max Foster, that was fun. Thank you very much.
A prisoner being extradited from Michigan to Arizona made a run for it once he got to the terminal. Take a look here. We're going to show you. Look at him go. But his freedom, well, it didn't last very long. How police finally caught him, just ahead.
Plus, the Los Angeles riots 20 years later. What has changed and what has stayed the same? We'll hear from someone who is in the middle of that chaos.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: And good morning, Los Angeles. Hope you're waking up with us on this beautiful Sunday morning. It's about 20 minutes past 3:00 a.m. in L.A. right now. Glad you're with us.
Time to look at the stories that are making headlines cross-country now.
Patrick Dempsey, the actor from "Gray's Anatomy," rescued a teen who crashed his car into Dempsey's front yard in Malibu, California. McDreamy used a crowbar to free the boy from the mangled Mustang. Reports say the boy survived with just a concussion.
Police in Berkeley, California, have arrested a man accused of crashing into two bicycles, then leaving the scene. One biker had a camera mounted on his handle bars and caught the crash on tape. Police say the car had been reported stolen. They found the car and the suspect on Friday. The bikers were a bit scratched up, but not seriously hurt.
A prison in Washington state is matching up inmates with cats. The goal is to help rehabilitate rescued cats while prisoners can learn about compassion. Prisoners share a special 10 x 12 foot cell with the kitties.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOEY WALTER, INMATE: She just doesn't like her tail touched. See it? She says "no".
JOSEPH CONTRERAS, INMATE: She would spray and she would bite and she would scratch. With all of her behavioral problems, she would have most likely be euthanized. And I just -- I just couldn't imagine that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: To work with the cats, the prisoners must be on good behavior and they cannot have a violent past. Well, a dubious anniversary of an event that changed millions of lives. It's about 20 years since the Los Angeles riots sparked by the acquittal of four police officers accused in the beating of Rodney King. The spark became a worrying flame engulfing not just L.A., but cities across the country. Now 20 years later, let's hear from one man, Mark Craig, who not only was there, but was many the middle of the violence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK CRAIG, PROTESTER: Radio and television reports, they'd been warning people, stay off the streets.
History was made that night. And we're here 20 years later.
Thinking back at that night, I had just finished school, went home, watched the verdict on television and was just very disappointed when I heard it. For me, I needed to vent.
And I saw other people looting in different areas of the city. And from our standpoint, we wanted to focus on the police department. That's why, me, personally, I was at Parker's (ph) Center (ph).
I took it personal because I had just finished war for this country. I had just served in Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm and I had just given my life on the frontline for this country. It was just a big slap in the face.
What have I done over the last 20 years? One of the things, I've gone on to school and got my education. My personal life, I'm a single dad. I have a 17-year-old daughter who goes to Minoga (ph) High School who will be graduating this year. I've been coaching for the last 10 years. And this is basically my passion that I like to do (ph).
I have to say, things have gotten better because some people would have never imaged having an African-American president in our lifetime, or in anyone's lifetime, when this country was founded. There was the have's and the have-not's, and just -- that's continued. But have things gotten better on a local level? Not too much has changed. It has changed on the surface, but a lot of the things that were going on in 1992 are still going on in 2012.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: The riots in Los Angeles lasted five days, during which at least 55 people lost their lives and now, 20 years later, there are still lessons to be learned. For a look back at the iconic images from that chaotic time, be sure to check out our special coverage on our website, cnn.com.
Another witness to history, this time the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. One woman who was there says that we don't know the whole story thanks to the FBI. Hear her story exclusively on CNN.
A bunker filled with guns and a murder suspect. A man wanted in the deaths of his wife and daughter held police at bay for two days. We'll tell you what police found when they finally got inside there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back, everyone. Thanks for starting your morning with us. I'm Randi Kaye. And it is just about half past the hour. Let's get back now to our top story, that sports bar tent collapse in St. Louis.
And here's what we know at this hour. Officials say that one person has died, sixteen others have been injured. It took place near Busch Stadium, the home of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team. Fans had gathered at a local bar to celebrate a Cardinal's victory earlier that afternoon when a storm packing 50 mile per hour winds blew the structure over. A severe thunderstorm warning was issued shortly before it happened. Nearly 100 people were treated at the scene. There was a permit issue for the tent, but it is not yet known if a manufacturing or installation failure might have contributed to this collapse.
And Reynolds is back with us.
Reynolds, St. Louis got baseball size hail. There had been thunderstorm warnings and tornado watches. Are we finally in the clear there?
WOLF: Unfortunately we're not. They have another chance of storms again today across parts of the heartland, including back in St. Louis. And I can tell you, after living in St. Louis for about a year, whenever the Cardinals are in town and they play, the streets are flooded with people. A lot of fans out and about. So when these storms popped up, people were, unfortunately, in harm's way.
We're going to take you back in time this Saturday at 4:00 p.m. You can see St. Louis right here. You see this one cell developing over St. Charles County. As we put it into motion, you'll notice how everything just kind of shifts off very slowly towards the east. Some strong storms. And you have to remember, when you have these thunderstorms, like the one that just crossed over St. Louis, these storms contain -- can contain over a half a billion pounds -- half a billion pounds of water.
They fall basically from these high cumulonimbus clouds, you have a lot of displacement air that fans out, and, of course, it can really generate quite a bit of speed, like this 50 mile an hour gust that we had through parts of St. Louis, and that, of course, causes some of damage.
Right now, Randi, as we speak, we are looking at a chance of more of that severe weather again today.
We had this area of low pressure, we have that frontal boundary that's going to drift right across parts of the Midwest and into the Ohio valley and that with your temperatures climbing back up into the 70s and 80s, in some places close to 90s farther south, we have another chance of severe storms, which includes hail, damaging winds and even some isolated tornadoes.
We are going to talk about that coming up in a few moments. Plus your travel weather, it's moments away, Randi.
KAYE: OK. We'll look forward to that, Reynolds, thank you.
Checking top stories now. Washington state police say a man suspected of killing his wife and teenage daughter has been found dead inside a fortified bunker following a 22-hour standoff. Police say Peter Keller shot himself and may have been dead for some time. A SWAT team found his body yesterday after using explosives to blow the underground bunker's roof right off.
Malaysian police say they have now released hundreds of people who were arrested at a massive protest in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. The demonstrators were calling for free and fair elections. Police fired tear gas as clashes broke out. The government has promised to make the election process more open. Critics say it is not going far enough.
And it is like something out of a James Bond movie. US Airways employees are being hailed as heroes after nabbing an escaped prisoner at Phoenix's airport. The drug suspect was being extradited from Detroit. He managed remove an ankle bracelet and get away from two sheriff's deputies.
Airline workers caught him on the tarmac as he was trying to steal a tug that pulls airplanes. Those tugs, by the way, move at the speed of 17 miles an hour.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
KAYE: It's one of the few nights a year when Washington actually gets to be funny on purpose. Last night politicians, journalists and celebrities gathered with the first family for the 98th Annual White House Correspondents Dinner in Washington. Hosting honors went to comedian Jimmy Kimmel, who spared no one.
President Obama also took the stage to showcase his standup skills, making light of the inconsequential, like the grain of his hair, and the serious, like the Secret Service scandal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY KIMMEL, COMEDIAN: I do have a lot of jokes about the Secret Service. You know, I told them for $800 I wouldn't tell them, but they only offered $30, so --
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I really do enjoy attending these dinners. In fact, I had a lot more material prepared, but I have to get the Secret Service home in time for their new curfew.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: And, of course, stick around throughout the hour, throughout the morning for many more highlights and a few good laughs. And the end of the road now for another presidential candidate. It's just one of the storylines that we'll be watching this week. Let's get more now from CNN political editor Paul Steinhauser.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Good morning, Randi. He was once a co-frontrunner in the race for the Republican nomination, but this week, Newt Gingrich ends his bid for the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FORMER REP. NEWT GINGRICH, R-GA., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There are times when the mountain gets bigger than your ability to climb it.
STEINHAUSER: The former House Speaker is expected to suspend his campaign at an event in or near the nation's capital early this week.
GINGRICH: We had a wonderful campaign.
STEINHAUSER: So did Rick Santorum, the former senator from Pennsylvania, who went from long shot to briefly sitting atop the pack, suspended his campaign earlier this month, but he still hasn't met with presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney, let alone endorse him.
FORMER SEN. RICK SANTORUM, R-PA., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He is the person that is going to go up against Barack Obama. It's pretty clear. And we need to win this race.
(CROSSTALK)
PIERS MORGAN, CNN HOST: That's an endorsement unless I'm mishearing things.
SANTORUM: Well --
MORGAN: You just endorsed Mitt Romney.
SANTORUM: Well, if that's what you want to call it, you can call it whatever you want.
STEINHAUSER: Will that endorsement come this week? Santorum is set to meet with Romney on Friday.
The next day, President Obama holds his first official campaign rally.
OBAMA: Hello, Ohio.
STEINHAUSER: And yes, you guessed it, the kickoff will be in the Buckeye State, a crucial battleground. The same day the president holds a campaign rally in Virginia, another swing state.
And one week from today marks six months to election day, Randi.
KAYE: And thank you, Paul.
Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown is facing a tough challenge in his re-election bid, but it seems that he may have grabbed a few more supporters with a long shot. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: And the crowd goes wild. That was the senator, sinking a half- court shot. There it is again for you. Wow. That is pretty darn impressive. He was visiting a community center in Hyannis, Massachusetts, and you can see that the kids went wild, and here they are mobbing Senator Brown. What a great reaction.
Great support when those kids, Senator, are old enough to vote. Just keep that in mind. But still a pretty good shot.
Coming up, how did an autistic child end up alone on a train? This morning it is one of the many questions police are asking.
Plus, he was found stuck in a cactus, and now thanks to a little help from strangers, old Cactus Jack here is out of a very sticky situation. An update on this courageous pup next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: It doesn't get better than that, does it? Look at Lady Liberty just hanging out in New York Harbor. Another gorgeous morning. Shaping up to be a great day in New York city there. What a lovely shot. Isn't that beautiful, Reynolds?
WOLF: Beautiful, 50s and 60s today. This is one of the days that if you lived in New York and you had some relatives coming to town, you would want to show them around.
KAYE: Yes.
WOLF: It's time to brag about your city.
KAYE: Yes. I agree with that.
All right. We're going to brag about a few of our favorite stories this morning that really caught our eye. OK? That good for you?
WOLF: Bring it on.
KAYE: All right. Let's start with this one first. Take a look.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible) became a symbol for organ donation is celebrating her 21st birthday (inaudible) --
KAYE: Look at the little guy. Hello. Yes. When you bring your dog to work, you might want to maybe keep him in your office. You don't expect them to show up on TV. Well, this little guy, his name, Reynolds, is actually Stormy.
WOLF: Cute dog. Very Benji-like. I know our younger viewers have no idea who Benji is, but very similar.
KAYE: Isn't he adorable? Well, he showed up at this Toronto newscast. I guess he is the dog that belongs to the weather guy apparently.
WOLF: Go figure.
KAYE: I think you need to start bringing your dog in maybe.
WOLF: Absolutely. Well, they consider me the golden retriever of the weather department, so I basically am the dog in the weather department.
KAYE: Oh. You do obey orders very well.
(CROSSTALK)
WOLF: (Inaudible) roll over for today. That's for sure.
KAYE: He's just so cute, I could watch that all day. I love that. I brought my dog to work once actually, and he was very well behaved. He did not show up on the newscast. Not here. At my old job.
WOLF: You got to bring him in. Bring him in (inaudible) everybody. Bring the whole menagerie, absolutely, everybody. (Inaudible).
KAYE: We need a mascot, right? We need an EARLY START mascot.
WOLF: I agree with you.
KAYE: OK. Well, staying with adorable puppies, why don't we take a look here. This little guy, he really just stole my heart. They call him Cactus Jack because here he is before that lovely shot. Look at that. He got stuck and then covered in these spines. Doesn't that just look painful?
WOLF: What do you think of the name Cactus Jack? Tell me the truth.
KAYE: Well, I think it's kind of cool, but here, this woman that we're showing right here, the whole community was so in love with this dog that they had to hold a lottery on who was going to adopt him. She's thinking about changing the name apparently from Cactus Jack. You don't like that?
WOLF: It's like having a dog that's hit by a car and naming him Crash. You don't do that. You want something completely away from the incident. Name him Bongo or something, I don't know.
KAYE: Bongo --
WOLF: Cactus Jack? I mean, come on, it's just kind of weird.
KAYE: Really? How about just Jack?
WOLF: Jack works.
KAYE: Would that work for you?
WOLF: A solid, respectful name. Cactus Jack, not so much.
KAYE: I mean, just adorable, right?
All right. So we have one more for you. If you are a pizza lover, you are going to love this. This masterpiece is a cheeseburger pizza that Pizza Hut is starting. They put mini cheeseburgers in the crust apparently. They have done this with hot dogs and now -- I wish you could see Reynolds right now because his jaw has just dropped.
WOLF: Dreams do come true. Hallowed be thy name. Look at that. That is incredible. That's great. It's a gastrointestinal dream come true.
KAYE: I think that's really --
WOLF: You wouldn't touch it?
KAYE: No.
WOLF: You are so much more healthy than I am. My blood sugar is -- my blood is like putty when it comes out, it's so --
KAYE: I think we need to get one of those in the studio. What do you think?
WOLF: I think absolutely.
KAYE: We'll try it out. We'll do a little taste test.
WOLF: Bring it. I'm not afraid.
KAYE: OK. See, now, Harrison Boorman (ph), who produced this segment, really did it right, really did it up, he would have had a pizza for us.
WOLF: That's true.
KAYE: You know. (Inaudible).
WOLF: Harrison (ph), you have been challenged. There you go.
KAYE: (Inaudible).
All right. Let's -- we'll check back with you, Reynolds, in just a little bit.
Meanwhile, a possible change for the history books. Now one witness says the story of Robert F. Kennedy's assassination is seriously flawed and she wants the truth to get out. Hear her exclusive account next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Good morning, Washington. Look at that beautiful shot. (Inaudible) they're waking up, a little bit of sunshine already in the area. What a great day on tap.
Well, it is one of the great American tragedies, the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy.
Now there's a new account of what happened that night in 1968. As you know, Sirhan Sirhan was sentenced to life as the lone shooter but his attorneys are hoping for a new trial.
Among the evidence they may present is the story of Nina Rhodes- Hughes. That's her on the left with Robert F. Kennedy. She was there at the Ambassador Hotel the night that Kennedy was shot, and in an exclusive interview with CNN, she says that there's part of the story the FBI has ignored all these years. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NINA RHODES-HUGHES, ROBERT KENNEDY ASSASSINATION WITNESS: There were more than eight shots. And interesting that you read whatever the FBI issued -- everybody said eight shots. Not. I wish there were some recordings of me that night.
You know, I did give an interview to someone with a microphone, where I said there were at least 12, maybe 14, and I know there was, because I heard the rhythm in my head, you know, and I know with the first two or three shots, I wasn't aware.
As I said, I thought they were flash bulbs. What has to come out is that there was another shooter to my right, and Robert Kennedy was also to my right where Sirhan Sirhan was almost straight ahead and a tad to my left, standing on some steel -- you know, raised platform. And that there were two shooters.
It must come out and who they were. It must come out who the other shooter is, because there definitely was another shooter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: What an incredible exclusive interview there. Rhodes-Hughes was never called as a witness in the original trial, but she says that she just wants to get her story out there now. A federal judge is reviewing that story right now.
Still ahead, a Chinese girl, a large truck and a very, very busy intersection. The remarkable outcome ahead.
And then there's this story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURA CANAHUATI, AVERY'S MOM: We've got all the time in the world to cry. We can cry, you know, when she's no longer here, but for now we want to try and enjoy the time we do have with her and just make memories.
(END VIDEO CLIP) KAYE: Each day these parents are scratching something else off their daughter's bucket list. It is not just to experience life. It is also to save lives. We'll have that story for you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back, everyone, and take a look here at this very foggy morning shaping up here in Atlanta. Hard to see even some of the buildings. A little bit of Centennial Park there, but, wow, lots of fog there.
So this morning we have a very touching story for you. It's definitely going to touch your heart. When a young couple found out that their baby girl was born with a rare fatal disorder, they decided give her the best life possible. With less than two years to live, they made a bucket list for their daughter and they posted it online.
Well, now that bucket list is inspiring thousands to share her story. Here's Kevin Reece from our affiliate KHOU in Texas.
KEVIN REECE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At a home in Bel Air, everything was right with the world. Her parents named her Avery. She arrived perfect and with a smile. But just a few months old, her legs went limp. Something was wrong.
L. CANAHUATI: I just started screaming, and just -- it just doesn't seem real.
REECE (voice-over): What was real was spinal muscular atrophy, a rare genetic disorder. The legs first. Avery's use of her arms will be next. Then the ability to breathe. At best, doctors give her 18 months. So what do you do with that little time?
You dance.
L. CANAHUATI: You like that?
REECE (voice-over): Mike and Laura Canahuati took Avery's story online, created her own blog.
M. CANAHUATI: The reality is that this disease will take my life.
REECE (voice-over): And offered her own bucket list, the moments, the memories they want her to have before she's gone.
L. CANAHUATI: Avery, you silly girl.
Mike always told me we've got all the time in the world to cry. We can cry, you know, when she's no longer here, but for now we want to try and enjoy the time we do have with her and just make memories.
REECE (voice-over): Memories like her first Easter, her first trip to college, her first innocent kiss, her first little girl tea party with her mom.
L. CANAHUATI: Oh. M. CANAHUATI: Oh, yummy.
REECE (voice-over): All of this online for a reason.
M. CANAHUATI: We can watch her die, or we can let her live, and through letting her live, we're going to try and educate other people about this so they don't have to go through it, too.
REECE (voice-over): SMA is a genetic disorder. There is no cure and very little research. But parents can get tested to find out if they are carriers, if it's something they could pass to a child.
L. CANAHUATI: It's very aggravating that no one knows about this.
M. CANAHUATI: I refuse to think that my daughter will die in vain.
REECE (voice-over): So mike and Laura promised to chronicle every moment in a very short life so that we remember Avery, remember a disease that needs more research and remember how they spent each day.
L. CANAHUATI: We didn't sit there and cry that day. We sat there and we made memories with our daughter.
M. CANAHUATI: And lots of them.
REECE (voice-over): Memories they will keep alive, hoping someday they lead to a cure -- Kevin Reese, KHOU, 11 News.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: And you can read more about Avery's adventures on the family's blog averycan.blogspot.com.
A terrifying scene in China where a young girl is very lucky to be alive after nearly being run over by a truck in this busy intersection. The truck veered to one side, crashing into a light pole and injuring the driver, but the little girl managed to crawl out with only minor injuries. She is said to be in good condition.
And a 10-year-old boy who has autism was found alone on a Portland light rail, and police want to know how he got there. Witnesses called 9-1-1 after seeing this child board the train by himself and discovered that he was unable to communicate with anyone. Police have identified the boy, but say he will remain in foster care as the investigation continues.
And after the break, I'm going to talk with the father of a boy with autism who feared that his teachers were bullying him, so he wired up his son and sent him to school. His story next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Now to a story that we have followed all weekend. The father of a 10-year-boy with autism secretly recorded what he claims is a teacher bullying his son. Here is just a small portion of Stuart Chaifetz's shocking discovery. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What were you doing in the library yesterday?
AKIAN CHAIFETZ, STUDENT: (Inaudible).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You looked at sculpture. That's what you did. Did you look at a book?
A. CHAIFETZ: (Inaudible).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Did you go to see any books in the library or you just looked at sculptures?
A. CHAIFETZ: (Inaudible).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, Akian, you are a bastard.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: I spoke with him about how his son is now doing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STUART CHAIFETZ, AKIAN'S FATHER: There have been no incidents since then. He is just a joy, and I was sitting here before, just thinking of him and just smiling. He is such a happy kid, and then I heard that video and got as angry as I did the first time I heard it. And my heart broke again -- each time I hear that, what she did to him.
KAYE: What do you feel when you listen to that? I mean, that is just outrageous. If that's going on in that classroom.
S. CHAIFETZ: You know, it is -- as a father and I'm sure any parent, when you hear your child in distress and you can't be there to protect them, it's the worst feeling in the world. One of the reasons why I went forward was to one day show him that people care, that what they did to him was wrong, in addition to hopefully reaching out and showing what an epidemic bullying is.
You know, and they -- and what was especially vile about this situation is that all the children in that class were -- had verbal impairment, so none of them could tell their parents, and they just ran -- and the staff ran wild, saying whatever they wanted, venting on these children, which, to me, is the ultimate act of a coward, when you pick on someone who cannot only not fight back, but can't talk back, and my son actually did learn to fight back, and he was really a message to me saying help. It was a cry for help.
KAYE: How did you know that something was up? I mean, what made you wire up your son? What were you hoping to learn?
S. CHAIFETZ: Well, when we started getting notes back that he was hitting the teacher and the aide, that to me sent -- immediately to me showed that something was wrong, because he is such a gentle and loving human being. And we had meetings with the school.
They brought a behaviorist in. The behaviorist never saw anything. He tried to aggravate Akian to the point that Akian would lash out, and he didn't.
And once that happened, I knew that there was something going on in that class that was specifically setting him off, and I said the only way I can find out was -- because he couldn't talk to me -- was to put an audio recorder into his pocket. And thank God I did, because otherwise he would still be there today, still probably being tormented.
KAYE: Most parents, they send their kids to school, and they worry about them being bullied by other students. They certainly don't worry about them being bullied by teachers, and you have exposed here quite a case.
Stuart Chaifetz, thank you very much for your time and please, you know, as you do release some more of that video -- some more of that audiotape, we would like to have you back on. So thank you.
S. CHAIFETZ: Thank you so much.
KAYE: And we should note, an attorney for the teacher disputes Mr. Chaifetz's claim, saying his client wasn't in room when the incident happened and that the comments Chaifetz alleges the teacher made are, quote, "simply inaccurate."
If you would like to sound off on this story or any stories about bullying, you can tweet me now or any time. Use #bullyingstopshere, and you can find me @RandiKayeCNN.
All right. Let's take a look at the week ahead. We have our snazzy week ahead calendar for you. It will be, though, a somber start to the week, beginning on Tuesday. There is a memorial for "60 Minutes" correspondent Mike Wallace. He died, of course, earlier this month.
On Wednesday, Newt Gingrich is going to make a big announcement. He is actually going to end his bid for the White House, officially end it on Wednesday. The reason that he is waiting is because of a scheduling conflict, apparently.
On Friday, of course, we'll get the latest on the jobs report coming out. It was a bit disappointing last week, so we'll see what we have in store for us coming up this week.
And on Saturday, well, let the celebrations begin, because it is Cinco de Mayo, commemorating the Mexican army's victory over France. A little bit of trivia for you there. And also on Saturday, yes, the big race, the Kentucky Derby. I have my eye on a horse named Daddy Long Legs. Yes, I have been keeping an eye on this guy. So you'll have to watch the race as well.
That's it for your week ahead. Thanks for starting your morning with us. We have got much more ahead on "CNN SUNDAY MORNING," which starts right now. (MUSIC PLAYING)
