Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Sunday Morning

Teens Wait To Learn Their Fate; Pregnant Coach, Driver Killed in Crash; Rand Paul Wins CPAC Straw Poll; How Francis Became Pope; Pouring The Perfect Stout; Bouncing Back From A Scandal

Aired March 17, 2013 - 08:00   ET

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

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Up and at 'em. I know you don't want to miss this day. Happy St. Patrick's Day, everybody. I'm Christi Paul, in for Randi Kaye. So glad to share the morning with you.

I want to start with you with some news that we're watching very closely out of Steubenville, Ohio, because in just two hours, two lives and more could change forever. A judge is expected to hand down his verdict -- yes, a verdict on a Sunday -- in the case of two high school players accused of raping a 16-year-old girl.

I want to get to Poppy Harlow. She is in Ohio covering this trial. I know, as I said, Sunday is sort of an odd day for a verdict but this is -- it's a different case because it's a bench trial. Explain to us what's going on?

POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is, good morning, Christi.

Well, it's a bench trial because the two young boys, Trent Mays and Ma'lik Richmond, they have been accused of raping a 16-year-old girl over a series of overnight parties back in August. They're juveniles. So a judge is going to make the final decision here.

And the reason it's running over the weekend is because they brought in a visiting judge from another county so that there's no concern over conflict of interest in this case. The reason is as you know, it has garnered national attention, really global attention, and everyone in this town certainly knows about it. So they brought someone in from the outside.

But the four days of, long days of testimony ended last night with the prosecution and the defense resting their cases, making their closing arguments. After the 16-year-old alleged victim took the stand for more than two hours, at one point breaking down and crying when prosecutors showed her a naked picture of herself allegedly taken on that night, she said she remembers almost nothing from that period of time when these incidents allegedly occurred.

I want to you listen first to part of the closing arguments made by the defense teams.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALTER MADISON, MA'LIK RICHMOND'S ATTORNEY: Ad there's no DNA from Ma'lik Richmond anywhere.

ADAM NEMANN, TRENT MAYS' ATTORNEY: No one calls the police, no one calls the alleged victim's parents, no one calls their own parents, no one even contacts anyone. Why is that? Are these all bad kids?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Now, the prosecution also made their case in front of the court.

The burden of proof relies on the prosecution to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that it was these two boys that raped this girl. And it's on them to do that. The judge deciding as we speak, the verdict is set to come down about 10:00 a.m. here.

I want to you listen to the prosecution.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIANNE HEMMETER, SPECIAL PROSECUTOR: This case isn't about social media. This case isn't about big red football. This case is about a 16-year-old girl who was taken advantage of, toyed with and humiliated. And it's time that the people who did that to her are held responsible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: The two boys have maintained their innocence throughout. Interestingly, they did not take the stand. We weren't sure if they were going to or not. That was a game time decision. They did not testify. If they are found guilty, the maximum sentence they could face as they're juveniles is until they're 21, Christi.

PAUL: All right. I know if they're found guilty, even sentencing could come down today, Poppy, you said that earlier. But I wonder if you could give us a sense of what it was like in the courtroom when the alleged victim took the stand, because at one point, we had heard she would not be taking the stand.

HARLOW: Right. I mean, it's always a game time decision with these witnesses, how the lawyers think the case is going on. But, you know, the defense told me if the prosecution didn't call her to the stand they were going to.

So, she was taking the stand either way. It was very tense. Everyone hearing that she was next, waiting for her. But once she was on the stand after about 10 minutes, she was pretty calm the entire time answering yes/no questions. "I can't remember" -- a lot of "I can't remember" answers, because remember, the argument here is that she was very intoxicated.

But when she was shown this picture of herself lying down naked, it's the first time she had seen that picture, she said the first time and the prosecution handed it to her, and it was just too much. She broke down, she cried, her mother was in the courtroom as well, so two hours of testimony we got from her. But we'll hear from the judge in two hours from now and we'll bring that to you as soon as we have it.

PAUL: Boy, all righty. Hey, Poppy, thank you so much. We appreciate it.

Interesting how much social media is playing a role in this trial as well as evidence.

Moving to Pennsylvania here, to give you more on the deadly bus crash, and some other things we've learned. We're told that it could take several days for investigators to determine what caused the crash of that bus that was carrying members of a Seton Hill University women's lacrosse team. Two people were killed in the crash.

CNN's national correspondent Susan Candiotti has more for us -- Susan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Christi, there were 23 people aboard the bus carrying Seton Hill's women's lacrosse team. The team's head coach, 30-year-old Kristina Quigley, was six months pregnant with her second child and airlifted to the hospital but attempts to save her and her unborn baby boy failed.

JAMIE STEEL, ASST. DEAN, SETON HILL UNIVERSITY: We're mourning the loss of our head women's lacrosse coach, Kristina Quigley, and her unborn son. The university extends its deepest sympathy to Kristina's family and husband.

CANDIOTTI: Bus driver 61-year-old Anthony Guaetta died at the scene, the rest of the passengers were rushed to the area hospital.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My roommate is on the team, so I'm very -- I was very nervous, but I did find out that she's OK.

CANDIOTTI: The team's charter bus was heading east on the Pennsylvania turnpike from Seton in Greensburg, just east of Pittsburgh, on its way across state, to a game in Millersville. State police say the driver veered off the road, hit a guardrail, went about 70 yards through grass and slammed into a tree. The front of the bus appears to have taken the brunt of the impact.

The bus company, Mlaker, says it is investigating and issued a statement expressing its sorrow.

We checked the company's safety record with federal authorities. There are no accidents shown online in the past two years. And the 40-year-old bus line has a satisfactory rating, the highest allowed.

Investigators are taking a look at everything, including the weather.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everyone's devastated by the losses and almost seems like we're all coming together.

CANDIOTTI: Police say there was a mix of rain and snow at the time, but it's not clear if weather played a role. Authorities will be talking with survivors, those lacrosse players and other members of the team to see if they can shed any light on what happened.

There will be a mass tonight at Seton Hill University for the accident victims -- Christi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL: All right. Hey, Susan, thank you so much.

I want to tell you about NFL wide receiver Donte Stallworth now. He is still in a Miami hospital after suffering severe burns in a hot air balloon crash. We understand a female friend was also hurt yesterday. This is when the balloon crash into some power lines. Stallworth's agent says the accident should not hurt his ability to play football. He is expected back on the field within weeks.

You know, we're still waiting to find how rapper Tone Loc this morning. You've heard about this? He collapsed at a concert last night in Des Moines, Iowa. Attendees say he finished the song and just dropped to the floor. His crew rushed over, obviously. Organizers immediately stopped his event.

Tone Loc is known for his hits "Wild Thing" and "Funky Cold Medina."

And another first for Pope Francis -- just about an hour ago, he gave his first weekly blessing in front of a massive crowd at the Vatican. He read the Angelus prayer. Look at the thousands of Catholics from around the world whom he blessed and who had packed St. Peter's Square there.

Before that, he had his first Sunday mass and this was a rare move, too. He greeted people outside the church after the service.

All right. Let's talk about politics here -- final exclamation point per se for the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC, of course, the annual gathering of conservatives, movers and shakers.

They just wrapped things up outside Washington by choosing Rand Paul as the flag bearer. His father, Ron Paul, won the same poll twice. Marco Rubio finished a close second in the voting. Rick Santorum finished third among the 23 names on the list. And Chris Christie who wasn't even invited to CPAC finished fourth.

Sarah Palin received 3 percent in the straw poll, her best moments came during her spirited speech on center stage. We're going to show you the highlights in just a couple of minutes. But grab a soda, sit back, I don't know, it might be too early for a soda, how about some coffee, some orange juice?

There's a reason I said soda. You'll get it in a little bit.

We'd like to wish everyone, though, a very happy St. Patrick's Day. How are you going to celebrate?

Well, depending on where you live, apparently you might need a pair of sweat pants under that kilt.

Meteorologist Alexandra Steele in the CNN weather center for a look at your Sunday forecast.

I know there are -- there are parades. There are some parades today. People, I hear, in Atlanta are running in a big marathon. How does it look for everybody?

ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. You know, I think for this rain train we've got, what we need is an umbrella.

But here's a live look, it was f Atlanta, Georgia, the Publix race, it's marathon out there, started at 6:45 for wheelchair participants . So, certainly beautiful weather for a road race and Atlanta race this morning.

But here's a look, look at this, I-44, I-64 -- it's really just kind of a very wet, wintry mix. So it's rain, sleet and snow. Not much in the way of accumulations from I-70 just north, or maybe on the grassy surfaces. But for the most part, as this thing pushes eastward to the Mid-Atlantic, including Washington, it will just be a wet, wintry mix, sleet, rain and snow. So, Cinci, St. Louis, KC, Louisville all wet this morning and it all pushes eastward.

What we're going to see -- here's the radar in the future of it. So, I'm going to kind of move it through some time period. This is this morning and watch what happens. This area of low pressure kind of moves north again still St. Louis, Cinci, through the day today. Washington begins to fill in so the morning commute in Washington tomorrow around the beltway kind of a wet one, Chicago to Cincinnati as well.

Then watch these two areas kind of phase together. So New York to Washington and believe it or not the colder air in place in northern New England, Tuesday into Tuesday night, we could have some heavy snow in New England. Burlington, the ski resorts and green and white mountains really could be good gangbusters up there for Tuesday into Tuesday night and then it pushes eastward.

Big picture today -- Southwest got record warm temperatures, from Salt Lake City to Flagstaff to Phoenix. Those have come down a bit but they're still about 10 degrees above average. Here's a look where the potential for severe storms are, not only today but believe it or not into tomorrow. It's actually the last full weekend of winter.

And here's a look. Today, the potential, Memphis, Little Rock, Nashville, more hail and damaging winds, not the threat for tornadoes per se. Tomorrow as well that threat pushes eastward. Nashville, Asheville, down to Atlanta, Georgia.

So, Christi, a lot of weather around the country today, and again, we move into spring officially Wednesday. So last full weekend of winter and we're going to see a little bit of snow round.

PAUL: Yes. You know that we still have a couple weeks left in March. Until we hit April, nobody feels safe. Nobody knows what March is going to give us.

STEELE: Yes.

PAUL: Thank you, Alexandra. Appreciate it.

OK, a nuclear threat on a Chicago commuter train? Well, federal agents swarm the cars with handheld detection devices. We'll tell you what they found.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JERRY JONES, CHICAGO LAWYER: They were in charge, and they weren't going to let that train go out until they knew it was safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Well, the CPAC conference was kind of a who's who among influential conservatives. Four names, though, rose above the rest, Senators Rand Paul and Ted Cruz talked tough. Dr. Ben Carson kind of gave us a glimpse of the party's future. And Sarah Palin brought down the House with her usual pizzazz.

Let's tear from Ted Cruz, and then, it's Sarah Palin's turn.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

SEN. TED CRUZ (R), TEXAS: On guns, do we surrender or do we stand up now?

(CHEERS)

On drones, do we surrender or do we stand up now?

(CHEERS)

On spending, do we surrender or do we stand up now?

(CHEERS)

SARAH PALIN (R), FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR: We're here to restore America, and the rest is just theatrics. The rest is sound and theory. It's just making noise. And that sums up the job President Obama is doing today.

Now, he's considered a good politician, which is like saying Bernie Madoff was a good salesman.

(CHEERS)

When we were here last year, the words on everyone's lips, the wish in your heart, was for Barack to pack her up and bubble wrap the Nobel and the club and the high-tops and head on back to Chicago. Well, the election came and went, but the campaign never stopped.

Mr. President, we admit it. You won. Accept it. Now, step away from the teleprompter and do your job.

(CHEERS)

Allow yourself to imagine leadership that deems to understand us little people, us clinging to our God, our guns, our Constitution and the grassroots.

Is it any wonder there was such a run on guns and ammo for Christmas presents a couple months ago, considering politicians' attack on the Second Amendment? Oh, you should have seen what Todd got me for Christmas.

(LAUGHTER)

Well, it wasn't that exciting, it's a metal rack, case for a hunting rifle to put on the back of a four-wheeler and then I had to get something for him to put in the gun case, right?

So this go-round he's got the rifle, I got the rack.

(CHEERS)

Oh, Bloomberg's not around. Our Big Gulp's safe.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

PAUL: For more on CPAC and Sarah Palin, check out CNNPolitics.com.

So, let me tell you about this nuclear threat on a Chicago commuter train possibly. This was not a movie. This was not a drill.

A photojournalist with affiliate WBBM, though, just happened to be on that train when it was stormed by TSA agents.

Reporter Dave Savini with WBBN, as I said, does have the story for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVE SAVINI, WBBN REPORTER (voice-over): Sources say these are members of the elite TSA viper team aboard the 504 p.m. Union Pacific West Line. They're carrying handheld nuclear detection devices, which picked up a reading for nuclear activity.

Here at the Ogilvie Station, they detained this train and searched for the person or bag that could be posing a deadly threat. The bag turns out to be clean but there's still a signal of something nuclear somewhere on the train.

JERRY JONES, CHICAGO LAWYER: They were in charge, and they weren't going to let that train go out until they knew it was safe.

SAVINI: Jerry Jones, a Chicago lawyer, was heading home on that train, he's the passenger in the blue shirt.

(on camera): They actually narrowed it down to the people right around you on the train.

JONES: Yes they did.

SAVINI: In the entire time, you're sitting there thinking I wonder what they're looking for.

JONES: I had no idea that I was the center of the activity.

SAVINI: Jones says the special security must have picked up on him as he entered the station and walked up these stairs -- little that he know that a nuclear stress test he took earlier in the day would have set off silent alarms and sent security scurrying.

JONES: Probably 15 minutes.

SAVINI: Fifteen minutes, they're kind of buzzing around, looking for this bag --

JONES: Right, right.

SAVINI: -- or person.

JONES: Yes.

SAVINI (voice-over): The TSA team passed by him several times before ending up on his train car. Finally, he got a clue when the agent questioned the man right next to him.

JONES: And said, "Sir, do you have an explanation as to why I'm getting a high isotope reading on your bag." And the fella's jaw dropped.

SAVINI: Once the agent isotope, Jones says he realized he was the one they were looking for. That's when he raised his hand to confess.

JONES: I had a nuclear test this morning.

I had nuclear stress test.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mike, we got it.

SAVINI: After showing his ID and proof of a nuclear test, which can leave patients emitting radiation for some time, Jones and the other passengers were allowed to go on your way.

(on camera): What feeling do you walk away with?

JONES: One of great security, knowing there are people on the lookout for this type of thing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL: Our thanks to Dave Savini of affiliate WBBM for that.

We'll be right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Let's talk some college basketball, shall we, as March Madness, of course, kicks off today. You got it, guy, all your friends are going to be asking to you fill out the brackets tomorrow morning because in about nine hours, 68 lucky teams will find out if they've been picked to compete in the games biggest tournament.

"Bleacher" reporter Joe Carter you know is watching this closely. He's got some brackets to fill out, too.

Hey, Joe.

JOE CARTER, BLEACHER REPORT: Hey. Good morning, Christie.

Yes, depending on the school, tonight's selection show is either going to be rewarding or could be heartbreaking because there are a lot of teams battling for a few precious spots.

Yesterday, 13 teams punched their ticket, one of those Louisville. They used to a huge second half comeback to beat Syracuse in the final Big East game as we know it. They are conference champions once again, but is that enough to earn the number one overall seed?

After the game, Louisville coach Rick Pitino paid tribute to the first Big East commissioner Dave Gavitt.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICK PITINO, LOUISVILLE COACH: You know, Dave Gavitt was a good friend of mine, a dear friend. And in his memory, this whole Big East is for him. So for us to go out as champions back-to-back like this is real special.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARTER: Kansas made a statement with their big win over Kansas state. The Jayhawks won the Big 12 title. They may also have locked up a number one seed in the NCAA tournament. Many think they'll take that spot from Duke, after their poor showing at the ACC tournament.

The other big conference finals today are in the Big 10, the SEC and the ACC.

And, finally, Philly native Brad Baer got to live the dream yesterday, nailing a half court shot during the Atlantic 10 tournament. But the celebration actually halted for a few moments because officials had to make sure he didn't step over the half court line. Baer said while he was waiting, he felt like he was an NFL player waiting to see he scored a touchdown.

The Barclays Center went nuts when they found out he was, in fact, going to be $10,000 winner, $10,000 richer, a great moment. I love the reaction, sliding on the court like that, Christie. I don't know how I would react if I won 10 Gs if I hit a basketball shot. Probably something like that.

PAUL: I -- it wouldn't even about $10,000. For me, I just couldn't believe I'd hit the shot. It's going to be me -- not my forte, that was my brother's job.

Hey. Thank you so much, Joe.

CARTER: You bet.

PAUL: This morning, we saw Pope Francis give his first weekly angelus prayer. Remember, just a week ago people weren't even considering him in the running for pope. So just how did he get elected?

We're going to break it down for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Well it's St. Patrick's Day at 8:30 in the morning. If you happen to just be getting in from a little bit of celebrating I'm Christi Paul, welcome. Bottom of the hour for you now, some stories we're following.

In less than two hours 17-year-old Trenton Mays and 16-year-old Malik Richmond the two young men you see there are going to learn their fate. Yes they're accused of raping a 16-year-old girl last summer and the judge is expected to hand down his decision in just about an hour and a half for the two high school football players. Yes, on a Sunday.

The alleged victim says she was too drunk to remember much of what happened to her. She testified yesterday.

There is going to be a memorial tonight on the campus of Seton Hall University near Pittsburgh as they remember the victims of a bus crash yesterday. The bus was carrying the women's Lacrosse team and the team's pregnant coach and the bus driver were both killed. The other 21 people on board were taken to area hospitals and some are still there at this hour.

You're looking at one of the consequences of those forced federal budget cuts that took effect this month. Passengers at Miami International Airport here had to wait several hours yesterday, hours to get through customs. Airport officials say the federal agency that checks passports had to cut overtime so travelers were reported to be yelling, screaming, even fights breaking out in line.

The Carnival "Legend" has arrived this morning at a Tampa port. Here are some pictures of it from just a little bit ago after its journey was side lined of course by issues with the propulsion system. Those problems kept the vehicle from traveling at top speed despite the issue, though the company says the ship is going to be ready to sail again this afternoon.

Well today's -- for today's "Faces of Faith" we're talking about how Pope Francis became pope. Because a lot of people were betting against him -- I don't know if you knew that. But CNN senior international correspondent Dan Rivers got the inside scoop for us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAN RIVERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): As the sun sets on the conclave, gradually details are being pieced together as to how Cardinal Bergoglio was elected Pope Francis. Posters of the 115 cardinal electors attract passersby -- ordinary people wondering how the cardinals voted for a ranked outsider.

RUPERT ADAMS, BETTING AGENT: At the end of it, he was 25:1. It had been as big as 40:1 but in reality almost no one backed him. He was what -- he was about 16th or 17th in the betting.

RIVERS: The cardinals themselves are supposed to say nothing, swearing an oath of secrecy about how they voted. We tried asking one what went on.

CARDINAL JOHN ONAIYEKAN, ARCHBISHIOP OF ABUJA: I cannot tell you that. I will not tell you that. It would be exposing what we had agreed we were not going to tell anybody.

RIVERS: It's reported Cardinal Bergoglio made a key four-minute speech at the pre-conclave general congregations meeting which impressed many cardinals but few predicted he'd win.

GERARD O'CONNELL, VATICAN ANALYST: It's like a poker game. Until they disclose their cards none of them will have a clear picture of what is possible. And then once they -- once the cards are put on the table, they will then see who's got the votes and who has not.

RIVERS (on camera): And this is how the cards fell, Favorite Cardinal Angelo Scola was struggling for votes even after the first ballot. In subsequent votes two establishment kingmakers non-electing Cardinal Angelo Cedano and Cardinal Parchizio Bertoli (ph) were both trumped by other cardinals who wanted reform. It stacked the deck in favor of Cardinal Bergoglio.

The joker in the pack -- the U.S. cardinals led by Archbishop Timothy Dolan his endorsement gave Bergoglio the two-thirds majority needed to make him unbeatable.

(voice over): All this was supposed to be in secret but soon the details were leaking -- a story of which few predicted the ending, a first pope from the new world.

Dan Rivers, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: So joining us from Rome now, CNN senior Vatican analyst John Allen. John I know we're learning more about how he was elected obviously but what do you think made him stand out?

JOHN ALLEN, CNN SENIOR VATICAN ANALYST: Well Christi I think his election -- the election of Cardinal Bergoglio was the intersection of two different forces. One, there were a number of cardinals going into this conclave who wanted to elect somebody who could somehow put a face and a voice on the two-thirds of the 1.2 billion Catholics in the world who live in the developing world; that share is going to be three-quarters by mid-century. So they were looking for somebody who came from that part of the world and I think Latin America struck them as the best bet.

The other camp was a kind of anti-establishment mood among many of the 114 cardinals who elected Bergoglio, who felt that old ways of doing business in the Vatican and the old guard needed to be swept out. There needed to be a serious reform in the direction of greater transparency, greater accountability, and greater efficiency. They wanted an outsider, somebody not connected to the old guards to do that and of course Cardinal Bergoglio has never worked a day in the Vatican in his life.

These two things came together: a Latin American outsider who had been the runner-up eight years ago, who has enormous respect among his fellow cardinals. He became an irresistible force inside that conclave, Christi.

PAUL: And I heard that he gave a four-minute speech before the conclave and that that impressed some people. Do we have any idea what he talked about?

ALLEN: Yes, this was a speech given during the general congregation meetings which were the daily meetings of all the cardinals, including those who were over 80 and couldn't vote in the conclave. There was 100 and some speeches given during this period and so it's hard for any one of them to stand out but Cardinal Bergoglio's did.

He talked about the need for purification and the need for conversion and many people believe that he was directing those comments towards the Vatican bureaucracy in particular, and that was sort of taken as a signal that he might well be the reformer, the guy who would sort of bring a new broom and sweep clean inside the bureaucracy, that the other cardinals were looking for.

PAUL: I know that he was elected despite some controversy about his history in Argentina. He's accused of being complicit with the dictatorship back in the '70s that kidnapped two priests. I know the Vatican denies the charges. But what could -- I mean, when you look at that, what could Francis have done to protect those priests anyway?

ALLEN: Well the specific charge of course is there were two Jesuit priests and remember Pope Francis is a Jesuit, he comes out of the religious order known as the Society of Jesus, he was the superior of the order at that time, charges these two priests were kidnapped and that he didn't do enough to try to have them liberated.

Now one of those priests who is currently living in Germany has said that as far as he is concerned the case is closed, he's reconciled with Francis and he's praying for the success of his papacy.

You know I think you make a good point which is what more could he have done? The record is that he did try to get these priests liberated, that he was not in any way complicit with the regime. You know it's always easy at a distance and when the benefit of hindsight to make judgments about what someone should or should not have done but I think those closest to the situation have said that the -- that the future pope at that time did what was in his power, of course, a Nobel Peace Prize winner from Argentina, known for being a ferocious critic of the regime has also come to his defense.

So my suspicion Christi is this is one of those stories, that's probably not going to have legs.

PAUL: All right, John Allen, is CNN senior Vatican analyst. It's so good to see you today, John, thank you for your insight.

And you know CPAC is packing up today. It did manage to bring in some pretty big college crowds. They weren't there to see the Oak Ridge boys and (inaudible) perform of course. I want ask "STATE OF THE UNION" host Candy Crowley, who were they there for Candy really? Good morning.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN HOST, "STATE OF THE UNION": Good morning. I got to guess Rand Paul, he's certainly within the confines of that group and this is -- this is an umbrella group for conservative groups, mostly Republicans but there is a libertarian streak very much in Rand Paul that does tend to attract young people, as his father did. And I think we can tell by the results of the straw poll at CPAC which, of course, declared Rand Paul to be the winner that a lot of them came to hear him.

He's certainly has some -- he also was coming off a pretty big week for him, he held that filibuster on the senate floor, demanding to know more about drone policy in the U.S., et cetera. So he's had a couple of really good weeks of headlines, and now having won the straw poll it makes him a player, but it does not make him, you know, by any means, a lock as to who is going to lead the Republican Party. We're not going to know that for another two years or so until Republicans decide on who their nominee might be for president.

PAUL: Yes all right. Hey Candy, thank you so much, we appreciate it.

CROWLEY: Thanks Christi.

PAUL: And keep it here for "STATE OF THE UNION" it starts at the top of the hour, 9:00 a.m. Eastern, here on CNN.

So we've been talking about the fact that yes it is St. Patrick's Day. You want to know how to pour the perfect pint of stout? Well we've got a handy guy coming up for you, we have a hint of this guy, he's doing it all wrong.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Top of the morning to Ireland. That's Dublin out there (ph) that you're looking at in the streets celebrating the St. Patrick's Day holiday. And you know what it -- it looks like it's kind of cold there, but they -- you know, they're going to have a good old time just like we do here in the states.

It all merges over to us, too, doesn't it, Nadia, plenty of those revelers are going to be celebrating with a pint of Guinness. You know it, the traditional Irish stout known for its dark hue and white top.

Pouring the perfect pint it's not the easiest task which is why we're joined by editorial producer Nadia Bilchik who's going to show us how it's done because I know that you got a good lesson here.

NADIA BILCHIK, CNN EDITORIAL PRODUCER: First of all I love Guinness.

PAUL: You do.

BILCHIK: And then I have to learn how to pour the perfect stout. And do you know that even President Obama has been to Ireland and have the perfect stout because his great, great grandfather on his mother's side was Irish. They say everyone is Irish on St. Paddy's Day.

PAUL: Wait on St. Patrick's Day specifically yes of course we are -- because we need, we need to celebrate. We need to be excused right?

BILCHIK: Yes because you know there are over 37 million Americans of Irish ancestry, that's six times more than the population of Ireland.

PAUL: Really?

BILCHIK: Who may be pouring a stout today.

PAUL: I thought people just wanted to party and that was an excuse.

BILCHIK: That, too.

PAUL: Ok what did you learn about pouring the perfect stout?

BILCHIK: A perfect stout takes a cold glass and you have to tilt it at 45 degrees and you're looking there at a stout that's about you see the 45 degrees on tap but you have to pour it slowly, and then once it reaches around three-quarters, you stop and you stop so that creamy, milky texture fills and starts looking black so the whole idea is that there's a force for the entire pouring procedure takes sometimes over three minutes, then there's a pause.

PAUL: Wow.

BILCHIK: And then they carry on pouring slowly and then they get that big, creamy top otherwise known as the head, and only then is the stout perfect to drink.

PAUL: All righty but is it really a meal in a glass like some people say? Come on. BILCHIK: Well, Guinness is not allowed to say it's good for you, but I spoke to one of our producers here and she's from Ireland and she says physicians tell elderly people in Ireland to have a Guinness because --

PAUL: They tell elderly people?

BILCHIK: -- yes -- to have a bit of a sip full of vitamin C and antioxidants. In (inaudible) we say -- long shot (ph). Now, this is the color it's supposed to be. Unfortunately this is missing our big, white foamy top (inaudible), in Gaelic is "cheers" --

PAUL: It sounds -- cheers, ok.

BILCHIK: And then we say may good luck be with you, wherever you go and your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow.

PAUL: Nice. I love it. I'm not going to take a sip because --

(CROSSTALK)

BILCHIK: (inaudible) and increases your amount of vitamin B and antioxidant.

PAUL: Another reason for you all to go out there and have a couple. Nadia -- thank you so much.

BILCHIK: Happy St. Paddy's Day.

PAUL: And they get in trouble they can say Nadia made me do it, right?

You know, we have seen -- and I know you've been watching this too -- this handful of politicians not only bounce back from scandals, then they get their own TV shows and they run for office again. Comedian Dean Obeidallah will tell us why he thinks disgraced politicians get away with it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Good morning. We want to make sure -- I know it's Sunday but that you're in the know for the rest of the week ahead. So let's take a look at what's going on. On Tuesday -- pretty big schedule. For you basketball fans, first of all, the first round of March Madness tips off in Ohio. Games continuing through April 8th.

Also, on Tuesday, Pope Francis' installation ceremony at the Vatican. We know Vice President Joe Biden is going to attend; he's the first Roman Catholic to serve as vice president by the way.

And then, you know, we also have the ten-year anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq 4,802 U.S. and coalition men and women lost their lives in that.

On Wednesday, President Obama is off to the Middle East, this is his first visit to Israel as president and he'll also travel to the West Bank and Jordan we know as well.

Moving into Thursday we're going back to some sports stuff here, Arnold Palmer Invitational begins in Florida, all eyes, of course, on Tiger Woods who's going for his eighth win there.

And on Friday, the Blackberry V10 starts shipping out. It's the company's first Smartphone since completely overhauling their operation system there.

Let me ask you, since we're talking about what's coming up this week, you never know what's coming up in politics, so disgraced politicians, are they like celebrities? You know, once famous, they're famous forever?

Well comedian Dean Obeidallah is joining us next to explain how some politicians -- they don't just stick around, they thrive. Getting TV shows and book deals and more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Last year I had an affair.

ANTHONY WEINER (D), FORMER CONGRESSMAN, NEW YORK: The picture was of me and I sent it.

MARK SANFORD (R), FORMER GOVERNOR, SOUTH CAROLINA: It began very innocently as I suspect many of these things do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I violated the vows of my marriage.

ELIOT SPITZER (D), FORMER GOVERNOR, NEW YORK: I've begun to atone for my private failings with my wife, Silda.

SANFORD: Let me first of all apologize to my wife, Jenny.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Especially my wife. I'm truly sorry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: These are the moments that just do not die, people. Disgraced politicians, we've seen more than a handful of our elected leaders resign for unsavory things, perhaps. But some are making their way back into the spotlight, going beyond a (inaudible), starring in their own TV shows, book deals -- even running for office again.

Political comedian Dean Obeidallah is in New York. We've got former, you know, South Carolina governor, who we saw there, Mark Sanford running for a congressional seat after he was publicly caught cheating on his wife. In your state, former representative Anthony Weiner has set off speculation that he may be making a comeback after getting caught sending racy pictures to women other than his wife.

How do these guys -- I mean how do they find favor again? DEAN OBEIDALLAH, POLITICAL COMEDIAN: I think, Christi, they're like Jason from "Friday the 13th" movies, you can't kill them. They just keep coming like political zombies. Every time you think they're dead they're back walking around.

You know what; Anthony Weiner just this week it came out, he spent $100,000 on polling to see about running for mayor of New York this year. And as people remember he resigned because he accidentally tweeted pictures of himself in his underwear out. Apparently he's learned how to use Twitter and he wants to run for mayor.

And then you have South Carolina Mark Sanford who's gone beyond thinking about running, he's is actually a candidate for a House seat, special election vote is next week and he's the leading Republican. If he wins the nomination he's probably back in the House.

So these guys are back and I don't think they're ever going to go away. You're going to see this over and over.

PAUL: All right. But, do you think the comeback can work?

OBEIDALLAH: I think honestly -- I think overall as Americans we're forgiving people. If you say you're sorry and the crime you've done or lack of a better term not actually a crime but the fault is nothing with corruption, you haven't stolen money, it's a personal thing like in the case of these two gentlemen I think we can be forgiving if we see you're sincere. Sanford is probably going to win and I think Weiner could have a good chance, frankly.

PAUL: But why do you think they keep putting themselves back in the spotlight? I mean some people might say why don't just you go get, you know, a regular job?

OBEIDALLAH: Why don't I sleep more in on Sunday mornings and don't come on the show? Because they like the attention -- this is what it's about. We have the same thing in each of us. I think some of them it's truly about public service and they just were led astray by their own weaknesses and their sins and they're trying to get over it and make up for it. Others just can't help being on TV, and speaking and getting the attention that fuels them and that's part of their self-worth, frankly.

PAUL: You know, we can't talk about this without talking about Bill Clinton, who is at the heart of one of the biggest White House sex scandals ever.

OBEIDALLAH: Sure.

PAUL: Now he's one of the most popular politicians around with about two-thirds of all Americans approving of him. How much, if at all, then do you think getting caught in a scandal hurts politicians? It's a temporary hurt it seems.

OBEIDALLAH: I think it is temporary. It depends on the scandal. I'm hoping to get into a scandal to raise my visibility across the country. I'm not sure which way it will be. But look Bill Clinton is back stronger than ever. You have the other two politicians we've talked about. Even people in the midst of a scandal like Rod Blagojevich, the former governor of Illinois, was actually on Trump's show "Celebrity Apprentice" while under indictment. Tom DeLay the former House majority leader was on "Dancing with the Stars" after he was thrown out of Congress.

Today's world, if you become a celebrity, we watch. And sadly a good celebrity or a bad one; it doesn't matter anymore -- you're famous. There's cache to that and it will get eyeballs to watch a TV show or to buy books. And that's part of the world we live in today. There's a hyper reality show mentality we have.

PAUL: Do you have any advice for someone trying to bounce back from a scandal? Do you take time off and then try to kind of ease your way back in.

OBEIDALLAH: Yes.

PAUL: Or like you said if you're famous you just get out there and take it while it's hot?

OBEIDALLAH: I think it's part of what your scandal is. What did you do wrong? Like Bob Nye, the former congressman from Ohio was in prison for a year. Now he just wrote a book and last week he was on all the talk shows. So time has passed from his prison time. He's contrite now, he writes a book, he bad mouths Cngress, he's on all the shows and I bet you'll see more of him of other shows as well -- maybe as a regular contributor.

We saw Eliot Spitzer go from governor to hosting a show on this network and on Current TV as well. So I think it depends. If it's a personal thing like you cheated on your spouse, it's wrong, it's regrettable, it's horrible, but I think in time most of us forgive that as long as it's not a corruption crime, I think you'll see these guys back.

And have a sense of humor. You know, mock yourself a little bit saying look I made a mistake. I know it. As time passes, Bill Clinton is great at that.

PAUL: All right. That's a good point. Hey Dean thank you so much, so good to get your insight today. We appreciate it.

OBEIDALLAH: Nice seeing you -- Christi.

PAUL: Sure. And thank you for keeping me company here.

I'm out of here. I'm hungry. I'm going to go get some breakfast. Hope you do too.

STATE OF THE UNION with Candy Crowley starts right now.