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CNN Saturday Morning News
Gas Prices Jumping Higher and Higher; Police Continue Deadly Clashes With Protesters in Libya; Wisconsin Layoffs Begin Under Governor Walker's Budget Plan; Charlie Sheen Heading to Haiti?; Making the Most of Internet Coupon Sites; Huckabee's Pregnancy Problem; Day Care Murder Investigation; Message Behind Carnival; NFL Labor Talks Extended; Staying in Step
Aired March 05, 2011 - 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: Good morning, everyone.
Terror and tear gas in parts of Libya where police clash with protesters trying to drive the Gadhafis from the last part of the country they actually still control. CNN has correspondents reporting all around the region and we'll have live reports throughout the morning for you.
After nearly two weeks of protests, Wisconsin's governor follows through on his plan to lay off teachers. The notices are in the mail. The budget is still in crisis and the anger still simmering. The impact on teachers and on states like yours coming up.
Plus, Charlie Sheen is taking his outrageous antics on the road. Is Haiti ready for the star best known as a public relations disaster?
It's early and we're on it. From CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It's March 5th. I'm Randi Kaye. Glad you're with us.
We start with another jump in gas prices this morning. The average for a gallon of gasoline is now $3.49. It's much higher if you live in New York or on the west coast. That's where the prices are the highest. The average price is up 16 cents since this time last week and 38 cents since this time last month.
We're all feeling the effects on the family budget. This recent rise just like the rise in the price of a barrel of oil is being pushed by the unrest in the Middle East. But there is some good news on the economy this morning. New jobless numbers released just yesterday showed another drop in the unemployment rate, February's rate, 8.9 percent. That's the lowest we've seen, if you're keeping track, in nearly two years.
First, let's get you caught up on the latest developments with the uprising in Libya now entering its 19th day as the North African nation moves closer to civil war. Here's the newest video from the latest flash point of violence.
The Libyan town of Zawiya, where we are hearing a back and forth type of battle between government forces and rebel fighters. The rebels are saying they forced Gadhafi's troops to withdraw in previous positions on the city's outskirts. The fighting described as intense and deadly on both sides. An eyewitness in Zawiya says three opposition fighters have been killed.
It's a lot of the same in the Libyan capital of Tripoli. It's the stronghold for Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and the scene for some of the fiercest battles that we have seen between protesters and government forces.
CNN senior international correspondent Nic Robertson joins me now on the phone from Tripoli.
Nic, I know that you spoke with Gadhafi's son Saif. Is there any indication from him that his father dies plan to step down at any point as the U.S. government is telling him to do so?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): I asked him exactly that. I said President Obama has said your father has lost the confidence of his people and he needs to step down. He said that's not going to happen, that he's the leader of the country. The country needs him.
In fact he said, you know, if he was to go now and the government was to collapse, then the country would just turn into something like Somalia because of the strife. He's indicating Moammar Gadhafi is not going to step down and the government is going to continue with its fight, he said, going to get to any sort of reform, political agenda, meet the opposition's demand until the government's taken full control of the country -- Randi.
KAYE: And what about this strategic battle that he talked about for the oil refineries? Where does that stand and what did he tell you about that?
ROBERTSON: He said that they're going to push to continue. I mean I think what's interesting here is that he characterized the battle to the west of Tripoli right now in Zawiya and the battle in the east of the country for the oil refineries around Brega, that area. He said these are battles that the government can easily win and that they will win them.
And contrary to what he told us last night that the battle in Zawiya would be over by now and it was really just mopping up, that's not the case. It's what is the picture that is emerging that there's going to be a protracted battle at least and that the government's finding it much harder to roust the rebels from urban environments.
They have heavy weapons. The government has heavy weapons and artillery. They haven't used those thus far, which seems to indicate they do want to limit civilian collateral damage to a degree. But it's not clear how much longer their patience will be and how much they will ratchet up in the heart of the city their military campaign because at the moment they don't appear to be doing very well. Randi.
KAYE: And how confident would you say the opposition is? ROBERTSON: I think they are determined. They know what they're fighting for, whereas the government soldiers are perhaps a little less clear about what they're fighting for.
For example, Zawiya, the rebels there a surrounded by the government and they have nowhere they can break out, no other sort of rebel force to hook up with. And really, if the government lay siege carefully and strategically, which they have so far not really managing to do and the rebels know there know that their battle there would be limited.
But in the east of the country, it's a different picture. The rebels there are holding onto a large swath of territory. And if they can continue to do that and keep the government forces out, they can turn this into a very long war. Randi?
KAYE: Nic Robertson for us reporting from Libya this morning. Thank you, Nic.
In other news, I've got a new picture of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords to show this morning. It shows the congresswoman meeting with two of her supporters at the January event in Tucson shortly before the shooting. She's there with Jim and Doris Tucker in that picture. Jim Tucker was one of 13 people wounded in the attack. His wife Doris was not injured.
The man charged with shooting Giffords and the others is facing a new indictment this morning. A grand jury in Arizona has added to the charges against the suspected Tucson shooter, Jerrod Loughner. He's now charged with 49 counts, including murder, attempted murder and attempted assassination. This new indictment carries the possibility of the death penalty. Loughner is expected to be arraigned on Wednesday.
Police have identified two more suspects in the killing of an American who was shot while crossing a lake that straddles the U.S./Mexico border. David Hartley you may recall was killed last September.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERIFF SIGIFREDO GONZALEZ, ZAPATA COUNTY, TEXAS: We have some suspects that we didn't have before. We have now four suspects in that case. I believe there's about seven or eight shooters. We've identified four of those individuals.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: The four suspects are all known Mexican drug traffickers. David Hartley's wife says men in boats opened fire on the couple while they were riding jet skis. The investigation has been hampered by the fact that the killing technically took place in Mexico and the lead Mexican investigator was murdered.
In Wisconsin, layoffs could be on the way. Governor Scott Walker sent out warning letters to unions. He says massive layoffs are coming in April if a deal is not reached soon on a new budget. Senate Democrats are blocking a vote on the governor's contentious budget which would eliminate collective bargaining rights for public employees. Many states are watching how this one plays out as they look for ways to cut their own budget.
And listen to this, three airport security screeners will get to keep their jobs even though they let a passenger board an airplane with three box cutters in his carry-on luggage. It happened at New York's JFK airport last week. The box cutters just happened to fall out of the man's bag when he was putting them in the overhead bin. The plane was delayed for three hours while everyone was rescreened. The TSA says the screeners that missed the knives will receive more training.
A small Michigan town is mourning over the shocking death of a high school basketball player. The season was on the line when the 16-year-old, Wes Leonard hit a winning lay-up for the Fennville High School Blackhawks last Thursday night. He collapsed, though, just moments later. His heart stopped beating. An autopsy reveals that he died of cardiac arrest caused by an enlarged heart.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're shocked. Our granddaughter has known him since the sixth grade. The whole school is in turmoil over this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I had to get up this morning and tell my 10- year-old that his hero passed away. That was very hard to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: So sad. A Facebook memorial page was created for Leonard and quickly filled with thoughts and prayers. Blackhawk down is what one person wrote on that Facebook page.
It's a reunion 57 years in the making and this one gets an assist from Facebook. This is Alvin junior and senior, you can guess which is which, I'm sure. They haven't seen each other since the early 1950s when junior's parents split which may explain this very emotional embrace. But neither gave up hope of seeing each other again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALVIN MILLER, SR., REUNITED WITH SON AFTER 57 YEARS: We've been away a long time. But thank God we're back together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Senior's other son Roy actually found junior's picture on Facebook. It turns out they were practically neighbors all this time. Senior lives in Tennessee and junior nearby Georgia.
It's an important change in the law that you should know about this morning. In many states, you now have to keep your child in a booster seat for a few more years. We'll tell you how long. And my, how times have changed. Forget clipping coupons. That's old school, just call up the deal of your mobile phone. We'll show you how.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: NASA is looking for a satellite lost during launch over the south Pacific. The Taurus rocket carrying the new satellite into space did not make it into orbit. NASA says it was a problem with the cover that protects the spacecraft.
But listen to this, it's a $400 million Glory satellite. Yes, that was supposed to find out how the sun and tiny atmospheric particles called aerosols affect the earth's climate, $400 million, just $400 million. Eleven minutes past the hour. You hear Reynolds Wolf here in the background, $400 million, so unfortunate.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAYE: The odds, some would say completely off the wall behavior of Libyan strong man Moammar Gadhafi is still providing plenty of inspiration for late night comedians. Here's Jay Leno last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY LENO, HOST, NBC'S "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO": After closing the U.S. embassy in Libya, the Obama administration has put a freeze on the assets of Moammar Gadhafi. And of course, Gadhafi is now doing whatever he can to make money. This guy is just doing whatever he can to raise fund. I saw this today.
Take a look.
ACTOR PORTRAYING MOAMMAR GADHAFI: Hi, this is Moammar for Sham- Wow. The perfect towel for every clean-up job. This is for your house, your car, your camel. It holds 20 times its weight in liquids. The only thing it won't clean up is corruption in your government. Two for $19.95. Call now. I'm only here for a limited time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Very, very funny.
Well, it is a law that could help change your child's life. New rules on booster seats that you need to know about, plus this.
Before there was line dancing, America was hooked on the dosey- do. Kids even had to take it in their school. Now square dancing could be a dying art.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: We have some breaking news right now. We want to take you straight to CNN's Ben Wedeman. He joins us on the phone now from (INAUDIBLE) where he just witnessed a helicopter attack on rebel forces. Ben, can you tell us what you saw?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Yes, we saw this helicopter, an old Soviet hind (ph) helicopter hovering above the road to Tripoli about seven miles to the west of Ras Lanuf. It opened fire with the rockets, a huge explosion, huge bang. It's not clear what they hit. But we did see an ambulance -- actually two ambulances rushing toward the scene. So we can presume there were some sort of casualties.
That's not the first air raid of the day. We saw another Libyan air force jet dropping a bomb somewhere in the town of Ras Lanuf but we weren't close enough to see on what, also helicopters were in action also earlier in the morning over the city.
The city does -- despite these air attacks seem to be under the complete control of the rebel forces who gained control of the city overnight after fairly intense battles. Medical sources are telling us that at least 10 people were killed, dozens were wounded in the battle. Now the rebel forces are only about 100 miles -- 110 miles from the town of Sirte which of course is fortified by forces still loyal to Moammar Gadhafi. Sirte of course is the birthplace of the Libyan leader.
KAYE: And how if at all possible can these rebels protect themselves against these raids from the sky or against Gadhafi's regime and all the toys that they have to attack the rebel forces?
WEDEMAN: Well, they have a lot of toys of their own. They have anti-aircraft guns. They have shoulder launch surface to air missiles. Of course, the problem with those is they don't appear to know how to use them. The surface air missiles are supposed to have batteries on them. And none of them appear to have batteries. So they're not very useful.
They do have one thing, however and that is a lot of enthusiasm. They seem determined to push the fight ahead. But speaking to people in this town who are more familiar with the situation in Sirte, they say it's heavily fortified there and lots of Libyan troops in that area.
And they believe, also, mercenaries from elsewhere who are helping the Libyan government forces. So they may run into something of a road block if they try to approach the city of Sirte at this point.
KAYE: Well, Ben, I know that you had a close call earlier this week at a bomb explosion. So we appreciate you talking with us and stay safe there on the road to Tripoli. Ben Wedeman for us in Libya.
And back here at home, child car seat laws are getting tougher. A new bill out of the Georgia legislature would keep little ones in a booster chair until they're eight years old. But which one is right for your child?
CNN senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen shows us the options.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: More and more states are telling parents you've got to have your child in a car seat until that child turns 8. For example, in Georgia, they just passed a law like this.
So, let's take a look. A 6 or 7-year-old would sit in a seat like this. It's called a booster seat because it literally boosts them up and makes them taller. So, when you put the seatbelt on it goes here. If they didn't have this seat, the seatbelt would probably here and you could imagine what would happen in an accident.
So, to go over all the car seats your child needs at various ages, we start over here. This is called an infant car seat. It goes backwards. The child sits in it from approximately birth to one year, depending upon the size of the child.
And then they would move to this toddler car seat. And then at around age 4 or so, they would go to the booster seat.
But since children come in all varieties of heights and weights, check with your doctor about when they should move up to which seat.
Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Thanks, Elizabeth.
So gone are the days of clipping coupons. These days you can get a personalized text as you approach the stores. We'll tell you how to sign up.
Plus, the seductive dances, the loud music, the flow of alcohol, that's how Brazilians get ready for the Christian holy season. We'll tell you how other countries celebrate the beginning of Lent.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: So you want to go out, but don't want to spend too much. Who does, right? Well, you can get deals right at your fingertips if you know where to go.
Joining us now, digital lifestyle expert Mario Armstrong.
Mario, you have Groupon, you have Living Social, you have Scout Mob. These are all these Internet companies that promise these huge savings on everything from massage, car wash, maybe even dental work.
So tell us how we can take advantage of these.
MARIO ARMSTRONG, CNN DIGITAL LIFESTYLE EXPERT: These things have really become popular over the last six to 12 months or so. But many people still have no idea how these things work. It's really simple. You can either use your mobile device or you can use the Internet. But basically what you do is you go to these websites, the ones that you mentioned, specifically Groupon and Living Social and you send in your e-mail and they will send you a daily alert, a daily deal that you can buy, customized for your area, for where you live.
So it should be local merchants and local vendors that you're able to take advantage of. And it's a way of new discovery. You can find new places, new restaurants, new services that you may not have purchased before, but you may go and try out because many of these deals are over 50 percent off.
KAYE: And it doesn't cost you any money to sign up and do this. You have to buy the coupons, but other than that --
ARMSTRONG: Great point, Randi, it's free to use. It's free to download the mobile applications for these services, as well. And also on the vendor side in many cases it's free for the business to also upload their deal. They'll have to pay a commission for those.
But most of these deals, like I said, have to be 50 percent or higher, and they're localized to your area so you really can't miss out.
And one quick point to make with Living Social's website. If you get three of your friends to also buy the deal, you can get that deal for free.
KAYE: Oh. That sounds like an even sweeter deal.
ARMSTRONG: It is.
KAYE: How about businesses? Obviously you're saving money, but are the businesses making money?
ARMSTRONG: Yes, this is a great point because it's hard to kind of tell, right? Businesses have been seeing an explosion in the amount of people that come to their store or use their services when they do that digital deal. Those deals have fine print like 24 hours, one limit per customer. So they have to use them relatively quickly. So the businesses can see an immediate response.
So I do believe that businesses are really liking this. They can focus in on their local area and it saves them over costly things like maybe radio advertising that they would have to normally do.
KAYE: What about AT&T? They're taking this to a whole new level.
ARMSTRONG: Yes, they have a new thing called shop alert and this is really cool because it's all on your mobile device. When you're up, you go to AT&T shop alert, sign up on your mobile phone out and when you're out and about say shopping, it will actually pinpoint the areas where you are and send you deals to your phone. Say you're out at the mall and you're shopping in Atlanta, it will alert you to deals that are happening in the mall on that day that you can take advantage. Beautiful idea. KAYE: My husband's going to love that. It's not a problem already.
ARMSTRONG: This is supposed to save you money, Randi, not help you spend more money.
KAYE: Oh, that's how this works. OK.
ARMSTRONG: That's how it's supposed to work.
KAYE: All right, Mario. We'll have to leave it there. Love your red sweater today, by the way, looking good.
ARMSTRONG: Thank you. Appreciate it.
KAYE: Great to see you. And you can see Mario every Saturday. Join us every Saturday at this time to get the latest in technology from Mario Armstrong.
Oscar winner Natalie Portman has suddenly become a topic in the race for president in 2012. And it has absolutely nothing to do with her politics. It's actually because she's pregnant. A possible candidate for the White House seems to have a problem with that. We'll tell you who.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: It is coming up on half past the hour. Welcome back everyone, I'm Randi Kaye. Thanks for starting your day with us today.
Checking "Top Stories" for you now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SGT. KIM CHIN, PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY POLICE: I have small kids here. The neighborhood is filled with small kids, you know. And it's like, hey, here in New Haven right across the street from here, I've been concerned about this all the time. I've been seeing it on TV.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm sure there are probably some cases out there that we don't even know exist. And it's great to have him off the street.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: So many people relieved to hear this today. Connecticut, U.S. Marshals have captured the so-called East Coast rapist. Thirty- nine year-old Aaron Thomas was arrested Friday afternoon at his home in New Haven, Connecticut. Police say DNA evidence links him to 17 rapes in four states.
Wisconsin's Republican Governor is upping the ante in a tight state budget battle. Governor Scott Walker sent letters to the state's 13 public employee unions warning of possible layoffs as early as April. Walker says the layoffs could be avoided if the 14 Senate Democrats return to Madison to debate a controversial budget bill. Filling up that tank is taking a bigger bite out of family budgets across the country. The average price for a gallon of unleaded right now, $3.49. One year ago, we were paying $2.70 for that same gallon of gas. In parts of California, it's now $4.09 for a gallon. That's about $75 to fill up.
But there is some good news on the economy. New jobless numbers showed another drop in the unemployment rate. February's rate, 8.9 percent, that's the lowest we've seen in nearly two years.
And in Libya, we are hearing about the liberation of one city east of Tripoli. The city of Ras Lanuf, anti-government protesters there are declaring victory over forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi.
We are also watching other hot spots in the region. This was the scene in Ivory Coast. We want to warn you this video has some very graphic images. It's from YouTube and it apparently shows demonstrators being fired on by forces loyal to the self-proclaimed president. U.S. officials say seven women were killed in the attack.
In Alexandria, Egypt, several protesters were shot by police when they stormed the state security headquarters. You could see the aftermath of those demonstrations right there. Disbanding the security force was one of the main demands of protesters in Egypt last month.
Anti-government protesters were back out on the street in Yemen calling for the country's President to resign. Security forces open fire on the crowd in northern Yemen killing at least two people there.
Time now for CNN's political update: Mike Huckabee has been mentioned as a possible Republican presidential candidate again in 2012. But he seems to have something else on his mind right now, Natalie Portman.
CNN deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser joins me now from Washington. Paul, he seems to have a real problem with the Oscar- winning actress.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes and his comments have been raising -- creating a lot of buzz, Randi. He made them just about earlier this week on radio show called by Michael Medved, a conservative radio talk show host.
Take a listen to what the former Arkansas governor and TV host had to say about Natalie Portman. Take a listen.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
MIKE HUCKABEE (R), FORMER ARKANSAS GOVERNOR: One of the things that's troubling is that people see Natalie Portman or some other Hollywood starlet who boasts, hey, look, we're having children. We're not married, but we're having these children and they're doing just fine.
But there aren't really a lot of single moms out there who are making millions of dollars every year for being in a movie. And I -- and I think it gives a distorted image that, yes, not everybody hires nannies and care takers and nurses. Most single moms are very poor, uneducated, can't get a job, and if it weren't for government assistance, their kids would be starving to death and never have health care.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
STEINHAUSER: Well, as you can imagine, those comments went viral. Everybody was talking about them. They were a big -- a big -- a big topic on CNN and all the other cable news networks.
Later yesterday, Huckabee's spokesman put out a statement from -- from Huckabee. And here's what he said, he said, "Natalie is an extraordinary actor, very deserving of her recent Oscar trophy and I am glad she will marry her baby's father. However, contrary to what Hollywood media reported, I did not slam or attack Natalie Portman nor did I criticize the hardworking single mothers in our country."
Now in that statement Randi, he goes on to say what he was talking about was how our society here in the United States sometimes glorifies or glamorizes the idea of having kids out of wedlock. And he said that's what he was getting towards.
Remember, Mike Huckabee is a Southern Baptist Minister and among his followers, they strongly believe it -- in -- in some of the things he was talking about when he was discussing this issue. Some others are saying maybe he was trying to criticize Sarah Palin, the former Alaskan governor who along with Huckabee is thinking -- is thinking about running for the race for the White House this time around.
Maybe one other thing Randi, maybe he's trying to sell books. This is his new book it's called "A Simple Government." And he is right now on a book tour across the country. You get in the headlines, you sell books maybe.
KAYE: Imagine that, yes. Retail sales go way up.
But Natalie Portman being pregnant, she certainly wasn't the only one that he was talking about this week. He also had a few interesting comments about the President.
STEINHAUSER: He -- he's had a very, very busy week, yes and he's been in the headlines.
It started at the beginning of the week when he said that President Barack Obama grew up in Kenya, well, which is not true. And then he had to apologize, he said he misspoke, that actually the President -- spent part of his childhood in Indonesia.
Of course, Kenya brings up the whole birther issue. Many people -- some people believe that the President was not born in Hawaii, but born in Kenya, which is not true.
Then, later in the week, take a listen to this.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
HUCKABEE: I have said many times publicly that I do think he has a different world view. And I think it's in part molded out of a -- a very different experience. Most of us grew up going to Boy Scout meetings and, you know, our communities were filled with Rotary Clubs, not Madrassas.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEINHAUSER: Madrassas of course, a reference to a Muslim school. The President did not go to a Madrassa, when he was in Indonesia, he went to a secular school. Randi, again it generates a lot of buzz, but maybe not for the right reasons -- Randi.
KAYE: Yes generating buzz, we can probably count on the fact that he'll just keep talking. All right, Paul. Great to see you. Thank you.
STEINHAUSER: Thank you.
KAYE: Charlie Sheen's behavior comes with repercussions. First, his show is on hiatus and who knows if it's ever coming back. Well, now he's lost custody of twin sons. But for how long? A question this morning for our legal analyst Sunny Hostin, live.
Plus, take a look at this live picture out of New Orleans: the Gulf Coast bracing for possible heavy storms and tornadoes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: It was a shocking sight in the parking lot of an Atlanta area day care center last fall. A father had just dropped off his son when a hooded man walked up and shot him at point-blank range. The case made national headlines.
And that's just one of the cases that we want to talk about this morning with legal analyst Sunny Hostin. She's from "In Session" on our sister network TruTV. And she joins us this morning from New York. Good morning, Sunny.
SUNNY HOSTIN, LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR, "IN SESSION" ON TRUTV: Good morning, Randi.
KAYE: This is a really tough case to even talk about. Any -- any parent who is watching this, very tough to hear about what happened there.
But investigators now apparently have the search warrants for phone and e-mail records belonging to -- to the victim's widow, Andrea Sneiderman in this case and the suspect who happens to be her boss.
So what do you think investigators are looking for?
HOSTIN: They are looking for whether or not Andrea Sneiderman was involved in this murder. It really is a fascinating turn of events, Randi. Basically they're saying that his widow, that the deceased's widow and the suspect were in constant communication. Not only before the murder but also after the murder, they want those e- mail communications. They want phone records.
Some people are saying they felt that it was a hit. But interestingly enough, Andrea Sneiderman used to work with the suspect. He was her boss at GE Electric over there in Marietta, Georgia. And apparently there's some sort of communication. And they -- they attended trips together.
And apparently, this suspect planned trips for them, planned dinner cruises for them, and so you would imagine many people are suspecting some sort of an affair although Andrea Sneiderman maintains her innocence. And she says that she was shocked that her boss was arrested with -- with the murder.
(CROSS TALK)
KAYE: Right.
HOSTIN: So really interesting turn of events.
KAYE: We should point out too that she has not been implicated at all in this case. But yes they did go on these trips. They were in touch I mean, she even -- which is also really strange, she actually apparently set up a lunch between her husband and her boss, so the victim and now the suspect back in August just a few months before this. So even they knew each other.
HOSTIN: That's right. And she has said that they were family friends. And certainly, Randi, that does in a sense make some sense. I mean, oftentimes, people that work together, spend time off duty with each other. And so while that in and of itself is not unusual, that in combination with all of the communications and the trips --
(CROSS TALK)
KAYE: Yes.
HOSTIN: -- is somewhat unusual and has raised flags for these investigators.
KAYE: And before we're out of time here, I want to get to our other story of the morning, Charlie Sheen, this on-again-off-again battle for custody of his children. He lost them, then he had to deal with his soon to be ex-wife Brooke Mueller. And -- and now apparently he blabbed about it and she says no deal and now they're locked in this custody battle.
What does he have to do to get his kids back?
HOSTIN: You know, she's got this temporary restraining order. The judge found that they -- that the best interest of the children are met by being with their mother at -- at this point. So he is going to have to prove that the best interest of the children is to spend time with him. Given what has gone on in the media, Randi, I think that's probably going to be an uphill battle for Charlie Sheen. His best bet is to make a deal with his ex-wife. And apparently that deal is off now. So my sense is right now he is not going to get custody of those children any time soon.
KAYE: But she too has said that she also had a little bit of a substance abuse problem. So, does it sound like either one of them are going to have an easy way of this with the court?
HOSTIN: Well, certainly it's a balancing test, Randi. They've got -- the judge has to determine what is in the best interest of these children? Staying with their mom who, yes, is admittedly getting treatment for -- for some drug abuse problems and substance abuse problems -- but the keyword is getting treatment or with their father who insists that there's nothing wrong with him?
I've read the temporary restraining order and her affidavit and it really outlined a lot of physical abuse as she alleges and it also outlined substance abuse. So unfortunately for Charlie Sheen at this point, he's going to have to prove that those allegations are not true.
KAYE: Yes. I think they both have a long road ahead. Sunny Hostin thank you. Great to see you as always, have a great Saturday.
HOSTIN: Thanks.
KAYE: When its carnival time in Brazil and the Caribbean, caution and inhibition stay home. But when the music stops, the praying begins. We are going to Brazil and Trinidad to find out the message behind carnivals.
Plus, labor talks between NFL owners and players extended for another week. We'll take a look at sports moments that wowed you this week.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back. Forty-four minutes past the hour.
When it comes to partying, Brazil is the carnival central of the planet. You've seen the videos. Rio really knows how to celebrate. So do Trinidad and Tobago. Their carnivals come closest to Brazil in flamboyance and festivity.
But would you believe all that hard partying is actually a preparation for one of the holiest periods of the Catholic calendar?
Nadia Bilchik joining us again to explain that.
NADIA BILCHIK, CNN EDITORIAL PRODUCER: It's called -- you know I learn so much every time we do this passport because I can realize that whether it's Mardi Gras or carnival in Brazil or Trinidad, carnival actually means without meat. So the idea was because it's Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent, it's the period that you don't have meat.
So the celebration in preparation for not having meat --
(CROSS TALK)
KAYE: They're getting it all out of their system.
BILCHIK: Exactly, a grand party. And Brazil has the largest carnival in the world. And you think it looks like a big celebration, but it's actually very organized. They have these samba schools. And each samba school have a theme.
Now, the themes are quite extraordinary. Some can be the movies or the origin of species. But what about this theme: the enchanted island of witches, and dream come to those who dream. Look at the exquisite customs, the feathers, the make-up.
KAYE: And it's truly a school where there's --
BILCHIK: They're actually schools. Now, they can be organized samba schools, or they can be groups of neighbors who get together and enter the competition. And then it's always led by a king or queen. But look at the detail and the opulence and the expense that goes into this.
KAYE: And the fun.
BILCHIK: And the fun. Now you talk about Trinidad and Tobago, the second largest carnival in the world. And this has a large African influence because of the African slaves that were in Trinidad at the time when -- late 1800's or the late 1700's, I should say.
In 1833, slaves in Trinidad were emancipated and became a greater part of the carnival. So you have calypso and soca music. You have steel or metal drums and once again, this exquisite festivity and dances. And if you take a look -- again, this is -- what you're seeing is the African slave influence here.
But whatever it is, you look at the origins, it's really a celebration of life and an opportunity to drink, celebrate, dance, and samba -- I didn't know that samba also had its roots in African dance.
KAYE: It's quite a party.
BILCHIK: It is quite a party. And costumes can cost anywhere from a couple of hundred to a couple of thousand dollars.
KAYE: Really?
BILCHIK: Maybe they're all going off to Rio.
KAYE: OK.
BILCHIK: That would be fun.
KAYE: You get the tickets. I'll meet you at the airport.
BILCHIK: Get the tickets. Exactly. KAYE: Deal.
BILCHIK: We should be live.
KAYE: I think that's an excellent idea. Did you hear that, Angie? Talking to our executive producer. Get those plane tickets, we're heading to Rio. We're on it, she says.
All right. That's next weekend. All right. Nadia thanks.
Some people never get the message, or maybe they just don't care. Like this guy just back from a nine-game suspension. Here we go again.
Plus, you've heard the saying 50 is the new 30, right? Well, not so fast. The author of "Between a Rock and a Hot Place, Why 50 is not the New 30" joins us live.
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KAYE: HLN Sports, Ray D'Alessio takes us in the zone this morning. And let's start with the NFL, all eyes on a possible lockout.
RAY D'ALESSIO, HLN SPORTS: Yes. And I'll be honest, Randi. I mean at this point, I don't see it happening. And the good thing is, the two sides, there's dialogue going. They keep extending the deadline for the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement on Thursday night. They extended it 24 hours. Yesterday, they met all day.
KAYE: They're trying.
D'ALESSIO: Yes. They're trying. So obviously there's some dialogue there. They're making progress when they exited the meetings yesterday. They would not say what progress was made or where the talks stand. But the fact that they extended this another seven days; the deadline again next Friday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, that's a good sign.
KAYE: And it's still all about the money --
D'ALESSIO: It's -- well, and there's definitely -- there's a number of issues --
KAYE: And a longer season, right, adding games.
D'ALESSIO: There's, you know, how to split $9 billion in revenue between the owners and the players. There's the owners who want to add two more games to generate more revenue --
KAYE: Right -- to the regular game.
D'ALESSIO: Then there's the rookie wage scale. There's so many things to discuss and to frame the parameters of a new collective bargaining agreement. It's not going to happen by next week. And I don't even see it happening really until maybe before the draft, which is April 28th. You know, I think that's the target date that a lot of these owners and players want to get it done before the draft.
KAYE: Right. What else you got?
D'ALESSIO: Well, you know, Trevor Gillies, big tough guy for the New York Islanders hockey team, of course. This guy has a permanent dog house in Commissioner Devon's -- here he was Wednesday night, his first game back after serving a nine-game suspension for another hit. Second period he unloads on Minnesota Wild forward Cal Clutterbuck.
Now he's been hit with another suspension, this is a ten-game suspension. And as a result since he's a two-time offender of the policy, this is going to cost him close to $61,000. This is for a guy who makes $500,000 a year. That's a lot of money --
KAYE: Sure.
D'ALESSIO: -- but still $61,000 is a huge chunk of change.
KAYE: And he can't play the sport that he loves.
D'ALESSIO: Yes. He can't play. But he's got a reputation for being a tough guy. And so this -- you know this kind of -- it comes as no surprise, but it does, the fact it was his first game back after serving a nine-game suspension.
KAYE: A little extreme.
D'ALESSIO: Speaking of tough guys, we kind of like this next story, as well. A soccer match down in Argentina. From what I understand these two teams are arch rivals as it is. But look at this. A soccer match, an all-out brawl breaks out between the players. The referee -- it results in 36 players, Randi, 36 players being ejected from a game. That's the new --
KAYE: Was there anyone left to play?
D'ALESSIO: -- yes. That's the new world's record by the way. The previous record was 20 players ejected from a soccer game and that was back in 1993. But 36 players ejected from this game. One of the head coaches was saying that he actually feared for his life. He begged the police to lock the players in the locker room so they couldn't get out.
KAYE: Oh, my.
D'ALESSIO: Yes. I mean just, you know, just the crazy world of soccer, I guess.
KAYE: That's good stuff.
D'ALESSIO: Yes, crazy world of soccer.
And then, of course, there's Carl Edwards, NASCAR driver Carl Edwards. This guy has a reputation for being one of the biggest practical jokesters on the NASCAR series. Here he was yesterday, just got done with his qualifying run in Vegas. His good friend Marcus Ambrose doing an interview; he decides to come up and give him a little love tap.
KAYE: Oh.
D'ALESSIO: These guys are good friends. They're good friends and look at them shaking their hands there. All was well.
KAYE: Do you think that was just all in good fun?
D'ALESSIO: Yes. It was all in good fun.
KAYE: OK. All right.
All right Ray. We're going to have to love it there.
D'ALESSIO: OK.
KAYE: Good stuff. Good video.
D'ALESSIO: Good to be here.
KAYE: Good to see you.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Glad you're with us. Welcome back.
It was a dance created to bring order out of chaos. During America's infancy, settlers gathered for fellowship and to celebrate a week's work. But the dances from each culture were different. So the settlers created one pattern for all and the square dance was born, an American original.
It became a community staple and was even part of the nation's educational curriculum. But now the square dance is struggling to survive.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Meet the men and women of the Cherokee Squares, a square dance club in Woodstock, Georgia. Twice a month for the last seven years, the group has met to, well, dance, but the groups grow smaller each year.
HAZEL STOVER, MEMBER, CHEROKEE SQUARES: It was -- it was a big group all over Georgia at that time. We belonged to a club in Marietta, the Vine Hearts Dance (ph). Then we would go to the state convention in Macon, and there would be 1,000 - 1,200 people there at that time, big crowds.
But now when we go, it's not hardly 1,000 people -- 800 usually. There's lower number. KAYE: Some square dance supporters will tell you the popularity of the art is at a crossroads. A place it's been before. Its origins have been traced back to colonial New England and the American pioneers.
When the settlers gathered for food and fun on Saturday nights after a week of building cabins and toiling the land, they would dance. But the beats were different for the Scots, Irish, French, and others. So a new common dance was created with steps from all the new Americans.
Groups would be divided into squares and eventually a caller was added to keep everyone in rhythm. As America grew, so did the popularity of the dance.
Then came the roaring '20s, the flappers, jazz, the jitterbug, and the urbanization of America. The square dance was quickly becoming obsolete.
And but for one man, it just might have faded away for good. Industrialist Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company made it his mission to save what had been reduced to a fad. Ford set out to reintroduce square dancing to the country by sponsoring community dances, programs in public schools and colleges nationwide, and in nationally syndicated radio show, featuring legendary dance caller Benjamin Leavitt. Ford wanted the country to have an alternative to the evils of the roaring '20s.
Today, several U.S. states have designated it as their official state dance. And in 1982, President Ronald Reagan signed an act making square dancing the country's official national folk dance.
Then, there was yet another crossroads: the popularity of line dancing. Still, square dancing survived.
STOVER: We don't grow in too many young people. And a lot of the middle aged people are busy with their children and stuff. So I'd say we've got some in their 50s, we've got some in their 40s, but most of us are 60 and above.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: In part two of our look at square dancing, you'll meet some of the new faces of one of the country's oldest art forms and the diversity of the groups may surprise you. That's tomorrow morning at 6:00 a.m. right here on CNN.
Is 50 really the new 30? You'll meet a writer who wants to revise the popular saying.
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