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CNN Saturday Morning News
Newt Gingrich Now Leading Polls; Mitt Romney Ddelivers New Revelation About Newt Gingrich; Barefoot Bandit in Prison; Gas Prices to Increase up to $5 a Gallon
Aired January 28, 2012 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: From CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING, Saturday, January 28th. Good morning to you. Sit back and relax. I'm Christi Paul. I'm going to get you caught up on everything that's happening around the globe today.
Right now, Republican presidential candidates, crisscrossing Florida. Still trying to drawn up support before Tuesday's primary. We are going to take you to the sunshine state. And before you drink that orange juice this morning, there's a story you have to hear. Shipments of O.J. stopped at the border. We'll tell you why.
Plus, we could be seeing the highest gas prices of all time. I'm just telling you, don't blame me. $4 a gallon is what we're talking about. We'll explain where the money is going.
CNN ANNOUNCER: From CNN's world headquarters, bringing you news and analysis from across the nation and around the globe, live from Studio 7, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING:
PAUL: Well, thank you for your company. This just in to CNN, I want to share with you.
London police made several arrests this morning in the tabloid phone hacking scandal. Among those arrested we now know is a police officer. The investigation right now is centering on allegations of bribes made police for inside information. Now, police are also searching the London offices of news international, that's Rupert Murdock's publishing company. And it's been at the center of course of attacking scandal.
A manhunt is underway in the California his morning. Police are searching for as many as three men who may have fired shots inside a crowed shopping mall around dinner time. It started in a candy store apparently. People scattered while others hit the light and hid inside other stores. We know two people suffered gunshot wounds.
And 18-year-old student accused of planning to detonate a bomb in his school is out on bail this morning. Dallin Todd Morgan and a 16-year- old student at the Roy Utah High School were arrested after the plot was uncovered. And the 16-year-old is being held in a juvenile detention center. All officials considered charges. Morgan is charged with one felony count of use of weapon of mass destruction.
The Justice Department released more details last night on a failed operation that left hundreds of untracked weapons in the hands of potentially deadly criminals in Mexico. The documents show top officials approved of the plan that was called fast and furious. Attorney General Eric Holder will testify about justice department reforms in the wake of fast and furious. And he'll do so at a congressional hearing next week.
Missouri Congressman Emanuel Cleaver is being held as a hero this morning for helping a woman he found in the ditch at the side of the road. Apparently, Cleaver noticed her when he and an aide were driving by. And they waited with the woman until paramedics arrived that he said she thought she was going to die.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. EMANUEL CLEAVER (D), MISSOURI: She was in a ditch so there may have been people who drove by and just didn't see her. And I was fortunate to see her cold. And hopefully she's OK. If she is, then this is probably about the best day of my year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: Cleaver also said he felt the first responders were the true heroes. The woman's condition is not known right now.
Lawsuits are being filed against the cruise company that owned the Costa Concordia. At least 16 people died when that ship hit rocks near western Italian island and rolled over about two weeks ago now. The company has offered just over $14,000 to each of the survivors. But a new lawsuit, yes, you knew this was coming, is seeking more than $450 million.
Shipments of Canadian orange juice are not being allowed in the country after they tested positive for a band fungicide. Now, presence of that fungicide is legal in Canada, but it's not the U.S. Some Brazilian Orange juice tested positive early this month, you might remember. The government says low levels aren't dangerous. But the tests of the Canadian juice die all come in below the danger levels.
Let's get you your politics fix this morning. Four primary push is around the corner on Tuesday. So, we are going to check in on Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich's plan and events throughout the morning. CNN political editor Paul Steinhauser there has more on the battle in the sunshine state.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Hey, good morning Christi. Just three days away now from Florida's crucial primary. It's a winner takes all primary, 50 delegates at stake. That is the biggest haul so far in this primary and caucus season. You have former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and you have got former house speaker Newt Gingrich campaigning in the state all weekend.
But you know what, they are the only two. Rick Santorum, the former senator from Pennsylvania, he's up in Pennsylvania right now, today. He's doing his taxes, he said. And he's also doing a little fund raising. You will actually see him back here in Florida tomorrow afternoon.
As for Congressman Ron Paul of Texas, he's not in Florida at all this weekend. He's up in Maine. He's coming looking ahead. Maine holds its caucus next month. And Well, Paul is up there doing a little politicking.
Take a look at this. This is a new number from Quinnipiac University. Alright, look at the numbers on the left. That is Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, just before our explosive CNN debate in Jacksonville. And look at that. You can see Mitt Romney with a nine point advantage. Now, look at the column on the right. That was back on Sunday and Monday. You can see that's Gingrich had the advantage here. It really indicates that Newt Gingrich had that big momentum coming out of South Carolina, his big double digit victory there. But it seems that momentum appears to be fading at least with people likely to vote in the primary here in Florida -- Christi.
PAUL: Paul, thank you so much. Here is a quick programming note for you as well. Be sure to tune in for anchor presentation of CNN's Florida Republican presidential debate, just in case you missed anything, comes your way today at 5:00 p.m. eastern.
All right. Meteorologist Reynolds Wolf is in the weather center. What a week it's been, Reynolds. What's it look like for the weekend?
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Christi Paul, I will tell you. It looks like this weekend is going to be easier for us to deal with. And we had certainly the battle of severe weather earlier this week. This week, it looks like we are going to see some wind now towards the west, some in parts of southern California, some of the north that Rockies. Snowfall for the Midwest and in parts of the deep south especially Florida could see showers and thunderstorms.
Let me give you the full scoop coming up in moments. You are watching CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAUL: Welcome back. It is 6:07. You are up early, up on a Saturday morning. I want to let you know about a red flag warning in effect in southern California right now. Officials are concerned this strong Santa Ana winds combined with dry conditions could escalate fire danger in some areas.
The national weather service says wind gusts could hit 55 miles per hour in low lying areas. So, folks are also being warned to say, you know, to watch out for downed lines, trees, rather and power lines. So, town state San Bernardino in fact even closed its campus yesterday because of high winds.
Meteorologist Reynolds Wolf is here with us now. I don't know that I have ever heard of a college closing down campus because of high winds.
WOLF: This is a little unusual, is it? It's kind of interesting. By the way, hope entirely the subject move. We have to get to this. OK, let's see.
Alicia Akin (ph), one of our producers, she likes Starbucks. I know Rich Daniels is one of the guys that are controlling. He is a Dunkin' Doughnuts guy. Dee Drey (ph), our director is the same way. He is the new person, whenever we have a new person fill in; they always take care of coffee.
PAUL: This is the first I have heard of this.
WOLF: Really?
PAUL: Nobody has said this me but you. What is that mean?
WOLF: We haven't gotten to lunch and dinner too. So, we are going to about that later on. Yes, Christi's face rolling. We love that.
(WEATHER REPORT)
PAUL: Yes. Really?
WOLF: It's your turn. Yes.
PAUL: It's my turn.
WOLF: Or I can cover for you.
PAUL: To buy everything at Starbucks, I know. I would like peppermint hot chocolate just so you know.
WOLF: We drink, Christi.
PAUL: Thank you, Reynolds.
WOLF: You bet.
PAUL: Alright. Stolen planes, boats, cars all to avoid capture. I know it sounds like the makings of a Hollywood movie. The justice, finally come for the infamous barefoot bandit.
Plus, we are going to tell you why some are suing over a case of, you are not going to believe this one, exploding Churros. Yes, that's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAUL: Welcome back. It's 6:13 here in the east. It is time for this morning's passport with our very own, Nadia Bilchik.
OK. Let's talk about something I never thought I would have to say on television, exploding churros. How does that happen? I mean it sounds frightening?
NADIA BILCHIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is frightening because here they are. They look sweet and delicious, don't they? But what happened in chili was anything but sweet or delicious. About seven years ago, a newspaper in Chili, La Tercera, published a recipe and gave the heat of the oil at far too high. So, people followed the recipe to the tee and 13 people got enormous. They got facial abrasions. And the oil literally exploded on their face and hands.
PAUL: My God.
BILCHIK: Because they thought, if you can see, she is one of the victims. So, this company, this week only seven years later, what happened was they now have to pay $118,000. So, the person who got the least amount of burns was paid $279. And the person who got the most burns and abrasions got up to $50,000. What was interesting is that they obviously followed this recipe exactly.
PAUL: Yes. And the first thing - the first question I have is. Was the recipe -- where did the recipe come from? Was it misprinted simply with an element of the news printing?
BILCHIK: Well, it was one of those recipes where somebody put in the heat but didn't test the recipe. You assume when you open a magazine or you see newspaper that the recipe has been tested. Don't you?
PAUL: Sure. Sure.
BILCHIK: But in this case, it hadn't been tested. That was found out and whether it was a misprint or just somebody making up a recipe and say turn the oil to super high is not known. But it's also interesting to think how much liability does a person have when you follow a recipe?
So, do you follow it to a tee? Now, if you were making something and they said put it super, super high. Would you realize well, something is wrong because the oil is starting to heat, would you go ahead and say, because this has been printed, I'm going to adhere to it anyway?
PAUL: I think it would have to hit a certain number for me to go I don't think that's right.
BILCHIK: Right. And literally what happened is, the people thought, I have seen it in the newspaper, how wrong can it be? And one person, the person who was given the $50,000 in the settlement, I mean, they were badly burned. So, there you are. Something so beautiful and so delicious can actually be quite lethal.
PAUL: What would have taken seven years to reconcile this failed?
BILCHIK: Well, just going through the courts, and also that there were 13 different cases. But finally, this week, the case of the exploding churros was settled.
PAUL: Did you ever think? The exploding churros, this will not explode, Reynolds. So, if I don't get to Starbucks there you go.
Thank you so much, Nadia. It's so good to have with us, as always. She's going to join us a little later to talk more. Coming up though, a New York sports club - I want to give your take on this. This is taking on the Paula Dean (ph) controversy. Did it go too far? You have a chance to weigh in here next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAUL: Want to get you caught up on what's happening across country. As we start in Washington state this morning.
A federal judge sentenced the man dubbed as the Barefoot Bandit to six years in prison. Colton Harris-Moore gained notoriety after leading police on a two year man hunt. Investigators say the 20-year-old stole boats, scars and planes while on the run for a string of thefts and burglaries. They finally nabbed him after he crashed a plane in the Bahamas. His federal sentence will runs concurrent to his state sentence which was handed down last month.
Check out this school bus fight in Ocala, Florida. That girl in the center was knocked unconscious. Here's what her mom said happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LYNN CABRERA, VICTIM'S MOTHER: First day on the bus, why do they jump her? Because she asked for them to scoot over so she could fit on the bus seat. They told her to sit on the damn floor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: Seven of these student ages 12 to 15 years old have been formally charged with either misdemeanor battery or misdemeanor assault.
The latest Super Bowl attraction in Indianapolis.
(VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: My goodness. That's a seven story, 800 foot dive across Super Bowl village. Interested? Hey, you still have time. It ends next Saturday.
A new controversial ad takes aim at Food Network star, Paula Dean. This is a New York based gym. And here is a picture of the ad, here. It was paid for in "The New York Times." And it reads "Paula, you made a fortune off of fat. Call us if you want to be around to enjoy it."
Dean's recent revelation, as you know that she's been living with type II diabetes for the past three years, is what sparked a debate on both obesity as well as her cooking methods. So, she revealed her health condition on the same day she began pushing a diabetes drug after inking a multi-million dollar deal. And that didn't sit well with a lot of people.
So, we want your thoughts though. Because we are wondering, is the gym ad funny or did they go too far? I mean, they are joking about death. Tweet me @Christi_Paul it is. I'm going to read some your responses on air. You can also go to my Facebook page, ChristiPaulhln.
We are learning more about the night a barely breathing Demi Moore was rushed to the hospital. Someone called 911. You can listen to this here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
911 MALE DISPATCHER: Is she breathing normally?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE CALLER: No. Not so normal but more sort of shaking, burning up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: You are going to hear much more of that phone call, by the way to 911 straight ahead. Also ahead, courting the Latino vote. We are going to find out which of these Republican candidates has the upper hand. Of course, we are just three days to go until the critical Florida primary.
First though, inspiring stories that touch a nerve after Reign Wilson is known of course for his work on the TV show "the office." But he may be more proud about his work with one of our CNN Heroes. Look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAINN WILSON, ACTOR: I was literally sitting in my trailer at "The Office." And I was looking at the CNN Web site, not the CNN Heroes, I think. And I saw this story on this guy, Aaron Jackson. This is a young kid from Florida, grew up on a golf course. No, didn't have much direction in his life. And then he went traveling in the third world and saw poverty. And he decided to just devote his life to making the world a better place.
AARON JACKSON, CNN HEROES: Today, we de-wormed estimated maybe a little over 100 people.
WILSON: It's been great to help out Aaron Jackson and planting peace by doing some fund-raisers. I kind a introduced him to people and helped raise money. And just help his organization really get moving. He's an amazing guy doing hard work. And, you know, give him the cash and just let him do what he does best.
They have four or five orphanages in Haiti. I also went out when they distributed the de-worming medication out in the rural villages and towns. You are distributing food, aid, all around the country. So many kids can be, you know, eating their fill but because they are so filled with worms, they are unable to digest and process that. The food is kind of a waste.
JACKSON: You de-worm a kid and the worms are out in 24 to 48 hours. It's amazing. And you see a kid highly anemic, not alert at all. And once you rid them of the worms, they come back to life. And that's what to me is such amazing. You see an immediate impact.
Since 2007, we have actually raised enough money with Rainn's help to de-worm every child in Haiti, all 3.2 million kids.
WILSON: Anyone can be a hero. It just takes a little bit of work.
If there's one thing I could take away from my experience as CNN heroes, the stories are inspiring. They inspire me to step up my game and try and do more to help the world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL: Twenty six minutes past the hour right now. Welcome back. Happy Saturday! Sit back and relax as I said. Just put your feet up. And we are so glad to have your company this morning.
Among the top stories this hour, anger over the state of Syria erupts into Egypt's capital.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYING)
PAUL: Pretty frightening, isn't it? Dozens of protesters storming the embassy in Cairo. They are upset with Syrian deadly crackdown on opposition demonstrators and the protesters smashed windows and tore down the Syrian flag before they come and be dispersed.
If you have been following the Jerry Sandusky case, you don't want to hear this. Apparently, Sandusky wants a Pennsylvania judge to modify his bail so he can spend more time with his grandchildren. The former Penn State assistant coach is accused of sexually abusing young boys.
The judge had forbidden him from having unsupervised visits for his grandkids or having him in his house overnight.
Johnson & Johnson is voluntarily recalling product Aveeno, baby calming comfort location. The reason, common bacterial contamination. The recall affects one lot that went to stores mainly in the south and Midwest. So be in alert here. The company says no reports of injuries, thankfully.
Alright. Let's go to southern California. Music great, Etta James will be laid to rest today. The reverend Al Sharpton will preside over her funeral service. And Christina Aguilera will sing James' signature hit, "At Last." Hundreds of fans attended the public viewing yesterday. James died January 20th of complications of leukemia. She would have been 74 just this past Wednesday.
The 911 call placed the day Demi Moore was rushed to the hospital has been released now. And at a woman tells the operator to send an ambulance as soon as possible because Moore was convulsing and burning up.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
911 MALE DISPATCHER: Hold on ma'am, hold on. Hold on. OK, tell me exactly what happened there.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE CALLER: OK. She smoked something. It's not marijuana but it's similar to. It's similar to incense and she seems to be having convulses of some sort.
911 MALE DISPATCHER: OK. Are you with the person at this time?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE CALLER: I'm actually in the other room.
911 MALE DISPATCHER: You have to be next to her so I can ask some questions and we have paramedics on the ways. She overdosed on --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE CALLER: She's convulsing.
911 MALE DISPATCHER: Listen to me. Keep watching her closely. Don't do anything or put anything in her mouth.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE CALLER: We're not.
911 MALE DISPATCHER: Was it accident or intentional?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE CALLER: She smoked something. The reaction was accidental.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
PAUL: The spokesman for Moore says the actress who recently separated from Ashton Kutcher is seeking treatment for exhaustion.
Remember this scene at the Apollo theatre last week?
(BARACK OBAMA SINGING)
PAUL: The man can sing. He can hold a note. That's President Obama singing of course "let's get together." This morning, we are learning that his rendition, can you believe this, boosted sales of that song by 490 percent. And Nielson sound scan which measures digital buys reports that 1972 number hit was downloaded 16,000 times last week.
That is going to lead us into politics now. The battle for Florida's 50 delegates, just three days to go until the primary there. Mitt Romney, sporting a nearly 10 point led in this poll taken just before the CNN Florida debate. This a turnaround from just a few days earlier when Gingrich had the lead. Illegal immigration, of course, a big topic during Thursday night CNN GOP debate, and Romney showed off some of his skills that he apparently picked up from his debate coach.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF BLITZER, HOST, CNN'S "THE SITUATION ROOM": Is he still the most anti-immigrant candidate?
NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think of the four of us, yes.
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Mr. Speaker, I'm not anti- immigrant. My father was born in Mexico. My wife's father was born in Whales. They came to this country. The idea that I'm anti- immigrant is repulsive. GINGRICH: I want to allow the grandmother to be here legally with some rights to have residency, but not citizenship so that he or she can finish their life with dignity within the law.
ROMNEY: You know, there are not 11 million -- there are not 11 -- our problem is not 11 million grandmothers. Our problem is -- all right --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: Joining me to talk about the battle in Florida now, Matt Towery, syndicated columnist and former campaign adviser to Newt Gingrich. And Lee May, a Democratic county commissioner in Suburban, Atlanta, DeKalb County. Gentlemen, good to see you again this morning.
Good morning.
PAUL: So, let's talk about the Latino vote in Florida, specifically. How did that debate play out for Romney, particularly when they are going to go to the polls here in a couple days?
LEE MAY (D) COMMISSIONER, DEKALB COUNTY: Romney seems to be leading in the Latino vote. He has 15 percent lead among the Latino voters. It's interesting enough that with Newt Gingrich, more compassionate approach towards immigration, you would think he would be leading.
But, when you look at the numbers, over a half of the Latino vote is of Cuban-Americans. And those are leaning more toward Romney. He seems to having the endorsement of some of the high, key political Cuban-American voters and seems to be leading the way for him.
Amongst Cuban-Americans voters, illegal immigration is not the highest priority for them. And so, the compassionate approach to illegal immigration that the Republicans talk about isn't really of high priority for that group of Americans.
PAUL: Yes. We know one of the high priorities is going to be the economy and housing especially in Florida has just suffered. It is such a crisis there. How will that play out?
MATT TOWERY, POLITICAL COLUMNIST: Well, it plays out in the sense that Newt Gingrich did not start out this effort of talking about housing. He should have been more involved on that. But then, Mitt's been off his game in Florida to some extent, almost from the moment he got the South Carolina boost. Part of that is because of the ads.
Romney has been posting ads every five seconds down there. And Gingrich is really silent until really today. I mean it's when his big buy goes up. But boy, there are some tough ads coming from both campaigns. And I just start about housing. They are throwing in everything but the kitchen sink right now.
PAUL: Yes. And that we were talking about that. There's such negativity in this campaign. And it's not unusual. We see it on TV all the time. What do you think is driving it? And did it really make a difference to voters?
TOWERY: Well, it does have an effect. People always say, what made of campaigns, they don't affect me at all. I don't listen. But it has a collective effect when you hear it over and over again.
In this case, it is having an effect. And the other issue is. Is that when you are overwhelmed in one case such as Gingrich where there are so many Romney ads, the other tendency to one to want to grab for a real knock-out punch when you get on air.
There's one airing this morning. It's about Mitt Romney and Medicare reimbursements, alleged fraud that took place with Bain capital. We don't know if it's true or not. We know just knows it's there. Whether that campaign ad might affect some senior voters, we don't know. But is going to be something like that and it will either put Gingrich back in the race or he just won't be able to come back.
PAUL: This is what I think is disturbing for some people, Lee. As Matt has just said, we don't know if it's true or not.
MAY: That's exactly.
PAUL: People are saying we live in America; don't we have to classify what we say and make sure it's true before we put it on the air?
MAY: This is politics. You say it and hopefully people will verify after the election. I mean, that's how it's going.
PAUL: But, do you make something up and just put it out there or do you actually, don' you think that they want to try to get something valid beneath that statement to boost them?
MAY: Unfortunately, it's part of the tradition. People don't like it but it does seem to resonate overtime. Again, the accumulation of statements, of negative statements toward particular candidates or their history, -- again, once you put it out there, you can't pull it back even after you correct it. And at the end goal, unfortunately, in these political campaigns is victory. And many times, it's victory at all costs.
TOWERY: If I can just drove quickly.
PAUL: Go ahead, Matt.
TOWERY: I have been in a lot of campaigns. I have gone against the best like James Carville who by the way, I really like as a person. I have never seen a race that nasty.
PAUL: Really?
TOWERY: Never. Never in my entire time that I've been in poll
MAY: But people say that every election.
PAUL: Do you think it's escalating?
MAY: It definitely is.
TOWERY: I mean for a presidential race. I have seen nasty gubernatorial races, U.S. Senate, never for a president. For primary and caucus season, this is about as nasty as ever.
MAY: It definitely is. Let me tell you who is benefiting from this. It's the president. In the state of the union address, he looked more presidential than he did as a political party leader, as a Democrat. And I think that is going to begin to resonate. As the Republicans are battling this out for this nomination, I think you are going to see them begin to lose points in the grand scheme of this election.
PAUL: I wanted to ask you about this, too, but we are out of time. Thank you both, gentlemen.
TOWERY: Every month, you can sing.
(LAUGHTER)
PAUL: Well, I don't know about that.
(LAUGHTER)
PAUL: So good to have your perspective, as always. Good to have you here.
Ron Paul meanwhile is skipping Florida this weekend, rather spending time in Maine.
Well, CNN's Shannon Travis is following along.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN REPORTER (on-camera): It's almost 80 degrees in Florida with three of the Republican presidential candidates have been campaigning this week. And it's a pounding 30s here in Maine. So, why is that the Ron Paul here? Well, let the candidate himself explain.
REP. RON PAUL (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We asked by the media why am I in Maine and not Florida. I said I can't get down there.
(APPLAUSE)
RON PAUL: Let me add some enthusiastic supporters, and we knew there's love for liberty. We wanted to come and share it with you. Thank you very much.
TRAVIS: Those delegates Ron Paul is talking about, 24 here in Maine. He's competing heavily in states that have caucuses like Maine, like Nevada, like Colorado, or like Minnesota. He tends to do pretty well in those contests. He's pretty much seated the Florida primary that is coming out on Tuesday to his rivals. But he is hoping to rack up delegates through the caucus process. Obviously, you need delegates in order to win the nomination. But, should he not win the nomination, he could also play a very prominent role at the Republican convention with the delegates. One last thing, Congressman Paul also met with Governor Paul, the governor of the state himself a prominent Tea Partier.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL: Say it isn't so. Spring break canceled? And it's not just the kids who are upset. Their parents are pretty ticked, too. That story, straight ahead.
And think the first American gold rush within California? You know what? It wasn't even on the west coast. Coming up, an amazing journey through the historic south.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAUL: All right. I want to give you a little trivia to see if you are awake this morning. Did you know the first U.S. gold rush wasn't in California? And, are you one of the countless people who spent decades pondering the question, how are cabbage patch kids born? Well, Reynolds Wolf just discovered the answers to all those questions.
WOLF: You know it's amazing when you find the answer to some of these questions just by getting behind the wheel of your car and just going on exploring the countryside. Many great finds we have, go the chance, take a peek at some of these, right now. Let's get by to it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF: Today's adventure begins in Atlanta, Georgia, home to some 5.2 million people.
In 1836, the city was called Terminus then it was given the name Factoryville. And now, of course, the city is called Atlanta.
Hey, and speaking of names. Her name is Alicia Eakin. You know her. She's our producer. Alicia, where are we headed today?
ALICIA EAKIN, CNN PRODUCER: Well, we are head to the Georgia Mountains and pan for gold, and then take the scenic route to Ashville, North Carolina.
WOLF: We have Leon Joe who is our photo journalist. Leon, are you up for this?
LEON JOE, CNN PHOTO JOURNALIST: I'm always up for a challenge.
WOLF: Alright, let's go.
First up, Georgia at the consolidated gold mine. And first impression, we see this beautiful building has a parking lot. But it's what's below ground that captures the imagination.
You know, this wasn't dug just yesterday. It's been around since 1898. This is D Harbert, general manager of the mine. Dee, how long have people been digging for gold here?
DATHAN "D" HARBERT, MANAGER, CONSOLIDATED GOLD MINE: Well, gold was first discovered in 1828. And in just one year, over 15,000 people showed up, all looking for gold. It became the first major U.S. gold rush.
WOLF: Now, what's type of mining is this?
HARBERT: This right here is hard rock gold mining.
WOLF: But there are types too, right?
HARBERT: Absolutely. We grab a gold pan and head up to the rivers and streams.
WOLF: Alright, you show me how this is done.
HARBERT: Fill it up with water. Then you have gold falls to the bottom. If you do your job right, you should find right there --
WOLF: Gold. Check it out. I have got sand.
HARBERT: You better keep your day job.
WOLF: Unbelievable. D, thanks for your time.
HARBERT: Thanks for coming. Come back a lot here.
WOLF: We have to hit the road. Guys, I picked up a souvenir for us at the gift shop at the gold mine.
EAKIN: I'm frightened.
JOE: I can't wait to find out what it is.
WOLF: Yes, you can.
It's the Baby Land general hospital in Cleveland, Georgia. The view inside is sensory overload. It's an incredible experience. Thankfully, we have Dr. Linda with us. Dr. Linda, why do they refer to this area as the Baby Land general hospital?
DR. LINDA LOGGINS, CABBAGE PATCH KIDS SALES EXECUTIVE: Because 32 years ago, he found so many cabbage patch kids that needed good homes. He decided at that time to open Baby Land general hospital.
WOLF: New ones are born every day?
LOGGINS: I actually have mother cabbage, who, is in labor right now.
WOLF: One more good push. All right. We have a beautiful baby girl here.
WOLF: The baby is out and we are, too.
All right, Alicia, what's next?
EAKIN: We are heading to tiger, Georgia. A little place called the goats on the roof.
WOLF: Goats on the roof?
EAKIN: Just wait.
WOLF: Oh, my God. There are goats --
EAKIN: On a roof.
WOLF: Let's do it.
Alright. We are out of food. We are out of time and we need to get out of here before we have to run. Let's go.
Well, we finally made it to our final destination here in beautiful Asheville, North Carolina. Home to the Villmore state, some great people and some awesome breweries and among those highlands brewing company. They are the ones that got the brewing craze all started here in Asheville.
We got John (inaudible) here. He is the big brew man here at highland brewing company. John, why is Asheville a great place for beer?
JOHN: The water. They have great water.
WOLF: How many types of beer do you have?
JOHN: We have got eight and that's include the seasonal.
WOLF: Should we have a taste?
JOHN: Yes. Let's go have some.
WOLF: Let's go.
Wow. What an amazing trip. Our cup run is over. We dealt with everything from cabbage patch dolls, we pan for gold. We even played with goats. You know if you have any ideas for an amazing adventure for us, by all means. Simply go to our Facebook page and give us ideas. We are all ears and we are gone. See you next time down the road.
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PAUL: I have been past they goat --
WOLF: Really?
PAUL: You drive by and the goats are on the roof. I'm surprised there aren't more accidents on that special roadway because you're going what the heck was that?
WOLF: It's insane. It's amazing. But the thing is you were incredible. You will find these amazing places all over the country. They are everywhere you happen to go. And you know if you have ideas of where you would like us to go, you simply go to our Facebook page, adventure road with Reynolds Wolf. And if you like it or you think it's in ambulation of mankind regardless. Let us know exactly what you think and we'll try to go to those places.
PAUL: But, if you think of the cabbage patch heads moving, it was a little scary.
WOLF: You know both my sisters had cabbage patch dolls. It was a little bit - it was kind bizarre. Its kind a get out of body experience, its kind a freaky but the people cannot deny.
PAUL: I got to say, that woman seemed like the sweetest woman in face of the earth.
WOLF: An angel. They are just wonder people. And certainly, I got --
PAUL: Thank you for sharing.
WOLF: Thank you.
PAUL: Thank you for sharing, Reynolds.
No more surprises when you go to book a flight, by the way. Ahead, the new travel rules that will benefit you the next time you fly. Yes.
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PAUL: Happy Saturday, I hope the day is treating you well so far, 47 minutes after 6:00 here in Atlanta right now.
And I want to tell you about news that might have been off your radar.
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PAUL: If you are planning to book a trip anytime soon, the new airline rules took effect this week.
First, full fare advertising. This means when an airline says a trip costs $150 round trip. That means you'll pay 150. Ad prices will include all taxes and fees. But not seat upgrade or baggage fees. Airlines are now required to put in each itinerary exactly how much you'll pay to bring your bags along. Another benefit, you'll now be given a 24 hour Grace period to cancel or change your flight.
And students in small town, Minnesota better enjoy their spring break this year because it's going to be their last. The school district voted to get rid of it beginning next year. This is in favor of more extended weekends. Parents are ticked because they didn't have much input before the change was made.
In Connecticut, East Haven's mayor had a special lunch delivery, about 500 soft tacos. They were hand delivered by a group of protesters to Joseph Maturo's office. Remember, earlier this week, he told a reporter --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: What are you doing with the Latino community today?
JOSEPH MATURO JR., MAYOR, EAST HAVEN, CONNECTICUT: I might have tacos when I go home. I'm not sure.
PAUL: He later issued an apology and promised to deal sensitively and compassionately with the challenges currently facing their town.
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PAUL: All right. I probably don't have to ask you if you think gas is too expensive, but guess what? You haven't seen anything yet. We may be on the verge of paying the highest gas prices we have ever seen, those details in a couple minutes.
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PAUL: All right, let me preface this by saying please don't hurt the messenger. But get ready to shell out even more at the gas pump because gas prices may spike to an all-time high as we, in the states know it. And I know you are quenching but analyst say the average could soon top four bucks a gallon. Ouch! Josh Levs. We are not going to hurt you, either. We are just here to tell the story, but --
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks for the preface.
PAUL: Well, I just have to make sure we have to take care of each other.
LEVS: You got to do a schedule.
PAUL: And people have got to be reeling when they hear that.
LEVS: We all are. It's ugly. And here is the thing, you know a spike in gas prices is, almost everything we ever talk to you about, all sorts of different stories that you hear about can spike them. It's like a dart board. You know, everything hit that impact.
And what I have learned is that in 2011, we had the highest average ever for the year. Let's break this down for you simple. This is what determines gas prices. We are going to start here.
The biggest factor by far, it goes in the gas prices is crude oil. Now, just how much it means dollar goes to that various. But it's always the base.
Next, there's refining, part of it. That's where the oil companies make a lot of their money.
Then the next part that you have vat is distribution in marketing. And that includes that the money the gas stations make.
Finally, you have taxes. Those vary by state. So, in terms of your dollar, that's where your money is going. Now, what is been driving up these prices? Well, a bunch of factors. As some of it is demand from any countries around the globe. With growing population, growing middle class, countries with economies been recovering, people are out and driving and buying gasoline.
Also, instability in oil producing nations; Libya, Yemen, Syria, really good examples there. That led to less oil production. So, you have got basic supply and demand playing out having lift those prices.
Here is what's happening now, the government is saying 2012 could be more eventful for oil and one of the biggest reasons is Iran. A lot of countries are sanctioning Iran now, embarking its oil. It's unclear how that could impact prices.
And as we talk it, Iran is threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz which is the world's most important foil transit check point. About a fifth of all the oil in the world that gets traded goes through there causing more skittishness (ph) in their markets.
Her are also some other factors too. And one really good example, we hear less, talked to an analyst about this, about is Nigeria. There's all this violence in Nigeria. But Nigeria is also a major oil producer's adding to concerns. So, investors fear it could cut output further.
And then, if you have U.S. and other countries still seeing economic growth, more people working and driving. All that can give the higher oil prices. I have more for you. And how to find cheaper gas near you, up in my pages, Facebook and Twitter, joshlevsCNN, CNN.com/josh. We want people to find the cheapest gas they can.
PAUL: Right. Just put us out of our misery, give us a number. How high might it go?
LEVS: Yes. And here is the shoot the messenger part. Analyst are saying because for the first time, seen annually average of the country well above $4.
PAUL: The average?
LEVS: The average for the whole country could be more than $4, $4.25 even higher. Some cities could see close to $5 a gallon this year. And what I'm going to do at 8:00 eastern, I'm going to help everyone understand why it's more expensive in some cities than other cities.
And I'm going to whole bunch of list to help you find cheaper gasoline. Look. We are all hoping the analysts are wrong. Sometimes, they are. Some things could change. It's possible that we get the opposite effect and gas prices actually go down. But a lot of experts who have really track record of being right on the stuff are saying it's going to go up and we could see historic prices.
PAUL: Alright. Well, thank you for the warning.
LEVS: I know, right?
PAUL: You can start a car pool, you know, plan now.
LEVS: Whatever it takes.
PAUL: Thank you, Josh.
LEVS: You got it.
PAUL: Speaking of numbers, one congressman's approval rating just went up, too. It helps to be a good Samaritan. Here, how he may have saved one woman's life.
And also, I want to tell you about a New York sports club. They are taking on the Paula Dean Diabetes controversy. Did it go too far though? We give you a chance to weigh in, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAUL: Welcome back. A new controversial ad takes aim at food network star Paula Deen. And New York face gym chain placed at the ad. It's in the "New York Times. And here is what it reads. "Paula, you made a fortune off fat. Call us if you want to be around to enjoy it."
Now, Deen's recent revelation that she's been living with type II diabetes for the past three year has really sparks debates on both obesity, as well as her method. She revealed her health condition on the same day she began pushing a diabetes drug after inking a multi- million dollar deal. And that just can't seat well with a lot of people. So, we have been asking for your thoughts though on all of it.
And we are not finding many fans of the ad.
Rogan wrote to us saying "I don't know her. But personally, I believe no death should be used for commercial reasons. In my opinion, disgusting."
Brian Spring said "Death is never something to joke about. If it was your mother or sister, could you laugh then? Definitely too much."
We want to hear from you, too, on this. Do you think the gym ad is funny or did it go too far? Tweet me @Christi_Paul. I'm going to read your responses on the air. You can go to my Facebook page, too, ChristiPaulHLN.
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