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CNN Saturday Morning News
The Battle for Florida; London Phone-Hacking Arrests; $450 Million Cruise Ship Suit; Google's New Privacy Policies; New Look and Regulations For School Lunch Programs
Aired January 28, 2012 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center this is SATURDAY MORNING. It is Saturday, January 28th, by the way, in case you need to look at your calendar there. I'm so glad to have your company today. I'm Christi Paul.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is she breathing normally?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, not so normal. But more sort of shaking, convulsing, burning up.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
PAUL: We're learning more about the night a barely breathing Demi Moore was rushed to the hospital. You're going to hear more of that phone call to 911 just ahead.
Plus, an online game calls attention to the darker side of a custom that's widespread but it's illegal in India. Players basically get to beat up men looking for a bride. That's coming up in our "Morning Passport."
And a New York sports club is taking on a Paula Deen diabetes controversy. Did it go too far though?
I know Saturday feels good, doesn't it? Especially if you get just to sit back and relax for a while. I hope that's the case for you today.
I want to let you know happening right now Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul is gearing up to a address an army of supporters in Maine. The Texas libertarian is focusing his attention on the caucuses there while his challengers campaign hard in Florida.
Front-runners Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich both have events in the sunshine state today. Rick Santorum heading back to Florida tonight after a fund-raising event in Washington.
Now in Florida the sentiment between the Republican presidential contenders reading a lot like the Florida weather map. It's heated; frosty at times. Just three days remain, though, before the state's high-stakes winner takes all primary here.
And joining us for the very latest from plantation is CNN political reporter Peter Hamby. So Peter what's the landscape looking like this morning?
PETER HAMBY, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Well, we just have a new ad actually just -- just in the mix of the Romney campaign. Like you said, it's getting heated. As much as people here think Romney is sort of in the (INAUDIBLE) seat here and in a good position to win next Tuesday, they are keeping the gas on -- keeping their foot on the gas against Newt Gingrich.
They have a new ad today basically playing an entire news clip of just Tom Brokaw talking about Newt Gingrich when he got sanctioned by the House in 1998, just basically reminding voters, hey, this guy is not the person that you want in Washington. There's negative ads from Romney's Super PAC supporting Mitt Romney, accusing Gingrich of having too much baggage.
Basically if you talk to voters in Florida, the ones that like Newt Gingrich, they've like to sort of no hold bar -- no holds barred approach. They want to see him in the debate against Barack Obama. They think he'd be really tough out there, but they have questions about can he win?
And the Romney campaign is really trying to tap into those doubts and remind people, hey, you might really like this guy, but you should vote with your head on Tuesday instead of your heart. We're the guy that can actually go up against Barack Obama and win in November -- Christi.
PAUL: And when you talk about targeting Florida, Romney has really had both feet in that state for quite a while, and Gingrich is kind of playing catch-up at this time, isn't he?
HAMBY: Yes. You're absolutely right. Even during the South Carolina primary, even the New Hampshire primary, sorry, the Romney campaign was running television ads here, introducing themselves to voters. You need to be on television in this state. It's absolutely crucial. There are many media markets are very expensive to campaign here.
He's had organization in this state for a long time. And the Gingrich campaign after that surge they got that day after South Carolina took a while to catch up. The Newt Gingrich campaign and the Super PAC supporting Newt Gingrich didn't even go on television until a couple of days ago.
So this whole time the Romney campaign has been planting seeds in voters' brains of how, hey, again, this guy is not the person you want in Washington. And all of -- all of those attacks have been going unanswered. I mean, if you just watched television here a few days ago, you would see one, two, three, four, five straight negative ads against Newt Gingrich and no answer. Don't understand estimate the impact of that on voters -- Christi.
PAUL: All right, Peter Hamby thank you so much. Peter good to see you.
Quick programming note I want to let you know about. Be sure to join us every Sunday afternoon, for a special hour dedicated to the presidential contenders in the 2012 election. It's at 4:00 Eastern. So we hope you'll see -- we'll see you here.
Also be sure to tune in for an encore presentation of CNN's Florida Republican presidential debate. In case you missed it, it's coming your way today at 5:00 p.m. Eastern.
All right, that British tabloid phone-hacking scandal is back in the news today. Police in London are questioning five people, one a police officer and scouring through new evidence seized in morning raids.
CNN's Matthew Chance is live in London with the details. Matthew, do we have any indication what was seized in those raids?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Not yes and indeed the investigations and the searches at the houses of four of those individuals and the officers of News Internationals of course owned by media magnet Rupert Murdoch is still going on by the Metropolitan Police.
What we do know is these five individuals as you mentioned have been taken into custody. Four of them are said to be former or current staff members of "The Sun" newspaper which is Britain's bestselling daily newspaper. It's a tabloid owned by News International, of course, the organization run by Rupert Murdoch and his News Corp Organization.
The other individual is as you mentioned a police man said to have been arrested when he was at work at a Central London police station earlier today and charged with corruption, misusing his public office and with conspiracy. The other individuals have been charged as well.
And so these are very serious crimes they're alleged to have committed. But then in some ways it represents an escalation of the campaign to try and get to the bottom of this hacking scandal and to the extent to which you know the police and the journalists involved worked together in (AUDIO GAP) illegal practices -- Christi.
PAUL: And how difficult has it been to try to obtain a lot of this information for investigators?
CHANCE: Well, it's -- it's historically been, you know, incredibly difficult. This has been a very closed corner of the media, a very close corner of the police work as well, the extent to which the police and journalists cooperate. It's something that obviously takes place very much under the surface behind closed doors.
But this incident along with other incidents in this investigation in general really has exposed the extent to which there is corruption in the British police forces, certainly in the Metropolitan Police, which is based in London. There is collusion with journalists in order for them to get information and another details of people who are victims of crimes, of criminals with celebrities and things like that.
And so to a very large extent this has been damaging not just for the journalism profession but also for the police services as well. (AUDIO GAP) PAUL: Matthew Chance, thanks so much for the update there from London. We appreciate it as always.
Six passengers, meanwhile, who survived the capsizing of the "Costa Concordia" have filed a massive $450 million lawsuit. You probably could have seen this coming, right? The cruise liner ran aground off the coast of Italy two weeks ago. Remember these pictures, the company that owns the ship has offered just over $14,000 to each of the survivors.
Now an attorney representing the passengers told CNN's Erin Burnett what he thought of that offer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is an insult and this was not an incident that could possibly be covered by the ticket -- by the ticket limitations. Erin, this is an act of horrendous negligence. It was careless disregard for human life and property. This was not covered by any limitations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: A woman's body, by the way, was found aboard the partially submerged ship today. So that brings the number of confirmed dead to 17 with about 15 people still missing.
Well, former Penn State assistant football Coach Jerry Sandusky asking a judge to allow him to visit his grand kids. Remember, he's accused of child sex abuse and he's out on bail right now, but he's barred from unsupervised visits with his grandchildren. A hearing is scheduled for February 10th.
And the hunt is on for a murderer pardoned by former Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour. Joseph Ozment is his name. He's free. There's his picture. A judge has ordered him to appear in court though. Since his release, there are no clues as to his whereabouts and authorities are offering a reward now for any information leading to him.
Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood is challenging the validity of that pardon and he wants to see him and others who were pardoned back in jail.
Authorities are reviewing security tape after a mall shooting last night in central California. Two men we know were wounded and a witness told police there was an argument and one of the men pulled out a gun and opened fire. They were rushed to the hospital. They are expected to survive, which is the good news. But police did evacuate the mall as a precaution at the time.
Missouri Congressman Emanuel Cleaver being hailed a hero this morning for helping a woman he found in a ditch at the side of the road. Cleaver noticed her when he and an aide were driving by and they waited with that woman until paramedics arrived. Rep. Cleaver said, she thought she was going to die. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. EMANUEL CLEAVER (D), MISSOURI: She was in a ditch and 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 was probably about the best day of my year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: Now Cleaver also said by the way, he thought the first responders were the true heroes. We do not know yet the woman's condition there.
Good or I should say, big changes at Google. It's revamping its privacy policy. We're going to dig into how it's going to affect you.
Also, a New York sports club is taking on the Paula Deen diabetes controversy. Here's the big question. Did it go too far?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAUL: Hey, have you seen this new controversial ad circulating? It refers to Paula Deen's DAC, a New York based gym chain paid for this ad, it's in "The New York Times". It reads, quote, "Paula, you made a fortune out off of fat. Call us if you want to be around to enjoy it." Deen's only revealed of course that she's been living with type 2 diabetes for the past three years and that news sparks debates on both obesity and her cooking methods. Deen revealed the same -- revealed this the same day that a multimillion she signed to promote a pharmaceutical companies diabetes drug was made public.
So we're reaching out to the New York-based gym chain for comment.
You know, when you use Google to surf online, you may be doing it right now, some people are saying beware because the company is watching your every step. It has this new privacy policy that's going to make your life online not so private anymore. Tech guru and HLN digital lifestyle expert Mario Armstrong broke down the facts for me a little bit earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIO ARMSTRONG, HLN DIGITAL LIFESTYLE EXPERT: There's been some big changes. The biggest change, besides their privacy policy changing a few days ago is now they are allowing kids they're allowing kids under the age of 18 to now use GooglePlus. GooglePlus is their social network. It's their answer to Facebook and to MySpace. So this is the place where they can log on and establish network with friends and share information, photos, content, and videos with each other.
PAUL: Ok but why are they changing the privacy policies and how invasive is it going to be for us?
ARMSTRONG: Well, it's pretty invasive. I mean, when you think about this privacy policy, we're talking over 70 different Google products that are out there. So from Gmail, their e-mail service to GooglePlus, their social network, to Google Groups, YouTube even. So the idea is this. Let's say you do a search or on YouTube. Maybe you're searching for a brand-new Ford car or something like that, you looked that up. Later in the day if you're using their e-mail service, Gmail, you might see an ad specifically about that same Ford vehicle.
So they're tracking your movements across all these different services and they're saying to personalize the experience, to direct things that would be more custom fit for you. Privacy advocates are saying, whoa, wait a minute, this is tracking too much of what my personal interests are or my behavior, and I don't know where this might lead to and if cyber stalkers or other people could get access to that info.
PAUL: Yes, because you immediately feel like you're getting online and somebody somewhere is watching exactly what you're doing.
You mentioned Google Plus. Are they doing anything to ensure kids' safety if they're targeting kids under 18?
ARMSTRONG: Yes, they are doing a few things. And this is why they kind of waited because this Google Plus has been out for a few months and so three things in particular is what they're focusing on. Number one, they're focusing on warning you before you post anything publicly, which I think is a good thing. You type a post. Before it goes out, you'll be notified, hey, this can be seen by all.
Number two there will be no contact from strangers. They can do this because they have something called Google Circles where you can actually plug in specifically people that you want to connect with. And then last but not least, if you're doing video chat, and let's say a stranger tried to jump in to your video chat you the youth will be kicked out of that video chat to kind of keep you safe from any possible issues that could happen in video chat.
PAUL: All right, but in terms of these privacy issues for the rest of us and feeling like, oh, I'm going to log on, who is watching me, who is watching me is there any way users can opt out of this?
ARMSTRONG: Christi, this is what has many people really furious. And me as someone that follows the digital lifestyle, this is usually a bad thing when there is no way out. And what they're saying for this privacy policy that goes into effect March 1st, there isn't an "opt out" option.
So the only opt out is for people to say I'm not going to use Google services.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: So, there you have it.
Now, for those of you who travel by air a lot, 2012 may not be a real stellar year for ticket prices, just so you know. It's one of the things they say is going to be very expensive in the next year. We'll tell you what else is going up in price too. Stay close.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAUL: Well, don't hurt me because I'm just telling you how it is from what we know. 2012 is going to be an expensive year for some things and I'm not just talking about those gas prices. I spoke to financial analyst, Clyde Anderson, earlier about what could burn a hole in your pocket this year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLYDE ANDERSON, FINANCIAL ANALYST: Air fare. And we've been seeing it. Anybody that's looked online or anything for a ticket recently has seen these increases.
PAUL: Yes.
ANDERSON: And they are going up, they're going up rapidly. So, we are talking about at least 5 percent in some areas, sometimes with $15 surcharges and we know with bags and other things. So, it's crucial right now. And so, some of the things, I tell people is look at sites like Travelocity to save a little bit of money. And be flexible.
That's the key with this new economy. You got to be a little bit flexible. So when you go in there and put in that you are flexible for dates, to see what the date that is pop-up for availability. That's a great way to do it.
PAUL: All right. That's good to know.
Data plans.
ANDERSON: Yes, data plans are increasing. No more of that three bandwidth. No more of that.
PAUL: Oh, man.
ANDERSON: It's going away in the lot of places, where they -- everybody is using it. We see -- everybody has a Smartphone. These lines are getting jammed up.
So, what they're doing is -- Sprint still has unlimited data plans right now. But also, T-Mobile and Wal-Mart are teaming up to offer unlimited data plans. It's not unlimited but it's better. They kind of throw at you and stop you at about 250 megabytes.
PAUL: But how can they say it's unlimited, but really unlimited?
ANDERSON: They give you talk, text and data to a certain point. They are giving you more than their competitors, I guess they say. And that's their term. So, it's something to look out for there, to save a little bit of money right now on those data plans.
PAUL: OK. Right now may be the key. Yes.
ANDERSON: Yes. PAUL: It might be going up.
OK. Gadgets like desktop computers, that kind of thing?
ANDERSON: Yes, desktop computers, .as well as hard drives. It's crucial. There was a flood in Thailand. So, it's causing a shortage right now on some of the hard drives, as well as desktop computers.
What's happening is they are consolidating a lot of the big, you know, bulky models are consolidated to just a screen. They are going to some of the touch screens. And so, what we are going to see, an increase in desktop computers as this new technology is implemented.
PAUL: OK. The last one always gets me. It's shipping and I have to tell you, I will be at the computer and I will spend a half hour on an order and I'll get to shipping. If it's too much, I cancel the whole thing.
ANDERSON: Yes, I mean, that's crucial right now. Gas prices are going up. So, we're shipping increase at least 5 percent. So, you want to be careful about that.
When you're going online and go to some of the retailers that offer free shipping, L.L. Bean, Lands' End, some of the other ones that offer free shipping. Just do your homework. Do your due diligence. So, be patient and do your homework in this new economy and you'll be OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: All right. Good advice there.
So do you think the first American gold rush was in California? You weren't alone in thinking that but you know, it wasn't even on the West Coast. Coming up, an incredible journey through the historic south.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAUL: So did you know the first U.S. gold rush was not in California and are you one of the countless people who spent decades pondering that question? How are cabbage patch kids born? Reynolds Wolf just discovered the answers to all of these questions and that one is a doozy.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You know, Americans nationwide have been sleepless, trying to find the answers to these incredible questions. No question about it.
The thing is we're able to take an amazing trip, one of the many trips that we've been doing on our adventure rod series. And it is just spectacular the answers to so many questions you can find from behind the wheel of a car in America.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
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 Thackerville (ph) and now of course, the city is called Atlanta. And speaking of names, her name is Alicia Egan. You know her, she's our producer.
Alicia where are we headed today?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're going to head to the Georgia mountains and pan for a little gold and then take a scenic route to Asheville, North Carolina.
WOLF: Leon Job is our journalist, are you up for this?
LEON JOB, PHOTOGRAPHER: I always up for it.
WOLF: First up , (INAUDIBLE) Georgia, at the Consolidated Gold Mine. At first impression you see this beautiful building in the parking lot, but it's what's below ground that really captures the imagination.
You know, this wasn't dug just yesterday. It's been around since 1898. And this is D. Harbert, the general manager of the mine.
D, how long have people been digging for gold in this part of the world.
DATHAN 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. They became the first major U.S. Gold Rush.
WOLF: Now, what type of mining is this?
HARBERT: This right here is hard rock
WOLF: But there are other types too, right.
HARBERT: Absolutely. We can grab a gold pan and head out to the rivers and streams.
WOLF: All right, D. Show me how this is done.
HARBERT: Fill that up with water. And you have the gold to the bottom. If you do your job right, you should find it right there.
WOLF: : Gold, check it out. And I've got sand.
HARBERT: You'd better keep your day job.
WOLF: Unbelievable. D, thanks for your time.
HARBERT: Thanks for your time. Come back (INAUDIBLE)
WOLF: All right. We've got to hit the road. Guys, I picked up a little souvenir for us at gift shop at the gold mine. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm frightened.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't wait to find out what it is.
WOLF: Yes, you can.
It's the Babyland General Hospital in Cleveland, Georgia. The view inside is sensory overload. It's an incredible experience. Thankfully we've got Dr. Linda Loggins with us. Why do they refer to this area as Baby Lane General Hospital?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because 32 years it's save your (INAUDIBLE) down So many cottage patch kids that maybe a good home. He decided at that time to open Babyland General Hospital.
WOLF: New ones are born every day?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I actually have mother cabbage in labor right now.
WOLF: One more push. All right. Looks like Likes like we've got a beautiful new baby girl here.
WOLF: All right Alicia what's next.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're going to head to Tiger, Georgia. It's a little place called Goats on the roof.
Wolf: Goats on the roof.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just wait.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On a roof.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's do it.
WOLF: All right. We're out of food, we're out of time, and we need to get out of here before we have to lock horns. Let's go.
Well, we finally made it to our final destination here in beautiful Asheville, North Carolina, home to the Biltmore estate, some great people, and some awesome breweries. And among those, highland brewing company. They're the ones that got the brewing craze all started here in Nashville.
We've got John Lida here. He's the big brew man here at Highland Brewing Company. John why is Asheville the best place for brewing?
JOHN LIDA, HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY: The water. They've got great water.
WOLF: How many types beer did you have?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've got eight and that's including the seasonal. Want to get a taste?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, let's have some.
WOLF: Let's go.
What an amazing trip. Our cup runneth over. We dealt with everything from Cabbage Patch dolls, we panned for gold, we even played with goats. If you have any ideas for an amazing adventure for us, by all means, simply go to our Facebook page, give us the ideas, and we're all ears.
And we're gone.
See you next time on the road.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF: Where are we headed next? I have no idea. It's really going to be up to what you guys tell us. We certainly need some feedback. If you can, simply go to our Facebook page. It's really easy. Go to adventure road with Reynolds Wolf on our Facebook page. Just give us some ideas and we'll certainly listen to them. We've already had a bunch of ideas by hanging out west. That maybe a possibility. You never know. Audience participation required.
PAUL: That shows our trust in you; that we're willing to go where you tell us go.
WOLF: It could be potentially dangerous but that's half the fun.
PAUL: Yes. You're the man. Thank you so much Reynolds.
WOLF: You bet.
PAUL: Very good.
We're learning more, by the way, about the night a barely conscious Demi Moore was rushed to the hospital. A friend called 911. Take a listen.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is she breathing normally?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, not so normal but more sort of shaking --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- it seems to me, but burning up.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
PAUL: You're going to hear a lot more of that phone call to 9-1-1 straight ahead. Stay close.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAUL: Good Saturday morning. I want to get you in the know this morning, and checking our top stories now, more violence in Syria today. An armed terrorist group killed seven soldiers in an attack.
The violence spread to the Syrian embassy in Cairo as dozens of anti- government protesters stormed the building. They're upset with the Syria's deadly crackdown on opposition demonstrators. The protesters smashed windows, tore down a Syrian flag and obviously stomped on a lot of stuff before they finally dispersed there.
The 9-1-1 call, meanwhile, placed the day Demi Moore was rushed to the hospital, has been released, and on it a woman tells the operator to send an ambulance as soon as possible because Moore was convulsing and burning up.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is an ambulance on the way?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hold on, ma'am, hold on. OK, tell me exactly what happened there.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. She smoked something. It's not marijuana, but it's similar to it -- it's similar to incense, and she seems to be having convulsions of some sort.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Are you with the person at this time?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm actually in the other room.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, you've got to -- you've got to -- you've got to be next to her so I can ask some questions. And we have paramedics on the way. OK. And she overdosed, so and --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, and she's convulsing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Listen to me. Keep watching her closely. Don't do anything. Don't put anything in her mouth.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was this an accident or intentional?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, it was -- she smoked something, you know, but it was -- the reaction was accidental.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
PAUL: Now, a spokesman for Moore says the actress, who recently separated from her husband, Ashton Kutcher, is seeking treatment for exhaustion now.
In southern California, music great Etta James will be laid to rest today. The Reverend Al Sharpton is going to preside at her funeral service, and Christina Aguilera will sing Etta James' signature hit "At Last." Hundreds of fans attended a public viewing yesterday. James died January 20th from complications from leukemia, and she would have been 74 this past Wednesday.
OK. Remember this scene at the Apollo Theater last week?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I am so in love with you --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: The man's got some pipes, doesn't he? He can hold a tune. That's President Obama singing a portion of Al Green's classic "Let's Stay Together." This morning we're learning that his rendition boosted sales of the song, people, by 490 percent. And Neilson's SoundScan, which measures digital buys, reports the 1972 number one hit was downloaded 16,000 times last week.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
Well, while most of the Republican presidential hopefuls are setting their sights on Florida today, Ron Paul is in Maine. Caucuses are already underway there, and CNN political reporter Shannon Travis is live in Gorham (ph), where Paul is meeting with a band of supporters.
So, Shannon, what can you tell us about what he's doing today?
SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN REPORTER: That's right, Christi. I'm in a part of Maine where the signal -- the cell phone signal is not (inaudible) -- I hope this holds up.
But part of the reason why it might be overloaded, the cell phone towers -- is because I'm at a Ron Paul event and it's clearly packed with a few hundred people here in Gorham (ph), Maine. He has three stops on his schedule today.
He's been barnstorming the state since yesterday. But why, as you mention, with other rivals in Florida, why is Ron Paul in Maine? Let's listen to something, his explanation from yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. RON PAUL, R-TEXAS, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I was asked by the media earlier today, what am I doing in Maine, why am I not in Florida? I said, I can't get (inaudible). That's what they're doing in Maine (ph).
(APPLAUSE)
PAUL: And we knew the answer of the enthusiastic supporters, and we knew there was a love for liberty in Maine, and we wanted to come and share it with you, so thank you very much.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TRAVIS: Hard to say, (inaudible) Republican (inaudible) in February 4th and February 11th, we expect the results on February 11th.
But some of these small towns and municipalities are holding caucuses today. Hence you're seeing Ron Paul here, because this is a system that's pretty cheap. It's not expensive. You've got (inaudible) neighbors or friends or whatever, going from home to home or town hall meetings, basically trying to prop up their support for different candidates. So he does pretty well in a caucus system, Christi.
PAUL: Well, we're still -- we're still three days away from the Florida -- the Florida thing, so let me ask you this. Is he planning to go to Florida or where is his next stop?
TRAVIS: Yes. Ron Paul has pretty much written off Florida. It's a winner-take-all system there. He hasn't been campaigning there. We know, of course, that he attended two debates there last week, but his next moves are going to be, again, in other caucus states -- Colorado, Nevada, Minnesota. They'll be coming up and beyond, again, because the caucus system tends to be a little more favorable to Ron Paul and his strategy.
PAUL: All righty. Shannon Travis, thank you so much. And we heard you just fine. Glad that we could get that connection working. Thank you.
Now I want to give you a quick programming note, too. Be sure to tune in for an encore presentation of CNN's Florida Republican presidential debate, in case you missed it. It's coming your way today at 5:00 pm Eastern.
Now one man says he is completely contaminated by nuclear waste, but he still says his hometown is worth saving. We're going to give you a glimpse of life inside Japan's Fukushima exclusion zone, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAUL: Living in a ghost town, one man refusing to leave his toxic town, still quarantined nearly a year after Japan's Fukushima nuclear disaster. Well, our Kyung Lah paid a visit to see why he will not go.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KYUNG LAH, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): In the shadow of the Fukushima nuclear plant, one man's quiet defiance echoes through these contaminated empty streets, 10 miles away from the disaster. The town of Tomioka is inside a government mandated evacuation zone. But that hasn't stopped Naoto Matsumura from refusing to heed the evacuation since the nuclear meltdown.
LAH: Since then you've been living inside the exclusion zone.
LAH (voice-over): Yes, he says. I've remained.
It began with a simple desire to feed the animals on his farm. The government evacuated 78,000 residents around the exploding plant last March without a plan to rescue pets and valuable livestock.
Weeks turned to months and now a year, Matsumura capturing pictures of his solitary life, his dying cattle, his untended farm. Defiance grew into fury. LAH: Are you angry at the government a year later after this disaster?
LAH (voice-over): I'm full of rage, he says. That's why I'm still here. I refuse to leave and let go of this anger and grief. I weep when I see my hometown. The government and the people in Tokyo don't know what's really happening here.
LAH: Do you feel the people of your town are the ones truly paying the price?
LAH (voice-over): We're the victims, he says. The government and TEPCO, they're the perpetrators. But they don't treat us as victims. The clean-up, he says, has been painfully slow, only small signs of progress, like this park where contaminated soil is under blue tarps.
So Matsumura continues to keep tabs and needle Japan's government as the sole citizen of Tomioka.
LAH: He's actually taken on a neighbor's pet and feeding this little dog, just trying to keep this dog alive. Inside his house, there's no electricity. There's very little access to water. And the reason why he would live in this way, is because he says this is home.
Are you worried about your health living there?
LAH (voice-over): I'm completely contaminated, he says.
LAH: Why take your personal health at risk for this?
LAH (voice-over): We have to decontaminate this area, or else this town will die. I will stay to make sure it's done, he says. I want to die in my hometown.
His determination has turned him into a local legend. Money is coming in after he posted this YouTube video asking for donations. Matsumura survives on canned food, which he grabs outside of the exclusion zone.
The local township looks the other way, as he continues to break the law. But the pressure from authorities is growing. Matsumura said he would do this interview only outside the mandated evacuation zone.
LAH: What is it that you want the international community to know one year after this disaster?
LAH (voice-over): "You see what can happen? The U.S., Russia and Japan, this is the third nuclear accident, the third time something we created that ended up hurting us. We haven't learned our lesson yet."
Kyung Lah, CNN, inside the exclusion zone. (END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: Boy, bless his heart.
Well, you know. I'm sure you've probably played that game "Angry Birds" online, right? There's this new take on the game. It's called "Angry Brides" in India. We'll tell you why it's got people talking and playing.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAUL: Want to talk about using technology to change the world. An Indian company is doing it. It's invented an online game to put an end to the illegal practice of giving dowry in the country. And Nadia Bilchik explained the details of this to me earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NADIA BILCHIK, CNN EDITORIAL PRODUCER: Although banned in 1961, it's still a widespread custom, especially in the rural areas of India. So a company known as Shaadi, which means wedding in Hindi, has come up with, as you said, a game to highlight what is still a major problem, which is the huge pressure of brides having to give their grooms dowries. Now, this game is based on Angry Birds, which is a very --
(CROSSTALK)
PAUL: No, it's not.
BILCHIK: -- online game. Have you ever played it?
PAUL: No, but my kids play it.
BILCHIK: Well, maybe you're going to (inaudible) -- instead of Angry Birds, this is called Angry Brides.
PAUL: Are you kidding?
BILCHIK: And the idea is they set up three male figures, three potential grooms. The one is an engineer --
PAUL: OK.
BILCHIK: -- the one is a doctor and the one is a pilot. And the idea is that you hit them with shoes and pots and pans and flip flops. And each time you hit one of these male figures, so your dowry goes down.
And the idea is, basically, the thing is that is says a woman will give you care and all the love you need. You shouldn't have to have a dowry. And then you can pick one of your icons, and there he is, the engineer, the doctor and the pilot. And each time you bash them, so the dowry lessens. And there it is, the Angry Brides which is available for free on Facebook.
PAUL: Oh, for heavens. Now, the people who actually practice this can't be thrilled, because you're making a mockery of their tradition, yes?
BILCHIK: Well, there's two ways of looking at it, because what it's doing in essence is drawing attention to a problem. In 2010, over 81/2 thousand women either were murdered or committed suicide or were abused in some way because their parents' family couldn't meet the dowry payment.
So yes, as you said, there's some criticism saying should this terrible problem be highlighted with a game?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: All right. NEWSROOM continues at the top of the hour with one Mr. Gary Tuchman. So good to see you today. What have you got for us?
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Christi, well, first of all, it's nice to be with you. Last time we sat together was covering a trial, the Warren Jeffs trial.
(CROSSTALK)
PAUL: The Warren Jeffs trial, yes. Who could forget that?
TUCHMAN: So it's the busy life of a news person right? Now we're here, a much more pleasant place to be.
PAUL: Yes, thank you. That is the truth. What are you doing today?
TUCHMAN: A lot, Christi. First of all, politics. You talked a lot about politics. We have a huge primary coming up this Tuesday, Florida, so we'll be going all over the state of Florida, showing you campaign events.
Also coming up at noon, the Costa Concordia cruise ship legal action taking place. We can expect for a long time there will be action in the courts.
Each passenger who survived has been offered the equivalent of just over $14,000. But many passengers are upset, saying that's a lowball figure. Many lawyers are upset. They want more than 10 times more for these survivors, more than $160,000 apiece. So we'll have more on that.
We'll also talk about foster care children. What's really sad is that most foster care children, the great majority, never go to college. But we will be telling you an inspirational story about two foster care children who have had amazing success. They have achieved beyond their wildest dreams, and we'll have that story for you.
And then 4 o'clock Eastern time, reclaim your career. Because of the economy, many people over the age of 55 are returning to the workplace after being out of the workplace for a long time. What you should know before you walk in the door. Christi, we will have great information, and that's at 4 o'clock Eastern time.
PAUL: Yes, very -- isn't that funny, going from college, foster kids making their way to college and then 55 years old and up, finding their way back to the -- to the workforce.
TUCHMAN: We have a little --
PAUL: What does that say about where we are right now?
TUCHMAN: That's right. We have a little something for everybody. PAUL: Absolutely. I'm really looking forward to the foster kids, too.
TUCHMAN: Thank you.
PAUL: Love it, cheering them on. Thank you so much, Gary. We'll be watching.
Now, some football fans take a ride on the wild side. We're going to check out one of the hottest attractions of this Super Bowl. Wait till you see this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAUL: So what do you think is happening cross country today? Let's take a look and start in Washington state.
A federal judge has sentenced the man dubbed the Barefoot Bandit to six and a half years in prison. Colton Harris Moore gained notoriety after leading police on a two-year manhunt.
Investigators say the 20-year old stole boats, cars 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 run 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 CARRERA, VICTIM'S MOTHER: First day on the bus, why are they going to jump her, because they asked for them to scoot over so she could sit on the bus seat? They told her to sit on the damn floor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: Seven of these students, ages 12 to 15 years old, have been formally charged with either misdemeanor battery or misdemeanor assault.
The latest Super Bowl attraction in Indianapolis --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, two, one, zip it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, baby!
PAUL: Oh, my goodness. That's a seven-story, 800-foot dive across Super Bowl Village. Interested? Hey, you still have time. It ends next Saturday.
Well, schools around the country are preparing for a massive overhaul of their lunch program. It's going to force them to serve more of the good stuff. We're talking fruits, veggies, skim milk.
Here's the thing. Pizza and French fries still considered -- still going to be served because they're still considered by Congress, who passed legislation and classified them as vegetables. Our senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, showed me exactly what the changes are and how they're going to make a difference.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELIZABETH COHEN, SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: There are a lot of changes, because this is the first time in 15 years that they have revamped school lunches. Isn't that amazing?
PAUL: Yes.
COHEN: And, you know, childhood obesity is one of the biggest public health threats out there. And can you believe it, Christi, as we speak, there are no limits on calories in school lunches. The sky's the limit.
PAUL: They can have like 2,000 calories if they wanted?
COHEN: Sure, absolutely.
PAUL: What?
PAUL: I know, isn't that crazy?
PAUL: Is that changing (inaudible)?
COHEN: That is changing. So now there are limits on calories, and the limits are different for the little kids than the big kids. But I've -- we've made this -- here's an old school lunch.
PAUL: This looks familiar.
COHEN: Right, I know, I swear I ate this like two times a week in school, right? So this is what kids could be eating right now in school. This is too many calories for an elementary school student right now.
You couldn't for the new lunches, you couldn't make this under the new rules. There's just too many calories. So instead, here's an example of what you could make. You would have a turkey sandwich -- it's turkey and low-fat cheese on whole wheat.
You'll notice there's whole wheat. That's one of the new rules, is that it needs -- you need to get some whole grains in there, yes, whereas that wasn't really a concern before.
Refried beans, green peppers, cantaloupe and jicama. Now, you don't have to have jicama -- I know, jicama, right, like how many kids know what jicama is?
PAUL: Jicama is, right. COHEN: Yes, right. And you don't have to have jicama or any of these specific fruits and veggies, but you do have to have more fruits and vegetables than you did under the old rules.
PAUL: A bigger variety?
COHEN: A bigger variety? Yes. A bigger variety and also just more of them.
PAUL: I'm glad you told me what the refried beans were --
COHEN: It was a little hard to tell, yes.
PAUL: -- because I wasn't sure what that was.
(CROSSTALK)
PAUL: -- burrito right there.
COHEN: Exactly. And so there's also ranch dipping sauce. And this milk is low-fat. It's got to be either skim or 1 percent under the new rules, whereas before they could do 2 percent or whole.
PAUL: So is this an everyday thing or are there holdovers that will continue in the -- you know, that were in the old menu that will continue into the new one?
COHEN: There are some holdovers from the old way of doing things, and there's a lot of people that are pretty upset about this. Under the current rules and under the new rules, pizza counts as a vegetable.
PAUL: Come on!
COHEN: It does, I'm serious. I'm not making this up. Because you see that red stuff? Right, that's tomato paste. So two tablespoons of tomato paste -- right, there's probably also sugar in there, right, but two tablespoons of tomato paste make this a vegetable.
And a lot of people, including the Obama administration, had a problem with that. And they said that's -- you know, that's not right, it shouldn't be that way, but the food lobby is pretty powerful. And some people say they're the ones -- they're the reason why pizza is still a vegetable, also tater tots and French fries.
PAUL: Love the tater tots.
COHEN: I know, they're delicious -- those are also still considered a vegetable, so you can -- you can still have that as one of your vegetables. And there's -- there are more rules about how often and all that, but still, they are a vegetable.
PAUL: So the big change is more fruits, more veggies?
COHEN: More fruits, more veggies, calorie limits and also low-fat milk. And that's huge because kids drink a lot of milk. Low-fat milk and also getting more whole grains in there. PAUL: What about chocolate milk, is that out, too?
COHEN: It's OK as long as it's low-fat.
PAUL: Elizabeth Cohen, thank you. Good information. We're going to go have lunch now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: All right, and CNN NEWSROOM continues with Mr. Gary Tuchman, as we head into politics again.
TUCHMAN: Christi, that pizza looked good.
PAUL: You're probably going to need one at some point this afternoon.
TUCHMAN: You mind bringing some along? We're talking about (inaudible)?
PAUL: If I must, I must. I will do what I can to take care of you.
TUCHMAN: I hope you have a wonderful day.
PAUL: Thank you, you, too.
TUCHMAN: Thank you, Christi.
