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CNN Saturday Morning News

Conservatives Gather in Washington; Winter Weather Alert; A Healthy High; Drones For Domestic Use; CPAC and the Presidential Race; Avalanche Ski Patrol; Syria Intensifies Deadly Attacks; Speeding Thousands through Security

Aired February 11, 2012 - 06:00   ET

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

TED ROWLANDS, CNN ANCHOR: From CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It is February 11th. Good morning. I'm Ted Rowlands. It's 6:00 a.m. here in Atlanta and 1:00 p.m. in Homs, Syria, where the gunshots, explosions and bloodshed continues in the streets. Hundreds of people have died in their ongoing revolt against the government.

And to D.C., where conservatives are gathering for critical meetings again today. Three of the four GOP presidential candidates took their turns trying to woo the crowd yesterday. Plus, Sarah Palin talks today. Will she officially endorse anyone? We'll take you there.

And we'll also have to check on Reynolds Wolf. An avalanche rescue dog had to dig him out on the slopes. We'll explain.

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.

ROWLANDS: Syria is in a state of crisis. A steady stream of new video is coming into CNN as the city of Homs is now under constant attack. Take a listen.

The scene is disturbing. Just yesterday, as many as 110 people were killed, most of them civilians. We do have to tell you that we cannot verify the authenticity of these videos, but we have heard from antigovernment activists in Syria who say that if they don't receive help, they violent government crackdown will end up killing millions. Most of the fighting has been in Homs, but we are also seeing the violence spread to other areas. Stay with CNN for more on Syria throughout the morning.

The CIA's website is back up and running this morning after hackers took it down. The computer hacking group known as Anonymous claimed responsibility. They may have also attacked the website run by the state of Alabama. Reports say that personal data of more than 46,000 people was compromised. The hackers claimed data included things like Social Security Numbers, home addresses and criminal records. CNN's Amber Lyon spoke to a member of the Anonymous group about why they attack government websites.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, ANONYMOUS: It's basically the power of an absolutely massive group of people coming together. They're not happy. And this wouldn't be possible with one or two people. You know, it's one of those things which is (INAUDIBLE) an expression of how many people are angry. It's part of a big picture that's taking place -- that has been taking place over the last number of years, which is a very big slide towards Internet censorship on a gigantic scale. We've seen various things. We've seen (INAUDIBLE) like some protect IP epirate (ph) site (ph). I could go on and on. And that's just in the United States. It's happening all over the world. And the Internet is a very powerful tool as we saw in the Arab Spring earlier this year. It can even be used in political movements.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROWLANDS: Amber Lyon will have much more on the goal of Anonymous coming up later in our 10:00 hour.

President Obama's compromise on contraception is under fire from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which calls the proposal, quote, " needless government intrusion." In a change to the original plan, religiously affiliated hospitals and schools are not be forced to offer contraception coverage to employees. Instead, insurers will provide the service free of charge.

An ominous announcement out of Iran this morning. President Ahmadinejad is saying to stay tuned. At a rally in Tehran just a couple hours ago, he said major achievements in the nuclear field would be unveiled in the next few days.

Turning to the White House race. Maine's Republican voters wrap up their week long caucuses today. GOP front-runner Mitt Romney plans to visit caucus sites, doing something he has not done on voting day in this campaign. Romney is hoping to close strongly against Ron Paul. Paul has been on the ground in Maine more than his rivals and has run a well run campaign in the state. Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum haven't recently campaigned there much at all.

Meanwhile, in Washington, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney all took their turn courting support from the Conservative Political Action Conference. CPAC is considered the largest and most influential gathering of conservatives in the country. CPAC wraps up today with a much anticipated straw poll and a keynote speech by Sarah Palin. CNN's Paul Steinhauser has more.

Paul.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Hey, good morning, Ted.

The final day here at CPAC. And that stands for Conservative Political Action Conference. This is kind of like the Super Bowl. A big political convention for conservatives nationwide. They've been doing this thing for 39 years. And you've got the top conservative leaders, supporters and activists all meeting right here. And it's extra special this year because we've got the battle for the Republican presidential nomination going on as we speak. And it's quite a contested one. In fact, yesterday you had three of the four Republican candidates right here. Here's a taste of what they said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Who has supported in effect (ph) the stepchild of Obamacare? The person in Massachusetts who built the largest government run health care system in the United States. Someone who would simply give that issue away in the fall.

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I happen to be the only candidate in this race, Republican or Democrat, who has never worked a day in Washington. I don't have old scores to settle or decades of cloak room deals that I have to defend.

NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: All of you've seen the Washington establishment and the Wall Street establishment pile on top of me. All of you have seen them say things that were just profoundly false. And there's a good reason they're doing it. This campaign is a mortal threat to their grip on the establishment because we intend to change Washington, not accommodate it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEINHAUSER: A lot of action later today here at CPAC. We got the results of the presidential straw poll. It's much watched by political reporters and Republicans across the country.

And, guess who closes out this conference? Yes, Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor and the Republican vice presidential nominee in 2008. A lot of action yet to come here at CPAC.

Ted.

ROWLANDS: All right, thanks, Paul. A lot of people will be watching that today.

So, what exactly is CPAC? One political activist calls CPAC the center of gravity for conservatives right now. CPAC stands for the Conservative Political Action Conference. It was founded in 1973 as a small gathering of dedicated conservatives. It's now an annual gathering of party activists and elected officials from around the country and has grown to include thousands of attendees. As we mentioned, the conference ends with the highly anticipated straw poll today with all of the Republican presidential candidates.

Federal safety investigators are trying to figure out why the driver's side door on one of the bestselling cars in the United States may be catching on fire. The probe involves the 2007 Toyota Camry sedan and the 2007 Rav4 crossover SUV. Six fires have been reported. No injuries, luckily. The investigation could involve as many as 830,000 vehicles.

Just how cold is it in Europe? It's been so frigid that the Black Sea is actually squeaking. Take a listen. Sounds a little creepy. This YouTube video shows the Black Sea near Odessa, Ukraine, frozen over reportedly for the first time since 1977. The noise is from large sheets of ice crashing together. Winter returns to the Ohio Valley and the Northeast. Meteorologist Reynolds Wolf joins us now.

Reynolds, what do we have coming up?

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, the biggest thing we're going to see, Ted, is some of the snow that's moving into parts of the Appalachians. The highest numbers we could see in West Virginia, maybe six to 10 inches of snow. Great for some of the ski resorts in West Virginia. But for the people just driving around, that's going to be tough.

Another thing we're going to talk about is the intense cold moving into the upper Midwest. Some places in northern Minnesota, northern Dakota. You're going to have temperatures this morning that are below zero. But with the wind, 20 to even 30 below in some locations. We're going to have more on that coming up in just a few moments, Ted.

ROWLANDS: Oh, winter is here.

WOLF: Indeed.

ROWLANDS: All right.

Also coming up this morning, dangerous roads in Michigan caused hundreds of headaches. We've got the details on that.

Then, it's a bird. It's a plane. No, it is a drone and it may be coming to a city near you. Find out why.

Plus, snow has finally showed up across America. You probably don't think about dogs when you think about skiing. But we'll tell you why you should coming up.

And, don't get stuck in the slow lane. The TSA is changing the way we go through airport security. We'll tell you how you can get in the fast lane. Stay tuned.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROWLANDS: Zero to frantic in a matter of eight seconds. That's the way they're describing the scene in Flint, Michigan. The highways are open now. But just look at what littered the roads yesterday. Ice and snow made for a perfect combination that led to a chain reaction of accidents. About 100 accidents in all. So far there have been no reports of any serious injuries or any fatalities.

It is 10 minutes past the hour. Time for Reynolds Wolf and a check of our weather.

Reynolds, winter definitely back. I know it's back in my hometown of Chicago. Got some snow last night.

WOLF: Exactly. And, you know, on the other side of Lake Michigan, back into Michigan itself, we've got another weather story that is going to blow your mind. Take a look at this. You know, so many people in parts of Michigan, they love to go to warmer climates whenever the winter comes in. Take a look at the situation down at the airport. We're talking about an Airtran flight that was bound for Orlando, Florida. Just people trying to get to the mouse house. And, believe it or not, this plane delayed, delayed, delayed. And then, as it finally had a chance to start moving, because of the ice buildup, actually slid off the runway. So just a nightmare. I mean, really, old man winter holding on to the plane, almost literally preventing it from takeoff. Thankfully there were no major injuries. Again, just a typical winter that we're seeing this time of the year.

And the winter really has been brutal for a lot of places. For other spots like here in the deep south, it's taken forever to show up. Today in parts of the south, especially here in Atlanta, more specifically here at CNN Center, it's going to be certainly getting cooler by later in the afternoon. And here's the reason why.

This is the big mechanism that's going to make it all work. This area of low pressure. That frontal boundary driving right to the south. That big weather maker is going to work in conjunction with this area of high pressure that's going to really act like two fly wheels and that's going to be your conveyer belt bringing in that cold air into parts of the southeast.

What's interesting too, if you take a look at this boundary, right ahead of it there's going to be plenty of dry air ahead of it. Other places, a lot of moisture. So you'll see some scattered showers. Then the other place, there won't be the problems.

In terms of expected delays, you'll have them in Boston, the rain, the snow. New York, rain and snow. Cleveland, same situation but wind will also be an issue. That could keep you grounded for about an hour. In Chicago, the wind will be -- give you a few problems. Miami, the showers and the wind. The combination could keep you with a few headaches. No question about that.

Something else we're going to be seeing as we make our way through the afternoon hours, there's going to be plenty of sunshine moving across parts of the central Plains. That will certainly be some good news. Something else we're going to see, that snow and rain switching over along parts of the eastern sea board. Eventually that dry air you see from 81 southward to about West Virginia is going to move in, giving you a break. But that doesn't mean you're done just yet because that second boundary is going to come through and that's where the snowfall totals could really increase. Anywhere from six to 10 in the highest elevations. Cincinnati, maybe two to four.

As we wrap things up, Ted, again, the national perspective is going to show you the warm air in some places. But this is the cold air we're talking. Currently five degrees below zero in Duluth. Wrapping it up with six below in Fargo, 2 in Minneapolis and 17 in Indianapolis.

Ted, your turn.

ROWLANDS: Thank you, Reynolds. Given how mild this winter has been, I don't think there will be a lot of complaining. At least not yet.

WOLF: Maybe so. (INAUDIBLE).

ROWLANDS: Yes.

All right, Reynolds, check this out now. A bear sleeping in a Wisconsin drainpipe. You can just make him out. It is a 300 pound black bear. It's where he's chosen to hibernate this winter, although some of the lights may have messed up his sleep. Some neighbors noticed him while they were driving by. Black bears like to sleep in dry, warm places, like this tunnel. But a warning, he may look cute, but if you come across one, stay quiet and do not disturb, the man is sleeping.

Well, let's meet the first CNN Hero of 2012. He's found peace from past addiction and a new sober life through sports. And he's now giving back to others. We'll have that right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROWLANDS: And good morning to folks in Washington. A live shot of the Capitol there as people are just waking up. Thanks for joining us here on CNN on this Saturday morning.

Well, today, we are honoring the first CNN Hero of 2012. An everyday person changing the world. His name is Scott Strode. After beating his addiction to drugs and alcohol, he used sports to fill the void. What worked for Scott is now helping hundreds of others stay sober while experiencing a healthy high.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCOTT STRODE, CNN HERO 2012: I get on my bike and go ride up in the mountains. It really just brings peace. And in my drug and alcohol use, it was the opposite.

I got into it pretty young. By the time I was 15, I was using pretty serious drugs.

And when I got sober and I lost my group of friends because they were still out drinking and using, I got into boxing, triathalon, climbing. I had this new group of friends because I had completely redefined myself. So I thought, how can we give this to other people.

I'm Scott Strode and I want to help people find a better life being sober.

Welcome to Friday night climbing. It's good to see all you here.

Phoenix Multisport offers about 50 events a week. All the programs are free to anybody who has 48 hours sober. You see that they're capable of whatever you put your mind to.

We have this common connection, so it's easy to make new friends. We do bike rides, hiking, triathalon training, strength training. It really is just a new community of folks to hang out with.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm an example of hitting rock bottom. I had a heroin overdose. They had to jump-start me with the paddles.

STRODE: Roll it over. Drill it in there. Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Going out biking and going boxing, hitting the bag really fills the void. Meaning, it's the best sport through -- I could imagine having.

STRODE: We're having fun and we're proud of being sober. So, come out and go climbing with us.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROWLANDS: And, remember, CNN Heroes are all chosen from people you tell us about. To nominate someone who is making a difference in their community, go to cnnheroes.com. Your nomination could help them help others.

Well, down by one with seconds left to go in a game. Find out what brought an entire gym to their feet. We'll take you across country, next.

Plus, drones have killed some of the world's most wanted terrorists. Now Congress is giving the OK for drones to fly in the U.S. Some say that that could help cops and create scores of new jobs. Details, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROWLANDS: Let's take a look now at what's happening cross country.

We'll start in Louisiana where the biggest two week celebration of the year is underway. New Orleans is in full Mardi Gras mode. They crescent city celebration draws crowds by the thousands for two weeks of beads, parades and overindulgence.

In Charlotte, North Carolina, a quick-thinking school bus driver is being hailed as a hero after hustling six kids off a burning school bus. Lindora Richardson said she was able to stay calm and guide the kids out of the back door.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LINDORA RICHARDSON, DRIVER: You don't want to like be hysterical and make them hysterical. So, yes, you know, I was calm and they was calm and I felt like that's what aided in a safe delivery for the kids.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROWLANDS: Next week happens to be school bus driver appreciation week. The Charlotte fire department plans to honor Richardson during a ceremony on Monday.

And finally, in Ohio, a middle school basketball team sure knows how to pull one off with just seconds left on the clock. Watch this. The seventh grade team was down by one when the player decided he had nothing to lose, making the shot from across the court, helping his team win by two.

Well, military drones have helped hunt down terrorists and have carried out attacks on recognizant missions, the battlefield. But soon, they may help cops chase down suspects on the run. And that's not all. CNN's Athena Jones fills us in on how drones could become part of our everyday lives.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When most people hear the word drone, they think of large scale vehicles like the Predator. The sort of devices used to transmit live video from the battlefield or track down al Qaeda leaders like Anwar al-Awlaki, killed by a CIA operated drone in Yemen last year. But new, smaller, remote controlled devices are now being developed for widespread use outside war zones, like in U.S. cities and rural areas.

The coast guard used a drone in Alaska last month to conduct surveillance of an ice sheet.

BEN GIELOW, ASSN. FOR UNMANNED VEHICLE SYSTEMS INTL.: We see the civil applications for these things dwarfing the military applications of these things in the future.

JONES: Farmers could one day use drones to monitor their crops, or even spray fertilizers and pesticides remotely.

Police could use a device like this five and a half pound drone developed by California-based AeroVironment --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have a visual on the suspect --

JONES: To track down suspects on the run or perform other surveillance at a fraction of the cost of a helicopter.

Under a bill recently passed by Congress, the Federal Aviation Administration must draw up rules to allow small, unmanned aircraft systems to fly in about two years, give public safety agencies faster access to some device, and fully integrate the systems into the national air space by September 2015.

GIELOW: Well, a lot of our manufacturers are very eager for this market. And I think it's one of these things that once we actually get access to the air space, you'll see, you know, a whole new industry really crop up.

JONES: Ben Gielow, who represents drone makers, says the industry will be a big job creator in coming years, generating tens of billions of dollars. But even proponents admit these new technologies raise obvious concerns. Chief among them is safety.

CAPT. LEE MOAK, AIR LINE PILOTS ASSOCIATION, INTL.: Remotely piloted aircraft entering into the airspace has the potential to negatively affect safety, could cause an accident, could cause damage to one of our cargo plane, one of our passenger planes. It could be disastrous. So we need to make sure that this is done right. JONES: Among other things, commercial airline pilots want drones and their operators to go through a certification and training process similar to what they're required to do.

MOAK: If you're going to enter the air space, everything you do in the air space needs to be safe.

JONES: It's these concerns the new FAA regulations will address.

Athena Jones, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROWLANDS: Coming up, the photo so many have been waiting for. Beyonce and Jay-Z's first photo of their baby girl, Blue Ivy. We'll show you that to you right after the break.

Plus, results from the Maine caucus is just hours away. Could Romney be facing a fourth straight loss? Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROWLANDS: It is 20 minutes past the hour. Welcome back. I'm Ted Rowlands. Thank you for starting your day and your weekend with us on this Saturday. Checking the top stories.

All eyes are on Syria today as the endless crackdown on civilians by government troops continues. Activists say the military has surrounded the city of Homs with tanks and heavy weapons. Only days after leaving the country and shutting down the U.S. embassy in Damascus, U.S. ambassador, Robert Ford, told our Wolf Blitzer just how bad things are getting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT FORD, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO SYRIA: We know who's shelling Homs. And it is not the armed opposition groups. It's the government. And that's why I wanted that picture put on our Facebook account so that people could see, there's the artillery and that's what's firing at Homs right now.

The armed opposition has rifles. It has machine guns. It even has a few rocket propelled grenades. But it doesn't have artillery. Only one side in this has artillery. The kind of artillery that we're looking at the films and that are bringing down whole apartment buildings on people. Hundreds of people have been killed in the city of Homs, Wolf, just in the last couple of days. It's absolutely horrifying. And it's -- the international community cannot stay silent about this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROWLANDS: Some fear the Syrian army could be about to move in and wipe out the resistance. Stay with CNN throughout the day for updates on this developing story.

President Obama will propose a budget on Monday that forecasts a $901 billion deficit in 2013. Among other things, it includes plans to make target - target investments in areas like infrastructure while hiking taxes on the rich.

The California school at the center of a child abuse scandal is working with detectives to find out if anymore children were victims of alleged teacher sexual misconduct. Two teachers are charged with felony lewd acts on students at the school. The district has also set up hotlines for parents to call if they have any additional information.

After months of debate and complaints, and inspirational but inaccurate phrase inscribed in the granite of the Martin Luther King Memorial Junior on The Mall will be removed. It reads, "I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness." It will be replaced with the Dr. - with Dr. King's exact quote as delivered in 1968.

"Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. All the other shallow things will not matter."

Well, time to meet Blue Ivy. Beyonce and rapper Jay-Z's new baby girl. They finally released the picture of their daughter. The pictures were posted on their website along with a note reading, "We welcome you to share in our joy. Thank you for respecting our privacy during these beautiful times in our lives, the Carter Family."

All right, today we get results from the Maine caucuses and the CPAC Straw Poll. For many, CPAC, which stands for Conservative Political Action Conference, may be the more closely watched contest today. Three of the Republican candidates running for president addressed the conference yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICK SANTORUM, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Who has supported the - in fact the stepchild of Obamacare? The person in Massachusetts who built the largest government-run healthcare system in the - in the United States. Someone who would simply give that issue away in the fall.

MITT ROMNEY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let me tell you, any politician that tries to convince you that they hated Washington so much that they just couldn't leave, well that's the same politician that will try and sell you a bridge to nowhere.

NEWT GINGRICH, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I frankly don't care what deal he tries to cut, this is a man who is deeply committed. If he wins re-election, he will wage war on the Catholic Church the morning after he's re-elected. We cannot trust him. We should know - we know who he really is and we should make sure the country knows who he really is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROWLANDS: That was Newt Gingrich attacking President Obama. Joining me now is Lee May, a Democratic County Commissioner in Suburban Atlanta's DeKalb County and Conservative Commentator Phil Kent.

Let's start with CPAC, Phil, you are there. After the speeches yesterday, did you get any sense that one of the three or any of the three particularly struck a chord with people there?

PHIL KENT, CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATOR: Ted, there's a lot of excitement. One big unifying factor obviously is the defeat of Barack Obama in November.

But I don't think Governor Mitt Romney has closed the deal at all with the conservatives at the conference. I think it's very much a three- way race that's going to be continuing for a while through Super Tuesday.

ROWLANDS: Is it a case where he hasn't closed a deal that he inevitably will close and everybody in the room knows he's going to close it? Is it - is it one of those where they're just putting him through the paces or there is a legitimate chance that he will not be the nominee?

KENT: Well, I kind of - I tend to what you said about putting him through the paces. I think Mitt Romney has become a better candidate over the last month or so. His debate skills have obviously improved. He has a new debate coach. I think he's connecting a little more with some lines and talking points.

But the conservatives want to make sure that Barack Obama is defeated and they want to point out and underscore his expensive and tyrannical policies. They're just trying to find out who's the best messenger to do that.

ROWLANDS: All right, Lee, what about CPAC and its effect potentially come later in the year, the things that the candidates do to try to woo the conservatives. Can that come back to haunt them? And do you think anything that you've seen so far from the conference could potentially come back especially from Mitt Romney?

LEE MAY, DEMOCRATIC COUNTY COMMISSIONER IN SUBURBAN ATLANTA DEKALB COUNTY: Well, CPAC is really indicative of the indecisiveness of Republicans in this primary. You really could call this Republican primary indecision 2012.

Republicans can't decide if Mitt Romney is a true conservative. They can't decide if Rick Santorum can beat the president in the general election. They can't decide if Newt Gingrich is stable enough to be president and they can't decide who or what Ron Paul really is, so he just did show up.

And so the longer this continues to go, the stronger the president becomes in this election. And, you know, and as Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich and all of them battle back and forth, it just gives the president continued ammunition to run for the general election. ROWLANDS: All right, let's switch gears a little bit and talk about the White House. Now, they've expanded the religious exemptions from the new contraceptive healthcare requirements. This came after a lot of pressure from the religious and conservative groups. Is this a good move by the White House or a sign of weakness do you think, Phil?

KENT: Well, I think the whole Obama administration policy attacking religious liberty is outrageous and it really struck a chord especially with the political center, let alone the political right. And a lot of the (INAUDIBLE) honest liberals were horrified.

I'm glad that the Vice President Biden and Leon Panetta and others tried to talk the hard left just out of it. They failed. Now, it is a sign of weakness and it's really hurt the Obama re-election effort.

I think it's just a fig leaf, this new announcement. So I think Obama is in serious trouble with centrist voters that they need in November.

ROWLANDS: Lee, do you agree? Was this a mistake by the White House?

MAY: No, I think the president was battling between his long held belief that all woman should have access to birth control. The majority of Americans believe in the access to birth control, even three quarters of Catholic women part with their own church in terms of the access of birth control.

He made a decision that he thought was best in terms of the health needs of women. But he heard from various religious leaders and constituents and so he decided to make an adjustment to his policy. That's what real leaders do and I think he made a real leadership move.

Does it hurt them in the general election? I don't believe so. I think people will see what his desires were. It was not to limit religious freedoms or religious liberties. It was really to give greater access to healthcare for all women.

KENT: Lee, it's about - it's about the government trying to tell a religious institution what to do. It's an attack on freedom and you're in fantasyland.

MAY: Phil, come on now. Phil, for people who make this a political wedge issue I think are inauthentic in terms of what they really are trying to do. Republicans are really - really jumped on this as a political wedge issue. This is a healthcare issue. And the religious freedom -

KENT: You have no respect for the religious institutions here, Lee. I'm surprised.

MAY: Phil, come on now. I am of all (ph) I'm a Christian. I'm a leader in ministry as well. And do I think that this had an issue in the religious community? Yes, it did. And so you saw an adjustment in the policy as a result. That's all it is.

ROWLANDS: All right. We have to leave it there. A little exciting down the stretch there. Phil Kent in Washington, Lee May here in Atlanta, thanks to both of you. A big day today.

MAY: Thank you, Ted.

KENT: Thanks, Ted.

ROWLANDS: Well, on the show we have made Reynolds Wolf do a lot of things, stand outside in hurricane force winds, chase tornadoes, even hunt down a colony of over two million bats and he loved every second of it.

But, he may not be able to say that about his latest assignment, getting buried alive under three feet of snow. We'll have that coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROWLANDS: Well, ski resorts around the country have had very little snow until recently. Fresh snow is now covering the peaks from California to Maine just in time for the height of ski season. But that fresh snow has also created the worst avalanche hazard in years. Incredible.

That is where Rudy comes in. Rudy is the avalanche dog trained to find people trapped underneath the snow. And Reynolds Wolf met Rudy the hard way.

WOLF: Absolutely. You know, they've got a great team. We've got great teams all over the country that handle avalanches. But believe it or not, the people, the animals that could handle rescues better than anyone else aren't homo sapiens but they're - well - canines. Take a look at the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WOLF (voice-over): About 10,000 feet above sea level, Breckenridge, Colorado, is home to amazing views, rugged peaks, great skiing and one remarkable rescue team. Six certified avalanche rescue dogs work with the Breckenridge Ski Patrol. Patroller Kevin Kerr and his partner Rudy have been together for eight years.

KEVIN KERR, BRECKENRIDGE SKI PATROL: He has been tested, mission ready since 2004. And he has been on three live missions and three body recoveries.

WOLF: A harsh reality in this Alpine environment. With the steep terrain and heavy snow, the threat of an avalanche is always present, even this year when the precipitation has been scarce.

KERR: Of course, the snow pack right now is - it's very shallow in the Colorado Rockies. Shallow snow packs don't dictate to a good, stable avalanche conditions once they get weighted with new snow. So if we get a few little storms here and there, maybe not a big deal. But a couple of big dumps, we're going to go through a really big cycle.

WOLF: While most think of St. Bernard's and avalanche rescue, Kerr says the type of dog they use varies, no matter the breed it must be able to ride on ski lifts, snowmobiles and at times, helicopters.

KERR: That's why we chose them smaller, more agile breeds and it just makes their mobility both on a vehicle and on the snow a lot more efficient. Good girl.

WOLF: They're also chosen for their temperament and eagerness to work. Their efforts are always rewarded with play.

(on camera): But he's more than just, say, a pet. I mean, he's - he's a co-worker.

KERR: He is. Absolutely. He gets dressed in a uniform every day and comes to work every day ready to work.

WOLF: All right. Let's see how good he works. Let's see his skills.

KERR: This will be just to cover you up so I don't dump snow on your face, OK?

WOLF: All right. All right.

KERR: Here he comes. Rudy, we have to work. Ready to go work? Let's go. Search!

WOLF (voice-over): It isn't fun. The snow is tight around my legs and chest. Claustrophobia is setting in. Luckily, Rudy picks up the scent quickly and the rescue begins.

KERR: All right, there we go. All right.

WOLF: Dude. Wow. Great job. Oh. Thanks, buddy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROWLANDS: Oh. Now, you like doing this stuff, but you didn't like that.

WOLF: Didn't at all. I'm claustrophobic. So, I mean, it really - it was a freak, odd moment. It really, really was. It was a little bit bizarre.

I've got to tell you how incredible these dogs are. One very quick story. One thing that is certainly neat about them is they are really employees of Breckenridge. And one great story that we had from one of the handlers is he got to work early, came in with the dog. He turned to go get coffee, forgot where the dog was, happen to look up and saw the dog riding on the lift by himself all the way to the top of the mountain, sitting by himself.

They're trained to do that. And the people, the handlers ride at the lift, let him hop on up, even all the way to the top of the mountain. And he came up there, this handler a moment later and get seen hanging out with his friends.

Yes, they pretty much have basically the run of the resort. They're incredible animals. They're great ambassadors, if you will, of Breckenridge. But incredible, incredible animals.

ROWLANDS: Yes. They're actually working dogs.

WOLF: No doubt.

ROWLANDS: They save lives.

WOLF: No doubt.

ROWLANDS: All right, Reynolds. Welcome back. I'm glad they found you.

WOLF: A little warmer here, no question.

ROWLANDS: Well, hate those long lines at the airport? Who doesn't? Find out what's in the works to get you on the plane a lot faster, next.

Plus, this - relentless shelling bombards the Syrian City of Homs. Residents beg Syria's president, just let us move our children to safety. Now, there may be a new twist in the fighting. That too is coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROWLANDS: Syria's escalating violence is sparking global concern. Government forces are shelling neighborhoods. Pro-democracy activists say innocent civilians are dying in the street.

Joining me from Washington is "Time" Magazine Foreign Policy Correspondent, Jay Newton-Small, to give us a little bit of insight.

Jay, the anti-government forces are more united and stronger than before. Will they continue to gain support and strength, do you think?

JAY NEWTON-SMALL, TIME MAGAZINE FOREIGN POLICY CORRESPONDENT: It seems like they are finally sort of getting - gathering together, rallying around one big group. I mean, until this point, they've been very disjointed. They've been very disunified. And actually the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has done a really good job in sort of splitting them up and dividing them against one another.

Really, this is the first time they have come close to Damascus and it's the first time that it's even sort of within Syria shown that they have the power to kind of put a crack in the veneer of Assad's power and say, look, we are not completely disunified. We're not just a bunch of tribes and provinces. We're coming in to the suburbs of the main capital here and we're making a real dent.

ROWLANDS: So do you think this is the beginning of the end for Assad?

NEWTON-SMALL: It could be. And certainly international observers and, you know, the Arab League has turned against him in ways that is pretty unprecedented. They want to send in observers originally about a couple of weeks ago. The violence was too much there. They didn't send those observers in.

The real sticking point right now is trying to get international support to coalesce around a U.N. resolution which up until this point last week, China and Russia actually vetoed that U.N. resolution.

ROWLANDS: Yes. Explain that. Why did Russia and why is Russia still withholding support for the force transition in Syria?

NEWTON-SMALL: Well, Russia is - I mean, Syria is Russia's biggest ally in the Middle East. They are home to Russia's last remaining naval base in the Mediterranean. They're also a big trading partner with Russia. They just inked a $500 billion deal for airplane parts.

And so they are pretty important strategic and economic ally for Russia and Russia just doesn't want to give that up, that foothold in the Middle East. So it's a strategic play for Russia. And also they have elections coming up, too, next month. And Vladimir Putin doesn't want to seem weak with the West.

ROWLANDS: But at some point, with all of this video coming out and the world is watching this, doesn't it put Russia in a precarious position, yes, they want to help out their - their buddy and partner, but to what end?

NEWTON-SMALL: Certainly, it becomes more and more embarrassing. And that's the strategy you see with the U.S. and the West and the United Nations is to just bring up resolution after resolution, embarrassing Russia and sort of forcing them to say, look, you know, this is getting really bad. This is becoming a humanitarian crisis. Do you really want to be supporting this guy, Assad?

And you'll notice in the last time that they brought up the United Nations resolution last week, even though Russia vetoed it, you saw Russia's foreign minister have some really harsh comments about Assad.

And so, Russia is even wavering and starting to at least realize that this is a bad appearance for them to keep vetoing these kinds of resolutions especially with so many people dying in Syria.

ROWLANDS: All right, Jay, thank you. We'll talk to you again later this morning, getting your perspective on Iran. That is coming up.

Well, dream of one day breezing through airport security, not even stopping to take off your shoe or jacket. We'll tell you how you can do exactly that right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROWLANDS: Good morning, everybody in Atlanta. A shot of the Hartsfield International Airport on this Saturday morning. The sun just starting to come up. Welcome to CNN Newsroom on this SATURDAY MORNING.

The Transportation Security Administration is changing the way we go through airport security. It could help thousands speed through lines, those long lines that we all dread. Our very own Nadia Bilchik joins us now with more. So how is the TSA speed line really working?

NADIA BILCHIK, CNN EDITORIAL PRODUCER: It's TSA PreCheck is a wonderful thing, Ted. You do not need to take off your shoes, your jacket, take out your toiletries or your laptop.

But, first of all, it's only in seven airports at this point. And those are Dallas, Miami, LAX, Vegas, Minneapolis, Atlanta and Detroit. But the good news is, by the end of this year, there will be 28 more airports and there will be 35 all together. And right now, the seven are in association with Delta or American or in some cases both.

ROWLANDS: Now, so how does it - you know, you have to do all this other stuff. You have to do those things normally. How are they able to do it and still provide the safety measures that they want (ph)?

BILCHIK: Well, they have checked you. So there are two ways that this actually works. The airlines opt you in usually if you're a frequent flyer, you will get some kind of a notification and they opt you in. That is the one way of doing it.

And the second way is you actually sign up for the Custom Border Protections Trusted Traveler Program. And in that case, you go on to Globalentry.gov. But that one costs you $100 because they have to do an entire pre-check.

But then I have to tell you -

ROWLANDS: So, frequent flier status gets you in?

BILCHIK: Not automatically.

ROWLANDS: OK.

BILCHIK: But I have found talking to people that if they're frequent flyers like you are or like I am, I have been opted in. So I have been through the system twice. The first time, I was so surprised. I walked through the PreCheck and I was about to take off my shoes, and one of the assistants said to me you don't have to. And there's a wonderful sign, my favorite sign that says, "Keep those shoes on, you busy traveler, you," which is such a great sign. You see it. There it is.

ROWLANDS: Oh, yes, there it is. Yes.

BILCHIK: And because also we're so conditioned at this point.

ROWLANDS: Well, it's nerve-racking, too. You've got to take everything off, and put it back on so quickly and someone behind you is pushing you along.

BILCHIK: Exactly. And what a pleasure with this.

But remember you either get opted in by the airlines or you have to go on to Globalentry.gov. And, by the way, the TSA.gov website also has a lot of information. But, again, that's going to cost you $100.

ROWLANDS: $100 just a onetime fee or is it annual?

BILCHIK: It's a one-time fee and they do an entire background check on you.

And already about 300,000 - in fact I spoke to Greg Soule from the TSA yesterday said over 330,000 people have already been through.

But I quickly have to tell you that the TSA Administrator John Pistole says at the end of the day, PreCheck moves us closer to our goal of delivering the most effective and efficient screening by recognizing that most passengers do not pose a threat to security.

ROWLANDS: All right. Perfect. I think that's $100 well spent. Thanks, Nadia. Appreciate it.

Well, Mitt Romney plus - puts in two minutes of offense hoping for a winning drive in Maine. While Ron Paul defends the turf he's held through much of the campaign. Twenty-one delegates at stake today. The picture from Portland coming up in ten minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROWLANDS: Let's take a look now at what's happening across country.

We'll start in South Carolina where a bank killed a man, sort of. Bank of America declared this guy dead. His credit report even says, quote, "File not scored because subject is deceased." But Arthur Livinsgton says he is alive. He's been fighting this for 100 days. It's hurt his credit and has blocked him from getting a mortgage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That right there is your laptop. You see it's out here on the ground. This right here is my .45. That was the first round. Oh, yes, after that comment you made about your mom, your mom told me to be sure I put one in from her. That's from her. I got one left.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROWLANDS: In North Carolina, Tommy Jordan posted a video, as you're looking here, of himself, reading his daughter's disrespectful Facebook post and shooting her laptop with a handgun nine times. He's making his daughter pay for the bullets.

CNN reached out to Mr. Jordan, but he is not talking.

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