Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Saturday Morning News
Mega Millions Winners in a Three States; School District Policy Change; Former Gymnasts Claim Abuse; Supporters Rally for Trayvon Martin; Chemical BPA in Household Products
Aired March 31, 2012 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Just about the top of the hour.
Take a look at this. Three firefighters narrowly escaped. The roof of this building gave way right underneath the crew as they were trying to ventilate the building. You can see the guys they formed a chain to pull each other out of that collapsing roof. All three walked away without any injuries.
From the CNN Center this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Its 11:00 a.m. in the East, 8 a.m. in the West. Good morning. I'm Randi Kaye.
Millions lined up for a chance to win big and guess what? It looks like winners in three states will split the record breaking $640 million jackpot. We'll tell you where the tickets were sold.
A chemical linked to breast and prostate cancer has been found in many of your household products. We'll break down BPA is and how to get it out of your home.
And it's spring break for many of us right now so some of you may be planning a trip to sunny Florida or what about war-torn Libya. Yes, it's happening. I'll explain.
But first let's get right to the story that everyone is talking about today. At least three winners will split the $640 million jackpot. The tickets were sold in Maryland, Kansas and Illinois. The winning numbers are right here for you: 2, 4, 23, 38, 46, mega ball 23.
Our Athena Jones is in Baltimore County watching all of this as it unfolded this morning. Athena, what do we know about the 7-Eleven there in Maryland where that winning ticket was sold?
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're just outside the city of Baltimore. We know that just last night at about 7:15 p.m., someone came in and used that red machine back there to buy a quick pick ticket. That's the ticket that picks the numbers for you. Those were the lucky numbers that allowed this -- this winner to win this sizeable jackpot which we know is a record-setting jackpot. Much bigger than the $390 million jackpot from a few years ago back in 2007.
Now we don't -- it's only been 12 hours so we don't yet know who the winner is. And you know I had a chance to speak with Maryland's Lottery Director about winners coming forward and that's a good thing. Let's listen to what he has to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN MARTINO, DIRECTOR, MARYLAND LOTTERY: Maryland is one of the few states that does not require publicity of its lottery winners. So we had two Power Ball jackpot winners last year and neither one of them decided to do any publicity. So we'll have to see what happens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: And you know one thing they've advised the winner is to make sure they sign the back of their ticket. Make sure they make a copy of it, put it in a safe place and also get a lawyer. Make sure they get all the advice they need so that they are able to come and claim this and then know what to do with the money once they do get that big chunk of cash, Randi.
KAYE: And how long do they have to come forward?
JONES: You know, they have 182 days. I asked why the extra two days, why not just a straight six months.
KAYE: Yes.
JONES: And they said, you know weekends and that sort of thing. So they have 182 days to come forward. But I don't know about you. But if I won it, I think I'd come forward pretty quickly as soon as I got my lawyer and my ducks in a row, I'd want that money you know right away.
KAYE: Oh yes no kidding. Do we know was it a quick pick, or how did it work?
JONES: It was a quick pick. That machine right there that you see behind.
KAYE: Ok we see it that way.
JONES: It was hot last night.
KAYE: Got it.
JONES: And -- and so they came in and it picked those numbers for it. And you know. Who knows this will be lucky again.
KAYE: And the store -- the store gets some money too, right?
JONES: That's right. The store gets $100,000. So not -- that's a big chunk of change just for kind of tapping onto someone else's luck. They also, of course, get the money from the ticket sales, they get five cents on every dollar tickets sold. So they're getting a nice little bonus for themselves as well here -- Randi.
KAYE: Well Athena, I know where you're going to buy your ticket next time you get the Mega Millions going. So keep your eye on that red machine. JONES: Absolutely.
KAYE: All right. And coming up, financial expert Clyde Anderson on how to handle an instant million-dollar fortune. What a problem to have.
Happening right now in Sanford, Florida, an NAACP rally for slain teen Trayvon Martin, it is one of several events going on today. We expect demonstrators to hold a "Justice for Trayvon Martin" rally in D.C. in the next hour. And Martin's childhood football team will hold a candlelight vigil in his honor in Miramar, Florida at 6 p.m. Eastern Time today.
Martin you may recall was gunned down by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman last month. Zimmerman claims Martin was suspicious and he acted in self defense. But Martin's family says the shooting was racially motivated and they're calling for his arrest.
Firefighters are making progress and getting a handle on those wildfires southwest of Denver. Right now the fires are about 70 percent contained; more than 600 firefighters trying to stop the flames from spreading. Investigators are trying to figure out why some people didn't get a reverse 911 call warning them. The Jefferson County sheriff office says the problem was probably caused by a software glitch.
GOP presidential candidates are jockeying for support in Wisconsin ahead of Tuesday's primary. Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney speaking at a faith and freedom coalition event at this hour. Rick Santorum will do the same next hour.
An NBC/Marist poll shows 40 percent of likely voters support Romney, followed by 33 percent for Santorum, 11 percent for Ron Paul, and eight percent Gingrich.
President Barack Obama delivers a message to middle class Americans in his weekly radio address.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You're the ones struggling with the rising cost of everything from college tuition to groceries. You're the ones who deserve a break. So every member of Congress is going to go on record and if they vote to keep giving tax breaks to people like me, tax breaks our country can't afford, then they're going to have to explain to you where that money comes from.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: And the President is pushing Congress to pass the so- called Buffett Rule. The idea which is named after billionaire Warren Buffett would make people who earn more than $1 million a year pay a higher share of their income and taxes than the middle class.
Overseas in Syria more fighting despite the U.S. envoy's demand for an immediate ceasefire. The Syrian military clashed with defectors in Damascus. An opposition group says at least 29 people were killed. The fighting undermines the peace initiative brokered by Kofi Annan, United Nations and Arab League joint envoy to Syria. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad accepted the terms of the plans Tuesday, but the violence has not stopped there.
One of Osama bin Laden's widows is talking about life with the former al Qaeda leader. Pakistani officials say the youngest of bin Laden's widows talked with investigators. She's identified by them as Amal Ahmad Abdul Fatah (ph). She is one of three wives who reportedly lived with bin Laden at the compound where he was killed last May. In a deposition to reportedly talked about here arranged marriage to bin Laden sometime before 911. She said the family scattered after the attacks and she told the investigators they've lived in the compound in Pakistan for six years.
Hackers setting their sights on credit and debit cards. Now a security firm says millions of people could be at risk. Global Payments, the company at the center of the breach says it notified credit card issuers as soon as it was discovered. It did not say how many accounts or which companies were affected but Visa has released a statement saying quote, "All major brands were involved."
Both Visa and MasterCard say they have notified customers about accounts that could be compromised, while Discover and American Express are monitoring accounts. Hackers by the way may already be using some of that stolen information, so keep an eye out.
Big money brings big responsibility. People all over the country are getting a slice of that mega millions money. The first three things you should do if you win big coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY LENO, TALK SHOW HOST: Mega millions, isn't that Mitt Romney's Secret Service code name? What's the jackpot? What is it $640 million? That's a lot -- even the Greek government was over here buying lottery tickets. Give me a bunch of those tickets.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Very funny.
Well, a few lucky winners of that Mega Millions jackpot will be laughing all the way to the bank, you can count on that. Here's a look at the winning numbers: 2, 4, 23, 38, 46, the mega ball is 23. Winning tickets for the $640 million jackpot were sold in Maryland, Illinois and Kansas.
And earlier I spoke with Clyde Anderson about the first three things that lucky winners should do with their new-found fortune.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLYDE ANDERSON, FINANCIAL ANALYST: Don't go out and rush there and say it's me, it's me, it's. You know this that ticket right there that's changing somebody's life today.
KAYE: Yes.
ANDERSON: But don't rush out and do it, and then say hey it's me. Take your time, breathe for a moment because you've got to have a plan. Planning is essential to what I'm going to do. But in order to have that plan, you've got to have the right team. So you've got to have a good accountant, you need someone to manage those funds for you and a good tax person as well because a big chunk of that is taxes. And then together you can put that plan in place.
KAYE: All right. so don't rush and get a team together.
ANDERSON: Yes, yes.
KAYE: What do you -- what do you advise them on versus you know when -- when I bought my ticket, they ask me do you want the cash options?
ANDERSON: Right.
KAYE: Do you advise that or --
ANDERSON: Right. Yes.
KAYE: You do. Ok instead of the annual payment.
ANDERSON: I mean definitely. You want it in lump sum, you really want to make money off of my money. You know, use your own money to make money off of it instead of having them control it and keep it somewhere. You can make so much money off that interest. So go ahead and get that lump sum payment instead of the annuity and go ahead and earn interest off that. I think it's about $270 million. Even if you got a municipal bond, you could make $10 million a year on interest.
KAYE: Yes, yes on the $640 million ticket I think the lump sum is like $470 million.
ANDERSON: Exactly, exactly.
KAYE: Can you imagine.
ANDERSON: Exactly $470 and make sure you give Uncle Sam his piece of it as well.
KAYE: Yes of course.
ANDERSON: And then but I mean, that's a huge amount of money that you can really live off the interest alone.
KAYE: So if you can live off the interest and you make all this money, why is it that so many lottery winners end up bankrupt?
ANDERSON: Yes well you have to realize, when people are buying and all this frenzy that we're seeing people are buying in hope. So it's hope of having something different or a different life. So as soon as they get that opportunity to have a different life, a lot of people have never experienced or had that type of money. As soon as they get it, they go crazy.
And they are buying things that they don't need so we have this whole need versus wants things. And also they get counsel from someone that's really not reliable or people that they can't really trust. They have all these new people come in to their life and they mismanage their funds.
Some people steal the money from them, some people tell them to buy different things that they don't need. They really just squander a lot of and so it really comes down to mismanagement of the money. And at the end of the day, they end up without any money.
KAYE: Yes, I'm sure. What about buying a lottery ticket in general?
ANDERSON: Yes.
KAYE: I mean there's so much debt these days.
ANDERSON: Yes.
KAYE: There's student loans, there is -- just trying to fill your gas tanks.
ANDERSON: Yes.
KAYE: Credit card debt.
ANDERSON: Yes.
KAYE: Do you -- I mean is buying a lottery ticket a good idea or is it a waste of money? I ask myself that all the time.
ANDERSON: Well, you know what a lot of times, well, we look at the odds I think it was like one in a 176 million.
KAYE: Yes.
ANDERSON: You know you had a better chance of being struck by lightning.
KAYE: Yes.
ANDERSON: And so when you look at it from that standpoint, there's probably a lot of other smarter things that you can do with your money. And so you really got to step back and look at that. I mean, if you've got high interest rate debt and credit cards, you know that could be an issue. Now you're talking about the person that spends $1 or $3 on a lottery ticket is probably not a big deal.
But we've got people that were spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars out here, standing in line to buy lottery tickets where they really could use that money to pay something else or to take care of some other responsibilities that they have.
KAYE: Well listen next time we'll let you in on our show pool.
ANDERSON: Oh I appreciate that.
KAYE: They didn't include you this time, so nobody called you.
ANDERSON: I was left out. Right, they're feeling bad because they didn't win. So --
KAYE: Oh ok next time we'll get you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: All right. So we asked some of our team members what they would do if they had won the $640 million and here's what they had to say.
One of our writers for the show said that she would buy an island and then anonymously send friends, family and charities money.
Another writer said that he would pay for his philanthropic work and travel the world.
Our copy editor says that she would buy a giant house in the mountains and a huge house at the beach and give lots of money to family and homeless charities. And then, of course, buy her own island.
Our associate producer says that she would take a vacation to France to relax and then figure it all out.
Yes we can all dream can't we? Well, I want to hear from you as well. You can tweet me @RandiKayeCNN or checkout my Facebook page @RandiKayeCNn and we will read some of your comments later on the show.
Well, you're looking live now at the NCAAP march in honor of Trayvon Martin. A huge crowd of demonstrators heading to the Sanford Police station. We'll take you there live next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Now, news-making headlines.
A Los Angeles school district just changed its policy on reporting cases of sexual misconduct to parents. This is in reaction to alleged sexual misconduct by teachers against students at Miramonte Elementary and other schools. Parents will now be notified within 72 hours when a teacher at their child's school is accused of sexual misconduct.
Many parents at the Miramonte School said they weren't notified for months about this. Former Miramonte teacher Mark Berndt is currently facing 23 charges of lewd acts on a child. In California, former elite gymnasts describe horrific abuse alleging their coach physically and sexually assaulted. They're speaking now, decades later, hoping to keep Doug Boger from every coaching again. They described cigarette burns, abusive training methods as well. Some say the physical abuse then led to sexual abuse.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNE MALVER, FORMER GYMNAST: One time I recall so clearly we didn't end up at the trophy store but ended up in his apartment. And that was the first time that he disrobed me and forced himself inside of me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Boger hasn't responded to our request for comment. But in an interview with Denver station KCNC, he said that the women are lying.
In Henryville, Indiana, new video from the tornado outbreak a month ago showing a school bus driver saving a group of kids. It's a little bit disturbing but I will tell you the children are all fine.
Now take a look here. You're looking at surveillance video from inside the school bus being lifted by this EF-4 tornado. Nearly a dozen kidding were on that bus, but the bus driver Angel Perry got them to safety minutes before the bus was hit. In the audio recordings from the surveillance you can actually hear her taking charge.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
ANGEL PERRY, BUS DRIVER: Everybody stay together. Our group together, right now. Go, go, go, go, go, go.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
KAYE: She outran the tornado, quickly rushing the kids out of the bus and to safety. Amazing.
All right. Now back to the Trayvon Martin case. The NAACP is holding a rally for him in Sanford, Florida right now. It's one of several events happening today. We do expect demonstrators to hold a justice for Trayvon Martin rally in D.C. in the next hour. And Martin's childhood football team will hold a candlelight vigil in his honor in Miramar, Florida, at 6:00 p.m. Eastern time.
Last night our Soledad O'Brien hosted a special investigation called "BEYOND TRAYVON". It dealt with a wide range of issues surrounding the case including racial profiling and the "Stand Your Ground" law. The attorney for Martin's parents said in his view, the teen's final phone call to his girlfriend is key.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DARYL PARKS, ATTORNEY FOR TRAYVON MARTIN'S FAMILY: And at 7:12 was our last call to him. The phone call lasted for four minutes. At 7:17 according to the police records, they got to the scene and Trayvon was shot and killed on the ground and that tells us a lot.
It tells us that she heard some part of the conversation that happened between George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin. And what she heard was not him coming to identify himself as any neighborhood association captain or anything like that. He said "What are you doing around here" as to suggest he didn't have a right to be here. When you listen to the 911 tapes what he thought about Trayvon so we can glean what his mentality was when he got out of the car.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN HOST: Does it potentially compromise the case that this young woman who, I guess is an ear witness to a large degree and also has these phone records could be so critical to the case if she hasn't talked to the police but she's talked to you first.
PARKS: Her parents don't want her involved in this but she has to by law talk and she's going to talk. It's hard but she's going to go ahead and do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Zimmerman's family and friends have come forward insisting he's not a racist. They say the neighborhood watchman was protecting his community which was dealing with a rash of burglaries.
George Howell is at the rally in Sanford for us this morning. George, what's the scene like there so far?
GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Randi, I'm sure you can hear the helicopter overhead and the gospel music in the background here. And you see people -- a lot of people already showing up for this rally that was set to start at 11:00, possibly a little later now. But it started this morning with marches at 11:00 -- rather at 8:00 a.m.
And just a few minutes ago, we heard from a press conference with the head of the NAACP Ben Jealous and with the Reverend Al Sharpton, the head of the National Action Network. And they made two points very clear, really the focus of this rally.
They say first that they want to see George Zimmerman arrest and go through due process. And secondly they also said that the police chief, Bill Lee, who has temporarily stepped aside that he should resign altogether or be fired by the city manager. In that press conference, they were putting pressure on the city manager to take action on this.
But again, a lot of people expected today. Thousands of people, we're told. Some people bussed in from cities all over the country to be part of this rally, Randi.
KAYE: I know you spoke with Ben Jealous earlier this morning from the NAACP. What is the mission? HOWELL: The mission, as I mentioned, mainly to focus in on George Zimmerman and put pressure on city leaders, on state leaders to see that this case goes through due process, to see that he is arrested. Again, Zimmerman has not been charged with anything in this case, but a lot of people, at least in this rally, want to see him arrested for the killing of Trayvon Martin.
KAYE: And are officials at all concerned that this rally could get out of hand? Do they have extra security?
HOWELL: That's one thing that really stood out in this press conference. Just a few minutes ago, we heard the Reverend Al Sharpton make the point that these have been non-violent protests, non-violent marches. There's been no report of violence. And as you remember, there have been several marches and rallies here over the last several days. So that is their intent.
And you also see a lot of police officers blocking off streets, providing protection for thousands of people that come to this town it seems every other day -- Randi.
KAYE: George Howell, thank you very much there, live for us in Sanford, Florida.
And you can watch the replay of the special town hall "BEYOND TRAYVON" hosted by Soledad O'Brien at 2:00 p.m. today right here on CNN.
A chemical link to breast and prostate cancer has been found in many of your basic household products, things from kitty litters to shower curtains. A breakdown of this harmful chemical next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: All right. Take a second and think about what you've been up to today. Did you shower? Did you shave? Did you maybe put on some perfume or some lotion; take the clothes that you're wearing maybe out of the dryer?
Well, if you've done anything of that, scientists with the Silent Spring Institute say that you've probably been exposed to BPA. It's a chemical that's been linked to breast and prostate cancer and heart disease.
Earlier I spoke with Dr. Sujatha Reddy about it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SUJATHA REDDY, PREMIER CARE FOR WOMEN: It's found in a lot of household things like you mentioned. But it makes plastic sort of firm but flexible.
KAYE: And so it can end up in our system. I know it's been banned in other countries even China, but it's perfectly legal to put it in the products here in the U.S. REDDY: Yes, the most common places you're going to find it are things like plastic food containers, the lining of a lot of cans. It's sort of an epoxy kind of sealer too. So it's in a lot of canned food, water bottles.
But you know, it is banned in other countries, but in the U.S. there's been a conscious effort to sort of decrease our exposure. So most baby bottles don't have it after 2009. Sippy cups that you buy in major stores have had the BPA removed from it. But it is a pretty universal chemical.
KAYE: Late, yesterday the FDA decided against a proposed ban of BPA in food and drink containers. The agency stressed, quote, "It's been studying and continues to study the effects of BPA and will make any necessary changes to BPA status based on the science."
But since it is in hundreds, maybe even thousands of the products, how do we know? I mean do we look for a label or how do we know it's in the product that we might be using? I never would have thought it was in kitty litter.
REDDY: Right. You know, you're not going to know a lot of it but one of the main places that people are exposed to is going to be plastic food containers, maybe the ones you get home like when you bring leftovers home from a restaurant. One way to look for it is if you flip it over and that recycle triangle, anything that has a number 3 or a number 7 could have BPA in it. If it doesn't have a 3 or 7, it's probably safe. But some things to try to do to avoid the exposure are going to be don't heat those containers. So if you've ever microwaved a plastic container --
KAYE: Yes, everybody says don't put it in the microwave, right.
REDDY: -- it starts to collapse and it buckles, that's telling you that that chemical is denaturing, possibly you're going to get more of that in your food. So don't do that. Don't try to reuse water bottles, things like that. But don't heat up cans in the can. Dump the stuff out like you're supposed to, if you read the ingredients.
There are ways to limit our exposure, and most of the data that says it could be harmful to animals but the FDA continues to look at it in humans, spending a lot of money to research this further. But right now in the small amounts that they seem to find we consume, it seems to be safe.
KAYE: What about the side effects in terms of children? Are the younger kids more at risk or is it more dangerous for them?
REDDY: And you're exactly right. That's why they're really worried more about young children and unborn babies. So for pregnant women and kids that's where you want to be careful. Which is why voluntarily a lot of manufacturers have removed it from sippy cups and baby bottles to avoid that really because we know infants and children don't process things the same way adults do. They're much more vulnerable; that's where the concern. But even there it's been a very small amount that's been found and the only danger seems to be in animal studies.
KAYE: Are there side effects? I mean would we know if it's enough?
REDDY: You really probably wouldn't know because again, the amount that we're finding are microscopic or micrograms per kilogram of body weight. It was very small.
But there's really no test you can do voluntarily to go find out. But really I think the smart thing is this could be a problem. Just try to limit your exposure.
KAYE: All right. That was excellent advice and great information. Dr. Reddy, thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Well, both Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum throwing support behind Wisconsin governor, Scott Walker but could new controversy surrounding his positions hurt the GOP candidates in the polls come Tuesday.
Plus Mitt Romney already sounding like he's the nominee -- a countdown to the Wisconsin primary, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Now top stories. There are at least three winning tickets in last night's Mega Millions drawing. Jackpot, $640 million bucks. They all had these six winning numbers, 2-4-23-38-46, and the Mega Ball is 23. Lottery officials have confirmed the tickets were sold in Maryland, Illinois and Kansas.
Wisconsin residents could get a new governor soon. The state's accountability board ordered a recall election. Friday's vote was 5-0 in favor of that recall. It was in response to a petition signed by more than 900,000 people who want Republican Governor Scott Walker out.
They're angry about a bill he that signed last year that scaled back collective bargaining rights for public unions. That did not sit well with some Wisconsin voters. Now the governor will have to campaign to keep his job, with an election set for June 5th.
Keith Olbermann vowing to take legal action after being ousted from Al Gore's Current TV on Twitter. Olbermann accuses them of breaking its promises to him. Current TV's co-founders Gore and Joel Hyatt say that Current TVs values were no longer reflected in its relationship with Olbermann. Former CNN host Eliot Spitzer has launched a new show in Olbermann's evening time slot.
GOP presidential candidates are jockeying for support in Wisconsin ahead of Tuesday's primary. Mitt Romney is speaking at a faith and freedom coalition in southeastern Wisconsin. Rick Santorum will do the same next hour.
An NBC/Marist poll shows 40 percent of likely voters support Romney, followed by 33 percent for Santorum, 11 percent for Ron Paul -- and you see it there, Gingrich at the bottom with 8 percent.
Moving on, right now Representative Paul Ryan is speaking at that forum. There you see him. Remember, he just endorsed Romney as of yesterday. Let's listen in for a moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. PAUL RYAN (R), WIS.: And while in this election, the debate won't be completely won or lost by one side or the other. One side's not going to completely vanquish the other, but this election will put in place a trajectory because of math and momentum that will last a generation, that will be very difficult to reverse.
So that tells me we've got some bad news that we have to deal with: the math, the momentum and the man that's bringing it about. Well, let's look at the math. We have a debt crisis coming. We know this. Everybody knows this. Turn on the TV and look what's going on in Europe and that's what could happen to us next if we don't get this situation under control.
We can't keep spending money we don't have. We're spending -- we're borrowing 40 cents on every dollar. The president just gave us a budget that said let's just do more of this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: You've been listening there to Paul Ryan speaking at this coalition. GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, meanwhile, sounding like he's done with the primary season and on to the presidential election. No mention of the other candidates and direct attacks on President Obama now. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FORMER GOV. MITT ROMNEY, R-MASS., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Barack Obama and I have fundamentally different visions of America. He spent the last three or four years laying the foundation for a new government-centered society. I will spend the next four years rebuilding the foundation of our opportunity society, led by free people and their free enterprises.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Mitt Romney also got three big endorsements this week, Marco Rubio, George H.W. Bush and, as I mentioned, Paul Ryan.
Our Rachel Streitfeld is in Waukesha, Wisconsin, for us today.
So, Rachel, is this the beginning of the end, do you think, of the GOP primaries?
RACHEL STREITFELD, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, first of all, Randi, I got to tell you, I'm going to speak quietly because one of those endorsers, Paul Ryan, (inaudible) speaking right now. It certainly felt like general election yesterday, about 24 hours ago when Mitt Romney gave an economic address here in Wisconsin. It was a marked shift to this general election tone.
He was reading from prepared remarks off two teleprompters on the stage. There were five, count them, five flags behind him on the stage and he -- you're right -- he did not mention his opponents. He didn't go after Santorum, didn't mention Newt Gingrich. He kept all of his focus on President Obama and his economic policies, which he said were a bust.
He used that government-centric society line that I'm sure we're going to hear more from him in the future. But then I will tell you, a few hours later, we were at a diner with Romney. He was meeting with voters there.
And a voter said, hey, who are you thinking for V.P.? What are your V.P. nominee checks? And Romney said, whoa, whoa, whoa, that's presumptuous, I'm not the nominee yet. I can't give you those. So we have a vote here on Tuesday. This thing is not over yet, Randi.
KAYE: Are you hearing anything from -- I'm whispering now because you're whispering.
(LAUGHTER)
KAYE: Are you hearing anything from the people there? Like what do they tell you? Do they think he has it wrapped up? Do they think that the other people, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, should just step aside at this point?
STREITFELD: You know, I cover Mitt Romney, so I go to his events mostly. He's gotten some friendly audiences. One thing we are hearing about is Governor Scott Walker. You mentioned it before. I've been talking to people here about that. And they say, hey, we want to hear these Republican nominees. Back up, Scott Walker.
That's the governor who's falling under this recall effort, and one man told me, you know, I want to hear those Republicans. We're all Republicans together, it's important for me to hear the presidential nominees back up our governor. We all need to stick together on this issue. Randi?
KAYE: All right. Thank you very much, Rachel.
And remember to join Fredricka Whitfield every Sunday, 4:00 pm Eastern, for a special hour focusing on the race.
A piece of space history is lying on the ocean floor and NASA, well, NASA wants it back. The lost treasures from the Apollo 11 mission. The problem: someone else is going after it but the government has already called dibs.
Plus, for many of us it is time for spring break or maybe you're planning your perfect summer getaway. I'm guessing something like this may come to mind, but the sun-soaked beaches of Libya? Really?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: You are looking live now at the NAACP march in honor of Trayvon Martin. A huge crowd of demonstrators heading to the Sanford police station in Florida. The NAACP says it's holding the march and a rally over because it is unhappy with how Trayvon Martin's death is being handled by police.
The unarmed 17-year old, who was shot to death by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman. Authorities say Zimmerman has not been charged because there are no grounds to disprove his account that he did act in self-defense. We'll follow the story, of course, throughout the day.
You've heard the saying finders keepers. Well, that may not be so in this case. A deep sea exploration team found engines from the Apollo 11 mission. That was the trip to the moon carrying Neil Armstrong. Amazon.com founder and CEO Jeff Bezos was behind the exploration. NASA wants those engines back, even if the other group brings them up, 14,000 feet from the ocean floor.
Newly released documents in the 2009 disappearance of a Utah mother have her family asking why wasn't her husband arrested prior to killing himself and the couple's children. The unsealed court records show that investigators found Susan Powell's blood inside her family's home, along with a hand-written will, saying that she feared that her husband might kill her.
Last month, the husband, Josh Powell, snatched the two boys from a social worker and police say killed the children and himself minutes before his home exploded.
Lawyers for the Army staff sergeant accused of killing 17 Afghan villagers aren't too happy with military prosecutors right now. John Henry Browne, the lawyer representing Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, says military prosecutors misled his defense team. He claims they blocked information and kept his team from interviewing witnesses in Afghanistan.
He's also accusing the U.S. government of blocking access to records and witnesses as well.
It's not quite summer, but some people are already starting to go on vacation. One destination might not come to mind right away: Libya. Seems people are interested in seeing where Moammar Gadhafi ruled for 40 years and where he died. I talked earlier with Nicholas Wood about the Libya vacationers. He's the director of a travel company leading these tours there. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICHOLAS WOOD, DIRECTOR, POLITICAL TOURS: We went to Libya last October, just to make an assessment. And we thought things were slightly edgy, but we thought it was safe enough to take a group there. And then just last week we came back from a tour and we found people very welcoming. The situation was pretty stable. We had a low-level security team with us, just to keep an eye on things and it went off fine. It was a great experience.
KAYE: I love how you explain that as slightly edgy. What do these tourists get to see when they go to Libya?
WOOD: Well, we were really trying to understand the motivations, the reasons behind the conflict. We take people to see local families, work out how a local community is living. We see the local political leaders.
We really try and get under the skin of the place. We're not trying to dwell too much on the damage and the destruction. This tour really is for people who have quite a serious interest in current affairs, you know, the kind of people who read -- who watch CNN; they may read "The New York Times." They're people who are pretty serious about this.
KAYE: Did they get to meet any of the opposition forces and the rebels, who have now taken over the compound there?
WOOD: That's right. We spent some time in Tripoli. We've met leaders of the NTC. We've met leader of the local brigades and we've also met people who lost out, people who didn't really do very well out of the revolution. And I met also some sympathizers of Gadhafi as well.
KAYE: It sounds like a fascinating conversation for them to have. But these aren't exactly hot destinations. I would never call them that. But so what gave you the idea to start tours like these and think that people would actually come?
WOOD: Well, I've got to -- I really don't like the phrase of war-zone tourism. What we're trying to do is almost like act like a news organization and give people access to current affairs. So we do tours that don't dwell on conflict at all.
So we're going to be doing a tour here in London, that looks at the financial crisis. We have tours in Turkey. We'll soon have a tour in Scotland, looking at the road to independence there.
So the idea really is to explain to people, give them access to current affairs, and not really dwell too much. But it really goes back to my experience as a reporter and how much I enjoyed it. And I thought, well, if I enjoy it, why can't other people try and do a bit of the same thing?
KAYE: How much does a trip like this cost? I mean, obviously, there are different destinations, but give me an idea.
WOOD: I can say it to you in pounds. So you'll have to do the exchange for me --
KAYE: Oh, no. I can't do the math in my head. WOOD: Well, it's about 21/2 thousand pounds, $4,000 they start at. And with the more places like Libya, where we have security, it's more -- so that's about $6,000, I think.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Coming up, 15 suspected illegal immigrants caught trying to smuggle themselves into the U.S. We'll tell you how they tried to trick border agents. Details in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back. Just about 10 minutes before the top of the hour. Time to check out some stories making news from around the nation.
First stop, Great Falls, Montana, where former San Diego Chargers quarterback Ryan Leaf was arrested and charged with burglary, theft and drug possession on Friday. According to the "Great Falls Tribute," Leaf posted a $76,000 bond.
But in a statement, Leaf says, "I've made some mistakes and have no excuses." He goes on to say he's confident that there will be further understanding when the facts are revealed. His most recent arrest just three years into a 10-year probation for eight felony drug charges that Leaf pleaded guilty to back in 2009.
In Coronado, California, 15 suspected illegal immigrants are now in custody after being caught trying to smuggle themselves into the U.S. Coast Guards had received a call that a boat capsized nearby. Border patrol agents say they think the distress call was bogus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL JIMENEZ, U.S. BORDER PATROL AGENT: Initial reports did come in that the boat was taking on water or had capsized. And we found nothing that confirmed that report. So we're believing this possibly might have something, a call to throw us off.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Now to Dearborn, Michigan, where three firefighters narrowly escaped from this. The roof of this building gives way right underneath the crew as they were trying to ventilate the building. You can see the guys formed a chain to pull each other from the collapsing roof. All three walked away without an injury.
And NEWSROOM continues at the top of the hour with my friend here, Fredricka Whitfield.
How are you?
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, ANCHOR. Hello. Good to see you. Good morning.
KAYE: Good morning to you. (CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: Yes, it's been a very busy morning.
KAYE: It sure has.
WHITFIELD: Won that Mega Millions, huh?
KAYE: Would you have come to work?
WHITFIELD: Yes, of course.
KAYE: OK, good.
WHITFIELD: I mean, I really like working.
KAYE: Me, too.
WHITFIELD: I would continue to do that, even if I won --
KAYE: $840 million, I'd still come to work.
WHITFIELD: I know. I know.
OK, well, we've got a lot straight ahead, noon Eastern time. Of course, our legal guys are going to be with us. They are always mesmerizing and so smart. We're going to be dealing with a very unusual case. Well, you know, if you've gone to the Apple Store to buy a new computer, a new iPad, et cetera, of course, this storefront looks rather familiar, right?
KAYE: Sure.
WHITFIELD: There's a lot of glass involved, whether it's the doors, or just kind of the storefront overall. Well, not at this particular store, but at another one, an 80-something-year-old woman claims that she didn't see that glass, and she crashed right into it and she broke her nose.
And so our Avery and Richard are going to talk about is this a case of negligence on the part of the store? Or is this a case of what they call foreseeability on the side of the customers, that you should be aware of your surroundings, know what's there, pay attention? What is at the heart of this lawsuit against Apple.
KAYE: What else do you have? You have something on insurance, right?
WHITFIELD: And then, yes. You know the importance of or the benefits of car insurance, life insurance or health insurance. Well, financial expert Daria Dolan is going to be with us from Palm Beach. And she's going to let us know there are a number of other types of insurance that are available, but are not necessary.
Among them, how about -- oh, my gosh, I can't even read my -- oh, credit card loss insurance? KAYE: Really?
WHITFIELD: You don't necessarily need it. She is going to kind of justify that. And then also disease insurance. I never even heard of that. But apparently that is something that's available. She says that's another one -- another one of them that's unnecessary.
(CROSSTALK)
KAYE: Let's hear about trip insurance. I want to know if you need trip insurance.
WHITFIELD: That will be on the list. We'll be asking her about that.
And then, you know, among the happiest jobs out there. You saw that list out there earlier this week. Accountants, customer service representatives. Well, perhaps you don't have that job but you want to be happy on your job. So in our "Reclaim Your Career" segment with Valorie Burton, she's going to say -- she's going to spell out the things that you need to do to make sure that you're happy on your job.
How do you find happiness on your job if you feel like you're not in the job that's the most passionate one for you?
KAYE: It's hard for a lot of people. We're a couple of the lucky ones. I think there are a lot of people out there --
WHITFIELD: (Inaudible) what we do.
KAYE: -- if you have a job you still may not be happy.
WHITFIELD: Right, and many who need to work. But then how do you find joy and fulfillment if it's not the one that you feel most passionate about?
KAYE: I'm finding joy right now, are you?
WHITFIELD: Are you feeling it?
KAYE: This is fabulous.
WHITFIELD: OK, good. Excellent. Well, we're going to carry it on throughout the day. Lots of joy coming your way.
KAYE: I'll be watching. All right. Fred, thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right.
KAYE: Well, three winners hit the jackpot. Earlier I asked how you would spend the big bucks if you had won. Your responses, right after a very quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Take a look here. You're looking live at the NAACP march in honor of Trayvon Martin. A huge crowd of demonstrators heading to the Sanford police station. We will, of course, follow this story throughout the day.
All right. Now this. Earlier we asked you what you would do if you won the $640 million jackpot. Here is a look at some of your responses.
Jack from New York City says, "I didn't win. But if I had, I would have brought you that velvet track suit that you've been wanting." Why do I think I know Jack?
And Kevin from Twin Cities says, "Hi, Randi, I didn't win. But if I did I would share the wealth."
Dr. Ken (ph) from Miami, "Hmm. I could help my country and pay off the interest on the national debt for a day. Hmm. Would there be enough? "
Very smart question there.
And Stewart says, "If I won the Mega Millions I would buy an NBA team and then give the rest to family and charity."
And Fido (ph) from L.A. says, "I'll travel all over Europe for three months to get it in the head that I'm rich and then set up a college found for the kids and family."
All right. Reynolds, what would you do if you had one? I know you played.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Buy a defibrillator to shock me back to life once I found out --
KAYE: After the shock.
WOLF: -- won the thing. No question about it.
KAYE: Probably you should have that on standby, though, ready to go. You can't then go out and get it.
WOLF: I got a (inaudible). A velvet track suit? Really? Is there something --
KAYE: Yes, I think this is a friend of mine who just likes to tease me. Yes, so --
WOLF: Nice move.
KAYE: Thanks, Jack. Thank you.
WHITFIELD: You are busted.
WOLF: I like this guy. All right. So here are the winning numbers. And before we get to weather, how do you pick yours? Do you do the Quick Pick? Or do you actually -- well, (inaudible).
KAYE: I do the Quick Pick.
WOLF: You did? I did the same thing, yes. Right? Numbers are numbers are numbers.
Hey, the numbers we've got for you today in the forecast are going to be pretty interesting. And pretty high chance of storms today, especially across parts of the mid-Mississippi valley. Not a high risk from the Storm Prediction Center, actually a very slight risk. But a pretty good shot we're going to see storms pop up. Some of those could be severe.
Also chance of rain along parts along the Eastern Seaboard and still out west. We still have the possibility of some strong winds. Some gusts topping 70 miles per hour. That is not going to help people in parts of Colorado that have been battling those fires. Also on the other side of the coin (ph), we've got the dry and the wind.
We also have a little heavy rainfall that we expect in parts of the Pacific Northwest, (inaudible) along the coast where we have our watches and warnings. We expect that rain to last for quite a while this weekend. And with it the heavy rainfall, you might sees some backups in places farther to the south on the West Coast, like San Francisco, the rain, the low clouds could give you delays up to an hour.
Major delays in New York and Philadelphia and some minor delays in Atlanta, Charlotte, Los Angeles and also into Salt Lake City. But let's be honest, if you're in a hurry, a minor delay is still a big delay.
KAYE: Yes. That's true. I mean, when do you travel even without delays anymore, right?
WOLF: It's very true. I mean --
KAYE: It's pretty rare.
WOLF: It's to be expected. No doubt about it.
KAYE: All right. Thank you, Reynolds.
WOLF: You bet.
KAYE: And thank you, everybody, for watching, as always. I love to hear what you think. You can find me on Facebook or on Twitter @RandiKayeCNN. CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Fredricka Whitfield.
