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CNN Saturday Morning News
Missing Tennessee Girls Reunited with Father; Obama Supports Same-Sex Marriage; $2 Billion Mistake; Deadly End to the Mayes Manhunt; National Flight Academy Opens in Florida
Aired May 12, 2012 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RANDI KAYE , CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): From CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anyone that was directly involved with Adam, pretty much lived in fear.
KAYE: That from the brother of Adam Mayes, the man suspected of kidnapping two girls and killing their mother and sister, who is now dead. New details in the dramatic conclusion to a massive manhunt.
And today, we put same sex marriage in focus, what President Obama's new stance on the issue means for his campaign, and what critics are saying.
And then there is this.
GENE CERNAN, ASTRONAUT: I was strolling on the moon one day --
KAYE: That's right. You heard it, singing on the moon. That was Gene Cernan, the last man to walk on the moon, and the possibly the only man to dance on it. We'll have my interview with him about the future of NASA and a little something he left behind in space.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Good morning, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye. It's 8:00, thanks for waking up with us. Get you caught up on the news.
New developments in several high profile legal stories that have captured the nation's attention this week. Three more people have been taken in custody for allegedly helping Adam Mayes evade police. Mayes killed himself in the woods near Alpine, Mississippi earlier this week, as soon as policed closed in on him.
Next to him at the time were the two sisters that he had kidnapped after killing their mother, and their older sister. Authorities say the girls are still shaken. Mayes' wife has also been charged with two counts of murder in the case.
Jennifer Hudson's former brother-in-law faces life without parole after a Chicago jury found him guilty on three counts of first degree murder. William Balfour killed Hudson's brother, mother and 7-year- old nephew. Jennifer Hudson was the first of more than 80 witness to take the stand for the prosecution.
The former police officer convicted of shooting an unarmed man at a train station in San Francisco Bay Area was back in court this week. Johannes Mehserle is asking to have his conviction overturned. He served a year in prison for killing Oscar Grant. Cell phone video showed him shooting Grant who was unarmed, in the back. The incident led to violent protests in the Bay Area, Grant's family is upset that they didn't know about the hearing this week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOBBY JOHNSON, OSCAR GRANT'S UNCLE: We're angered. We're hurt, and we're here to express that we felt that we were denied our right to be at this hearing.
JACK BRYSON, SONS WERE FRIENDS OF OSCAR GRANT: The community, the family, the friends of Oscar Grant -- Johannes Mehserle, we are not going nowhere. We are not going nowhere. We will follow you wherever you go.
We will make your life miserable like you made Wanda's life miserable, like you made Bobby's, like you made the community's miserable. We will follow you and we will make sure you will never enjoy life again like you're trying to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Grant's family says Mehserle went to court because he wants his job back with the transit police.
A Florida woman has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for firing a gun in the air. Marissa Alexander's defense was Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law. A judge ruled it didn't apply in the case of Alexander firing a gun in the air to supposedly scare off her abusive husband. There were two kids in the house at the time. So, that led to three charges of aggravated assault. The jury convicted Alexander after only 12 minutes.
More now on the rescue of two kidnapped sisters. They have been reunited with their father following a terrifying abduction that left their mother, sister, and the man who abducted them all dead.
George Howell is in Whiteville, Tennessee, where the girls were abducted from their home just about two weeks ago.
George, good morning to you.
What is the scene in Whiteville today?
GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Randi, good morning.
We know that the girls were reunited with their father after days of fear and uncertainty. We also learned from law enforcement here in Whiteville that officers are restricting access around their home. Obviously, to give them some privacy, given everything they've gone through.
Three people were also added to this case. Three new arrests, one person arrested for filing a false police report, two others arrested for illegal possession of a firearm. We learned this is a wife and husband duo and apparently this couple gave the weapon to Adam Mayes, the same weapon that he used to shoot himself, to kill himself.
We also are hearing from his brother, his older brother in South Carolina, Johnny Mayes -- you get a sense of the family dynamic. Again, Johnny Mayes says he has not talked to his brother in some time.
Take a listen what he has to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNNY MAYES, BROTHER OF TENN. KIDNAPPING SUSPECTED: I parted way with the family about 16 years ago. We don't plan on claiming the body. That is just how we feel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: We actually spoke to another person, part of the family, who says that he never imagined that Adam Mayes would do what investigators believe he did.
KAYE: George, thank you.
It's incredible they are not going to claim the body, that does certainly speak to the relationship.
What about police -- any specifics coming from them how the girl's mother and oldest sister was killed in that garage?
HOWELL: We did learn from a source that the cause of death was strangulation, and I spoke to several people here in town. That's really the hard thing for people to deal with here, the fact that the Jo Ann and Adrienne were strangled. Again, a sigh of relief in this town this morning that the two girls have been found safe and are back with their father. >
KAYE: Yes. Thank goodness for that.
George Howell, thank you very much.
And here's a rundown of some of the stories that we're working on for you:
President Obama takes a stand on same sex marriage, but will it alienate the critical Latino vote this November?
And guess what? Maybe the world isn't ending this year after all. Details on a new Mayan calendar.
Plus, surf's up -- way up. Why Guinness has a new world record for the largest wave ever. And he was the last man to walk the moon. Still ahead, my conversation with Apollo XVII astronaut Gene Cernan.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: President Obama took a bold step this week, weighing in on same sex marriage debate. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I've just concluded that for me personally, it important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: There has been a flood of responses on both sides of the debate.
As part of our focus on same sex marriage this morning, we wanted to look at how the president's announcement could influence the November election possibly and in particular, affect the Latino vote, which was key in 2008 and is a major battleground this year.
CNN contributor Maria Cardona joins us now good morning.
Good morning, Maria.
MARIA CARDONA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning. Nice to be here.
KAYE: Nice to see you.
So, what do you think, will this one issue swing the Latino vote one way or the other?
CARDONA: I don't think so, Randi, for a couple reasons.
First of all, the economy continues to trump every other issue with Latinos, as it does with other Americans.
Secondly, what we have seen historically in voting patterns, as well as polls, is that, you know, the famous Reagan line that he used in the '80s that Latinos are all Republican but don't know it yet, has never been borne out, social issues like gay marriage, like abortion are not issue Latinos bring with them in the voting booth because they are very personal issues and they don't want politicians making those decisions for them. Again, the economy trumps.
Thirdly, in a poll done late last year, it actually showed that 73 percent of Latino voters in this country agree and support equal rights for gay couples, whether that means calling it marriage or whether that means giving them every right that heterosexual couples do. They do support that. And among those, that include 68 percent of Latino Catholics.
So really I don't think this is going to sway Latino voters. They're going to focus on the economy. And on economic issues, they support President Obama.
KAYE: I know you're quoting the polls. But let me just stress that CNN polls conducted last year indicated a large majority of Hispanics in the U.S. may support same sex marriage, but there is no consensus in the national polls at least conducted on this topic.
But, Maria, let me follow up with you here. Why is it then that Latino voters seem to approve state bans like California's Prop 8, for example?
CARDONA: Well, I think what you're looking at is again, there is sort of a dichotomy between where this issue is personally and where it is when it comes to a presidential election. So, like I mention before, yes, Latinos are generally more conservative on all these issues, and when it is a choice like that, when it faces them, like all Americans, Randi, we've seen this to be an evolution of society as a whole.
And we're seeing now that majorities, not large majorities, but majorities of Americans do support equality for same sex marriage, the same as what we're seeing within the Latino community. But when you do break it down state-by-state, that might be different. But that's very different of this being an issue that will trump everything else in a presidential election.
The other thing that comes in the decision with Latinos is family. Family is the number one issue for Latinos, as it is for many Americans.
KAYE: Right.
CARDONA: And what is anathema to Latinos is that they would think on turning their back on a family member simply because they are gay.
KAYE: So, in terms of the president's actions and him coming out with this week, I mean, why now do you think? Was this a politically calculated move by the president?
CARDONA: I really don't think it was, Randi, because as we have seen, this is not a political slam dunk for the president. This was a very courageous move on his part that I really believe does follow his evolution. It also mirrors the evolution that we are seeing as happening among American society as a whole.
It is generational. We see that in young Americans, young Latinos -- even young evangelicals, Randi, we see 44 percent of young evangelicals do support equality for same sex couples.
So, this president actually I think came to this on a very personal level, with something that he believes now mirrors his personal beliefs, his Christian faith as well as what he has seen within his own family.
KAYE: Maria Cardona, appreciate your insight, enjoy your Saturday.
CARDONA: Thank you so much, Randi. Thank you. KAYE: A major CEO gaffe sent the markets plummeting. Our wealth adviser will talk about what happened and how you can buy in, possibly, on the Facebook IPO.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Not a good week for the self-styled king of Wall Street, Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JPMorgan Chase.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
JAMIE DIMON, CEO, JPMORGAN CHASE: The new strategy was flawed, complex, poorly reviewed, poor executed, and poorly monitored. The portfolio has proven to be more riskier more volatile and less effective as an economic hedge than we thought.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
KAYE: The bank lost $2 billion of its own money since the beginning of April because of some risky bets that have traditionally been the hallmark of the bank's business. In early trading Friday, the news sent JPMorgan shares plummeting by as much as 9 percent, with Citigroup, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs shares falling around 4 percent.
Joining me now to talk about what this means for Wall Street and possibly, well, for your wallet is, financial wealth consultant Hank McLarty.
Good morning to you.
HANK MCLARTY, FINANCIAL WEALTH CONSULTANT: Thank you for having me.
KAYE: Happy to have you here.
So, tell me, how unusual is it to hear a bank CEO there, Jamie Dimon, making an apology for something like this?
MCLARTY: Well, it's highly unusual, especially for JPMorgan, because they are widely viewed as the strongest bank on the street on Wall Street. And so, for them to come out and have to acknowledge they made a major mistake like this is a really big deal.
KAYE: It's embarrassing, huh?
MCLARTY: Absolutely.
KAYE: Yes.
If this was JPMorgan's own money, though, right? They were trading on their own account, why did the stock market panic then?
MCLARTY: Again, because JPMorgan is seen as kind of a bellwether in the banking industry, least affected by the mortgage crisis, and so everybody kind of looks for them as the most stable. And if they have what they are terming a rogue trader that was making trades that cost them I think up to $2 billion what is they are saying, then that definitely means that there could be cracks in other institutions that are not as strong.
KAYE: Got it.
Let's talk about Facebook.
MCLARTY: OK.
KAYE: I want to transition to that, because that's in a lot of people's minds. Obviously, the IPO coming out this week, what is involved, I guess, in the mechanics, in taking a private company public, how exactly does that work?
MCLARTY: Well, the mechanics are that there is typically a couple of several major Wall Street firms that are going to be bringing the stock public and they're going to price it looks like on May the 18th. So, the stock will become trading publicly on that day.
And the mechanics of it are that it gives Facebook an opportunity for the people that -- all the net worth is tied up in the company like Mark Zuckerberg, the founder, all of his net worth is tied up in Facebook. This gives him an opportunity to liquidate some of the shares and have some of this network pulled out of the company.
The other thing it does is it gives Facebook a currency to go out and acquire other companies. So, now, they have this publicly traded that stock, that they go any threat to their growth or any threat to their creativity, they now have a currency to go out and acquire any other company that they see would be beneficial.
KAYE: So, for any viewers listening to you and watching you at home right now, they're saying, well, hey, I want a piece of Facebook, can anyone get in? I mean, how do you go about it?
MCLARTY: Well, there's two ways to get in. One would be to get the shares prior to the open. So, it's going to start trading on May the 18th. So, prior to that, Facebook has done something unusual, they have made sure that almost every brokerage firm out there, even the discounters like Charles Schwab, TD Ameritrade, Etrade, they even got shares and they're not part of the underwriting syndicate. So, pretty much every firm out there has shares, although it's limited and everybody wants shares.
So, getting shares prior to the open is going to be difficult, but it's more available than typically done with a hot IPO.
KAYE: And how risky is it? I mean, if you can get in, doesn't mean you're going to be a billionaire.
MCLARTY: No, it certainly doesn't mean that. You know, I think a good analogy would be this stock is supposed to price around $35. More than likely once it starts trading on the 18th will run up -- it could run up to $40, $45, $50, even higher than that, because there will be pent up demand for people to wanting to buy the shares on the open. But I think if you use an analogy, similar company in terms of growth potential of Google, you know, they went public in '04, and they went public at $85 a year, and finished the first day of trading at a little over $100. And today, they are $600.
So, you know, people, when it starts trading, if it's above $35, we say, oh, it's overvalued, the prices run up. But if you believe in Facebook has the potential to be like a Google or bigger, then whether you buy it at $35 or $50 or $60 is not going to have a big impact on whether the stock does well for you long term.
KAYE: All right. Hank McLarty, nice to have you here on studio.
MCLARTY: Thanks for having me.
KAYE: Thank you.
Cargo trunks and soccer balls are just some of the stuff washing up on the Alaskan shore. We'll tell you how the Coast Guard is getting involved with the fallout from the Japanese tsunami.
And just how old is too old for a mother to breastfeed her child? I asked, you answered, I'll read some of your tweets.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: For American servicemen and women returning from war, a new battle awaits them when they get back into the job markets. So many of our veterans are struggling to find work.
This weekend, a new CNN documentary follows Georgia National Guard soldiers, excuse me, as they strive to readjust to home. Soldiers like this specialist.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SPC. THOMAS GOBER, 877TH ENGINEER COMPANY: Everybody's happy to see you, but you have to get back to reality sooner than later. If you have a job you have to get back to work. If you don't have a job you have to look for work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: The documentary is called "Voters in America: Vets Wanted," narrated by veteran actor and dancer J.R. Martinez. Watch it at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, Sunday night, right here on CNN.
And once again, good morning to all of you. Welcome back. It is 20 minutes past the hour here.
Let's get you caught up on the news that you -- that may have been off your radar.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE (voice-over): With some Americans struggling with their weight, a new drug to fight obesity is a step closer to winning FDA approval. The agency's advisory panel has already voted in favor of it. If it gets the green light, the drug would act as an appetite suppressant to help curve hunger sensation.
Just this week, a new study revealed 42 percent of the nation's population will be obese by 2030.
More and more tsunami debris from Japan is washing ashore in the U.S. and Canada. Officials say we'll see more of it over the next several years. So, now, they are preparing to deploy the U.S. Coast Guard to clean up Alaska's beaches. Just in the past few months, look what's landed here. Debris as big as this cargo truck with a Harley Davidson inside, and as small as this soccer ball.
You can now rest easy and enjoy the rest of the year. It turns out the Mayan calendar does not predict the end of the world in 2012. Scientists in Guatemala discovered what could be the oldest known Mayan calendar. This new finding shows longer calendar up in the cycles from 13 to 17, and each cycle represents 400 years. We're just ending the 13th cycle. So, we have a long way to go.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Well, that's good news, isn't it?
"TIME" magazine's new cover is making some people uncomfortable. It features a mom breastfeeding her 3-year-old son. Three years old. Doctors say it's fine. Other moms say it's gross.
So, we wanted to know how old is too old for a mother to breastfeed her child? Well, I asked and you answered. Kerry tweeted, "I don't think three is too old. We as a society wean kids much sooner than we probably should due to pressures."
And Lauren writes, "It's a personal choice, too old for me -- but cover comes across as tasteless. Disservice to the moms who make this choice."
Kevin tweeted, "A mother should decide when she should stop breastfeeding her child, not the world."
So, of course we would like to get more responses, let me know what you think, tweet me @RandiKayeCNN. We'll read some more of your comments on the air. Thanks to you who have already been tweeting me this morning.
Coneheads in the classroom? Why one Florida teacher may be on the unemployment line, after this.
And the end of a massive manhunt. We'll take on the trail police followed to one of the most wanted men in America.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: It is about half past the hour. Welcome back, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye. Thanks for starting your day with us. Three more people taken in custody in connection with the Adam Mayes case. Mayes had quickly gone from unknown to one of the most wanted men in America, after kidnapping two young girls and killing their mother and older sister.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The manhunt for Adam Mayes ended on a Mississippi dirt road.
(on camera): Despite the nationwide alert, authorities have always felt that Mayes really hadn't gone too far. And it turns out, they were right, because where we are now is barely two miles away from where his victims bodies were found, at his home.
Authorities say it was a tip Thursday that led them here. As it happened, there was a SWAT team nearby.
Police patrols have been through the area once before, with no result. It's easy to se why. Because of the thick under brush it's possible for them to walk within a few yards of somebody and not know they were there.
Other than general directions, we don't know where in the woods the final drama played out but there are signs we're getting close.
I found this, a military-style red smoke grenade and if you look on the ground here you can see where it was set off.
Now according to the FBI, when Mayes was found they set off red smoke to alert the other authorities and search crews in the area. This means we're close but we're not there.
(voice-over): That's when I meet Ronald Roberts.
(on camera): You lived here all your life?
RONALD ROBERTS: All my life.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): He was having dinner when he realized something was up.
ROBERTS: Blue lights, sirens, gravel flying, spinning tires, all turning in front of our house.
SAVIDGE: Roberts knows these woods like the back of his hand. And we pick up the trail.
ROBERTS: There is a boot print.
SAVIDGE (on camera): Also, looks like there's dog prints.
ROBERTS: You got some.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): According to authorities, the SWAT team divided in two and made their way through the woods. The trail shows a lot of foot traffic.
ROBERTS: You see that?
SAVIDGE (on camera): A lot of boot marks.
ROBERTS: Yes.
SAVIDGE: Stepped on branches and things.
The SWAT team knew they were on to something when they came across one of the kidnapped girls laying on the ground, that would have been Alexandria. And then they saw Mayes. They told him to put his hands where they could see them but instead he pulled a gun and shot himself.
ROBERTS: Walked down the trail and see what you see. That obviously has been somebody through there.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): Suddenly there I was.
(on camera): Just the tip off would have been all the flies -- the exact place in the middle of the woods. So judging by this blood on the ground that we found here, this would be the spot that according to authorities, Adam Mayes shot himself.
Now in keeping again with their account, the young girls would have been laying on their stomachs directly in front of him. You quickly realize two things, that phone call tip that came in from the public probably saved the lives of Kyliyah and Alexandria Bain, but not before the two girls had witnessed the deaths of their mother and older sister, had to watch one more person die.
ROBERTS: I wish the man could have been saved, I wish it hadn't happened, I wish the other two lives could be brought back. But you can't. They met their maker. I hope they were ready.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): Martin Savidge, CNN, Alpine, Mississippi.
KAYE: The FBI had offered more than $100,000 for information in the case. It's unknown if anyone collected that money.
Well, if you're waking up, grab some coffee. I want get you caught up on morning headlines.
Jennifer Hudson's former brother-in-law faces life without parole after a jury found him guilty of three counts of murder. William Balfour killed Hudson's mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew. Jennifer Hudson was the first of more than 80 witnesses to take the stand for the prosecution.
To Syria now, where anti-government protesters calling for regime change marched in Syria last night, the same day a bomb went off near a government office, killing a guard. A human rights group report at least 22 people have been killed in violence across the country. And since the ceasefire on April 12th, about 1,000 people have been killed. All right. You probably are used to seeing this cone-shaped collar that you see right there on dogs, right? But what about on students? One Florida teacher is accused of actually using that to discipline her class. And now, a superintendent wants her fired. The teacher who used to work in the veterinary field says she brought the cone to school after her students expressed curiosity about it.
A man in Phoenix wins the million dollar lottery, not once, not twice, but six times! Yes, what luck. We'll tell you how.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back.
Time to check out this week's stories that really caught our eye. Reynolds and I have a few of them we kind of like.
So, should we start with the 78 foot monster?
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I think so. That is amazing.
KAYE: Have you ever surfed?
WOLF: I long boarded but never anything as extreme.
KAYE: Look at this. That little tiny dot practically on the screen, that is a big wave surfer, Garrett McNamara and he's on this 75-foot monster wave off the coast of Portugal. I could watch that all day. It's amazing.
WOLF: It is amazing. You know, they say surfers like weathermen have to be a little bit crazy to be effective and I think that holds true for this fella, what an amazing thing. It's taller than most buildings. Ridiculous.
KAYE: Yes. I guess there was a big debate about whether or not it really is the tallest wave ever surfed and apparently it is. So, you might have to try your hand.
WOLF: You may have to give eight shot. Definitely going to have to.
KAYE: One day.
WOLF: You got it.
KAYE: All right. This is pretty unbelievable. Have you ever won the lottery?
WOLF: I never won anything.
KAYE: Not a few dollars? I won like $8.
WOLF: A handful, maybe $5 here or there at a time, but nothing too expansive.
KAYE: This guy is going to teach us something, I'm pretty sure. In Phoenix, a guy won $1 million lottery six times.
WOLF: What?
KAYE: I would love to know what his trick is. Apparently, a handful of other players have won big by buying multiple tickets with the same numbers. But six times the million dollar lottery.
WOLF: I think we have a new mutual best friend. We need to hang out with this guy.
KAYE: If he still has all that cash.
WOLF: No doubt.
KAYE: I know you're a big baseball fan, you know how unique a triple play is, right?
WOLF: They don't happen every day, they're very rare.
KAYE: An unassisted triple play.
WOLF: No question.
KAYE: Especially in the Little League, kind of the baseball scouts. So pay close attention here.
In Atlanta, 6-year-old made the play of a lifetime during a youth baseball game. Unassisted triple play, I hope you're watching it here.
Yes. These are kids, we were talking about how rare it is. Only 15 recorded unassisted triple plays in pro baseball since 1909. Look at him go.
WOLF: You know, you have to give hat's off to the kid, but also good coaching. Whoever taught him to do that kind of stuff, I can barely pick up a bat. That kid did a triple play.
KAYE: Pretty cute, proud parents no doubt.
WOLF: No question.
KAYE: Are you going to go home and practice some baseball.
WOLF: I'm going to practice with my kids as soon as we finish the segment. You better believe it.
KAYE: All right. That was fun. Thank you.
OK. So, take a look, remember this?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GENE CERNAN, ASTROLOGY: I was strolling on the moon one day, in the merry, merry month of --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: That was Apollo astronaut Gene Cernan singing and dancing on the moon. In just 10 minutes, hear what else he did on the moon's surface. That is still there today.
Plus, many of us own a cell phone, so let me give you all some advice, lock your phone screens, because a lot of you are possibly -- I'm just going to say it -- butt calling 911.
I cannot wait to get comedian Bill Santiago's take on this. He's already laughing. So, stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Good morning.
So I thought that we needed to start our day with a few laughs, hope that's OK with you. So I invited comedian and "Huffington Post" blogger Bill Santiago to come in earlier than he usually does this morning.
Did you get coffee, Bill? Are you awake?
BILL SANTIAGO, COMEDIAN: I am. I haven't slept. Of course I'm awake.
KAYE: You came straight in from clubbing.
SANTIAGO: That's right.
KAYE: That's how you hang.
SANTIAGO: Happy to be here.
KAYE: I'm glad you're here.
All right. So, it's been a big week as you know for same sex marriage. First on Sunday, Vice President Biden says he's comfortable with it. And Tuesday, of course, North Carolina voted against it, and then just a day later, President Obama and his big announcement saying that he's for it.
Are you having a hard time keeping up with this?
SANTIAGO: Yes, yes. The sequences have me entertained. You know, Biden come out, they send -- they send out the gaffe-meister of Biden to test the water, and he says he's comfortable with gay marriage.
I think that was very interesting terminology, comfortable like he was talking about pajamas or something, you know, gay marriage comfy, you know? Like he was so comfortable and could actually see himself in a gay marriage.
And then, of course, Obama comes out the next day, you saw the reaction was positive and people wanted him to come out. And he finally decided that he was fully evolved and ready to -- I love the fact that he brought evolution in it. It wasn't enough to get the Christian right angry by coming out in favor of gay marriage. He had to throw evolution in there. That's a double whammy.
KAYE: I want to talk to you about the word evolution in just a second. But I want to ask about Biden, because Obama came out and said maybe Biden got ahead of his skis or something like that, trying to you know, say that he got a little ahead of himself, on saying that he's so comfortable with it as you said.
SANTIAGO: You have to be very naive to believe that. It was totally calculated. They sent him out there on purpose. People know he makes mistakes. He has a reputation for sticking his foot in his mouth. So, it didn't go well, you cite plausible deniability.
But he went out there to get the White House's message going and Biden saying he's comfortable is as good saying he's comfortable. I think they are both gay marriage comfy.
KAYE: Is evolution the big word now, evolving?
SANTIAGO: Oh, and this thing, yes. I mean, just the imagery, you know? I mean, he could have said he made up his mind after he consulted with the burning bush and maybe he would have mitigated the backlash, you know?
But he went with evolution, he's evolving, his opinions of mutating. He's acting to the political climate change, you know? He loses the mystical tale of doubt, and then he comes out and makes some big announcement. Yes, I am for marriage equality, like it was his big momentous --
KAYE: All right.
SANTIAGO: Essentially, he said nobody should be denied the right to do something they might regret.
KAYE: All right. Let's get to the next topic here before we run out of time. I want to look at the front page cover -- yes, I know, time is of the essence here. It's "TIME" magazine, and yes, of course, it's a mom breast feeding her son who turns 4 next month, 4 years old.
People are outraged, Bill. Some are calling this disgusting. Do you think it's shocking or is this overreaction?
SANTIAGO: Well, no, it was not shocking at all. There's a couple weird things about it. I mean, you know, it's teasing, it's tantalizing, at the same time, it was supposed to be promoting parental attachment, attempting parenting.
But these people look very detached from everything. They're looking straight in the camera.
The kid -- he doesn't look like 3 years old. I'm glad they finally said he's about to turn 4. He's identified as a 3-year-old kid. He looks he's in middle school. He's wearing army fatigues. You know, you could breast feed as long as you want we can al agree you should be weaned before you're sent in battle. I mean, it just looks a little bit --
KAYE: Only you, only you would notice the army fatigues.
All right. So, listen, I want to talk about this, because maybe it happened to you. There's a huge problem in New York and Pennsylvania -- nearly 40 percent of the 911 calls from cell phones are what they are calling butt dials, people put the phone in their back pocket and dialing 911 somehow by accident?
SANTIAGO: Yes, it's a crisis. Well, it's supposed to be an accident I think our butts are growing exponentially they are calling 911 to report the emergency situation. Like help, she is eating again, this can't keep going on!
By the way, butt dialing is not to be confused with booty call. That's an entirely different situation. 911 being flooded with 4 million booty calls, that would be a real problem.
KAYE: I'm really glad you clarified the difference there. Bill, thank you very much. Always nice to see you even this early in the morning.
SANTIAGO: Oh, I love it. Thank you so much.
KAYE: All right. Have a great day.
SANTIAGO: Bye.
KAYE: Have you ever wondered what it would be like to step foot on the moon? What about dance and maybe sing a little bit on the moon? I spoke to the last man in history who had the chance to do that and got his thoughts on NASA's future plans.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: One of the best parts about my job as a journalist is getting to speak with people who literally shaped history. And my next guests are two of those people.
Joining me now, two men who need no introduction: Apollo astronaut Gene Cernan, the last man to walk on the moon, and Mark Kelly, commander of the final mission of space shuttle Endeavour. They are in Pensacola, Florida, to promote the new flight academy.
Good morning to both of you.
MARK KELLY, NASA ASTRONAUT: Good morning.
GENE CERNAN, NASA ASTRONAUT: Good morning.
KAYE: Many people are calling this space camp 2.0, if you will. I want to talk with you both about the history making moments of course.
But, first, Mark, why don't you tell us about the National Flight Academy and how it differs from the space camp we know today.
KELLY: I got to tell you -- I'm incredibly impressed with this facility here. You know, we've got a real crisis in education in this country with regard to science, technology, engineering and math. And this facility is designed to get kids motivated to pursue those careers, take what they learned in school and see a real world application and maybe, you know, we can create more engineers and scientists and we need that.
CERNAN: I go back 20 years when this flight academy was a dream and we discovered some people smarter than I discovered that kids get excited when they come to the National Naval Aviation Museum, they get excited among airplanes, seeing, feeling, touching -- someone said maybe we could use that to get kids attention, make learning fun and challenge what they are doing.
And that's what the flight academy is using -- aviation, in this particular case, naval aviation, it's exciting. Mark we both agree with that. Capture kids' hearts, inspire them.
KAYE: And what do you tell them? How do you get them excited? Because, obviously, it's very important but what to you say to them, kids are stuck at home with the gadgets. Half of them don't go outside anymore.
So, what do you say to get them excited about math, and science and technology again?
KELLY: What we'll do here is they'll put together a team of kids into a squadron and give them a mission to do. They'll go and get an intelligence briefing on maybe like there's a stranded ship out in the ocean, and some of them will be in simulators flying these airplanes and they've got to go rescue these people.
But they have to figure out how far away is it, how much fuel do we have. If we're going this fast, how long will it take us to get there? Do we have a certain amount of time to do this?
So there's planning involved but they'll need to use math and science that they learned in school to apply it to these situations.
CERNAN: If I can ad something to Mark, these kids leave here with a can-do attitude. These kids are going to know that they can do what they didn't think they could do. The key word is dream. Dream the impossible, go out and make it happen.
If just half of the kids come through here believe that and believe in themselves and are willing to try, they'll eventually know how good they can be. And that's what this country needs.
KAYE: Gene, no question. You had a dream when you were younger. Was there one moment growing up that inspired you to join NASA and become an astronaut?
CERNAN: Well, my dream as a kid was to fly airplanes off an aircraft carrier and here I am some 40, 50 years later talking about having gone to the moon. It -- I had no idea that I'd ever get in the space program. I almost got into it by accident.
I was just doing something I dreamed about doing, a naval aviator flying off ships. One day, it wasn't quite that easy, but one day, I found myself in the space program and the next day I was looking back home from the moon.
I don't know how you explain that, but the impossible does happen.
KAYE: Mark, what about you, was there a moment?
KELLY: Well, yes, certainly. I don't specifically remember Neil Armstrong walking on the moon. I was about 5 years old --
(CROSSTALK)
KELLY: I was about 7 when you walked on the moon and I do remember that. So I remember when Gene made the last trip to the moon so I've always been excited about the space program.
KAYE: Gene, Mark said that he remembers you walking on the moon. What do you remember about walking on the moon? What did it feel like?
CERNAN: Boy, that's long -- we don't have enough time this morning. I remember everything about walking on the moon. But I guess the memory that's edged deeply is looking back at the earth, the overwhelming beauty, logic, purpose of the earth. I knew I was someplace special.
When I left, when I took -- no one -- everyone remembers Neil's first steps, no one remembers mine.
KELLY: I do.
CERNAN: My final steps -- well, my final steps were the important ones to me because as I looked over my shoulder and I climbed up the ladder, I knew I wasn't coming back this way again. I knew somebody would and will. But I wondered what was the meaning of it all? What did it mean to the future?
And I'm not sure if I know the significance of humankind leaving this planet and calling another -- if you allow me to call little planet, another planet or body in this universe our home. It's an incredible thought even when I think about that it really happened. Yes, it did, but what does it mean to the future of our kids?
And hopefully, we can take advantage of that and have it be truly meaningful, to inspire them to do things beyond that. Go back to the moon, go to mars, become doctors and engineers and teachers. That's what we need in this country.
KAYE: So, just a side note here, I'm not sure if you're a fan of the popular TV show "Modern Family." But there was an episode where they said Gene that you actually carved your daughter's initials in the moon before you left. Can you set the record straight for us? CERNAN: Yes, my daughter's initials are on the moon. Someone said how long will they be there? I said among will the flag be there? Forever. However long forever is.
KAYE: Mark, it has been 40 years since man last stepped on the moon. Do you think we'll go back?
KELLY: Well, certainly yes, some day. Some day we'll go back to the moon. Some day we'll go to an asteroid, some day we'll go to mars.
I mean, in this country, if we set our mind to something and really want to do it, we can make it happen. I'm hopeful that we'll see somebody walk on the planet mars some day. Maybe it will be one of these kids that come through this door here.
KAYE: Mark, before we let you both go, I'd be remiss not to ask how your wife, Gabby, is doing.
KELLY: You know, Gabby is doing great. We were just up in Washington a few days ago. She's back in Houston.
You know, she's a big support of stem education. So, she's excited about this facility. She helps to come out here and visit as well. Maybe you guys can go through the same class together.
KAYE: That would be wonderful. I would pick you up on that. Well, we wish her well and it was an honor to speak with both of you. Thank you.
KELLY: You're welcome, Randi.
CERNAN: Thank you, Randi. Pleasure.
KAYE: Five hundred million dollars worth of rare art stolen, never to be seen again. Now police are looking for clues, 22 years later.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Investigators hope they're getting closer to solving a $500 million art heist. They searched the Connecticut home of a reputed gangster this week looking for clues into the two decades-old mystery.
Here's Len Besthoff from our Connecticut affiliate WFSB.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEN BESTHOFF, WFSB (voice-over): Ground penetrating radar dragged all over a lawn, bomb-sniffing canines trying to pick up a scent, plus federal agents going all over a home in Tibex suits.
JOE O'REILLY, ROBERT GENTILE'S NEIGHBOR: It's pretty wild here in Manchester.
BESTHOFF: That's what neighbors on Francis Drive, just off of I-384, saw first thing this morning. Federal agents swarmed the home of 76- year-old reputed mobster Robert Gentile, armed with a search warrant. RYAN MCGUIGAN, ROBERT GENTILE'S ATORNEY: They said that they're looking for firearms, but they're not.
BESTHOFF: Gentile's attorney Ryan McGuigan believes the agents are looking for a half billion dollars in art stolen from the Isabela Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston in 19 90. We've been covering this case since then and found this video in our archives of the largest art heist in history where paintings by Rembrandt, Degas, and Manet were stolen.
O'REILLY: Half a billion? Wow!
BESTHOFF: Federal agents first went through Gentile's home in February. He was arrested on drug and weapons charges and is in custody in Rhode Island.
MCGUIGAN: They have arrested my client for a drug case, so that they could execute search warrants for his house, because they believe that he has the artwork in his house.
BESTHOFF: This search also includes Gentile's yard, one of his cars and a shed behind the house. Gentile's wife, according to the attorney, has been inside the whole time as investigators have collected evidence for the second time in three months.
MICHAEL WHITE, ROBERT GENTILE'S NEIGHBOR: It's only a matter of time probably when they came back to really do a thorough search.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: That 1990 theft devastated the art community. One of the stolen Rembrandt paintings was the artist's only seascape. That alone could be worth $50 million.
Thanks for starting your morning with us. We've got much more ahead on CNN's SATURDAY MORNING, which starts right now.
