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CNN Saturday Morning News

Former Egyptian Leader Hosni Mubarak Sentenced to Life Imprisonment; Violence Continues in Syria; President Speaks about U.S. Economy's Recent Poor Performance; Man with No Hand and One Leg Helps Save Family from Fire; P. Diddy's Son Get Full Football Scholarship to UCLA

Aired June 02, 2012 - 10:00   ET

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

ROB MARCIANO, CNN ANCHOR: Complicit in killing, that's a verdict from an Egyptian court for notorious dictator Hosni Mubarak, sentenced to life in prison. Mubarak is the first leader put on trial for the crimes during the Arab spring.

Later, the Dow plunges 275 points making it negative for the year. We'll explain the reason for the free fall.

Plus, 1,000 ships, a million people -- Queen Elizabeth's diamond jubilee kicks off today. We have team coverage bringing you one of the biggest celebrations in modern history.

An incredible story of heroism and self-sacrifice, how one man born with no arms and only one leg saved his family from a ranging inferno and now he battles for his life.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Rob Marciano in today for Randi Kaye. Thanks for starting your day with us.

A spectacular fall from grace for a man who was once a trusted ally lay of the United States and was one of the world's most powerful leaders. An Egyptian court has sentenced Hosni Mubarak to a life in prison in the killings of unarmed protesters in Egypt's Arab spring last year. But initial joy has turned to fury and calls for mass protests by the country's rising Muslim Brotherhood which has its sights set on the presidency. CNN senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman is live watching all of this unfold.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: When news first came out that Hosni Mubarak and his interior minister had been given life sentence, the initial reaction was one of joy.

(APPLAUSE)

WEDEMAN: But as soon as people heard that all the others who were accused, including the two sons of Hosni Mubarak, Ala and Gamal, and also al the advisers to the interior minister who had been found innocent, the joy very quickly soured to anger, many feeling it with as skewed verdict, unfair verdict, a verdict that favors those in the old regime. Hosni Mubarak was transported by helicopter to this police academy where the trial took place to a tour of prison in the southern part of Cairo, but apparently when the helicopter arrived in the prison, he refused to get off. Ministry of the Interior officials say that an effort is being made to prepare itself, but this is just one indication of how messy things are going to get in Egypt with this verdict.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Cairo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARCIANO: Ben, thank you, to Florida, George Zimmerman must report back to jail tomorrow afternoon. He plead not guilty to the second- degree murder. Now the judge says Zimmerman blatantly lied to him about how much money he had and was unfairly reaping the benefits of the low bond. He had thousands of dollars in a PayPal account but pretended to be poor and recorded phone conversations with his wife to prove that.

A convicted murderer on parole has been found mauled and partially eaten by a bear in southern British Columbia. Rory Nelson Wagner was reported missing last week, and police believed he was dead before he was attacked and dragged from his car. They found drug-related items and a bottle of liquor inside the car. The bear has been captured.

The race for the White House is getting too close to call. In the latest CNN polling Mitt Romney has cut President Obama's lead to three points. It was nine points in CNN's last poll in April. The gap is even tighter on the subject most on voters' minds, the economy. It's a dead heat there, with 45 percent of those polled believing their man can fix what ails the American economy. One-fourth of those polled say they can still change their mind before November.

And there's another number that can hold a clue about the presidential election, the number of Americans who are without a job. The latest data shows 69,000 jobs were added in May. The unemployment rate ticked higher, sending the Dow plunging 275 points. Our White House correspondent Brianna Keilar has a look at the political fallout.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: After a disappointing may with unemployment increasing slightly and the economy adding fewer jobs than expected, President Obama addressed a crowd in the political-friendly state of Minnesota.

BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our businesses have created almost 4.3 million new jobs over the last 27 months, but, as we learned in today's jobs report, we're still not creating them as fast as we want.

KEILAR: At this Honeywell factory that employs 65 veterans, Obama promised to help them so their military experience can help them land a job in the private sector. He also tried to explain the bad jobs number, pointing to what he calls "headwinds." It's a defense that has become repetitive. This was October.

OBAMA: The biggest headwind the American economy is facing right now is uncertainty about Europe.

KEILAR: Last July --

OBAMA: And over the past few months, the economy's experienced some tough headwinds.

KEILAR: And more than a year ago.

OBAMA: Our economy has been facing some serious headwinds.

KEILAR: In Minneapolis Obama again prodded Congress to take action on his so-called Congressional to-do list.

OBAMA: So my message to Congress is now is not the time to play politics, now is not the time to sit on your hands.

KEILAR: Governor Mitt Romney called the economic numbers "devastating" and accused the president of passing the buck.

MITT ROMNEY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The president is always quick to blame. First it was George Bush, Congress, ATM machines, Europe. He's always got someone. The truth is the job of the president is to get America back to work.

KEILAR: As Romney attacks President Obama on the economy, the Obama administration is scrutinizing Governor Romney's record when he was in charge of Massachusetts. And it's a bitter fight. Recent polls show that both nationwide and in key battleground states, voters are split on whether Obama or Romney would do a better job on the economy.

Brianna Keilar, CNN, Golden Valley, Minnesota.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARCIANO: Houston is getting next best thing to the space shuttle, a replica. This 62-ton fake sat in front of Florida's Kennedy Space Center for 18 years. Now it's in Houston. Administrators admit they'd like to have the real one but this is gar began. It will cost $3 million to set up the replica. That's a tenth of what New York and Los Angeles will have to pay to sell up the real ones. The fake looks exactly the same. And even better, you can go inside to get the full astronaut experience.

The rehearsals are done, the royal carriages are ready to roll, and England is ready for the biggest party on the planet. This week we're going live to London for the Queen of England's diamond jubilee.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARCIANO: Well, the world outrage over the slaughter of civilians in Syria has forced the U.N.'s hand. There's going to be an independent investigation but the United Nations Human Rights Council. A warning, the following video is graphic. The latest atrocities show the regime's strategy being relentless violent. Here activists say a dozen factory workers were taken off a bus and individually executed. CNN cannot independently confirm what you're seeing. Ivan Watson now with even more violence from Homs. Again, you may find these images disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Under attack -- a tank shell leaves a wounded bleeding in the streets. These are the final moments of local activists and cameraman. He is rushed not to a hospital but to this makeshift clinic. This is how serious opposition are forced to treat their wounded, because the country's hospitals are under government control. In the garden of what used to be an ordinary house, doctors struggle to save his life, but the wounds are just too deep.

More casualties stream in and there's simply no place to put them. Some of the victims here are rebel fighters, others too young to even understand. For some the scene here is just too much. An emergency worker lost on the floor of a kitchen that's now become an emergency room. This is what the war looks like in Syria, and it's probably going to get much, much worse. Ivan Watson, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARCIANO: I want to bring in retired general Spider Marks who's also a CNN contributor. This investigation, what do you hope it to accomplish?

MAJ. GEN. SPIDER MARKS, U.S. ARMY (RET): Well, I'm not sure what they're going to say that we don't already know which is there's incredible brutality and slaughter that's taking place in Syria. I see this more as simply appeasing the international community to try to do something. It's more an endorsement of activity as opposed to trying to get a result. I'm cynical about the process.

MARCIANO: Well, Leon Panetta and Hillary Clinton had some words about what's transpired and potentially the plan ahead. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: The world looked on last week at the massacre in Houla with horror, and those responsible must be held to account.

LEON PANETTA, DEFENSE SECRETARY: This is an intolerable situation. We cannot be satisfied with what's going on. And the international community has got to take further steps to make sure that Assad steps down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: OK, there you go, general, further steps. I mean we've been talking and talking. We've had the peace plan which for the most part has failed. Are words enough anymore? MARKS: Well, truly they're not. But what both secretary of state and secretary of defense are saying, it makes perfect sense. But at some point you have to establish what is the trigger point upon which you now make a decision to take some other course of action. Currently diplomacy has not achieved any desired instate. We've heard about a tipping point or turning point. I'm not sure how that's defined.

But clearly the international communication is repulsed by what they see in Syria, but there's no fire in the belly to do something about it. The concern primarily is there's not a known successor to Assad if Assad is pushed aside, killed, or goes away someplace. Well, the real issue in my mind is if you're satisfied with what you see right now, then that's what you're going to get tomorrow.

Clearly nobody is satisfied with it, but there hasn't been a decision to do anything. So clearly there are military options that are available. It just becomes a very large, and a very long discussion in terms of the diplomacy that has to take place as a precursor to an international community type involvement militarily and the United States clearly has to take lead but doesn't necessarily have to provide boots on the ground which I think, rob, are an absolute inevitable outcome of this.

MARCIANO: You say something needs to happen, but we need Russia on board to do anything, don't we?

MARKS: We do, clearly. And the very thin line that the United States is walking is that Russia controls Assad to a certain degree and holds sway, and probably more importantly and descriptively, Russia provides arms and political support. And Russia could in fact turn the tide of what we're seeing in Syria and give Assad an option to go away. Russia's stature then clearly improves and becomes the peacemaker at the United States' expense. But clearly, Rob, also the United States stands to gain with Assad's departure on a whole number of levels, but also as it affects our relationship with Iran. Iran has its voice heard in that part of the world through Syria, and if Assad is gone Iran is further isolated.

MARCIANO: Another option, what if we set up a buffer zone on the border? What makes that so complicated?

MARKS: Well, that isn't necessarily complicated. All it does is it contains the violence so it doesn't spill over into turkey or possibly into Israel or the other neighbors in the region. So that's a solution, but it really doesn't address the problem. It just contains the violence. It doesn't mitigate or eliminate the violence that's taking place inside Syria.

Clearly what has to happen is from the inside there has to be -- there have to be a separation of forces. And the United Nations and the international community must pick sides. You can't be agnostic walking into Syria. Assad's military and his cronies have to go away and those forces have to be neutralized.

MARCIANO: How long do you think before that happens, before people pick sides or face civil war, and then who knows what? MARKS: I'm not optimistic that anything's going to happen in the near term, primarily because of the political factors clearly in this election year. Clearly the violence has not subsided. The only thing that's going to stop this right now is Assad just gets tired of the slaughter he's imposing on his people. I don't see any indicators that that's going to happen. Plus, look at what happened to Hosni Mubarak just yesterday. He's now going to prison for life. Assad sees that as his possible outcome or worse what happened to Gadhafi or Saddam.

MARCIANO: So they may be acting desperately. A difficult dangerous situation with, once again, no easy solution, but we appreciate your thoughts, General Spider Marks. Thank you, general.

MARKS: Thank you, Rob.

MARCIANO: On a lighter note, the rehearsals are down, the royal carriages are really to roll. Of course, we're talking London and the diamond jubilee. We're going go there next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC)

MARCIANO: I feel more royal already with that music. As we've been telling you all week, today marks the official start of Queen Elizabeth's diamond jubilee, and earlier the queen and her husband Prince Philip kicked things off with one of her majesty's favorite sports, horse racing. Ice just one of many events scheduled to mark her 60 years and counting on the British throne. Joining me live from London is our royal correspondent Max Foster. I had no idea she was a fan of the ponies. Her first official engagement after her coronation, was it?

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely it was. Horses are her great passion. She rides pretty much every day that she can. She's got 30 horses in training, racing around the country. Middleton's did. I'm sure she's rooting for that particular horse. I'm told one paper she reads in the morning is the racing post. That just expresses to you how fascinate shed is with horses.

MARCIANO: Can you imagine her going up to a betting booth and the queen saying two pounds across the board on the seven horse. We'll see how that pans out.

FOSTER: I don't think she has any money in her pockets. She has a handbag, but I can't imagine any cash in there.

MARCIANO: Across the pond we sense this vibe of excitement. There certainly seems to be a renaissance of the monarchy. How big a deal is this diamond jubilee?

FOSTER: It is a big deal. It was boosted by that massive royal wedding last year that really created a resurgence of interest in the royals, and Catherine, William, and Harry have been popular ever since, building on that. There was a survey they'd done a couple weeks ago, whether they were going to watch the jubilee on TV, and more than 50 percent said they would. There was a comparison. The same was carried on the royal wedding, and only 30 percent said they were going to watch the royal wedding on TV. You know, lots of opinion polls recently saying basically the monarchy has been the strongest it's ever been. It's interesting to see that people think Kate is the most popular figure. But actually it's the queen across the U.K. and the U.S.

MARCIANO: God save the queen, for sure. Besides the derby, we've got the likes of Paul McCartney -- excuse me, that's sir Paul McCartney. What's the biggest event lining up over the next couple of days?

FOSTER: I think it will be the river pageant on the river behind me. They haven't tried this in 300 or 400 years, a royal barge being built for the occasion. A lot of people calling it bling, bling, but there's lots of red velvet and lots of gold. It's going to be pretty spectacular.

You know, this whole area behind me is going be full of boats, and you're going to have orchestras on those boats playing all kinds of music. And there's going to be a bell tower on the front barge. That's going to be ringing bells all the way down. As it does so, all the churches you see behind me are going to ring in reply. So it will be a video feast but also an audio feast.

Also Tuesday you'll have a carriage procession similar to what we saw at the royal wedding last year. That's what Britain is known for, pomp and pageantry.

MARCIANO: It should be quite the spectacle. Hopefully, Max, the weather works out for you. Max foster, thank you for joining us live from London.

Tomorrow, by the way, be sure to join CNN's Brooke Baldwin and Piers Morgan live from London. Our coverage of the diamond jubilee begins at 11:00 a.m. eastern time right here on CNN.

Well, a man with only one limb helped save his family from a raging house fire. Now he's fighting for his life. I'll talk to one of his relatives coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARCIANO: Welcome back, everyone. I'm Rob Marciano in today for Randi Kaye. It's the bottom of the hour. Let's get you caught up on what's going on.

It looks like Egypt's Hosni Mubarak will spend the rest of his days behind bars. The 84-year-old former president is at a maximum security prison after a court convicted him. He was cleared of corruption and so were his two sons. That is sparking fury in Egypt. CNN's Ben Wedeman is at Tahrir Square in Cairo where last year's uprising against Mubarak's rule unfolded. Ben, what can you tell me about the scene there, and what's the reaction to the verdict?

WEDEMAN: Well, what we have right below us, Rob, is hundreds of people, perhaps thousands of people who have come into Tahrir Square to protest the verdict. Of course, Hosni Mubarak and his interior minister got life in prison, but Mubarak was cleared of corruption charges, and also of a variety of senior ministry officials here charged of any charge of murder for tilling can of protesters in the revolution that brought down the Mubarak regime at the beginning of last year, and that really explains why people are so unhappy with that verdict.

And, of course, Hosni Mubarak does have the right to appeal, and the feeling is the charges were not strong enough and that he may indeed win that appeal. That's why so many people are upset about this verdict. Rob?

MARCIANO: What about supporters? There are some Mubarak supporters. There have been calls for protests, but what have you seen?

WEDEMAN: Well, actually when we were at the court itself, we did -- there were about 150 pro-Mubarak people there, but by and large, they were outnumbered about three or four to one by the anti-Mubarak people. Now, as soon as the Mubarak supporters heard it, they took their anger out on journalists, throwing rocks and sticks at them, and also on the police, but then they left the scene.

We understand that the powerful Muslim Brotherhood has called on its supporters to join the protests in Tahrir Square. Of course the Muslim Brotherhood is the biggest and best political blocking agent, and most organized, so when they tell their supporters to come out and protest, there will be large numbers. Rob?

MARCIANO: Some hoped that this trial might somehow unite Egypt. Just a couple of hours after the verdict, what's your feel on that? it doesn't look like it.

WEDEMAN: No, it doesn't look like it. In fact, Egyptians are sharply divided and we saw that in the recent first round of presidential elections. The two candidates who won the most votes were on one hand the Muslim Brotherhood, and on the other Mubarak's last prime minister and is considered very much a holdover from the old regime.

And many people feel that this verdict, which wasn't strong enough, has a very good chance of beating the Muslim Brotherhood candidate in the runoff elections that work. This is in effect developing into a convict between supporters of the old regime and supporters of, I guess we can call it the Egyptian revolution. It could get very messy. Rob?

MARCIANO: Ben Wedeman, a long day for you, we know, probably a long night. We thank you for your insight and very descriptive report. Thank you.

Get this. A man woke up in the middle of the night, smelled fire and rushed to get his family out safely. And he did it all without his prosthetic arms. But now he's fighting for his life. His stepdaughter and doctor are live with us in just a minute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) MARCIANO: Well, man who was born with no hands and only one leg helped save his family from a fire that was burning in their house in Arizona. Now Boyd Smith is fighting for his life. He's in the hospital with burns on 90 percent of his body. He's the one who woke up everyone in his house, his wife, his daughter, his three young grandchildren. He helped them escape and he even saved the horses and the family dog too. But when he went in the house for one last check, that's when he got stuck inside, and his stepdaughter managed to pull him out.

We have a picture of the house now. Look at that. Completely destroyed, completely burned to the ground. Joining us live is Christy Roberts, another one of Smith's stepdaughters who wasn't in the house at the time, and the doctor treating Smith, Dr. Kevin Foster with Arizona burn scepter. Christy, first off during that trying time, I've got to ask you, how is Boyd doing and how is the family?

CHRISTY ROBERTS, BOYD SMITH'S STEPDAUGHTER: Boyd's in critical condition, but his vitals have been stable so we're hanging onto that right now and everybody's just rallying around him right now, trying to give him all the prayers we can to help get him through this right now.

MARCIANO: This man from this story, I just envision an extraordinary human being with a soul and spirit that goes beyond so many people. But I have to ask you, how did he manage to wake everybody up and pull the family members out without his prosthetic arms? How did he do that?

ROBERTS: He didn't actually pull them out of the house. He just alerted everyone and made sure they got out of the house, and he was the last one out. He made sure everyone else was safe before himself. He did have his prosthetic leg on, so he was able to walk around. But the placement of the rooms, if he hadn't gotten up and ushered everyone out, they probably wouldn't have made it out of the house.

MARCIANO: Did he go back inside? He stayed inside to make sure everybody was out? That's the kind of father figure he was -- is.

ROBERTS: Absolutely, absolutely. Even after he was in the ambulance, he was checking to see if everyone else was OK first.

MARCIANO: Dr. Foster, how is your patient this morning? There's 90 percent covering his body, the burns. How bad are they and what's your prognosis?

DR. KEVIN FOSTER, DIRECTOR, ARIZONA BURN CENTER, MARICOPA COUNTY: Well, the burns are expensive. Over 90 percent of his body and they're all full thickness, or third degree. And he is doing surprisingly well. This, under most circumstances, would not be a survivable injury, and he has cruised thus far through his hospitalization. He's doing fine today.

MARCIANO: Are you amazed today? I'm sure you come across an amazing spirit every day. This is truly extraordinary, doctor. What can you tell me about your patient physically, and what can you imagine emotionally what's going on?

ROBERTS: Well, physically he is basically without skin over the majority of his body, and as I said, most patients don't survive that type of injury. He has survived and he is actually doing quite well. The emotional toll of that has got to be extreme, not only on the patient but also on the family. You know, the family members have told me and everybody else that he's a fighter, that he's a survivor, and that he's going to get through this, and I'm really starting to believe them.

MARCIANO: I believe it, too. And I'm reading also, Christy that your step dad, was an active man. He was a cowboy, a fisherman, his actions certainly show bravery. How would you describe him?

ROBERTS: Boyd is the type of person that if he says he's going to do something he does it, and you can count on his word. He has been very active. He has been part of a team roping and won championship belt buckles and camps and fishes. And he doesn't let anything stop him. He was raised to do anything he can put his mind to and he does it. So if anybody can get through this, it's definitely him.

MARCIANO: He put his mind to saving his family that night, certainly. And he once again succeeded. Unfortunately he paid a bit of a price for that and now has a long road ahead and our thought s and hearts go out to your family. Thank you very much for joining us, Christy and Dr. Foster, we appreciate it, and good luck on the road ahead.

ROBERTS: Thank you.

MARCIANO: Switching gears, P. Diddy and his family aren't hurting for money for sure. So why is his son getting a full ride to college? A growing controversy ahead in the newsroom.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARCIANO: Rapper P. Diddy is worth about $475 million. So a lot of people aren't happy about his son getting a full scholarship to UCLA. But the story isn't simple. Justin Combs will play linebacker for the Bruins. The schools says he earned it on the field, and UCLA wasn't the only program that wanted him. But videos like this one aren't helping his case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is not just a cause. This is what we call a car fit for a king.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: Oh, daddio, that's a clip from the MTV show "My Super Sweet 16," and Combs dad P. Diddy giving him a $360,000 car for his birthday.

We're going to break down the controversy with CNN's Education Contributor Steve Perry. Steve, welcome. I'm curious, what do you think? Do you think they should have given combs a scholarship? STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR: Absolutely. He earned it as a football player. He seems also to be a great student. Here you have a kid who's a hard-working individual who wants to establish himself as such, said he wants to be known as Justin Combs not just as P. Diddy's son, and this is the first step in that direction. As somebody who works with children from all socioeconomic backgrounds, I understand how important it is to be judged not by anybody else. That's truly with a meritocracy is.

MARCIANO: For sure. And you have other rick athletes, Michael Jordan, their children have gotten scholarships as well. Nobody said a word. Why do you think P. Diddy and his wealth is playing so well in the media right now.

PERRY: Michael Jordan, Barry Sanders, Eli and Payton Manning are somebody who's a son of a professional athlete. I think it's because in part P. Diddy is a larger than life figure and he flaunts his stuff that both engenders great pride for some of us and some disdain for others. So somewhere along the way people feel like it's their responsibility to tell somebody what they want to do with their life. In part he's a public figure and as part that's part of the responsibility we have.

MARCIANO: And this is very competitive. Let's face it. College football is a business, and if you want the best athletes, student athletes in particular, you've got to throw out the best deal. I would imagine if UCLA didn't give him a deal, you know, some other school would be calling.

PERRY: He said his family is on the west coast. As a lay person he's a solid football play. Apparently UCLA and other students thought he was a great football student. He works hard in the off-season. He takes his study seriously. And do you want to also blame him from being hand millimeter and have a great personality.

MARCIANO: You made a point. He's got 200,000 followers. Eyeballs are going go to him. Does he have what it takes to make the team just walk on, sight unseen?

PERRY: I don't know that he needs to just walk on. The coaching staffs of UCLA and other schools say they don't need him to walk on. They want to pay him to come to school. They're doing just that. Sounds to me like a good decision. I don't know. Again you have to talk to those people. As what I do, this makes sense. And as somebody who send 1/00 percent of their graduates go on to four-year colleges and a hundred percent can't pay without getting some sort of financial assistance. So I don't begrudge them.

MARCIANO: Encourage your kids to do well. Good things will happen maybe for you. We always appreciate your inside. Thanks for getting up with us on a Saturday morning.

OK. You've probably about TLC's popular show "Toddlers and Tiaras" right? Now there's a spin-off. It's got some people abuzz. Take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to win money. You've got to make me holler, honey boom boom.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: Oh, yes. It's Sunny Boo-Boo, and our resident Bill Santiago has got a lot to say about it. Stay right there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARCIANO: New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says he just wants New Yorkers to live a little healthier, longer. That's why he wants to ban supersized sugary drinks in New York City. Let's bring in the comedian who wants to talk about it. He's a Huffington Post blogger Bill Santiago. Good morning, Bill.

I couldn't believe this when it was suggested. Basically 16-ounce drinks that are sugary are going to be banned either in every store or at least in restaurants. What do you thing about that.

BILL SANTIAGO, COMEDIAN: Yes, yes. Bloomberg is out of control. First he tries to take away all of our guns so we're powerless when he takes away our sodas. Once he gets the soda, he'll take our pants. The man has to be stopped. He comes out and celebrates national doughnut day. I think that sound as little contradictory. But you conditioned take out the cop because who would enforce the soda ban. It could get New York City's mojo back. If it goes all the way and we get prohibition, it will usher in a whole new era of organized crime. The city is going to be a lot more fun. I'm looking forward to who the Al Capone is going to be. I think it's a real stimulus package.

MARCIANO: So you're predicting organized crime is going to take hold if this soda ban is established.

SANTIAGO: Absolutely. They'll be busting all sorts of illegal distilleries in the Catskills. It's going to be fun times.

MARCIANO: You know who also may be against it or it may be a reason to ban it. You know kid in TLC's "Toddlers and Tiaras"? She was hopped up on mouth tan due and maybe red bull.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A lot of people want to know what the special juice is. It's to help energize her. A lot of moms say you're doping up your child. No, I'm not. I'm not hurting her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANTIAGO: Oh, my god. There it is. There it is. We're going out in a trailer trash tiara tot trailer spin. That's the final note of our civilization.

MARCIANO: She's getting her own show. SANTIAGO: I know. Look at this inbred Shirley Temple. We should be calling child protective services. Any responsible parent would be trying to sedate this child with a mega dose of Ritalin, and they're trying to get her psyched up. On the other hand I'm glad we have these sorts of reality shows, you know, so we can document how the end of civilization is being accelerated by these very reality shows. That go-go juice, it's a mixture of Mountain Dew and Red Bull. You know, when she's six years, how long before she develops a tolerance? What's next? What do you think is next? I mean she's got meth addict written all over her pudgy little face. You can see the future and we're documenting it on TV.

MARCIANO: Her teeth look a little bit clear already. You're right about that.

Switching gears, I'm reading this thing where travel and leisure comes out with certain rankings of different cities, and they just released the America's worst dressed people's list. And at on the top ten there it is Anchorage, Alaska, the worst dressed for people. Now, you know, I've been to anchorage. It's a beautiful place, but there's a lot of dudes there. Maybe that's why. You don't have as many women there to spruce things up.

SANTIAGO: I don't know if it has anything to do with it. It's an entirely different set of priorities. You're out there in Alaska, Anchorage, you know. When you're being chased down by a polar bear I think you're least concerned about accessorizing.

MARCIANO: Come on. It's more metropolitan than that.

SANTIAGO: It's about survival up there. What about the elements? There's frostbite. That's not the only ridiculous city on the list. You have Salt Lake City, worst dressed there. It's faith-based problem. The underwear is giving everyone the bulky look. Orlando -- half the people in Orlando, they're dressed in some sort of Disney uniform or you have the people from the other worst cities in the city descending on the city and putting on the mouse ears. They should get a -- they should get a pass.

MARCIANO: This is all funny stuff, and I'm glad it's not coming out of my mouth. As a full-time weather man you --

SANTIAGO: That's my job.

MARCIANO: Bill Santiago, thank goodness you're here to say the things that none of us can say, all for fun, by the way. Nobody take offense. Thanks, Bill. We'll check back with you next weekend.

All right, more serious stuff coming up. Stay right there. There's much more ahead in the CNN Newsroom. Join me at the top of the hour after this quick break.

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