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CNN Saturday Morning News
Armstrong to Admit Doping; Arraignment for James Holmes Set for March; Choosing to Live; Flu "Epidemic" May be Slowing; Gun Debate Heats Up; New Recommendations for Ambien; U.S. Guitar Maker Counts on Europe; Afghan War Could End by 2015; Hero Teachers Take Action in Shooting; New York's Newest Black Market; Good Guys with Guns; White House Preparing New Gun Policy; Tough Teen Winner; Local Eating in Beijing, China; Squid Fishing is Hot Sport
Aired January 12, 2013 - 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: From the CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It is Saturday, January 12. Good morning, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye.
Cyclist Lance Armstrong reportedly will make some shocking admissions during an interview with Oprah next week.
The Miss America contest is tonight. But one of the contestants is making news for an entirely different reason.
And ladies taking Ambien, listen up. The FDA has some new rules for us who take that sleep medication.
We begin with that Lance Armstrong bombshell. "USA Today" reports that Armstrong will admit to doping on Monday in an interview with -- who else -- Oprah Winfrey. Armstrong has denied doping allegations in the past. But some believe Armstrong would have a whole lot to gain from admitting it now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVE SHIELDS, AUTHOR, "THE TOUR": According to some sources, that he's -- he's kind of realized that his own children are going to eventually learn the truth and it's going to be real embarrassing if he hasn't ever said it by that point. So I think he's just behind the eight ball. There will be certain critics that will say, oh good he's, you know, he's -- he's come clean, he's said this. Let's forgive him now. And you know that probably is the right thing to do at one level.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Our Nick Valencia has been following the story. Good morning to you.
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
KAYE: So what could be the legal consequences if he does indeed tell Oprah that he has been doping because he has been denying it for so long.
VALENCIA: Yes he's repeatedly denied it.
KAYE: Yes.
VALENCIA: And that's what's angering his legion of fans and others that have been closely watching the story. For those who think that this is the last chapter in the saga that is Lance Armstrong, they're sorely mistaken. This could have potentially have some -- some big legal ramifications.
The Department of Justice principally Randi has yet to decide whether or not they're going to latch onto a lawsuit, pending lawsuit from his former teammate, Floyd Landis. If you remember he is one of the first people that came out.
(CROSSTALK)
KAYE: Yes.
VALENCIA: And tied Lance Armstrong to performance enhancing drugs. So whether or not the DOJ latches on to this whistleblower lawsuit that could bring forward criminal charges. Also it's a little more complicated than that. Take a listen to the "USA Today" reporter who initially broke this story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Civilly it's a lot -- it's a lot trickier. Like you mentioned, there are a lot of sponsors that invested a lot of money in him. There are people that have sued him already because they think they have been defrauded by him because of his lies about performance enhancing drugs. So that is a risk he's taking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VALENCIA: And we've heard from his former teammates over and over Randi, those that have already pleaded guilty to doping. And they say that he's not any different from them. He took this throughout his cycling career, some allege.
KAYE: Yes you know I talked to Dave Shields, the author of "The Tour", who has spent some time following the Tour De France. We just saw a bite with him. And he says you know he'll never believe him. He'll never support him again. What do you think the general public opinion is? I mean, will people come back to Camp Lance?
VALENCIA: Well there's some tweets that we've been getting this morning. Some people are still very angry at him. They say, why don't you just do this a few years back when you had the chance. If you remember in 2005, he swore under testimony under oath that he had nothing to do with performance enhancing drugs. There are others Randi that say we're going to support him no matter what. He's a cancer survivor. He's an icon, he's a hero is on to see so many. He started the cancer charity LiveStrong, which is now reportedly worth $100 million. He had to step down from that.
To some people it says sort of a double sided coin here. Some say it yes, it doesn't matter.
KAYE: Yes.
VALENCIA: Others say he should have admitted it a long time ago.
KAYE: No matter how people feel though, I mean just judging from the Twitter feed and all of that.
(CROSSTALK)
VALENCIA: Yes.
KAYE: The people have very strong opinions.
VALENCIA: Well he's a popular -- you know he's a popular guy. This is a seven-time Tour De France winner.
KAYE: Yes.
VALENCIA: Somebody that brought a sport to its height of popularity here in the United States. No longer.
KAYE: Yes.
VALENCIA: Now he's this sort of tarnished, fallen from grace icon.
KAYE: No question. All right Nick. Thank you.
VALENCIA: Thank you.
KAYE: Appreciate it.
Well it will be another two months before the accused shooter in the Colorado theater massacre hears the 166 charges against him. Yesterday a judge delayed James Holmes' arraignment to give the defense more time to prepare. But as Jim Spellman reports, the delay is hard to handle for family members of victims.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIM SPELLMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Over three days, prosecutors in the Aurora theater shooting case laid out what they allege is a cold-blooded, deliberate attack by defendant James Holmes. Family members in court heard from police officers and coroners that Holmes not only planned the attack that ultimately killed 12 and wounded 58 but he took disturbing photos of himself while making the preparations.
Steve Hernandez, father of victim Rebecca Wingo, blurted out in court, "Rot in hell, Holmes," as the defendant was leaving the courtroom today. Other family members in the courtroom said they understand his reaction.
YOUSEF GHARBI, COLORADO MOVIE THEATER SHOOTING VICTIM: I didn't think he was going to say something like that, just like -- I didn't know exactly what the outburst was, I thought maybe it was just like a scream or maybe crying. But when I found out it was, "Rot in hell, James Holmes," I was kind of surprised.
SPELLMAN: Is it hard to hold your tongue during these procedures?
GHARBI: Me personally no. Because I do not want to get in trouble. He could have gotten in a lot of trouble for what he did today. But he had his daughter die.
SPELLMAN: The judge ruled that Holmes can stand trial in the case. He'll officially be arraigned and expected to enter a plea in March.
Jim Spellman, CNN, Centennial, Colorado.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Allyn Rose is competing to become Miss America. But Win or lose the current Miss DC has decided to undergo a preventative double mastectomy after the pageant at the urging of her father. Her mother, grandmother and aunt all died from the disease. And although she is young and healthy, she may be predisposed to get the disease that killed her family members.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You've gone through the genetic testing.
ALLYN ROSE, MISS DC: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you've decided to have a double mastectomy before cancer hits.
ROSE: Yes. I just, I want to be proactive. And it's something that I'm now willing to wait around to see if it happens to me, to have a family history that's so -- something so prevalent in my family. And to know that this took my mom when I was 16 years old and I don't want to put my daughter through that someday. I don't want to put my husband through that. I had to watch my dad battle losing the woman he spent the last 25 years of his life with. And it's just -- it's not worth it to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: The medical community is divided over such radical pre-emptive surgery at an early age.
Some good news on the flu despite warnings that we're facing an epidemic, the situation may be starting to improve. The CDC has released new numbers showing the high number is declining in parts of the country. But it's still a pretty dangerous situation with widespread activity now reported in 47 states. The CDC's latest count shows 20 children have died across the country.
So the question is, should you get the flu shot to prevent yourself from getting the virus? Doctors say 62 percent of those who take the shot are less likely to get it.
Our Athena Jones is live at a flu clinic in Falls Church, Virginia. Athena, good morning. So over -- over the last few days, we keep hearing everyone needs to get a flu shot. But the question is, is there enough of the vaccine to go around?
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning Randi.
Well, doctors say there is enough vaccine to go around. I think you've got some numbers you can put up on the screen. There are millions of doses still available. We are here as you mentioned at a flu clinic in Falls Church, not too far outside of Washington. This is actually a multiservice clinic. So they provide dental care as well as medical care.
They tell us that most of the people coming in here are already showing some sort of some symptoms and want to be diagnosed for the flu. But they've also seen a big boost in the number of people seeking vaccinations just in the last 12 days. They say they still have some on stock. Doctors say that there are some spot shortages around. So people may have to check around, call around to make sure that they know the place that they're going to go to get the shot, it still has the shot -- Randi.
KAYE: And health officials have been urging people to get vaccinated as we know. But many Americans avoid the flu shot because a lot of them are convinced that it's going to give them the flu. In talking with people there and other experts, I mean, is there any truth to that?
JONES: No, there's no truth to that. You're not going to get the flu from the flu shot. Now they say that you shouldn't probably get it if you are sick and if you already have the flu. Some say it might help. But that's going to really depend on a case-by-case basis. The idea here is that people should go out and get the flu -- get the flu shot.
There's still time. If you're very, very young or very old, over 65, people who have underlying medical conditions like asthma, other respiratory illnesses, people who have weakened immune systems, those are the folks that should be getting the flu shot. And they should get it -- get it soon.
KAYE: Yes. So if you are sick, you said you probably shouldn't get the flu shot. So what is the best way then to treat it? What are they telling you?
JONES: Well, it's interesting. I spoke with a doctor here. He said that if you can come in and you're just showing symptoms within 48 hours, you may be treated with an anti-viral like Tamiflu or Rulenza (ph) to can help reduce the symptoms. But for the most part people should begin to feel better with some rest and a lot of fluids over five or seven days.
The doctors here said that they haven't had to send anyone on to the emergency room here. But if you start feeling sudden dizziness, if you have difficulty breathing, if the symptoms go away and then come back, that's -- that could be a sign of a serious turn. This is a strain of the flu this year that the doctors say is harsher, could lead to more complications and leave people sicker longer. And so if you have some of those symptoms, those are the times to go and get more serious care at an emergency room -- Randi.
KAYE: Athena Jones, thank you very much. Stay healthy.
JONES: Thanks.
KAYE: President Obama is vowing to make changes that will reduce gun violence. And Joe Biden has been tasked to come up with recommendations. We'll hear from a pastor who met with the Vice President this week.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back. 12 minutes past the hour now.
Vice President Joe Biden is expected to present recommendations from his gun violence task force on Tuesday. Yesterday he met with producers of some of the most popular and violent video games, "Call of Duty" and "Medal of Honor." Biden said that he wasn't looking to point fingers he's just looking for some solutions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have a problem beyond quote, "The Massacres", the Columbines to the Auroras to Connecticut. You know there's 10,000 people a year gunned down in our cities. Different motives, different reasons, different explanations. But you know, it's a real problem. It's -- it's serious.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: There may be room for compromise. Iowa Republican Senator Chuck Grassley says he may be open to limiting high-capacity magazines. He says that move would not challenge the Second Amendment right to bear arms.
Voices from both sides of the aisle were present at Vice President Biden's gun violence meetings, everyone from representative of the NRA to the national faith leaders like the Reverend Mike McBride. I spoke with him earlier and asked him what was discussed in the meeting and why Christians are so split over the issue of gun control.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. MIKE MCBRIDE, ORDAINED CLERGY, UNIVERSAL LIFE CHURCH: It was an amazing opportunity for a number of us, faith leaders all across this country from various different faith, traditions and -- and denominations to lift up our voices in concert and talk about the moral imperatives that are before us to address all the many forms of gun violence that continue to shatter and impact so many lives in our country.
KAYE: Did -- did the Vice President ask for ideas, and also I'm curious if he sent you back with a message to bring to your congregation. MCBRIDE: Well, certainly you know, there were a number of ideas that were talked about and I personally carried into the conversation a story of one of my young teenagers that I have had to bury and how in his funeral there were over 500 teenagers in the church during his funeral.
And I asked how many of them have been to more than one funeral, more than two funerals, more than five funerals. I got all the way up to ten funerals. And over half of the young people wept with their hands in the air. And it was a -- an important moment because I believe in all of our bishops and clergy across the country, we believe that this tragic -- this tragic incident is an opportunity to unite all Americans around common sense solutions to address gun violence.
And we were able to lift up a lot of the same strategies of universal background checks, assault weapons bans, mental health interventions, but also comprehensive and proven targeted strategies to address violence in cities all across this country.
KAYE: Let me ask you why there does appear to be a divide among Christians when it comes to gun control. I mean, a Public Religion Research Institute survey which was taken before the Newtown shooting showed that white evangelical Protestants were less likely to favor tighter gun laws than Catholics. White mainline Protestants are religiously unaffiliated Americans. Why do you think that is?
MCBRIDE: Thank you for that question. I mean I think that's a wonderful question. We should not be surprised that many of our people of faith in this country who are all Americans, are very much passionate about the Second Amendment and gun rights. At the same time, we should not -- we should also not be surprised that there are just as many people of faith, if not more, who are all in favor of common sense gun laws and promoting a culture of peace and healing in our communities.
And I believe that it is our time and our moment to look within ourselves and the principles of our faith to unite our country around a common moral imperative to address the gun violence that is in our country. Even to those statistics that you've just lifted up, interestingly enough, the National Association of Evangelicals have just put out their most recent report that over 70 percent of their evangelical leaders all support common sense gun laws.
So it is an opportunity for us as leaders to go back to our congregations, to our communities, all across this country with all our wonderful diversity, and share that we have a moment to unite our country around common sense gun laws that saves lives.
KAYE: And this may be a moment. But certainly the NRA is gearing up for a fight. Joe Biden has said that maybe the president might take executive action here, an executive order. Are you confident that something will change, that something will get done?
MCBRIDE: I'm not only confident, I'm filled with hope. I'm filled with optimism. Many of the NRA members agree with these common sense gun laws; it is a very small number of NRA lobbyist, of gun industry advocates who are really not representing the will of their own membership.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: That was the Reverend Mike McBride this morning.
No NBC employee will face charges after a high-capacity ammunition magazine was displayed on "Meet the Press". David Gregory held up the empty magazine while talking with NRA CEO Wayne Lapierre about gun control. But the display is against the law in Washington. Police officials say there was a miscommunication between NBC and law enforcement.
So do you need help falling asleep? Changes are coming for some of the most popular sleeping pills. We'll tell you why.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: The FDA is recommending new guidelines for women who take the sleeping drug Ambien. This comes after years of complaints of people still feeling drowsy the morning after taking the medication. And in some cases, getting into car accidents.
Earlier I spoke with Dr. Jeffrey Oyler about the new recommendations and what they mean for patients.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. JEFFREY OYLER, PIEDMONT HOSPITAL: Well, it's a recommendation, and what we're trying to do is make sure that women who metabolize the medication a little slower than men don't take the medicine and get up in the morning and go get in a car. It's not uncommon for sedative hypnotics to do this, but the recommendations are coming out now, many of the people practicing clinically have already known this for years.
KAYE: So, if we do metabolize it slower than men, what are some of the side effects then for women who have taken too much Ambien for her body weight?
OYLER: Well, you know, Ambien is really kind of a band-aid drug. It's a great medicine to induce sleep, but it's not a great medicine at keeping you asleep. So, the general recommendations for an Ambien are that you take it for a two to six-week period. You really want to modify the behavior or whatever is causing the insomnia, probably the first line of therapy. And you're using it to simply assist people in getting rest until you get to the bottom of what the real cause of their insomnia is.
KAYE: And so, from what I understand, part of this drug is that people who take it may not even know that they're drowsy. I mean have you actually encountered patients with this type of problem and other problems related to Ambien?
OYLER: Right. Ambien is a very common drug. It's a great medication, like I said, to induce sleep. The problem is, it's really rapid onset. So, there'll be people even fall asleep at the dinner table.
So what we recommend is actually get dressed, get into bed, take the medicine because it's about a 15-minute onset. It only lasts two to three hours and that's one of the problems with it. There's a CR formulation that many people take that has a longer ability to keep them asleep.
But -- and the other problems with Ambien is you can get sleep walking, retrograde amnesia, headaches with it. It has like, all medications, some very common side effects, but it's also very effective at getting them to sleep.
KAYE: So you say it only lasts two or three hours but it stays in the system, that's the issue.
OYLER: That's exactly right.
KAYE: Got it. Does this announcement surprise you? I mean isn't it somewhat long overdue? We've been using Ambien. People have been using Ambien for years.
OYLER: Right. It doesn't surprise me. I don't think it surprises many people that practice clinically. All of these drugs, sedative hypnotics in some way, shape or form have a hangover effect. And it's not uncommon for us when we're prescribing medications like this to tell people they have to function the next day, move the dosing up.
KAYE: So in addition to Ambien because some people try other medications to sleep, what else should we be concerned about? What other drugs?
OYLER: Well, Ambien in a classical non-benzodiazepine. But any of the more typical drugs that people have heard of Ativan, Valium. Again all of these drugs can help sleep, but they're really not encouraged long- term because of the addictive potential. And that's one of the advantages that people liked about Ambien, it has a lower risk of addiction, but it's still not zero. And that's the concern.
That's why you don't want people on it more than two to six weeks. And even so, you really don't want them taking more than about three to four times a week as needed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: The FDA says new labeling on the insomnia drugs will recommend that doctors lower the dosage for men even, as well.
Unemployment in the Eurozone hit a record high this week of almost 12 percent. Now U.S. firm which trade heavily with foreign markets are worried. Among them one of the world's most prestigious guitar-makers.
Here's Tom Foreman with this week's "American Journey".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Paul Reed Smith guitars are prized around the globe, played by professionals like Carlos Santana on his hit "Smooth," and amateurs, too.
PAUL REED SMITH, FOUNDER: About 50 percent of all the guitars made in this building go overseas so it's about half our business.
FOREMAN: No wonder at the Paul Reed Smith Plant in Maryland where craftsmen turn out 1,000 instruments a month the founder is watching the European market closely.
SMITH: If the exchange rate goes one way, we sell a lot more stuff. If it goes the other way, we sell less because it became more expensive in their country or it became less expensive.
FOREMAN: You've seen that happen.
SMITH: Oh, God yes, every day.
FOREMAN: Specifically this is how volatility could affect them. This guitar, for example, which would sell for around $3,000 in the U.S. is being shipped to Europe today. If the euro is strong and the economy's stable when it arrives, all is well. But if the euro gets devalued or the banks or the stocks are in trouble, this American-made product can find itself facing some real hurdles.
The shop that wants to order it may be unable to get a loan for its inventory, therefore, the instrument never gets shipped. Or the customer who wants to buy this guitar may find that his money is now worth so little he can't afford it. And if this drought in the revenue stream continues pushing more businesses and more governments toward default on their debt, then there's a risk of the whole market drying up.
So, everyone knows each time a shipment arrives in Europe like this one, unpredictable market forces here could undermine the value of those guitars and force layoffs back home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The last few years just thinking about the economy in general, it's kind of a generalized fear.
FOREMAN: For now they control what they can.
SMITH: If we do a better job when somebody's looking to buy a guitar, they'll look more to our stuff than the other stuff over time.
FOREMAN: And they just hope that economic waves from Europe don't come crashing against American shores.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Stevensville, Maryland.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Remember prohibition? Well, instead of liquor, one of today's biggest black markets traffics in cigarettes. We'll show you why smuggled cigarettes are so popular.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back, everyone.
After more than 11 years of combat operations, the end of the war in Afghanistan could be in sight. President Obama met with Afghan president, Hamid Karzai yesterday at the White House to discuss withdrawing all 66,000 U.S. troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014. Now it's not a done deal but both men do sound optimistic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our path is clear, and we are moving forward. Every day, more Afghans are stepping up and taking responsibility for their own security. And as they do, our troops will come home. And next year this long war will come to a responsible end.
HAMID KARZAI, PRESIDENT OF AFGHANISTAN: The American forces will be no longer present in Afghan villages. The task will be that of the Afghan forces to provide for the Afghan people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: U.S. officials foresee keeping up to 9,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan beyond 2014 for counterterrorism and training.
Two teachers are being hailed as heroes for their roles in stopping a gunman in a high school. It all started on Thursday when a 16-year- old student walked into his school in Central California with a shotgun and pockets full of ammunition.
He shot one student at point-blank range and that's when 40-year-old teacher Ryan Heber stepped in. He stood face to face with the gunman and persuaded him to put the gun down. Meanwhile, another teacher, Ken Fields, helped other students escape the classroom.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERIFF DON YOUNGBLOOD, KERN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: This teacher and this counselor stood there face to face, not knowing whether he is going to turn that shotgun on them and -- because they've seen the news media throughout our country in the last several months, and they probably expected the worst and hoped for the best. But they gave their students a chance to escape and conversed and it worked.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: The teen was taken into police custody. Officials say he'll be charged with attempted murder. The student who was shot was taken to the hospital and is in critical but stable condition.
It is New York's newest black market. I'm not talking about organs or drugs. I am talking about cigarettes. A new study shows that more than 60 percent of the cigarettes sold there are sold illegally. Susan Candiotti went to find out why.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In New York City, cigarettes are the most expensive in the country up to $12 a pack.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So insane.
CANDIOTTI: Some try to get around it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's like $12 a pack. So I have somebody that I know that lives in Virginia. Goes there once in a while, and brings me back a carton. I pay like somewhat like $6 a pack I would say like half of what New York is.
CANDIOTTI: But smuggling large quantities of cigarettes across state lines can be lucrative business. The reason smokes are cheaper in some states -- tax. In Virginia it's just 30 cents a pack. In New York City, state and local taxes are closer to a whopping $6 a pack. The average state tax is about $1.50.
Research by the pro-business center and analyzed by the Tax Foundation shows more than six in ten cigarettes sold in New York State are illegal.
SCOTT DRENKARD, ECONOMIST, TAX FOUNDATION: We've crossed the line where we have de facto prohibition on cigarettes because the prices are blown so out of proportion. And prohibition, as history tells us, is associated with substantial lucrative block market activity.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There we go. They're loading.
CANDIOTTI: This video shows a convicted smuggler buying cheap cigarettes in Virginia to resell on the black market.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They could come down and spend maybe $20,000 on a load of cigarettes. Lose it to us and make it up in the next trip. So it's very profitable.
CANDIOTTI: Profitable for bad guys, but the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives says $10 billion a year in tax revenue is going up in smoke. But the New York City Health Department says higher taxes are the most effective way to decrease tobacco use, particularly among children. Smokers say quitting isn't so easy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It bothers me, but I'm still smoking because it's a habit that's hard to kick.
CANDIOTTI: This smoker still plan to get cheaper cigarettes from Virginia.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's too high in New York. That's what I think. That's why I do what I do.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI: The ATF says the demand for cheaper cigarettes is so high and the rescue for smugglers so low, the black market is booming, an unintended consequence of high cigarette taxes. Susan Candiotti, CNN, New York.
KAYE: The Tax Foundation says its analysis of cigarette taxes is independent, but the research center that carries out the research every year won't say whether any tobacco money funded that study.
Two shooting incidents, two armed witnesses, I'll tell you how these cases turned out very differently. You can decide what it means for the gun debate.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Good guys with guns. That's the NRA's solution to gun violence in America. They rolled that out in response to the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. But is that really a solution? We're focusing on the gun debate today and we can see both sides. Here is the tale of two shootings.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE (voice-over): If you wonder whether or not good people armed with guns really do help prevent more gun violence, look no further than the shooting inside this San Antonio Theatre in December.
Around 9:30 p.m. December 17, 19-year-old Jesus Manuel Garcia allegedly opened fire at the China Garden Restaurant. Investigators say he was targeting his ex-girlfriend who worked there. Police say when the employees fled, the shooter chased after them in the parking lot, firing at them.
In the chaos, he also shot at a San Antonio patrol car after the officer shined a light on him.
SGT. RAYMOND POLLARD, DEXAR CO., TEXAS SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: He was having a difficult time dealing with the breakup, and that's what may have set him off to come over and commit this act.
KAYE: Garcia then followed the restaurant employees into the Mayan Palace movie theatre next door. The gunman kept shooting as panicked movie-goers poured out the exit doors.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Could have died, you know. I'm glad I'm OK and I have another day with my son.
KAYE: One of the fleeing patrons was wounded. But so many might have died had it not been for a quick-thinking off-duty sheriff's sergeant who also was armed. Sergeant Lisa Castellano out of uniform happened to be working security at the theatre and ran toward the sound of the shooting.
When Castellano spotted the suspect coming out of the bathroom with his gun drawn, she shot him four times.
LISA CASTELLANO, DEXAR CO., TEXAS SHERIFF'S DEPT.: That was really nerve-racking and -- it was -- I'm not going to lie, it was frightening, but you know, the training kicks in. KAYE: Garcia, the suspect, is charged with attempted capital murder and has not yet entered a plea. He survived, but more importantly, so did everyone else in that movie theatre thanks to one of the good guys with a gun.
But as we all know, not every shooting incident ends like the one this San Antonio. Those in favor of tighter gun controls might argue that good guy with a gun scenarios can make a bad situation even worse.
Take what happened in Arizona on January 8th, 2011, when a lone gunman opened fire on Congresswoman Gabby Giffords at a community event. While Jared Lee Loughner was spraying Giffords and the crowd with bullets, an innocent bystander named Joe Zamudio was at a nearby drug store buying cigarettes.
When he heard the gunfire, Zamudio who was legally armed with a pistol, ran to the scene. By the time he arrived, his safety was off and he was poised to fire. Trouble is he almost shot the wrong man. Zamudio on Fox News.
JOE ZAMUDIO, HELPED SUBDUE ARIZONA SHOOTER: As I approached, one of the gentlemen had gotten a gun away. That's what I saw first was him holding the gun. You know, I had my hand on my pistol.
KAYE: Zamudio has said he was incredibly lucky that he didn't shoot. Listen to what he told MSNBC.
ZAMUDIO: I saw another individual holding the firearm. I kind of assumed he was the shooter. So I grabbed his wrist and forced him to drop the gun. When he did that, everybody said, no, no, it's this guy. I would have shot him. I almost shot the man holding the gun.
KAYE: The man Zamudio almost shot was the hero who had tackled the real shooter and wrestled his gun away from him. Two very different shootings, two armed bystanders to the rescue, and the debate continues.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Part of the debate going forward is over specific weapons. The White House is expected to push for an assault weapons ban, but neither of the guns used in these two shootings would even fall under that ban. They were both handguns.
In San Antonio, the suspect's Glock.23 could hold as many as 17 bullets while Jared Lee Loughner's Glock.19 could hold 33 shots. That's another part of the debate. Should high-capacity magazines be banned? Vice President Joe Biden says he expects to present his gun policy recommendations by Tuesday.
Well, they call him punch baby. I'm going to introduce you to a 13- year-old fighter who is already world champion.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Well, he has done more with his time on this planet than some people do in a lifetime. He is just 13. Reshat Mati is a national boxing champion. A seven-time North American Submission champion and Junior Olympic Boxing champion.
His coach has a hard time finding someone brave enough to even spar with him in the ring. I took him on -- sort of.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RESHAT MATI, 13-YEAR-OLD MMA FIGHTER: My dad said when I was a little baby, I used to punch a lot, and well, after I tried team sports, I really didn't like -- depending on one person. If he messed up, the whole team would have messed up. In boxing, if you mess up, it's your fault. But I like it -- if you win, you know that you're the person that won.
KAYE: You look so brave, though. I mean, you really take these people on, even the adults. What do you think about when you're in that ring and when you're fighting?
MATIN: When I'm in the ring, I usually feel -- I feel two things. I feel mentally and physically able to compete. But also if you compete and you're like not able to like physically prepare, I still try to fight.
KAYE: And your dad teaches you the moves. His father taught him the boxing moves and your dad is very much on your mind in the ring, as well, right?
MATI: Yes.
KAYE: Is there a lot of pressure?
MATIN: It -- it is because when he comes, I have to like win it. But at the same time, I want to win myself. But I also want to make him proud of what I'm doing for most of my life which is boxing, wrestling, jujitsu.
KAYE: And you've already accomplished so much as we mentioned. You've won so many championships. Do you see yourself staying with fighting? I mean, or do you want to try another sport, or is this it for you?
MATI: Honestly, I think -- I actually want to continue boxing and stuff because I -- I kind of like it. I like it better than other sports.
KAYE: What do your friends think of what you do?
MATI: They think it's amazing how I box because a lot of people like football and all -- team sports. But individual sports, people just think it's amazing how you're the only person that's like trying to win.
KAYE: Yes. So when there's a fight in school yard, are the one who settles it? Do you even have time for school with all that you're doing? MATI: I don't -- I don't like to fight in school. It's not the right thing to do, but when I -- if I see a situation, I don't fight. Honestly, I try to avoid it until I go -- I try to go into the ring. That's the only time I'm fighting.
KAYE: How do you balance school work with everything that you're doing? I mean, there are probably a lot of kids who say, I want to do something like that. Who has the time? I have to study.
MATI: Well, it's -- since I go to high school now, I do my homework sometimes in school, sometimes in my lunch period and I if I go home, I eat, do homework. After I'm done with that, I go to training.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: An amazing young man. Reshat trains five days a week. He travels to two different gyms every night, one in Brooklyn for boxing and then one on Staten Island for kickboxing, a very busy schedule for him.
Ever hear of a traffic jam in the middle of the ocean? It can happen when the catch of the day is the amazing flying squid.
But first, when traveling to other cities and countries, the best way to get a real taste of the place is through the local food. CNN I- Report has teamed up with "Travel and Leisure" magazine to create a global list of 100 places to eat like a local. Here is CNN's Anna Coren in Beijing, China with a sample.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, I'm Anna Coren in Beijing. When I want to eat like a local, I come to Yaoji. Let's go on a tour come with me. What are you getting?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We got corn cakes here and brown sugar rolls here. Something else, yes --
COREN: OK, what are we going to order?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We'll be ordering noodles and --
COREN: OK, sounds good, looks good. This is the owner for 30 years, quite extraordinary. She's sitting down with us. I want to ask her about this food. What is so special about this food?
YAO YAN, OWNER, YAOJI CHEOGAN RESTAURANT (through translator): My restaurant is famous. Our food is made with care and it really has the old Beijing flavor.
YAO LONG, CHEF (through translator): The Forbidden City had a dish called stewed pork. Ordinary citizens changed the recipe over time and started using intestines and organs.
COREN: Now this is the dish if you want to come here. It's called gulu. It is heart, intestines, and liver. It has an interesting smell to it, but I'm assured by the chef that it is very nutritious, very good for you.
Now this place is known for pig's liver, chicken heart, cow intestines. I'm more get more adventurous. I'm going to go for the moose, tasty. So if you want to be a tourist, go to the places in the guidebook, but if you want to be a local, eat like a local then come to Yaoji.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: I-Reporters here's your chance to help us create a food lover's map of the world. Doesn't that sound good, go to ireport.com/100places. Send us a photo of your favorite restaurant and your favorite dish, why it's so special and yummy, and how you discovered it.
The definitive list of 100 places to eat like a local will be revealed in March. Some I-Reporters will be on the list. Stay tuned to see if you are one of them.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Marine biologists are still pinching themselves over the first- ever video of a giant squid. The ten-foot-long creature was seen 3,000 feet down in the Pacific off the Japanese Island of Chi Chi. That's a lot of calamari.
While the sighing of the giant squid is exciting news, CNN's Miguel Marquez discovered that fishing for the giant squid's smaller cousins is exciting in its own right.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a Southern California squid frenzy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There we go.
MARQUEZ: Every night fishing boats packed to the "gills "set off to hunt for two- to three-foot-long, sometimes bigger squid. The sea here of Dana Point thick with krill, squid food, the elusive creatures, good sport fishing, they make a fine squid steak. They are bizarre, shooting ink and water as they fight to stay in the sea.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes!
MARQUEZ: When out of the water they change colors sometimes like a traffic light.
(on camera): This is what the squid hunters have come after, Humboldt squid. Look at that. There's the eye there. Their teeth are right under here. If I stuck my hand under here, it would try to grab me. They change colors, amazingly. Somebody grab hold of this one and you can see a perfect handprint on that squid right there.
(voice-over): The Humboldt or flying squid makes its home from Alaska to South America. It is very rare to have so many squid off the coast for so long, offering such great fishing or squidding.
Todd Mansur, captain, knows these waters well. Tonight, he's the only guy who knows precisely where the squid are, boats from miles around Hover, hoping for a squid bonanza.
(on camera): A traffic jam in the middle of nowhere.
TODD MANSUR, DANA WHARF SPORTFISHING: I tried to move the boat forward to give room and I couldn't. There are too many boats in front of me. Just awesome!
MARQUEZ (voice-over): The 2013 is shaping up to be the year of the squid. A giant squid, a very distant cousin of the Humboldt, was seen for the first time in its natural habitat 2,000 feet down off the coast of Japan.
Squid isn't just for breading and deep frying anymore. In popular culture, the squid agenda is alive and well and bent on world domination. Did you see "Galaxoa" in "Monsters versus Aliens?
All hail. Viva la squid. Miguel Marquez, CNN, Dana Point, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: "CNN NEWSROOM" starts at the top of the hour. I was sitting here saying I would never pick one up. Martin Savidge is in for Fredricka today. You would have touched it.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That whole giant squid, that video is amazing. Let's talk act what we've got coming up. We're tracking the flu, of course. Dr. Sanjay Gupta and others will help with that. There is actually some positive news. We'll bring that to you.
We'll also talk about Golden Globes. Tomorrow night, we'll preview some of that. Who got snubbed by the Oscars? A lot of people still are very angry that Ben Affleck is not there.
KAYE: For "Argo."
SAVIDGE: I mean, that is such a highly talked about film. Anyway, we'll talk about that as well.
The backdoor maneuvering by the GOP and others when it comes to the president's new cabinet. Many people say, you know, that cabinet is not looking like America at this particular time. We'll go into that.
Then the list of other stuff because it is long but good, we got snakes, beauty queen, Duchess of Cambridge, Casey Anthony and in the 4:00 hour an exclusive interview with Naomi Judd.
KAYE: That's quite a mix, snakes and Casey Anthony.
SAVIDGE: It's like snakes on the plane.
KAYE: Exactly. All right, Martin. We'll see you in just a few minutes. Thank you.
Well, the flu can turn from mild to deadly very quickly. And we have the story of one mom who saved her son's life by acting so quickly.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: The flu and common cold have many shared symptoms and sometimes people delay going to a doctor thinking they have a cold that will just go away. But you need to act quickly to prevent complications and even death.
CNN senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen spoke to a mom who saved her son's life by fast action.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Darius Carr is so sick with the flu, he's in the hospital. He could have died if not for the quick thinking of his mother. Robbie Carey was keeping a close eye on her son at home. He didn't seem all that sick then suddenly Wednesday night --
ROBBIE CAREY, SON HOSPITALIZED WITH FLU: He couldn't hardly breathe. He was, you know, gasping for, you know, breath, and that was real scary because I thought he was going to pass out at any minute.
COHEN: Robbie immediately brought her 7-year-old son to the emergency room. It's just a short drive away, but by the time they got there, Darius was incoherent.
(on camera): How did you feel in your heart when your own son didn't know who you were?
CAREY: You don't want to think the worst, but as a parent you can't help it, you know?
COHEN: The flu had struck Darius hard, his asthma making it even worse. Doctors had to give him oxygen. Looking for red flags like Robbie did can save your child's life, difficulty breathing, getting better and then sick again, a sign that a second infection has set in and refusing to drink. And a red flag Darius' mom noticed extreme fatigue.
(on camera): But sick kids are usually lethargic.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, for a while and then usually, they'll perk back up.
COHEN: If there's no perking up?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If there's a problem.
COHEN (voice-over): Kids with the flu can get very sick very fast. So when in doubt get your child to a doctor.
(on camera): I can't imagine if you hadn't brought him in. CAREY: That's what I don't even want to think about and I'm just so glad that I did, follow that mom instinct and bring him in right away, you know, that may have saved his life.
COHEN: Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Fort Worth, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Thanks for watching, everyone. "CNN NEWSROOM" continues now with Martin Savidge. You can pick it up from here.
SAVIDGE: All right, Randi, thanks very much.
KAYE: Sure.
