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CNN Saturday Morning News

Government to Join Suit against Armstrong; Vatican Slams Media Reports as "Gossip"; Vegas Crash Victim Identified; More Snow Coming to New England; Pistorius Case: Two Versions of One Story; Six Nuclear Tanks Leaking; Underemployment Impacts Lives; Chinese Hacking Network Identified

Aired February 23, 2013 - 11:00   ET

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

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It's Saturday, February 23rd. Good morning, I'm Victor Blackwell in for Randi Kaye.

The Vatican may be facing a new scandal -- explosive allegations involving sex, bribes and fierce infighting.

New England, ah, New England, bracing for more severe weather. We'll tell you what's brewing in the northeast this weekend.

And Danica Patrick is gearing up for the Daytona 500 and hoping to drive right into the history books. We'll have all that and more this hour.

Oscar Pistorius will be back in court on June 4th. But this weekend, the Olympic hero is staying at his uncle's house. He was released on $112,000 bail. But of course, there are conditions. Pistorius cannot return to his house and must report every Monday and Friday to a police station. He must avoid witnesses. He must surrender his passport and cannot go near an airport. And he must not drink alcohol.

Senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is live in Johannesburg, South Africa for us. Nic what's the reaction of the people there in South Africa? This man was a hero. But are they -- are they happy or disappointed that he was released on bail?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: He was a hero for them. And so many people here, in fact almost everyone, has followed this whether it's on Twitter, step by step what's happening in the courtroom. The television headlines, the local news, the newspaper banner headlines. It's been there in people's faces. They've been following the bail hearings.

But now there's a decision, it does seem people are divided over the outcome.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's fair. I think the man is not -- we don't know if he's guilty or not. And to trial him now it's not really fair and I think they've set the right conditions for the bail. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's shocking to think that despite of all the evidence that have mounted up against him, he still managed to get bail, you know? It's -- I guess a reflection of our judicial system after all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: Well, his family says they're pleased to have him home. They know their lives have changed irreversibly. His uncle has said he's eaten, he's had a bath. They want to talk with him about everything that's happened, they've got further time together. They say the family says this has really drawn them much closer together.

The legal experts talking to us though, say don't read too much is the outcome of the bail hearing. The trial could be a whole lot different -- Victor.

BLACKWELL: And Nic we carried the proceedings yesterday live on CNN. And the magistrate took almost two hours to explain this bail decision. Is that common?

ROBERTSON: It isn't. The whole proceedings weren't common. He's -- took the two hours which is perhaps twice as long as some regular bail hearings are in their entirety. What he did there and lawyers have commented on it is lay down a very, very sort of detailed legal account of what's happened, taking everything into balance. Because there have been some political pressures and some popular pressure on the street, if you will, to keep Oscar Pistorius in jail until the trial.

So what he wanted to do was really lay it out there so that no one could come back to him and question his judgment about why he'd done it. Laid it all out there and -- and he came down hard against the prosecution, against the police investigation. Some of it essentially was saying it was very slipshod and that I think is perhaps -- he wanted to make sure he was on firm ground and nobody could come back -- back at him on that.

BLACKWELL: All right, senior international correspondent Nic Robertson live in Johannesburg for us. Thank you.

The Vatican is slamming media reports in Italy about why Pope Benedict decided to resign. Two publications say it happened the same day the Pope received a bombshell, 300-page Vatican dossier documenting homosexuality in the priesthood.

CNN senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman joins us live from Rome now. And Ben the Vatican says this is an attempt by the Italian media to influence the upcoming conclave. Walk us through this.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes basically this goes back to the December 17th when three cardinals who were assigned by Pope Benedict to investigate wrongdoing in the Vatican presented him with a 300-page red-bound dossier which included information, according to these two publications, "La Republica," which is a daily newspaper and "Panorama," which is a weekly magazine, suggesting that there was a network of gay priests within the Vatican who were being blackmailed by a network of male prostitutes outside the Vatican in the city of Rome.

The Vatican had come out with an uncharacteristically strong statement saying that these quote/unquote, "unverified, unverifiable, or false news reports" are damaging to people and institutions. And the Vatican is suggesting that somehow this is a means to pressure the cardinals who will be going into the so-called conclave to elect the next Pope will be influenced by the contents or theses suggestions being made by these -- this dossier -- Victor.

BLACKWELL: Indeed a strongly worded response. Ben Wedeman live in Rome for us. Thank you.

Now a cardinal who will vote for a new pope today is tied up in a messy legal deposition. Cardinal Roger Mahony, one of the most powerful Catholic leaders in the U.S., must answer questions about pedophile priests in the Los Angeles diocese during his watch.

Now, internal church documents seem to show that Mahoney was aware of priests abusing children but went out of his way to shield them from prosecution. We'll have much more on this story when the deposition gets underway this afternoon.

The Justice Department says it will go after Lance Armstrong for tens of millions of dollars. It will join the lawsuit filed by former Postal Service teammate Floyd Landis. Now the suit says that Armstrong and his team managers defrauded the government by accepting millions in funds. Now I asked cycling analyst Dave Shields if Armstrong can ever recover.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVE SHIELDS, CYCLING ANALYST: It will be a little bit different than other athletes who have had maybe falls from grace. A huge part of his popularity was due to his perceived integrity.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

SHIELDS: And when he completely admits that -- that he doesn't have integrity, I think it's going to be very difficult for anybody to trust him in the way that they did in the past -- impossible, as a matter of fact.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Armstrong admitted last month to doping during his career.

The Obama Administration wants the Supreme Court to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act as unconstitutional. The 1996 law denies federal benefits to same-sex couples even if they're legally married. A brief filed with the high court said the law creates unequal treatment of gays and lesbians.

Now the administration says Edie Windsor is entitled to a refund for the high estate taxes that -- Edie rather that she was forced to pay under the Marriage Act. Now that happened when her long partner died.

The Pentagon has ordered its entire fleet of F-35 fighter jets grounded after a crack was found in the engine of one of those planes during a routine inspection. At nearly $400 billion, the high-tech jets are the most expensive weapons systems in military history. There are 51 planes in the fleet.

We now know the identity of another victim of that deadly shooting and car crash on the Las Vegas strip. Now our affiliate, KOMO, reports Sandra Sutton was the passenger in that taxi that burst into flames after a Maserati crashed into it. Now the crash also killed the taxi driver.

Someone in a black Range Rover opened fire on the Maserati. This happened early Thursday, killing the driver of that Maserati. And he has been identified as aspiring rapper Kenneth Cherry. Police are now hunting for the occupants of that Range Rover.

The winter storm that buried the Midwest is gone. But now, it's New England that's getting the snow. The record snowfall across parts of Kansas caused a lot of problems. Look at this. The roof of this dance school near Kansas City caved in. The school was closed at the time, good news, no one was hurt. And New England is still coping from with the blizzard from two weeks ago. With more snow on the way right now, Karen Maginnis has the latest from the CNN Weather Center.

Karen, this is the same system or not the same storm that hit the Midwest?

KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's kind of an amalgamation. That system kind of broke apart and one piece moved across the Great Lakes. Another has been lingered across the southeast. But there's going to be the development of another area of low pressure right off the coast of the mid-Atlantic. This is going to be traveling right along the coast of New England.

And just as soon as it turns away on the back side of that, we'll see an increase in volume of snow, maybe some wind. This is how it looks now. We mentioned Boston because Boston, this month alone has seen 32 inches of snowfall. The record set back in 2003 had just a little over 41 inches.

So we're still a good ways away. What will this system produce? It looks like between two and four inches of snow. As I mentioned, the timing is critical on this. As this area of low pressure moves up the Eastern Seaboard or the northeastern coast it will start to swing out as we go into the next several days.

And as a result, well the next 24 hours actually, but on the back side of that still could produce some pretty significant snowfall in the interior sections of New England.

We have some video from an iReporter -- Amanda Laviana. She said it sounded like an earthquake. They heard a thunderous roar. Her co- workers thought, what is happening here? So she went down and photographed -- this is out of Wichita. Wichita saw 14 inches of snowfall as she captured this video for us. Very remarkable, terrifying and something you probably don't see too often.

And Amanda, thank you for sending us that iReport. You can do the same at iReport.com.

All right, for Boston, this is the area that we're really paying attention to because of the phenomenal snowfall over just the last several weeks. It does look like the computer models are not really convinced about how much snowfall. And right now, they're saying two to four. It could be one to three.

But whatever it is, it's not looking like it did yesterday. We were expecting maybe 10 inches or 12 inches. But across the Deep South, heavy rainfall expected here, a number of rivers and streams filling up all across the Deep South.

And I've got to mention, Victor, that coming up for the Daytona 500, about a 50/50 chance of showers by the afternoon.

BLACKWELL: Looked like "Bleacher Report's" Joe Carter down there was there enjoying the 85 degrees and clear.

MAGINNIS: That should be nice.

BLACKWELL: That may end soon unfortunately. All right, it's Danica mania at Daytona Beach this weekend. We're talking about Danica Patrick, of course. She's the first woman to win the pole position for the Daytona 500. And that puts her in the best position to make history as the first woman to win tomorrow's big race. All eyes will be surely on her as she races in a separate race on the Daytona track.

We'll have more on Danica when we go live to Daytona in just a few.

What was it like inside Oscar Pistorius's apartment when he shot and killed his girlfriend? We're going to break down his story as well as the prosecutor's story.

And also, will your next smart phone be something you wear on your face? Glasses are not just fashion anymore.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: The Oscar Pistorius murder case is capturing the attention of people around the world. Pistorius claims he killed his girlfriend by mistake, thinking she was an intruder. But the prosecution says it was premeditated murder. So was it a tragic accident or cold, calculated murder?

Our Tom Foreman takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Throughout these proceedings, both sides have been insisting their version of events is the correct one. So let's sort them out.

Oscar Pistorius says it all began in the bedroom where in the early hours of Valentine's Day, in the darkness he and his girlfriend were asleep there. He got up to go out to the balcony to bring in a fan and to close a window. Unbeknownst to him, he says, his girlfriend got up at the same time and went to the bathroom.

So when he came back in from the balcony, he insists he was under the impression that she was still in the bed. So let's fly inside and show you his point of view. He says he goes into this darkened room, he doesn't have his prosthetic legs. On he's low to the ground. The room is very dark. He can't see much but he thinks she's must be there, and then he hears a noise down the hallway.

There have been threats against his life. There have been break-ins in the neighborhood before. He gets his pistol from under the bed and goes down the hall to confront the intruder, sees a open window. That door to the toilet room is closed and he hears a noise behind it. He thinks that must be the intruder.

He starts yelling for the intruder to get out, yelling for his girlfriend to protect herself. In a panic, fires through the door. Only when he goes back into the bedroom to put on his prosthetic legs and he turns the lights on he says does he realize that his girlfriend's not there. Then it occurs to him that that might have been her inside the toilet room. He goes back and bashes the door down and starts calling for help.

That is his version of what happened.

But the prosecutors tell a very different story. They say, look, there was no darkness. The lights were on the whole time. There was no confusion. There was a huge fight going on. They say this couple had been arguing for quite some time so loud that neighbors hundreds of yards away could hear it.

Yes, she went into the bathroom, but she went there and locked the door to get away from him. And they say that Oscar Pistorius then indeed got his pistol and yes, he went down that hallway in the full light with full knowledge of what he was doing. That he was pursuing her to that door. And when he found it locked, in a rage he tried to bash it down and shot through it with the intent of killing her.

Two very different stories, and the details will determine whether or not he spends a lot of time in jail.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: The trial is scheduled to start in June, but it's not expected to actually start until the end of the year. Meantime, Pistorius is out on bail. The judge says that he's not a flight risk.

Earlier I asked HLN's Jane Velez-Mitchell if she thought granting bail was the right call.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HLN HOST: I do not. I think it's actually an outrage. Imagine how all the people behind bars in South African jails feel right now accused of lesser crimes, mind you.

I think we're going to see quite possibly a whitewash in this case. I had worries about that, and here's why. It seems that the reputation of Oscar Pistorius is so closely intertwined with the reputation of South Africa, that there is a bias to accept the world according to Oscar Pistorius, because to make him look bad makes South Africa look bad. I think this is absolutely injustice.

BLACKWELL: So the question then is, going further along that line, can he get a fair trial? There are politicians in South Africa who say he's getting special consideration. There are some who believe because of his fame, he cannot get a fair trial.

What's your call?

MITCHELL: I think he's going to get more than a fair trial. What about justice for Reeva Steenkamp? Where does she come into play here?

She's been lost in all of this. She's no longer around to tell her side of the story and frankly, his story does not make sense. I mean the forensics don't back up his story. He says he was on his stumps and that he was in terror because he feared an intruder and then he shot through the door. The trajectory of the bullets according to the prosecutor shows that he was shooting down.

And then there's the arguing that witnesses reportedly heard, prolonged arguing before the shooting. Who has a prolonged argument with a burglar before shooting at them? It does not add up, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Yes, a lot of questions. Then this entirely different story line about this lead investigator who's been charged with attempted murder -- seven counts of attempted murder.

Where does that play into this story line?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I've got to tell you, this is an abomination and it essentially taints the entire case. Shades of the O.J. Simpson case where they argued garbage in, garbage out. Already, Oscar's defense attorney is saying, well, they contaminated the crime scene. Almost using the same terminology that was used in the O.J. Simpson defense, saying, they weren't wearing booties. This guy admits, oh, yes, they ran out of booties.

So everything that was collected under his watch is now tainted, another reason why we won't get justice, quite possibly.

BLACKWELL: And this bail hearing went on for four days, and there was a lot of information that the defense put forward. Has that jeopardized their case at all? And what does this -- the length of the hearing tell us about the trial that's upcoming?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, this is just a national obsession in South Africa and, again, I just think that there is an institutional bias here to accept his version of events.

Let's face it, there's more and more evidence coming out that he may very well be a hot head. The judge even referred to allegations that he threatened to break someone's legs, the police, right after the shooting came out and said, there were previous incidents of a domestic nature. We still don't know what that is about.

And he has a past. A gun went off. Allegedly, he was holding it as a restaurant. Is he somebody who has a problem with temper and guns? And that as we know is a very deadly combination.

BLACKWELL: Just a few seconds left. I know we're still months out from the start of the actual trial, but do you have any prediction on this ultimate ruling? The outcome in this trial?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, listen, the judge actually asked the defense attorney, what do you think he should be charged with? He said culpable homicide. That gives you an idea of where they're going. I think he'll either walk, or he will be convicted of culpable homicide. Essentially, I don't think that justice is going to be done for Reeva, the forgotten person in all of this.

BLACKWELL: All right. Jane Velez-Mitchell, good to talk to you about this.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You, too, Victor.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: And you can watch Jane Velez-Mitchell weeknights at 7:00 Eastern on our sister network, HLN.

Well, she is outrunning the men on the track. We'll have the latest on Danica Patrick's rise to the top in racing and fan popularity.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Danica Patrick is out to make more than NASCAR history. She's the first woman to win the pole position which is the front spot in the Daytona 500 race. Tomorrow she'll try to win the big race.

I want to bring in Joe Carter who is in Daytona Beach, Florida. Joe, we know that Danica has made history with the pole position. We got that. What don't we know about her?

JOE CARTER, CNN SPORTS: Well, in the short amount of time, Victor, that we do get to spend with Danica Patrick, we've noticed a huge change in her personality. This Daytona 500 as opposed to the last Daytona 500. I mean she's gone from a steely driver to really a woman in love. Somebody who's warm, approachable, confident person. So that got us thinking. We wanted to know as we head into this historic race day just who is this woman, this new woman behind the wheel.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANICA PATRICK, NASCAR DRIVER: I think that there's an opinion that I'm probably kind of hard or tough or too serious maybe. But I can tell you I'm probably like the opposite of that at home. Number one, I'm very girlie. I mean, I like to go shopping, I like to go get pedicures. I like to wear high heels and dresses. So I'm definitely a lot softer than I am at the race track where I am doing my job.

CARTER: Love, as it turns out, has no caution flag. In November she announced the end of her seven-year marriage. But just weeks ago, it was revealed she had a new love. Fellow rookie driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. And her happiness couldn't be more apparent.

PATRICK: We're enjoying it. And I think that we both kind of laugh a lot when we get asked about each other. So I think that's a good thing.

RICKY STENHOUSE JR., RACE CAR DRIVER: I'm not going to crash somebody because they crashed her, or you know -- I mean I'm going to go out there and drive hard every week.

CARTER: Being in the spotlight is nothing new for Danica. She's garnered worldwide family fame for her provocative photo shoots and record 12 Super Bowl commercial appearances.

PATRICK: How hot is to hot?

CARTER: Danica is among NASCAR's top earners and biggest stars. But over the years she's been a lightning rod for critics who point to her failure so far to win a race. Or accuse her of focusing more on self- promotion. But for racing, she brings a tremendous amount of exposure and popularity to a sport that could use an attendance and TV ratings boost.

STEVE PHELPS, NASCAR: It's really created significant added interest from a fan-based standpoint.

CARTER: Patrick struggled in the spotlight last year, her first racing with NASCAR after seven seasons with Indycar. Just two laps into her debut at the Daytona 500, she crashed and finished 38th. But now after making history as the first woman to win pole position for this year's race, it's clear that her years of working to make it to the front row are paying off on the biggest stage.

PATRICK: I have a lot to learn, too. I understand that. I mean I've got Jeff Gordon starting next to me, and I've got -- my God, a herd of them behind me. So hopefully at the end of 500, we're rolling and we have a chance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARTER: Victor, she believes her chances are pretty good. Keep in mind she is a rookie at NASCAR's highest level. This is her first full season. And a reporter asked her yesterday, Danica, do you think you have any chance at winning the Daytona 500 on Sunday. She looked the reporter straight in the eye and said, do I have a chance of winning? Absolutely. She is certainly one of the most confident rookie drivers out here -- Victor.

BLACKWELL: Got to be. Thank you very much from Daytona beach.

Friends and relatives of Oscar Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp react to his release on bail. That's next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Oscar Pistorius is spending the weekend at his uncle's house. The blade runner is out on a $112,000 bail, accused of killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, premeditated murder charge.

But he must report to the police twice a week and be back in court on June 4. Pistorius is spending time with his family today, and a friend of his told our Piers Morgan that is just what he needs right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PIERS MORGAN, HOST, CNN'S "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT": You must be relieved for your friend.

KEVIN LERENA, FRIEND OF OSCAR PISTORIUS: Yes. It's obviously very good news for Oscar and his family. Gives him enough time to go home and actually give him a lot of comfort because I think that's what Oscar needs at this time. A lot of people have been dining in, but I think at this time it's very important for him to have comfort from those that are close to him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Well, the evidence produced in court over the past few days has raised several questions. The magistrate said there were a lot of, quote, "improbabilities" in Pistorius' version of the killing story.

Chief Washington correspondent, Jake Tapper asked Steenkamp's cousin what she thinks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Are you convinced of his guilt or his innocence?

KIM MARTIN, REEVA STEENKAMP'S COUSIN: For me it's very, very difficult. I have lots and lots of questions, but I -- I believe that when the trial starts the truth's going to come out. We're going to get to the bottom of this.

TAPPER: What questions do you have?

MARTIN: I'd like to ask Oscar why he didn't lean over and touch my cousin first and just -- when he was -- when he thought there was somebody else, why didn't he nudge her and say, you know, are you OK, keep quiet.

I'm coming now -- that's just -- I think about it the whole time, that's something I would have done or my husband would have done. I'm sure he would have grabbed me and said, "Quiet, there's somebody in the house."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Trial scheduled to start in June, but realistically, Pistorius' trial may not start until the end of the year.

New details emerge about leaks at a nuclear plant in Washington State. Find out what the governor is telling people there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: In Washington State, six underground tanks at the sprawling Hanford Nuclear Complex are leaking radioactive waste. Governor Jay Insley insists there is no immediate public health risk but says, yes, it is disturbing.

Hanford's last reactor shutdown in 1987, and despite a massive cleanup effort then, authorities say it's still being the most contaminated nuclear site in the country.

Lots of college graduates can't find work that matches their level of education and other skilled employees have lost high-paying jobs and have been forced to work for much less. Tom Foreman shows us how underemployment is making our American journey much harder.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FOREMAN (voice-over): Every day on the busy streets of New York, Kellock Irvin is hunting. He received his college degree last year. He moved here from the west coast and thought finding a job in marketing was the next logical step.

KELLOCK IRVIN, UNEMPLOYED GRADUATE: Not necessarily that it would be an easy task, but it wouldn't be something that almost eight months since graduating, I am still struggling with.

FOREMAN: He's not alone.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Our economy is adding jobs, but too many people still can't find full time employment.

FOREMAN: When President Obama took office, 134 million Americans were working in non-farm jobs. Today after massive losses and a slow recovery, we're only 1.2 million jobs better off and many pay less than those who were lost.

A recent study by the Center for College Affordability found almost half of college graduates are now in jobs that do not require four- year degrees, things like janitorial services, taxi driving and retail sales. Professor Richard Vedder at Ohio University helped author that study.

RICHARD VEDDER, OHIO UNIVERSITY: Let's say each one of them were making $20,000 a year more in income, which is quite plausible. We're talking about $400 billion a year in lost wages.

FOREMAN: Numbers like that have made some economic analysts argue that underemployment may be every bit as damaging to the economy as unemployment. And Kellock Irvin is caught in the middle of it all. For now he's taking freelance jobs as a photographer and part time work with moving companies but --

IRVIN: I can only support myself so long before I may need to move back home.

FOREMAN: He may be the next one needing to move back home. Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: So we've all seen first lady Michelle Obama dance with the president. But I bet you never have seen her hit the dance floor like this before. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: First lady Michelle Obama gives a new definition to "mom dance." This is fun. She puts her own twist on so-called mommy moves. She had a dance partner, not the president -- Jimmy Fallon who, by the way, wore a wig and dressed up like a mom. Watch this.

I love the sprinkler. You got do the sprinkler. When asked how good the president is at dancing, the first lady said, she gives him a "B."

All right, now to the controversy surrounding the comment made about the Duchess of Cambridge. Renowned British novelist Hillary Mantel referred to Katherine as a, quote, "jointed doll with a plastic smile."

I spoke to royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams about it. But first, to those controversial comments, listen --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILARY MANTEL, BRITISH WRITER (via telephone): I saw Kate becoming a jointed doll on which certain racks are hung. In those days she was just a shop window mannequin with no personality of her own. Entirely defined by what she wore. These days as a mother-to-be, she's draped in another set of thread-bare attributions.

Once she's over being sick, the press will decide she's radiant. And they will this young woman's life until now was nothing. Her only point and purpose, like other royal ladies, will come to her only point and purpose being to give birth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Now some people are saying Mantel was just lecturing on how the media and public view Katherine. But the tabloids have been raging against Mantel saying she's bashing the duchess.

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams joins us from London to help us sort this out. I want to start with this. What do you think about the comments?

RICHARD FITZWILLIAMS, ROYAL COMMENTATOR: Well, frankly, this sort of controversy is very rare. To have a top novelist say what she said in the way she said it and have the prime minister and the leader of the opposition and as you mentioned a large amount of the press ferociously attacking her, this is certainly an amazing episode.

The lecture that Hillary Mantel -- I would emphasize she's -- she's highly respected, book entitled "Royal Bodies" and it was about the way we perceive royalty. What was, I felt, unacceptable was the language she used to describe the Duchess of Cambridge.

For example, to say of Kate, the perfect plastic smile, that she had -- she was a doll to hang certain rag on, was quite a lot of personal language. And it is that I think a lot of people found very objectionable.

The other aspect of this is that there's a certain intellectual thing about it, Mantel is a superb writer. She knows the English language, but she also knows how to wound. And there's a considerable amount in this, the phraseology, which could and should have been very different.

BLACKWELL: You know, what's interesting about this is that typically what we see in the British press is that many of the tabloids go after the royals. But in this case, it seems that they're pretty protective of the duchess. Is that rare?

FITZWILLIAMS: I think it's unusual in one sense. They want it both ways because of course a lot of people buy the tabloids to read about the royals. And all the tabloids can tell them, the more they read. And the symbiotic relationship and Mantel mentions Diana a good deal in her lecture, is one of the considerable problems as we saw in the Prince Harry interview where he showed his intense dislike of the media.

BLACKWELL: Mantel has seen an increase in e-book sales of one of her books since the fallout over her comments.

A New York man dubbed the most wanted deadbeat parent has pleaded guilty to evading child support for more than a decade. The 50-year- old Robert Sand fled the country and was finally arrested in the Philippines. Get this -- Sand owes more than $1 million to his two former wives for the care of his three kids had.

Not even Microsoft is safe from hackers. It says hackers infected a small number of its computers with malicious software. It's investigating and says there is no evidence customer data was stolen. Hackers also recently attacked Apple and Facebook.

When traveling to other cities and countries, the best way I find 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's CNN's Jim Spellman here in Atlanta with a southern food sample.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM SPELLMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Atlanta's a big cosmopolitan city with lots of great restaurants, but at its heart, it's still a southern town. And if you want some good southern comfort food, you have to come to Carver's Country Kitchen. When did Carver's Country Kitchen start?

SHARON CARVER, OWNER, CARVER'S COUNTRY KITCHEN: We used to be a grocery store, and then my husband and myself decided I think we want to have a restaurant. We started very small about 1992. And it has since grown to be quite a large endeavor.

SPELLMAN: It smells incredible in here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. It's really good --

SPELLMAN: I could smell it even on the street. So good. I don't know what else to say. What did everybody get? Chicken -- chicken breasts, meatloaf? OK, we must pause for the Twitter photo. This is really a truly local place.

CARVER: This is. It's a destination place.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: All right, I-Reporters, here's your chance to help us create a food lover's map of the world. Go to ireport.com/100places. Send us a photo of your favorite restaurant and dish, why it's special, and how you discovered that place. The definitive list of 100 places to eat local will be revealed in a few weeks. Some I-Reporters will be on that list. Stay tuned.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: All right, "CNN NEWSROOM" starts at the top of the hour. Look who is back at her normal time, the great Fredricka Whitfield. Yes, good to have you back. When are we going to see pictures of the baby?

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: They're coming up, noon Eastern, since you asked. It's been about three months since you and I last sat on the sofa, talking about stuff. I've been away on maternity leave. I've had twins. They're awesome.

But that's not why you tuned. We have a lot going up in the noon Eastern hour, of course, we're going to talk more about the scandal and embracing the Vatican, all this on the eve of the exit of Pope Benedict XVI. We're going to delve into the latest on this. Republica's reporting and what has since followed, reaction coming from the Vatican.

And then, our legal guys, I get to be reunited with Avery and Richard in the noon Eastern hour, can't wait for that. We're going, of course, talk act the most interesting legal cases out there including the Chandra Levy case. Remember that?

The murder of Chandra Levy and a man was convicted many years after the mystery unfolded surrounding her death. Well, that man now is saying that he didn't do it and he wants a new trial. We're going to delve into that.

Then of course this is a huge big weekend in the world of motorsports, Danica Patrick, of course, everyone is watching and waiting to see what comes from her pole position tomorrow at Daytona.

We're going to talk with a woman who was among the first female drivers to break barriers right there, Janet Guthrie. She's going to be joining us to talk about what this means and how this first for motorsports really transcends motorsports.

BLACKWELL: Yes, it does.

WHITFIELD: She's going to talk about what it takes. It's not just the driver. It's not just the car. But there's something else that makes the trifecta of being a winner in motorsports.

BLACKWELL: Yes, some of the drivers said they're seeing more girls lining up to get those lug nuts than they have in forever, actually.

WHITFIELD: Isn't that amazing?

BLACKWELL: It is amazing to see her impact. Good to have you back.

WHITFIELD: Thank you. Glad to be back.

BLACKWELL: All right, a new report says hackers in another country are prying into our computers. Find out if you're at risk. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: An American-based cyber security firm says it's tracked a hacking network tied to the Chinese military, and the lengths it says the Chinese military is going to, to hack U.S. computers beyond alarming. Brian Todd has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a dreary looking 12- story office building in Shanghai. But according to a new report, it houses part of a shadowy Chinese military unit responsible for thousands of hacks into American businesses and government agencies.

The report from the cyber security firm, Mandiant, says the group goes by discreet code names like Unit 63198, is nicknamed the Comment Crew and is a secret division of the Chinese military sanctioned at the top levels of the government.

(on camera): What are they stealing?

KEVIN MANDIA, CEO, MANDIANT: That's a great question. It actually sort of depends on industry. But at the end of the day, it's hard to eliminate anything. It's Word documents, PowerPoint documents, e-mail, PDF documents, Excel spread sheets.

TODD (voice-over): It gets more ominous. Mandiant CEO, Kevin Mandia, says Chinese hackers in general, he wouldn't say this specific unit, have targeted vital American services. We got more specific information.

(on camera): Cyber security researchers say that Chinese military unit also trains its attacks on infrastructure in North America, electrical grids and switchers like this one, oil and gas facilities, water treatment plants.

One prominent cyber security researcher told us last September a company that designed software giving oil and gas companies and power grid operators access to things like valves and switches was successfully hacked by that military unit.

(voice-over): That firm, Telvent, says it's working with its customers and law enforcement. Mandia says even though information may have been hacked on utilities, none of the utilities have been actually disabled.

Mandia says the typical hack from this unit starts with so-called "Spearfishing," an e-mail sent to a company official in the U.S. masquerading itself as being from someone familiar. The victim opens an attachment or zip file and their computer is infected.

Mandia says his firm's tracked this military hacking for seven years. How? He says Mandiant would monitor the affected computers of victims who have hired his firm and go back click by click one key stroke at a time.

MANDIA: We saw somebody log in to the victim in the United States and checking their Gmail account in plain view. We're capturing the traffic. Law enforcement call this a wire tap. We just call it full- content monitoring.

TODD: The Chinese government has blacked out some of CNN's reporting on this story, even as it emphatically denies sanctioning hacking.

HONG LEI, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN (through translation): Making baseless accusations based on premature analysis is irresponsible and unprofessional. And it doesn't help solving relevant issues. China resolutely opposes any form of hacking activities.

TODD: Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: In Los Angeles, police are searching for answers in the death of a Canadian tourist. The body of the 21-year-old, Elisa Lam, was found in the water tank of a skid row hotel after she was reported missing in January.

The body was discovered when hotel guests complained about discolored water with a funny taste. Police say she may have been in that tank for weeks. For now, the cause of her death is unknown. The coroner is ordering a toxicology report.

"CNN NEWSROOM" continues with Fredricka Whitfield now. Hi, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Good to see you, Victor.