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CNN Saturday Morning News
Explosion Rocks Kabul as Hagel Visits; Economy Adds 236,000 Jobs; White House on Charm Offensive; Big Asteroid Buzzing by Earth; Jodi Arias Answers Jurors Questions; NYC Soda Ban Begins Tuesday
Aired March 09, 2013 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you so much for starting your morning with us.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: We've got lot more ahead on CNN SATURDAY MORNING starts right now.
(MUSIC)
KEILAR: Good morning, everyone. I'm Brianna Keilar, in for Randi Kaye.
BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. Seven o'clock here on the East Coast and we're glad to have you with us.
First up this morning, the Taliban says it is sending a message to new defense secretary, Chuck Hagel, in Afghanistan. That message is: you are now welcomed here.
KEILAR: A suicide bomber blew himself up at the gates of the Afghan defense ministry in Kabul just hours after Hagel arrived in the capital. Nine people were killed, 14 others were wounded.
BLACKWELL: Hagel is fine. He expressed condolences to the victims. The Pentagon says he was moved to a safe location.
CNN's Chris Lawrence was at a briefing near the blast. And he says the room shook and he could hear that explosion.
KEILAR: There are some new signs this morning this morning that the economy may be getting back on track and that's good news for anyone, of course, who is waiting in unemployment lines. Hiring picked up last month as the economy added 236,000 jobs.
BLACKWELL: Wall Street liked it, too. But there are fears the ongoing battle over budget cuts could reverse the positive trend.
CNN's national political correspondent Jim Acosta is at the White House -- Jim.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Brianna and Victor, after those positive jobs numbers came out, White House officials certainly have a spring in their step, but they are well aware there are plenty of obstacles that still exist that could trip up this recovery.
(voice-over): After the latest jobs report found the nation's unemployment rate had dipped to levels not seen before President Obama took office, the White House wanted to know one thing. Where were all of the questions about the good news?
JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY: I suspect if the jobs news had been different, it would take less than four people to ask me about them. But that's the nature of our work, I think, here.
ACOSTA: But the Obama administration warns, do not get too excited. This report does not account for the automatic budget cuts that just took effect.
EARNEST: Democrats and Republicans agree that the sequester is going to have a negative impact on job creation.
ACOSTA: Which makes President Obama's latest outreach to Republicans all the more important, a charm offensive that just so happened to coincide with a secret dinner the first couple had with Bill and Hillary Clinton a week ago. The Clintons have their own history of brinksmanship with the GOP in the '90s.
(on camera): Did former President Clinton mention that as his advice to the current president, that perhaps an outreach might be a good thing?
EARNEST: Well, I can confirm the dinner for you. They enjoyed the meal and they enjoyed the conversation. In terms of the president's bipartisan outreach to rank-and-file members of Congress, that's actually something that started before that dinner.
ACOSTA (voice-over): Whenever it started, one Republican urged the president to keep it up.
JEB BUSH (R), FORMER FLORIDA GOVERNOR: This is a change we should encourage, whether it's motivated for all sorts of reasons we don't understand or not.
ACOSTA: But more budget drama could be on the horizon. Republican Senator Marco Rubio told a conservative radio host he may not sign on to the latest temporary spending bill aimed at keeping the government running.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), FLORIDA: About a year-and-a-half ago I voted for the first continuing resolution. And then I announced this is the continuing resolution, the last stopgap measure that I'm going to vote for. I will vote from here on, on something serious. And so far, we haven't seen that.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Asked whether that means Rubio might filibuster the bill, a spokesman told CNN, "We're reviewing our legislative options." Back at the White House, where officials say the automatic cuts are forcing them to cancel all public tours starting this weekend, visitors are losing their patience.
TERESA KABAT, WHITE HOUSE VISITOR: I just think it's not fair, because it's supposed to be government for the people. And by taking away the tours, they are not letting them see the government.
ACOSTA (on camera): The White House is conducting some business in secret these days, holding meetings on subjects ranging from Israel to energy that officials won't talk about until well after they happen.
The Obama administration is evolving in its second term, but it's doing so cautiously and quietly -- Brianna and Victor.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: Thanks, Jim.
BLACKWELL: The weather has been creating a lot of problems, a violent storm along the Massachusetts coast knocks out at least two homes, knocked them right off the foundations and into the ocean.
Look at this. This house is teetering on the edge of this cliff here going into the sea and a second house fell into the Atlantic overnight, the whole thing. At least 10 others are in jeopardy and they're on Plum Island, a popular vacation spot, long threatened by coastal erosion.
John Atwater of our affiliate WCVB is there.
John, first good to have you.
But, second, what are authorities there doing to keep these homes safe from more damage?
JOHN ATWATER, REPORTER, WCVB: You know, Victor, that's the really tough part here. They really can't do much at this point because the tide's coming in. We're going to see high tide in about two hours.
And the waves, they just keep battering these homes. Just in the distance, you can see that home, it collapsed at about 1:30 this morning. And again, we're still two hours from high tide here. You can see the waves. They're just bashing this house. The deck there, it's been moving along all morning.
The real concern here is that the sea will pull all of this debris out and then bring it back in and bash it against some of these other homes, compromising more homes here. Now, right next door to us, you can see this foundation, that is not looking good this morning.
So, crews there keeping a close eye on this home because -- yes, along with the other, it certainly could collapse here.
Now, we are at a home that is secured, we're on a deck here on Plum Island. You can see some of the other crews out here. But I just wanted to show you this house that teetered over and went on to the beach yesterday. There it is and it's still hanging on, but the waves, they are battering that home this morning. There are some concrete slabs at the bottom protecting it. But what crews want to do, they want to try to dismantle these homes so that the debris doesn't erode more of the shoreline. But we're going to have to wait for high tide because the waves are coming in.
Now, if you come back this way, just want to show you these stairs, because this is absolutely incredible. If you look down these stairs, this deck used to lead right to a beach, then the water and look down the stairs. Everything is gone here.
Obviously, this is something these homeowners have been battling for years. But when you look at this, it really is discouraging this morning here on Plum Island.
BLACKWELL: Yes, they've been battling it for years and I'm sure obviously there's a gamble that comes with that view. And when you move to Plum Island, you know this is potential.
How much fore warning did the residents have? Did they know this was a possibility they could be in this kind of trouble?
ATWATER: Yes, they certainly knew it was a possibility, Victor, because all of this erosion, this has happened over a number of years. And just this winter, we've had so many storms here.
And you look at this angry ocean and it continues to just erode the beach and really put these homes in jeopardy here. So, they knew it was coming, they tried to prepare. There are some loopholes they have to get through that puts sandbags down there and just not enough in this storm and all of the storms we've had this winter.
BLACKWELL: Unbelievable, a house just taken out to sea and maybe more.
John Atwater of our affiliate WCVB -- thank you for showing us the lay of the land there.
KEILAR: The Vatican says the conclave to choose a new pope will begin on Tuesday, 115 cardinals have made their way to the Vatican where they will determine who will lead the world's 1 billion Catholics. Cardinals from Ghana and the U.S. are said to be among the leading candidates.
Within the last hour, crews finished installing a special chimney to the top of the Sistine Chapel. You see it right there. This is what they do for every papal conclave.
And we'll know when the cardinals decided on the next pope when that white smoke comes out of that chimney.
BLACKWELL: Yes, remember, the first -- well, not the first one, but the last conclave. You see the smoke, you're wondering, is that gray? Is it white? When it first comes out, and you're OK, it's still black.
KEILAR: And they can mess it up too, as we understand.
BLACKWELL: Really?
KEILAR: It can sort of get messed up. We're hoping that it obviously goes according to plan or there will be a lot of confusion.
BLACKWELL: Let's go as planned.
All right. Brianna, it's happening again.
KEILAR: That's right. A big space rock the size of a city block is expected to buzz by us at this hour.
BLACKWELL: Don't want to see this. Don't worry, there's no danger of it hitting us. The closest the asteroid will come to Earth, about 605,000 miles.
So, we're good. It's about 2 1/2 times the distance from the Earth to the moon.
Joining us now for more: meteorologist Alexandra Steele, and theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss. He's the author of the book "A Universe From Nothing."
Alexandra, let's start with you. How big is this compared to some other recent space rocks -- it's really odd phrase -- recent space rocks in the news like the one that hit Russia last month. Will we be able to see this with the naked eye?
ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Oh, absolutely not. It's too faint. It's too far, you can't see it. Actually, the closest pass is coming right now. You can't see it, though, with the telescope in your backyard, unfortunately, because a lot of the East Coast has good visibility. But it's not possible.
It is the size of a football field. It's called 2013ET. It was only discovered nine days ago. So, I think that's the unsettling aspect. And you can see, we did talk about how close it was, not that close, 2 1/2 times the distance between the earth and the moon. But it was recently discovered. And that's the interesting point we'll talk to Lawrence about.
KEILAR: Yes, and that's really the concern, Lawrence --
STEELE: Right.
KEILAR: -- because there's this -- you wonder, what do you call them? Near earth objects?
BLACKWELL: Yes.
KEILAR: I think is what I read.
BLACKWELL: There are a number of them that are actually potentially hazardous. So, if you only find out on Sunday that there is one like this, might we not know about one of these potentially hazardous ones in time to figure out what to do about it?
LAWRENCE KRAUSS, THEORETICAL PHYSICIST: Well, look -- there are small ones we won't know about and there are ones that collide with the earth all the time. But something this size, the probability is very small. Something this size collides with the Earth on average once every million years. So, it's not something to worry about.
In fact, I'd like to turn it around instead of talking about the threat and talk about the positive aspects. These are messengers from the beginning of our solar system. And they're fascinating the fact they come near Earth, the fact that, in fact, some of them may have originally seed life on Earth.
And so, when we -- these objects that are close by are actually interesting scientifically and they're not -- as I say, these kind of large objects impact on the earth very, very rarely. So, it's not something I would stay up at night worrying about right now.
KEILAR: That makes me feel much better, Lawrence. I'll be honest.
Talk to us a little bit about the difference between this, which is an asteroid and then, was it a meteor --
BLACKWELL: So many terms going around.
KEILAR: Yes, it's confusing.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
KRAUSS: Yes, there's all these different terms and a lot of them refer to the same thing. An asteroid is actually an object that comes from -- between us and Jupiter. There's a region of the solar system between Mars and Jupiter where there probably was once a planet or planetesimal that collides together and produced a lot of debris.
So, in fact, when we see these asteroids, we're seeing objects that were failed planets. And, in fact, if we can learn about them, we're learning about the evolution of the solar system.
Comets on the other hand are different, they're big balls of ice and there's a comet that's coming by near us now. They often come from the outer solar system. And they're amazing because, in fact, they are messengers from the very beginning of our solar system.
And one of the interesting things about comets is, we've discovered there are chemical processes on comets that produce amino acids and maybe the building blocks of life. So, it could be that the very building blocks of life came from planets that impacted on the Earth. In fact, most of the water on Earth probably came from comets that impacted on the Earth in its early history.
BLACKWELL: And, Alexandra, and we know something you just said stood out to me, the closest it's coming, it's passing by now?
STEELE: Yes, this is at 7:09. My question to you, Lawrence, I mean, I think there's obviously no danger, but it is unsettling for people because they were detected only days ago whether it be by universities or by scientists. Do you think there's a need for more asteroid detection?
KRAUSS: Oh, yes, I think it's very important that we fund -- and we are funding these near earth object detection systems. We need to do it. It doesn't cost a lot.
And it's important for us because as I say if this object hit the Earth would cause a lot of hesitation. But at some point, there may be an object that could be a threat to life on Earth and we might need to do something about it.
But, you know, in some sense, we're suffering from embarrassment of riches because it's true that this was only detected nine days ago, but a decade ago, we probably wouldn't have detected it at all and wouldn't have worried about it.
So, we're getting better and able to see more objects and we're learning about -- there's lots of stuff going around and coming near the earth. And as I say, very small objects are impacting on the earth all the time. About 100 tons a day of material is actually falling on the earth from the heavens.
STEELE: But how do you compare this to the Russian meteor that did do damage in February?
KRAUSS: Yes, well, the Russian meteor was much smaller. It was only probably 20 to 50 tons, and most of it didn't make it down to the Earth and exploded in the atmosphere, which is what happens to most.
By the way, meteors are little bits of asteroids that fall towards the Earth and disintegrate in the atmosphere, most of them. And this one is a lot larger -- an object the size of the one that fell on Russia, it falls about once every century. And they're exponentially smaller.
So, one that's as large as this will fall once every million years, and as I say something life threatening falls once every 100 million years. So, you know, the smaller they are, the more frequent the impact on earth and the larger, the less frequent.
KEILAR: That is good to know. Fascinating stuff.
Lawrence Krauss and Alexandra Steele, thanks, guys.
We've got a whole lot ahead this hour.
BLACKWELL: Here's a look at what's coming up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR (voice-over): Wall Street's had a wild week, but is it the end or only the beginning? And could your nest egg become a golden goose?
They'll take your toothpaste and shampoo, but apparently an improvised explosive device is safe from TSA detection. We'll explain.
Taylor Swift's message to two comedians: there's a special place in hell for women who don't help other women. We'll tell you who's made the pop princess mad.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Delta Airlines is pushing back against a new rule that lets passengers carry small pocket knives on airplanes.
BLACKWELL: Yes, CEO Richard Anderson says that lifting the knife ban, which was put in place after 9/11, it's not worth the risk. And the president of a second flight attendants' union now says the change, quote, "makes no sense."
Federal authorities say the new rule brings the U.S. in line with international standards that takes effect April 25th.
KEILAR: That's not the only worry surrounding air travel this morning.
BLACKWELL: Yes, according to "The New York Post", an undercover inspector got through not one, but two security screenings another Newark airport with a mock, improvised explosive device, an IED, hidden in his pants.
KEILAR: That's right. It wasn't in his luggage, it was on his pants.
BLACKWELL: On his person, yes.
KEILAR: On his person. Unbelievable.
I thought they could detect all of these kinds of things. That is raising questions about the effectiveness of the security at the nation's airports.
Mary Snow is following this story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Brianna and Victor, Newark Airport is coming under scrutiny after a report of a security lapse last month.
(voice-over): The test at Newark Airport was to see if a fake improvised explosive device would get past screeners. According to the "New York Post," it did. It quotes sources saying an undercover TSA inspector with a mock IED in his pants went undetected twice, including during a pat-down.
The TSA wouldn't confirm the report, but said in a statement, "Due to the security sensitive nature of the tests, TSA does not publicly share details about how they are conducted, what specifically is tested, or the outcomes."
The TSA says it regularly conducts covert testing and this is what it looks like.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Slip the inert detonator in. We get this thing position.
SNOW: CNN went along with undercover TSA inspectors called "Red Teams" in 2008. The inspector had a fake IED on him when he went through security at Tampa International Airport. A screener failed to detect the device and the undercover inspector then instructed him on what he did wrong.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you don't have to get my shirt off and you inspect it, OK? That's what I want you to do now.
SNOW: Just how many screeners fail to detect devices in these drills is unclear, but one aviation security analyst says some failures are to be expected.
RAFI RON, NEW AGE SECURITY SOLUTIONS: There are a lot of very important lesson to be learned in order to improve the program and to increase the level of alert and the professionalism of the people that implement it.
SNOW: Just this week, the head of the TSA said protecting against IEDs are the top priority.
JOHN PISTOLE, TSA ADMINISTRATOR: The greatest risk is non-metallic IEDs, whether it's an explosive, electronic initiator or a chemical initiator, whatever that may be, that's what I want our security officers to focus on.
SNOW: While the TSA wouldn't specifically address Newark Airport, the airport has had problems in recent years. There was a man who became known a Romeo who slipped past security to greet a woman forcing a terminal to shut down for hours.
Last year, roughly two dozen baggage and traveler screener were fired for security lapses and thefts. Former TSA Administrator Kip Hawley says it's unclear why Newark continues to make headlines.
KIP HAWLEY, FORMER TSA ADMINISTRATOR (via telephone): I don't understand why it should be, but that would tell you they had a lot of problems at Newark, which is probably why they keep testing it.
SNOW (on camera): The issues at Newark airport have prompted a call for an extensive security review. New York Congressman Peter King, the former chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security wrote to the head of the TSA asking for a top to bottom look at the operations and a plan to fix them -- Brianna and Victor.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACKWELL: Wow, that is scary. I mean, for people who travel as often as we do, the idea that an IED gets through, but they couldn't find -- they always find my big bottle of shampoo.
KEILAR: Exactly. That accidental bottle of water you put in there, gone.
BLACKWELL: Yes, but the IEDs make it through.
KEILAR: But I'll tell you, I flew yesterday and I was wearing a sweater with like a cowl neck and after I went through the screening process, I was patted down sort of just to be --
BLACKWELL: Just to be sure nothing in there?
KEILAR: Just to be sure that -- yes, anything that's kind of away from your person, I find they're always -- they always double check.
BLACKWELL: Yes, and these problems are happening at Newark, hopefully they get this fixed. But for the flying public, for all of us who fly now --
KEILAR: It is worrisome.
BLACKWELL: We've got to get this done. Especially with the sequester and cuts and, you know, TSA cuts.
KEILAR: Exactly, that is what people are talking about in line at the airport. I'll tell you.
So while we are talking about airlines, when you want to take a transatlantic flight powered by French fry oil. If I get French fries instead of pretzel, I'd say yes.
BLACKWELL: Yes, please.
KEILAR: So, one major airline made their first run on Friday. And we'll have details about that.
You're watching CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLACKWELL: While we're having a conversation, I just heard that about a quarter.
Hey, a wild week on Wall Street.
KEILAR: Sure was.
BLACKWELL: With the Dow closing Friday for its fourth straight record high, but not everyone is excited.
Get this: some analysts are saying that the Dow has already reached the target for the year, it's March, folks. So they're worried about a correction.
And this story, Martha Stewart caught in a fight between Macy's and J.C. Penney's. There are towels and pillow cases flying everywhere.
KEILAR: Just everywhere.
BLACKWELL: Oh, my gosh. Each wants to sell her products.
KEILAR: And this is interesting because Macy's says, hey, we have an exclusive deal. You can't go throwing up these in little Martha Stewart sort of in-stores stores with J.C. Penney --
BLACKWELL: Yes.
KEILAR: -- but she may have a leg to stand on here.
BLACKWELL: Just a loophole.
KEILAR: That's right.
BLACKWELL: That they're putting the store inside J.C. Penneys. It's not like J.C. Penney is actually selling the items themselves.
KEILAR: It's like an apple pop-up store of something like that.
BLACKWELL: Kind of -- I would imagine Macy's after -- you know, embracing her after prison, they feel this is a slap in the face. That's what they're saying, like we welcomed you in and sold the product, and now, you're running across the street to JCP.
KEILAR: And she says, you know, but I want more, so they're in mediation. We'll see how this shakes out.
BLACKWELL: Hopefully everything comes out folded, creased and very nice, neat piles.
All right. Let's talk about this. We both love this story.
KEILAR: I love this one.
BLACKWELL: The KLM flight, it's powered in part by cooking oil.
KEILAR: Yes, this is -- and it's a flight that took off on Friday, went from JFK to Amsterdam. The person fueling the plane said it kind of smelled like French fries. But onboard -- sometimes you smell the fumes. They said, nope, no different.
BLACKWELL: OK, see, that's a good thing because if I had to take a flight with two, three, four, five hours, and I smell French fries the whole time and you offer me pretzels?
KEILAR: Pretzels or peanuts? No, I'd like French fries, please.
BLACKWELL: Yes, and I'd like ketchup, and mayo. Blue cheese with fries.
KEILAR: I'd just do them, lots of salt, perfect. Perfect. But it's 25 percent cooking oil, 75 percent jet fuel.
BLACKWELL: And you know where the oil was from? Baton Rouge.
KEILAR: Oh, really?
BLACKWELL: So it's very spicy, more than just the French fries smelling there. That smells like a good time.
KEILAR: Very spicy flight. That's going to be used on flights for the next six months. It's not just a one-time thing.
BLACKWELL: All right.
KEILAR: Fighting as a woman, but born a man, now her opponent wants to know why this information is just now being revealed.
Plus, jurors grill Jodi Arias over her lies. What she told the men and women who will decide her fate.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Welcome back, everyone. I'm Brianna Keilar, in for Randi Kaye.
BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell.
Let's start this half with five stories you should know about this morning.
First, a suicide bombing rocked the Afghan ministry of defense just hours after new Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel arrived in Kabul on his first official overseas trip. Nine people were killed. Now, the Taliban says the society bombing is a message for Hagel who was not injured.
And believe it or not, a space rock is giving us all another thing to watch really close shave this hour. This is number two. An asteroid the size of a city block is buzzing by about 605,000 miles away. That's about 2 1/2 times the distance from the Earth to the Moon.
Number three, the embattled or rather embalmed body of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez will remain in a glass casket on public display forever, forever. World leaders from Iran, Cuba, and dozens of other nations attended a state funeral for Mr. Chavez yesterday. Actor Sean Penn and the Reverend Jesse Jackson were there, too.
KEILAR: New trial date set for Osama bin Laden's son-in-law who has pleaded not guilty to terror charges. Prosecutors say he conspired to kill Americans as part of bin Laden's al Qaeda network and spent most of his time since the September 11th attacks in Iran. U.S. officials arrested him February 28th in Jordan.
And number five, female MMA fighter Fallon Fox made headlines this week. No, not for her skills in the ring, although she does have those, or her 39-second knockout last weekend but because she was born a man. This is something she kept private until breaking the story to "Sports Illustrated", explaining how back in 2006 she went through hormonal therapy and gender reassignment surgery. Was this a fair thing to hide from her former opponents? Some say no.
We'll be talking to her live about one hour from now.
The jury questions for accused murderer Jodi Arias, they may not be over. They could continue next week after she was peppered with more than 200 this week.
Jurors rarely get the chance to ask defendants questions directly, but in Arizona, they do. "In Session's" Jean Casarez is there -- Jean.
JEAN CASAREZ, IN SESSION: Brianna, Jodi Arias was asked over 200 questions by jurors and they really focused on almost all of the subject matter of the trial testimony. Of course, her voracity was front and center in a lot of the questions.
But they asked about the gas cans. They asked about the gun that she said was in Travis' bedroom. Was it loaded? Was it not loaded? Was it in a holster?
Some of her answers were very definitive, that Travis told her it was unloaded. But other questions were a little sketchier and she didn't know or didn't remember.
They also asked about the killing itself and the fogginess that seemed to come over her and not remembering stabbing Travis at all. One interesting question and really to the point was since you have lied so much, why should we believe you now?
Her answer was very interesting. Number one, she said I've lied to protect Travis. Number two, I lied to not implicate myself. And number three, I didn't want people to know the relationship that Travis and I had because it could create in the minds of some motive. She didn't explain that any further, though.
Another question that was telling, was, if you had not been arrested, would you have come forward with the truth? She paused for what seemed like a long time and she finally said, I'm not sure, I don't know how to answer that.
Jurors might think about that answer because it shows allegedly that she is a liar and not an honest person or on the other hand, since she's on the stand and sworn to tell the truth, maybe that was a very, very honest bit of testimony.
From Phoenix, Arizona, back to you, Brianna.
KEILAR: Thanks, Jean.
BLACKWELL: Justin Bieber -- oh, he is not having the best week in London. And the drama only escalates when the paparazzi gets involved. You'll see what I'm talking about.
Plus, Taylor Swift thinks Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are a couple of mean girls. And I'll tell you why, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Welcome back, everyone. We're in the E block now, and that means it's time for entertainment.
BLACKWELL: Yes, and we're getting our first look at "The Hangover Part 3" with a release of the first teaser trailer. Watch. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Someone needs to burn this place to the ground.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whoo, I like that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: The boys are back in Vegas this time for the final movie in the franchise. This time, there's no wedding, there's no bachelor party. But no worries, all the booze-soaked decision making remains intact.
"Hangover 3" hits theaters Memorial Day weekend.
BLACKWELL: These guys need some new friends if it keeps happening. I love the first one and they did it again in Bangkok and I'm like --
KEILAR: Maybe you're hanging out with the wrong people, guys.
BLACKWELL: You lost a tooth last time.
KEILAR: Hilarity ensues, though. So, always a good time.
Now to news from a galaxy far, far away. A Han, Leia, Luke, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill, they're all in talks to be part of the new "Star Wars" films that were announced after Disney purchased George Lucas' film company and George Lucas basically let this secret slip. Huge secret here.
BLACKWELL: Huge.
KEILAR: Anyone into "Star Wars", right?
So confirming the return of the trio in "Bloomberg Businessweek", this was before he tried to backtrack. Well, it's hard to put the cat back in the bag, right?
BLACKWELL: You can't do that.
KEILAR: Earlier this week, Carrie Fisher said the princess would return.
BLACKWELL: And look at the Snook. She's no longer a member of team meatball. Oh, Snooki.
KEILAR: Oh, Snooki.
BLACKWELL: Showing off her post-baby body on the cover of "Us" magazine after she lost 42 pounds. Good for her.
The former "Jersey Shore" star and her fiance welcomed their baby boy Lorenzo last August.
KEILAR: Congrats to them. And finally a chance to get experienced all over again. Forty-three years after his death, Jimi Hendrix's new album hit the shelves this week and he still has the sound that really sets him apart. "People, Hell and Angels" includes 12 tracks Hendrix recorded in 1968 and 1969. The first single already shot to number one on "Billboard's" Hot Singles Chart.
Staying power, huh?
BLACKWELL: Yes. I love some Jimi Hendrix.
KEILAR: Yes.
BLACKWELL: Justin Bieber, bad week for this guy.
KEILAR: Indeed.
BLACKWELL: Yes, starting with this -- Monday, his audience booed him for showing up two hours late for a concert. Listen to the crowd.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
KEILAR: Now, he did apologize to his fans on Twitter. But during Thursday's concert, he almost collapsed on stage. He managed to finish the show.
Before he was hospitalized and, yes, as you see in this picture, tweeting about that, as well.
BLACKWELL: Come on, guy, get your priorities straight, you're in a hospital gown from the waist down.
And there was this running yesterday with the paparazzi. Did you see this?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Got to move out of the way.
(EXPLETIVE DELETED)
JUSTIN BIEBER, SINGER: What'd you say? What'd you say?
(EXPLETIVE DELETED)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come back, you --
(EXPLETIVE DELETED)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Yikes, right? Oh, that's not becoming of any young person or anyone at all.
BLACKWELL: That wasn't on the album.
Hey, joining us to talk about this drama and more, comedians Loni Love and Bill Santiago.
Good to have you both.
This is just sad to watch this. Are we watching another breakdown? Are we going to see Biebs kind of, you know, shave his head and swing an umbrella soon? The Britney Spears deal?
(LAUGHTER)
BILL SANTIAGO, COMEDIAN: I think this is just the beginning. I think we're in for a long haul.
BLACKWELL: Loni?
LONI LOVE, COMEDIAN: You know, I think what it is that Bieb is still not over the fact that he did not get a Grammy nomination and he needs to understand who needs the Grammy nomination when you have fans? When you have fans, there are people that have Grammys that don't fill out arenas. So, he needs to get his priorities in order and get himself together. Forget all that crap he's doing.
BLACKWELL: Let some --
SANTIAGO: I read --
BLACKWELL: Sorry, go on.
SANTIAGO: I -- I read a lot of stuff about whether or not this is Michael Jackson moment and I'm wondering which moment are they talking about? There were so many. Buying the Elephant Man's bones, dangling the kid off the balcony, marrying the Presley girl -- I mean, it was a 40-year-long moment. You know, which one are they talking about? At least he's already white, he doesn't have to worry about that.
BLACKWELL: Oh, wow. OK.
(LAUGHTER)
KEILAR: I didn't see that one coming at all.
BLACKWELL: I kind of did, but I didn't know he was going to go there.
KEILAR: OK, let's check out another --
SANTIAGO: I went there.
KEILAR: You sure did go there, my friend.
So if you missed the Golden Globes this year? There was a little joke. I remember this watching it, the co-host Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, they made this joke about Taylor Swift's ambitious love life, I guess you could say. Didn't go over so well. Take a listen.
BLACKWELL: Actually, we have it on the screen. It says, "You know what, Taylor Swift, you stay away from Michael J. Fox's son." And Amy Poehler said, "Swift, go for it." And Fey said, "She needs some me time to learn about herself."
KEILAR: And that was actually -- at the time it was kind of cute.
BLACKWELL: She didn't think it was cute.
KEILAR: No, I think she was kind of come out. She's come out swinging against the co-hosts in April's issue of "Vanity Fair," quoting Madeline Albright's famous line. "There's a special place in hell for women who don't help other women."
BLACKWELL: Bill, let me start with you. Actually, you know what? Let me start with Loni, she's quoting Madeline Albright on a joke from Tina Fey and Amy Poehler? Is she too sensitive?
LOVE: She's good at making songs and bad at a sense of humor.
And, look, she's made her career off of talking about men, now, all of a sudden, she wants all the women to stand up for her. I mean, come on, if someone says a joke about you, you know how you answer it with another joke. Say something bad about Tina or about Amy, but don't take it out on them.
And it has nothing to do with women. I have an issue with people that say, you know, they try to use race and gender. They're all performers, she's doing her job by making songs and talking about men, they're just making light.
And they didn't just talk about her. They talked about a lot of women. They joked about everybody. And those jokes were funny. I don't care, it was hilarious.
KEILAR: But, Bill, let me play devil's advocate here because I hear people now ever, that sort of did set a tone that joke. And ever since that joke, I've heard people kind of say, oh, yes, Taylor Swift, she is hopping from guy to guy. She's kind of sensitive about it, no?
SANTIAGO: You know, she just needs help. Let's face it, she's in denial. She needs as much help with her love life as she does with her singing. There should be auto tune for relationships. You could use that right about now.
KEILAR: Yes, I guess you open yourself up to things when you date John Mayer. But --
SANTIAGO: It's all part of the game. She just made $57 million, she should be worrying about the IRS, not jokes that people are making about her.
KEILAR: And she'll be OK -- we think she'll be OK.
So, finally, if you missed this -- this is a really cute one. Did you watch this?
BLACKWELL: Yes.
KEILAR: This was a BBC interview with actress Mila Kunis. It was supposed to be all about the new "Oz" movie. But it turned out to be all about one nervous fan who landed this interview. Check it out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS STARK, FAN: I'm petrified, but shall we --
MILA KUNIS, ACTRESS: So far you're doing a great job.
STARK: Really?
KUNIS: No, but we'll see what happens.
STARK: OK, good. I've never done this before. So, yes.
KUNIS: They've thrown you in the trenches.
STARK: Did you enjoy being ugly for once? Because generally you're like, you know, you're hot.
KUNIS: Oh, why thanks.
STARK: So being a witch, that was a little bit different.
KUNIS: Yes, why not. It's fun to have a lot of prosthetics on and not necessarily concern yourself with what you look like.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Bill, when you start a conversation with a woman that says do you enjoy being ugly. It usually don't go anywhere after that.
SANTIAGO: This guy is my hero! Watching this, I can't believe that she fell for the "I've never done this before" trick. It was beautiful the way he pulled it off.
By the end of the interview, he had her ready to do shots with her downing Jager. I parentally it's this British thing every over there in the U.K. is dropping their pants, I had no idea. And she was ready to get right in. I mean, that shows you how boring some of these junket interviews are for these celebrities.
Anyone goes off script, they fall in love with them. This guy should be a guru for how to score points with Ashton Kutcher's girl.
KEILAR: What did you think, Loni?
LOVE: I thought this proved that Mila is a great actress. For her to keep hr cool. This went from the dating game to a therapy session. She had to do the interview herself and talk about her own movie and shows she's a cool chick and this is the reason why we love her so much because she can handle anything.
KEILAR: That's -- I thought so too.
And it's true. He was offering to buy her a Jager bomb or something at some point.
BLACKWELL: Yes, and she said, why not do it.
KEILAR: And she said that is a disgusting drink is what she said.
BLACKWELL: Jager is actually not that bad. That's --
KEILAR: Combined with other things. Not so much.
BLACKWELL: Loni Love, Bill Santiago, thank you very much, always fun.
SANTIAGO: Thank you.
BLACKWELL: New Yorkers, it might be time to stock up on your favorite sodas because next week, the city's controversial sugary drink ban goes into effect.
KEILAR: That's right, next we're looking at how far these new regulations will go.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: A neuroscientist on the fast track to the future.
MIGUEL NICOLELIS, NEUROSCIENTIST: Here in this lab we can see animals learning to communicate with other animals just by sending brain signals. That's what you call a brain-to-brain interface. You have people with speech impairments because of strokes or tumors or lesions on the brain. And this is a prototype of what could be a new way for these patients to communicate.
GUPTA: Miguel Nicolelis on "THE NEXT LIST", this Sunday 2:30 Eastern.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLACKWELL: Regardless of where you live, I'm sure you've heard of this story. New York's controversial sugary soda ban takes effect Tuesday. Now, this is a move to combat obesity and encourage residents to live healthier lifestyles.
KEILAR: But some New Yorkers are getting shook up over it and businesses are trying to understand just what the new rules are.
CNN's Mary Snow has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Mary and Victor, it's complicated. Now, lattes won't change because they have milk. Large coffees with sugar, that's another story. At least one coffee chain is bracing its customers, and we found many who were surprised to find out the breadth of the city ban.
(voice-over): Along with that cup of coffee, a side order of new rule. Dunkin' Donuts is handing out these flyers to its New York City customers on how new regulation spills over into its coffee business. It's part of the ban on supersized sugary drinks that goes into effect Tuesday, as part of the city effort to fight obesity.
To comply, Dunkin' Donuts will no longer put sugar in coffee over 16 ounces. You will have to do it yourself.
KAILA GANTT, COFFEE DRINKER: I'm surprised. I thought it was just like soda and like iced teas. I didn't even know it was coffee until just now.
STEPHANIE FORD, COFFEE DRINKER: It's annoying. I believe it's unnecessary. Like, there are so many other things to worry about in this city.
SNOW: The city isn't banning restaurants from putting sugar in coffee. The Department of Health says the limit for a barista is four packets of sugar for 20 ounces and customers themselves can add as much sugar as they want. But Dunkin' Donuts says it wants to cut down on any confusion. McDonald's also says it will tell customers to add their own sugar in coffee over 16 ounces. Both places say they have been prepping workers to be ready.
(on camera): At restaurants, sodas this size is what the city doesn't want served. This is 20 ounces.
Now, this one is still OK. It's 12 ounces and customers can order as many as they want.
But at restaurants like this one that prides itself on Texas-sized servings, it makes a difference.
ERIC LEVINE, DALLAS BBQ: Oh, everything's big.
SNOW (voice-over): Eric Levine is the director of Dallas BBQ, which has 10 restaurants.
(on camera): Are you going to stop using those 20-ounce glasses?
LEVINE: We will when the law says we have to. Right now we're sort of in limbo and we're allowed by the city law to hold off until I think about June.
SNOW (voice-over): The city says it will not enforce violations for about three months as restaurants adjust. Levine is waiting to see the result of a lawsuit filed by restaurants, beverage companies, and others to try and stop the city from its ban on supersized drinks.
He estimates all the changes will cost his businesses tens of thousands of dollars and plenty of headaches.
LEVINE: A lot of aggravation, menu changes, sign changes, digital boards, Facebook, Web sites, information, training, POSitouch computers, everything.
SNOW (on camera): Another big company that's holding off making changes is Starbucks. It says there are few gray areas it's sorting through and using the city's three-month evaluation period to see what changes it needs to make to be in compliance -- Brianna and Victor.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: Cheers.
BLACKWELL: It's good.
KEILAR: Endangered species in New York.
BLACKWELL: I know, right?
KEILAR: But here in Atlanta --
BLACKWELL: Let me say. We're in Atlanta. So, we're not in trouble.
KEILAR: Not breaking the law.
BLACKWELL: That's New York. We don't even really drink soda that much.
KEILAR: No.
BLACKWELL: You love it. I don't drink a lot of soda.
KEILAR: I actually am halfway done.
BLACKWELL: Like she's been -- like during the whole story, like, this is so good.
KEILAR: It's a great. It's like a movie.
BLACKWELL: I don't drink soda. But every once in a while a hankering for orange soda.
KEILAR: A giant one?
BLACKWELL: Yes, the two liter. You know, I don't half step (ph).
KEILAR: No, he doesn't.
And just ahead, Barbie has got a fan in Florida. This is a great story, a huge fan. A super fan I think we could say.
We'll tell you about Stan, the Barbie man's amazing collection, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLACKWELL: A man in Florida is taking his love of Barbie to a whole new level. You got to see this. Stan the Barbie man practically redefines avid collector. Look at his house. CNN affiliate WFTS says Stan's collection of 2,000 Barbies is worth more than $80,000. He even managed to get the sixth Barbie ever made and paid just 4 bucks for it, $4.
Stan says the trick is finding a good deal. I could not sleep in that house with all of the eyes from every corner from Barbie -- oh, it's Leia -- KEILAR: It is Princess Leia.
BLACKWELL: -- watching everywhere.
KEILAR: You know what he said? He said he had a friend who said what if they all came to life and were sort of banging on their boxes to get out? Who would you let out first? Wonder Woman.
