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CNN Saturday Morning News

Pentagon Ramps Up Missile Defense; New Pope Speaks to the Media; Lil Wayne: "I'm Good Everybody"; 9/11 Widow Wants Second Cockpit Barrier; Setting the GOP Agenda; Blasting Media Bullies

Aired March 16, 2013 - 07:00   ET

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

SUSAN HENDRICKS, CNN ANCHOR: Good Saturday morning to you. So glad you are up with us bright and early. I am Susan Hendricks in today for Randi Kaye.

JOE JOHNS, CNN ANCHOR: And I am Joe Johns in for Victor Blackwell. It's 7:00, we're glad you're joining us this morning.

HENDRICKS: We start this hour with threats from North Korea. We have seen reports this morning that the North test fired a pair of short- range missiles into the East Sea. It's a direct threat to South Korea.

JOHNS: But here in the U.S., the Pentagon is more concerned with what North Korea can do with its long-range missiles. That has led new Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to announce an expansion of missile defense along the West Coast.

Joining me now to talk about missile defense and North Korea is CNN contributor, General James "Spider" Marks.

Good morning, General. How are you doing?

GEN. JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS (RET.), CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Doing good, doing good. How are you?

JOHNS: First question, just for our audience, how real is this threat of long-range Korean missile strikes on the U.S. West Coast?

MARKS: Joe, the answer -- the short answer is its real. The issue is it still needs to be more fully developed. The challenge that we have in the United States and certainly our intelligence communities' biggest challenge is to make sure that we're not surprised by the development that's taking place in North Korea.

Clearly, we have a really vigilant look at what's going on in North Korea. But the problem is, we're not there. So, we've got to try to figure this out based on observations and as you know, North Korea is extremely isolated and really kind of wraps itself in a cloak of obfuscation, as they say.

So, the real issue is we've got to make some assessments and the secretary of defense said, look, we're not going to be strategically surprised by not being ready if and when North Korea can weaponize one of their missile systems and probably more problematic, obviously, as if they could nuclearize that. So, that's where we are right now. JOHNS: Now, the Pentagon is talking about spending something like $1 billion to expand the West Coast missile defense. Probably the biggest question for people who follow this is, just how reliable is the system?

MARKS: Well, it's really, essentially, two parts. First, it's the early warning system, you have to be able to detect it and you detect it through satellite-based, infrared, you know, if there's a heat signature of some sort, in order words, if a rocket is going off, we detect it and we have ground-based and sea-based early morning systems based in Japan, in the Pacific Ocean and both in Alaska and California.

So, when you look at the geometry of what we're talking about that covers the United States and its territories and allowed to see if there's going to be an event and then, you got to do something about it. And that's the second part. We have a mid -- what's called a mid- course interceptor, both ground-based and sea-based.

That needs development. There had been tests. We've had some failures and we've had some successes. That gets into a lot of really precise mathematics and physics in terms of intercepting one of these missiles. So, we've got to work at it. We've got to increase our chances of being protected, so we're going to increase the number of those interceptors.

JOHNS: So, not quite there, but the other question is how much is saber-rattling on the part of the United States and shouldn't the Pentagon have ramped up its missile defense sooner?

MARKS: Well, I -- the United States is not saber-rattling in this case. In other words, I would look at this, Joe, from the standpoint of the transition of power in North Korea. We've got a 28 or 29-year- old new leader. He has to establish his own credibility as a leader, and he has been raised on a study diet of probably brie and chardonnay.

And his grandfather really was a warrior, like him or not. I mean, this guy was a hardened steel man, and then, Kim Jong Un, the current leader's father kind of had to make his own drama as well. So, he has to establish himself and that's a lot of saber-rattling.

And during this period of -- you know, for the last decade, we have been at war in the Mideast, we have not taken our eye off of North Korea, but we've got to transition and North Korea is not unlike, I would say, a knuckle ball. I mean, it's coming at you. You've got to do something with it. It's very tough to predict. So, you've got to say vigilant.

So, the United States has to increase it. Could they have done this two years ago? They probably could have. What we did is we didn't have a transition of power at that point and we didn't have another nuclear test in North Korea, and we didn't have North Korea put something into exoatmospheric orbit. You know, they launched a payload out there.

So, there are several events that we're looking at very, very closely to make sure that we're not surprised.

JOHNS: General "Spider" Marks, always good to see you. Thanks for getting up early this morning.

MARKS: Sure, Joe. Thank you.

HENDRICKS: The body of late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez will not be embalmed and put on display for everyone to see. Venezuela made that decision after doctors said it would be difficult to do that. In order to do it, Chavez's body would have had to be flown to Russia and remain there for about eight months. The leftist icon died last week after battling cancer. He was 58.

Pope Francis spoke to the media last hour, in his first meeting with reporters since his election on Wednesday. He explained why he picked the name Francis, saying it reflects the concern for the poor. He says the name keeps the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi alive, calling him, quote, "a poor man, a simple man, as we would like a poor church for the poor."

We also learned this morning that Francis is scheduled to meet next Saturday with his successor, Benedict XVI.

JOHNS: Rapper Lil Wayne is recovering this morning after having a seizure. His friends and fellow rapper Drake came to visit him in L.A. and set up a vigil outside his hospital room. Reports from gossip site TMZ said Lil Wayne was near death and in a medically-induced coma, and was near death, but the rapper and his camp debunked that.

A tweet from Lil Wayne's account went out last night, reading, "I'm good, everybody, thanks for the prayers and love." And the president of the rapper's label tweeted, "Don't believe the nonsense about the comas and the tubes to breathe. That's false."

Well, Elton John is also on the mend. He canceled his concert in Alabama Friday because of medical reasons. But there were no details given about what those issues were. Ticketmaster announced the cancelation just hours before the show on Friday and said refunds will be available come Monday.

JOHNS: Wildfires and gusty winds are forcing people from their homes in Colorado this morning.

HENDRICKS: Meanwhile, the mid-Atlantic is gearing up for rain and some of you are in for spring fever. We can't wait.

JOHNS: That's absolutely right.

Meteorologist Alexandra Steele has a look at your weekend forecast -- Alexandra.

ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hi, good morning, everyone. I'm waking up earlier work. Kind of a split decision around the country, right?

Here in the upper Midwest kind of a quickly-moving system, no accumulation but snow showers along I-80, I-90, but here in the mid- Atlantic rain, some rain, even some thunderstorms, potentially and we are seeing some early in the morning. But what we're going to see throughout the country is really a split decision. It's the last winter weekend, and it will certainly feel like spring here in the Southeast.

Temperatures in the northern tier of the country on the whole about 10 degrees below average. Dry in Boston today. Temperatures only in the 30s. New York as well, should be at 50 but, only in the 30s for you. Pittsburgh and Washington, Washington kind of a wet start, and a wet afternoon but some breaks in between. And temperature there is about 10 degrees below.

Here's where the spring is. You will be shorts and t-shirts. Atlanta, Georgia, 75 degrees. Little Rock, Dallas -- Dallas in the 80s today.

And, you know, all this warmth came from the Southwest, where we had records Thursday and Friday in places like Salt Lake City and Phoenix. But it will moderate as that moves to the Southeast.

And the Southwest, those kind of very high temperatures peaked on Thursday and Friday, and today, they're above average but still not quite as warm as they were.

Pacific Northwest, rain for you -- Seattle and Portland. And then that storm system kind of gets its act together, cruises through the country, and then moves into the Northwest Monday and Tuesday. So, that's the next storm system down the pike, guys.

HENDRICKS: All right. Alexandra, thank you. Appreciate it.

STEELE: Sure.

HENDRICKS: And we've got much more ahead this hour.

JOHNS: Here's a look at what's coming up next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HENDRICKS (voice-over): Knives are coming to the sky. So, how safe is the crew? A new measure one 9/11 widow is pushing to make pilots safer.

They are rich, famous, and we love to hate them. Now, one star is defending young celebrities from what she calls media bullying.

You know when the celebrities tweet out endorsements for product. Well, the FTC is making some new rules for them and violators could be in trouble.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HENDRICKS: Investigators are looking into what caused a deadly plane crash in Ft. Lauderdale. Three people died yesterday when a twin engine aircraft went down in a parking lot shortly after takeoff. The crash shook nearby buildings and sparked a fire. As you see, it engulfed several park cars.

Here is what witnesses saw.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I couldn't even describe it. It was -- it was a sound that I never heard before.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was in a wing up bank and went straight down into the ground, and it was a boom and then explosion.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We see the plane sideways, and then it goes just behind the building, and then you just hear the --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENDRICKS: Remarkably, nobody on the ground was hurt. Officials say the plane hit a tree and fence before slamming into seven vehicles and a boat.

JOHNS: The head of the TSA went to Capitol Hill this week to defend his controversial decision to allow small knives back in airplane cabins.

HENDRICKS: Well, now, the widow of a 9/11 pilot is saying that if the new policy does take effect next month as planned, it should come with extra protection for pilots in the cockpit.

CNN's Rene Marsh reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Susan and Joe, the TSA's new knife policy has a 9/11 widow saying, how dare they? She says the policy will endanger pilots like her late husband and now, she is on Capitol Hill, pushing to make it a requirement that all planes have a secondary barrier when the cockpit door is open in flight.

(voice-over): After September 11th, the FAA mandated reinforced cockpit doors, called one of the most effective ways to protect pilots. But what happens when the doors are open? Nine-eleven widow Ellen Saracini knows the worst-case scenario.

ELLEN SARACINI, WIDOW OF UNITED FLIGHT 175 PILOT: The reason why is because there was a breach of the cockpit. And so I'm here today to stand for Victor, because he does not have a voice anymore.

MARSH: Her husband was captain of United Airline Flight 175 when hijackers using small knives overpowered the flight crew and flew the plane into the World Trade Center.

REP. PETER KING (R), NEW YORK: Nice to meet you. How are you?

MARSH: Saracini is on Capitol Hill, pushing for more protection in the skies. With the TSA set to allow small knives on board within weeks, she says Congress needs to mandate all airplanes have this, a secondary barrier to add protection when the cockpit door is open and pilots leave for the bathroom or to get a meal.

SARACINI: Studies have shown that it takes three to five seconds to breach a cockpit. And once inside, it's two seconds and the cockpit is taken over.

HEIDI OBERNDORF, UNITED AIRLINES PILOT: I've been flying with United since 1997.

MARSH: Pilot Heidi Oberndorf says these doors give the crew extra time to react. Right now, airlines use a food cart and a flight attendant to protect the cockpit. Airlines believe their current security procedures are sufficient. But for this pilot and her union, it's not enough.

OBERNDORF: When they have tested, you know, which is more effective, again, the secondary barrier wins out every time.

MARSH: But the International Air Transport Association disagrees.

PERRY FLINT, INTERNATIONAL AIR TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION: There are procedures in place for entrance and exit from the cockpit. The doors themselves are very strong. And as long as the procedures are followed, then there should not be any issue.

SARACINI: If the secondary barrier were installed on Victor's airplane, we wouldn't -- we wouldn't be talking today. We would have a safe aircraft, and no one -- and 2,973 people would not have died that day.

MARSH (on camera): Well, Saracini and the pilots union say they believe they could get bipartisan support for a law that would make these barriers mandatory, especially in light with the TSA's new knife policy which kicks in next month -- Susan, Joe.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JOHNS: Rene Marsh, thanks for that.

You know, I mean, this question of allowing knives back on planes --

HENDRICKS: Yes.

JOHNS: -- it's sort of an issue of what are you more scared of, TSA said, a knife or a bomb? And they say we're going to spend all our time on a bomb. I don't know, though, because we know knives can do a lot of damage.

HENDRICKS: I think they want it to be easier to go through security, but the thought of someone having a knife on the plane is a bit scarier for everybody involved. I do think the secondary barrier for the cockpit is a very good idea. And the food cart --

(CROSSTALK) JOHNS: Right. Unbelievable. I mean, you laugh when you hear that.

HENDRICKS: Right, you can't believe it.

So, the secondary barrier, we agree with. But we shall see what happens in terms of the new rules knives there again.

All right. Coming up just ahead, this little guy was supposed to fly across the country, and instead he flew across an ocean. Find out how he ended up so far from home.

JOHNS: Plus, fitting your message into 140 characters is tough, and try adding a disclaimer when you're paid to tweet.

HENDRICKS: But, first, look at this beautiful shoot.

Good morning to you, Washington, D.C. That's the White House, of course, 47 degrees. And a rainy day ahead there in D.C.

You are watching CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHNS: Take a look at Hendrix (ph), a 6-year-old Springer Spaniel. He's now saved with his family after an unscheduled trip to Ireland. The little pop had been flying with his family from Newark, New Jersey to Phoenix, Arizona when there was a cargo mix-up. We've heard about those. United Airlines took him overseas. The airline realized what happened. They got him back as quickly as they could to the States and on his way to Arizona. Hendrix's owners were relieved to have him but they are not sure when he'll be on a plane next time.

HENDRICKS: You can tell he is happy to see his owners.

JOHNS: That's for sure.

HENDRICKS: Where did I go? Ireland.

Now to business news at what's a historic week for the stock market. The Dow hit multiple highs. The housing markets shows signs of a stronger recovery and the lunch box classic is coming back to store shelves.

Alison Kosik has a wrap of the week's biggest business headlines.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Joe and Susan.

The Dow 10-day winning streak and the 8-day streak of record highs came to an end Friday, but, hey, it was great while it lasted, the longest streak since 1996. We also saw the S&P 500 come within two points of the all-time high on Thursday before pulling back on Friday. That's a major market milestone that investors will continue to watch for next week. So, what's behind the rally? Some more upbeat economic reports helped to keep the Dow in the green for most of the week. Most notably, a better than expected retail sales report that shows consumers continued to spend money in February, despite higher gas prices and higher payroll taxes. The Federal Reserve also continues to play a big role with its policies, keeping interest rates down and making the stock market, the best place to go, for a return on investments.

And Samsung's Galaxy S4 is here. The smartphone was unveiled Thursday and some analysts say it could be one of the best selling smartphones of the year. The S4 comes with a 5-inch high resolution screen, a front and back facing camera, and it is lightweight because of the plastic shell. But Samsung isn't giving any details away on the processor or the price.

The Galaxy is expected to hit the shelves in late April.

Good news for the housing market. Home repossessions plunged in February, to the lowest level since 2007. Repos plunged 29 percent over the last year as more buyers jumped back into the market, thanks to low interest rates and an improving job market.

And, finally, you're going to be able to get your Twinkie fix. Yes, the stock should be back on store shelves by the summer. This comes after a group of private equity firm agreed to buy the background brand for $410 million. Hostess filed for bankruptcy last fall after a bakers strike pushed the company over the edge -- Susan and Joe.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HENDRICKS: All right. Thank you so much, Alison.

People were mad about that. They couldn't get their Twinkies, right?

JOHNS: Right. I hate it when it happens.

Susan, are you in Facebook?

HENDRICKS: I am, I am.

JOHNS: So, have you heard about this. You know, how Twitter use hashtags. Apparently, Facebook is going to start using hashtags as well so you can search one topic and find out what everybody is saying about it.

HENDRICKS: It took me a while to figure out what the hashtags were used for on Twitter, but I got the hang on it. So, now, Facebook it appears wants to get in on this and maybe it could help Facebook cash in on it and maybe the stock will go up as well.

JOHNS: Well, yes, the idea is to get people using Facebook longer. So, you know how to check in and go away. They want you to stay on Facebook a little bit longer and looking at the ads.

HENDRICKS: You see people with their smartphones on Twitter all the time. I think Facebook wants you on their longer. JOHNS: Right. And speaking of Twitter, we have this new disclaimers idea, which I find fascinating. Now, apparently, because of the Trade Commission, Twitter is actually saying that people are going to have to announce that they are doing a commercial when they are doing one.

HENDRICKS: So, let's say like the Kardashians, and they endorse a lot of things, and people follow Kim Kardashian on their and saying I eat this, I go to this gym, I wear these shoes.

JOHNS: But she is being paid.

HENDRICKS: So, now, maybe she's going to have say I am being paid by Skechers, so to speak, to endorse it.

JOHNS: But you only can use a few characters. It looks like the disclaimer could sort of eat up the entire message. It's the government invading social media.

HENDRICKS: The Kardashians right now are saying we need a lawyer on this one.

(LAUGHTER)

JOHNS: That's right.

HENDRICKS: And, finally, Redbox, where you can see movies, maybe streaming movies online.

JOHNS: Which is a great idea because I use Redbox when I go on vacation, and you have to go and find the box, and put it in and go through all the hassle. Here apparently all you have to do is just get online and download it on your computer or whatever.

HENDRICKS: Which is a great thing.

JOHNS: But apparently only a few trials, at least that's what I am hearing, 4,400, not many titles to start. But the thing of the future.

HENDRICKS: I wonder if going to the movie theater will go out of style, but you've got have to love going there and the experience and the popcorn.

JOHNS: Right. The popcorn, the first release, the excitement of it, yes.

HENDRICKS: We still love that, and the big screen.

And you're talking about Sarah Palin as well today.

JOHNS: Sarah Palin is back in a spotlight. She's got a primetime slot at the ongoing conservative political conference. We'll take you there live.

Plus, Hillary Clinton, she's not a CPAC, of course. But she's still got into the discussion with a suggestion from the crowd. We'll tell you what they said about Hillary Clinton.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HENDRICKS: Mortgage rates climbed higher this week. Here are the latest numbers for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HENDRICKS: Bottom of the hour, everybody. Welcome back, everyone. Good to see you. I'm Susan Hendricks.

JOHNS: And I'm Joe Johns.

Now, to five stories you should know about this morning.

Number one, the Pentagon is expanding the missile defense on the West Coast, in response to threats from North Korea. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says they could spend $1 billion on the expansion. Reports North Korea test fired two short-range missiles this morning.

HENDRICKS: Number two, Lil Wayne recovering after having a seizure. His record label and publicist fought back against reports that he was in a medically induced coma and was near death.

Lil Wayne even tweeted last night saying this, "I'm good, everybody. Thanks for the prayers and love." His friends and fellow rapper Drake came to visit him and set up a vigil outside of his hospital room.

JOHNS: Number three the most influential celebrity of the year is Oprah. "Forbes" magazine crowned her with the honor for the second straight year. The 59-year-old beat out big names like Spielberg and Clint Eastwood. Forty-eight percent of people surveyed rated Oprah Winfrey as influential, down one point from last year.

HENDRICKS: And number four, lawmakers in North Dakota passed what could be some of the strictest abortion bills in the nation if they are signed into law. One bill bans abortions after a heartbeat is detected, which is normally about six weeks. The only exception is life of mother. No exception for rape or incest. Another bill bans abortions on the basis of gender or genetic defects.

JOHNS: And number five: Sarah Palin is the main attraction at the Conservative Political Action Conference today. Palin is expected to talk about the failures of 2012 and the way Republicans need to move forward. Sarah Palin isn't the only highlight at CPAC today.

CNN political editor Paul Steinhauser joins me now from the conference.

Paul, what else are you watching today?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, besides Sarah Palin, and, Joe, when Sarah Palin speaks here, this room is going to be pretty crowded. Right now, pretty empty, but I promise you a little later today, pretty crowded. She had a pretty well-received speech last year here at CPAC. But the other big thing today, besides Ted Cruz, the senator from Texas, all eyes will be on him as well later this evening, but the other big thing, of course, the straw poll. The Republican presidential nomination straw poll. You know, Joe, 2016 may be a long way away but this is really the first cattle call, I guess you could say, of Republicans possible candidates of 2016. Twenty-three days on the straw poll, we'll get those results later tonight and, of course, we'll dissect them like we always do, Joe.

JOHNS: Yes, we've been picking through the highlights from all week, especially yesterday. What would you say was the highlight yesterday?

STEINHAUSER: I'm going to say there were two highlights yesterday and let's start with Mitt Romney, the man who lost the presidential election last November. This was his first real speech since that November defeat, coming here to a crowd of conservatives. Remember last year, he made some news by calling himself severely conservative.

He got a pretty warm reception here. What was interesting from his speech, Joe, he actually some Republican governors from blue and purple states saying they are really going to be the leaders of the party. And two of those governors were not even invited to speak there, Chris Christie of New Jersey and Bob McDonnell of Virginia.

The other highlight for me, Joe, was last night, Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor, somebody who may be thinking about running for president in 2016. He was talking about the future of the party and which way it needs to go, and he brought up our colleague, you know him very well and so do I, Peter Hamby.

Take a listen to what Jeb Bush said last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEB BUSH (R), FORMER FLORIDA GOVERNOR: Sometimes in our lives, we even get to cross the thin line between humbling and downright humiliating. A couple weeks ago, Peter Hamby of CNN tweeted a picture of me from 1970 with what appeared to be a catcher's mitt on my head. I still have that sport coat, by the way.

Hamby felt compelled to comment on my hairstyle and said that I was wearing a mullet. I responded, of course, that it wasn't a mullet, just an unruly hair. In 1970, we all had that.

Hamby's response was even better. He said, "Technically, you are right, there is a party in the front, and a party in the back.

I find his comments strangely relevant to us tonight because if you think about it, the same could be said about the Republican Party. We used to be the party in the front. After this last election, sadly, we're the party in the back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(LAUGHTER) STEINHAUSER: Our Peter Hamby making news. And, you know, what's interesting, Jeb Bush is not one of those 23 names on the straw poll ballot. He asked not to be put on the ballot. He said 2016 is too far away.

Joe, you've been here to CPAC. It's part conference, part carnival. We're going to have a pretty interesting here today.

JOHNS: That's for sure. Fascinating that Peter Hamby get such a shout- out from Jeb Bush, not even an election year, and he didn't have anything bad to say about the reporter. That's pretty amazing.

STEINHAUSER: How about that? You don't get all the time, do you?

JOHNS: I know, that's for sure. Thanks so much, Paul Steinhauser, in Washington.

HENDRICKS: Love the analogy to the mullet, right?

JOHNS: That's incredible.

HENDRICKS: I wanted to share a light moment from CPAC's first day. It was back and forth with Paul Begala and Tucker Carlson. The issue of Hillary Clinton came up.

And Begala, Democratic strategist and friend of the Clintons, was asked if she was going to run in 2016. Listen here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL BEGALA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: So, I hope she does. I have no idea if she will. I hope no idea. I think she's actually first live a life, write a book, reacquaint herself with the real world, having been travelling the world. But I think this is really -- no, not get a facelift, she's not the Republican society lady. She's a real woman.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENDRICKS: Now, remember the whole facelift thing with something FOX News try to drum up just after Clinton left the State Department, they speculated that she may have had work done.

Well, if Clinton does work in 2016, she could face New Jersey governor, Chris Christie, both have been mentioned as possible candidates. We don't know how they would match-up nationally as of yet, but we do have an idea what would happen in Pennsylvania. A new poll says that Hillary Clinton would win the Keystone State match-up 47-42, and also Clinton would win against Marco Rubio and Paul Ryan. While Chris Christie would easily Joe Biden if they matched up.

For much more news from inside and outside the Beltway, we want to remind you that CNN chief Washington correspondent, Jake Tapper, has a new show this Monday. "THE LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER" makes its debut March 18th, again this Monday, at 4:00 a.m. Eastern.

JOHNS: Looking forward to that. They're getting ready for the unveiling in Washington, D.C.

Actress Jada Pinkett-Smith thinks the media gangs up on young celebrities. And she's fed with the bullying. Coming up next, two of our favorite radio hosts weigh in.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHNS: Welcome back.

We're in the E-block now and that means some time for entertainment news.

So, let's start with actress Jada Pinkett-Smith.

HENDRICKS: Well, she is no stranger when it comes to her Facebook page. So, when she brought up an interesting point about young celebrities being bullied by the media. It caught our attention.

Jada is asking this, how can we ask for our young stars to have a high level of responsibility if we are not demonstrating that same level of responsibility towards them? Do we feel as though we can do and say what we please without demonstrating any responsibility simply because they are famous?

A good point there.

JOHNS: It is.

Here to talk about that and more are two of our favorite radio personalities, V103 entertainment correspondent Kendra G, and Q100's host of "The Bert Show," Bert Weiss.

So, ladies, first, Kendra, let me start with you.

Does Jada have a point? Does the media come off as bullies?

KENDRA GILLIAMS, V0103 RADIO PERSONALITY: We do come off as bullying at times. She definitely has a point. Obviously, she is a mother. She's famous. And her daughter Willow has been ridiculed several times about the way she does her hair.

So I totally understand Jada Pinkett-Smith. We have a responsibility to watch what we say, and our words can hurt them and they're life on camera. I totally agree with her.

HENDRICKS: And, Bert, a fan of your radio show, and you have two young sons. I've heard you talk about bullying before.

What do you think about this? Do you think people put Justin Bieber kind of on a pedestal and therefore they feel like they can tear him down?

BERT WEISS, RADIO PERSONALITY: I do. If you take a look at your life when you were 16, 17, 18 years old, I know when I was that age, if there was a camera on me --

GILLIAMS: You would not be sitting here right now.

WEISS: What Justin Bieber is coming through, I made him look like Mother Teresa.

HENDRICKS: Oh, do tell.

WEISS: Seriously, than what he was going through.

But he lives under this microscope that I think is really unfair. He is a 17-year-old, and even though he's a celebrity, look, part of being 17 years old is doing stupid things.

JOHNS: Not just him, but generally, when you look at celebrities, they make millions and a lot of people say you buy into the fame and the money and the power and it all, you know, the media, too, the paparazzi.

WEISS: Yes, it's funny we talked about this on the show, and most people didn't have a lot of sympathy for celebrities. It didn't matter if they were 16, 17, and 18. If you sign up you should know what is coming.

And my feeling is, if you are 16 or 17, you can't know what's coming to you.

HENDRICKS: And I think that's what Jada Pinkett-Smith was saying. These kids have talent obviously and Taylor Swift as well.

GILLIAMS: Yes.

HENDRICKS: So, just because they are great at what they do and they do make money, that comes along with it, that doesn't mean that we should be able to, as adults, tear them down.

WEISS: Right.

HENDRICKS: That we should know better.

WEISS: What we saw with Justin Bieber last week, when the paparazzi was shouting really nasty things --

HENDRICKS: Anyone would do what he did.

GILLIAMS: Exactly, yes.

WEISS: Anybody would pop like that, at 17, especially a 19-year-old kid, you can't hold that.

HENDRICKS: And, Taylor Swift's age think 22, 23, singing about the people she has dated, people are really going after.

But think about it, at that young of an age, think about if everyone knew everyone you dated in your younger years.

GILLIAMS: Exactly. And the reason we don't have sympathy is because they are rich and we think they're so privileged. Why should we feel bad for them, they have all the access to the world and money, but we have to be a little bit more gentle for the kids.

HENDRICKS: One of my favorites, I want to talk about a celebrity who really doesn't care about what people think. I'm talking about Lena Dunham. She bears it all on HBO's "Girls". But she is keeping her clothes on for "Playboy".

I want to show you a clip for the show.

Do we have it?

JOHNS: There we go. Maybe it's just a photograph from "Playboy."

The thing about Lena Dunham is she takes off her clothes, and she has no apologies for it. She's not built like a model, but she's apparently very proud of what she does.

HENDRICKS: There's something gutsy about this and "Playboy," people read it for the articles anyway.

WEISS: Yes, right.

GILLIAMS: Sometimes.

HENDRICKS: And let's play a little clip of the show and then we'll talk about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LENA DUNHAM, ACTRESS: I no longer can work for free.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you get hungry enough, you're going to figure it out.

DUNHAM: Do you mean like physically hungry or like hungry for the job?

So, I calculated and I can last for three and half more days, maybe seven I don't need one.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keep it up.

DUNHAM: I am not flattered bisexual harassment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why not? Love that stuff.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's why I am here, to jam a very specific frequency of feminine stupidity.

DUNHAM: Thank you.

JOHNS: So, it's not modeled, this is a real woman.

WEISS: I'll tell you what? I may be the first man in the country to say two things right now. A, I watch this show.

JOHNS: No, I do, too.

(CROSSTALK)

WEISS: And the second thing is I actually read the articles in "Playboy."

JOHNS: I didn't do that.

WEISS: I think what she has done is brilliant. I think as a young feminist, what she is saying here is that look, "Playboy" has been a brand for so long and it is demeaning to women and as a 26-year-old I am going ahead and doing something totally different and I'm going to stand out against that kind of thing and speaking out against the demeaning nature of "Playboy."

HENDRICKS: What do you think, Kendra?

GILLIAMS: What I love about her she is so comfortable in her own skin. She is not built like a Victoria Secret model, and I'm not really the biggest fan of posing for "Playboy". But in the picture so far. She's not even bearing that much.

I think this also brings her to a different audience, and that's why I love her so much because she actually is built like a real woman. I got hips, too. That's why I love her so much.

HENDRICKS: She is the creator of the show.

GILLIAMS: Yes.

HENDRICKS: She's a very smart woman. Young girls can look up to her.

Speaking of looking up to women --

JOHNS: Michelle Obama, and the April's cover of "Vogue."

A lot of people say she is over exposed.

GILLIAMS: This also came because she was part of the Oscars. She gave the best picture award.

I love Michelle Obama. I personally cannot get enough of her. I love her grace, her dignity. I think she is the perfect representation of the first lady. So me I can't get enough.

HENDRICKS: It's not like it's "Cosmo".

GILLIAMS: Right.

WEISS: Right.

HENDRICKS: It's "Vogue" here.

WEISS: I think it's just such a different age now. I think we want to see inside the White House. I think we want to see inside the first lady. I don't feel she is over exposed, not even a little bit.

JOHNS: Especially when she wears clothes from the Gap, and things like that. A very common every woman.

GILLIAMS: And she's very regular. I feel like I could be the first lady one day after seeing Michelle Obama because she becomes so normal. That's why I love her so much.

HENDRICKS: A brilliant woman who is a great example to kids with the childhood obesity program as well.

Bert and Kendra, great to talk to you this.

WEISS: Thanks for having us here. That was fun.

HENDRICKS: Good to see you both.

Well, coming up, do you want a piece of history? Well a Titanic discovery with a legendary story has been authenticated by experts and it's for sale. We're going to show you what is it, coming up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we need to farm the ocean as we farm the land. On land, we don't farm for crops in the cities in these dense areas. You know, coastal waters are those cities, and the dense areas, there's a lot of uses for the environment. The farmer crops the land on the vast wide open field, which is really the open ocean.

Not only are we getting cleaner fish, it's free of contaminants and free of the harmful contaminants that you see, which is mercury, and pesticides. It doesn't exist and we can prove it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHNS: A big loss in the first round of yesterday's ACC tournament and it couldn't have come at a worse time for Duke.

HENDRICKS: Well, I'm hearing that some of the experts predicted Duke would win it all and tomorrow is selection Sunday, in case you didn't know. The early exit could affect how high Duke is seeded for the tournament.

JOHNS: Get your brackets.

JOE CARTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm not the expert either, by the way.

JOHNS: No.

CARTER: You should probably search for --

HENDRICKS: I am.

(CROSSTALK)

CARTER: I'd say that Duke's loss to Maryland is embarrassing for the school. I mean, they're obviously a better team on paper. It's sort of shocking to some of the experts but it doesn't affect how they'll be seed in the upcoming tournament.

I mean, this team is one that many thing has what it takes to win the entire thing, to win the national championship but obviously not if they played like they played yesterday against Maryland.

JOHNS: They lost twice to them this year, didn't they?

CARTER: You know, Maryland's beaten them two timed solidly. Yesterday, Duke, plain and simple, just kind of laid an egg, knocks them out of the tournament early after one round they're sitting at home. The positive is Duke can take away from this is that they got a week to rest.

Maryland, your team, that's a bubble thing. They need to win the ACC tournament or make it to the finals if they want a shot at making it to the big dance, they play North Carolina later today. The winner of that game goes to the ACC finals.

JOHNS: That won't be easy.

CARTER: We did have a Big East game yesterday, obviously long time rivals Georgetown, Syracuse, these guys played each other for decades. It's their final game against each other in the Big East because Syracuse is jumping ship next year to the ACC. Of course, of course, this game went into overtime. Syracuse ended up winning in overtime in a tight finish, which means they advanced to the Big East championship game today to play Louisville.

Now, in my opinion, and it's a humble opinion, best dunk of the conference tournament so far, this guy has been great all season, Indiana's Victor Oladipo. Watch him on the fast break here. The guy put on a 360 slam.

JOHNS: Ooh!

CARTER: This guy is a Big Ten defensive player of the year. Great on defense, but clearly, he's very good with the rock as well. So, Indiana moves on today to play Wisconsin. Indiana, obviously, one of the teams a lot of people are saying that could win the national championship. But I think this year as opposed to last year there is no clear-cut number one.

So, I think for those that are getting ready to fill up their brackets on Monday morning, I would say, find the nearest non-basketball fan and have them fill out the brackets.

JOHNS: Really, no.

HENDRICKS: That's me.

(CROSSTALK)

JOHNS: So, Indiana, no?

CARTER: Well, it could be. I mean, any of the top ten teams have a shot at winning the national championship. Last year, Kentucky was number one. They won easily

I think this year there is no clear-cut number one.

JOHNS: Sure. Wow, that's going to be tough.

HENDRICKS: I think I can fill out your bracket.

JOHNS: Yes, would you do it? That would be great. You'd probably end up winning.

CARTER: You are probably winning.

JOHNS: I know you will.

HENDRICKS: Was that guy in the slam dunk contest? The one you need to show?

CARTER: Victor Oladipo, he could be when he goes to the NBA. He could be.

JOHNS: That was --

HENDRICKS: Joe carter thank you. Now watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, come on. Find the curb.

GAVIN STEVENS: Find the curb?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Find it.

STEVENS: Dad, where are you going?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: Stick around for one of the most heartwarming videos will you see, a blind 4 years old conquering his greatest fear stepping off the curb for the very first time.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHNS: Susan, if you know anything about the "Titanic", you know about the legend that the band played "Nearer My God to Thee" as the ship sank. Well, you got to say this. According to ABC News, the violin whose owner played that song was discovered in a British man's attic and it's been authenticated by experts now. After years of testing, sea water deposits proved to be compatible with other items that survived the tragedy.

However, the final proof was the engraved silver plate on the instrument connecting it to its original owner, Wallace Hartley (ph). He died in the disaster along with more than 1,500 others in 1912. The violin's current owner is interested in selling the instrument and he says the offers for it are pouring in.

I don't know if I'd sell it though.

HENDRICKS: I know, as I could imagine people want to own a part of history.

In California now, you got to see this as well -- a sea lion takes over a kayak.

The stubborn guy doesn't know how to take no for an answer. How could is this?

The owner says he was shocked when he found the. On board and refused to leave even nudging the little guy off and just hopping back on. Apparently, it was just looking for a safe place to rest.

JOHNS: Wow.

HENDRICKS: They say every long journey begins with a single step, right?

Well, that couldn't get more true for a brave young boy named Gavin Stevens.

JOHNS: This four year old was diagnosed with an extremely rare retina disorder in 2009, at just 6 months old, left him blind and there's no cure but he's conquering life's challenges one by one.

Take a look at the inspiring moment where he learned how to step off the curb, one of his biggest fears, telling his mom simply, I can do it! Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: O, come on, step down, Bubba. Find the curb.

STEVENS: Find the curb?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Find it.

STEVENS: Dad, where are you going?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You got it.

STEVENS: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You got it.

STEVENS: I can't.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can do it.

STEVENS: I can do it!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can do it, baby, go ahead. You're safe. Good job.

You got it. Turn, good job. So proud of you. STEVENS: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENDRICKS: And there he goes. He did it.

JOHNS: What a moment.

HENDRICKS: It really is.

Be sure to stay with us. Around 10:30 Eastern Time, I will speak live to Gavin and his parents about that major steppingstone and their search for a cure. He has a lot of fans, that little.

JOHNS: Incredible. Thanks for starting your morning with us.

HENDRICKS: We've got much more ahead on CNN SATURDAY MORNING which starts right now.