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CNN Saturday Morning News
Kaufman County Authorities Cracking Down On Threats; How Far Is North Korea Prepared To Go?; Obama Apologizes To California's Attorney General; Facebook Has New Home On The Android
Aired April 06, 2013 - 9:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. I'm Miguel Marquez. It's 9 o'clock on the East Coast, 6:00 am out West, thanks for starting your day with us. We begin this hour with an update in the unsolved murders of two Texas prosecutors.
Authorities in Kaufman County, Texas, are cracking down on threats and taking every potential threat seriously, like this week when someone called in a bomb threat during a memorial service for District Attorney Mike McClelland and his wife.
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MARQUEZ (voice-over): Whoever made that threat hasn't been found. The police arrested this man, Robert Miller, and charged him with making terroristic threats online against a deputy district attorney.
Another man, Nick Morale, also faces charges he's accused of threatening a county official. But police say these men are not tied to the killings.
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MARQUEZ: CNN's Martin Savidge joins us now from Kaufman County, Texas.
Martin, how do these threats relate to the case?
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you point out, the authorities are bound and determined to make sure that this does not spiral out of control, that somehow other people try to glom onto this and use it for whatever means to talk about their issues.
So anybody who makes a threat, either against law enforcement or against a public official down here, is going to be charged and found.
In the case of that threat that was made against the memorial service, as yet that person has not been located. But they are working hard. And as you point out, two other people have been arrested, a very serious charge, terroristic threat, and being held on a $1 million bond each. They are not fooling when it comes to that.
But as you point out, these two are not being considered suspects in the case of the murders.
As for that investigation, it's moving forward. The McClellands, of course, were found murdered a week ago. And one theory now that is coming out as a result of the investigation is perhaps that maybe they might have known who their attacker was.
The reason that is said is because the family was clearly on their guard, and yet somehow the intruder made it into the home and there was no sign of breaking and entering. So was it possible that they opened the door to someone they knew or someone they thought they knew, --in other words, a disguise or a ruse in some way. So that's where it stands.
Meanwhile, last night on "ANDERSON COOPER," Christina Foreman, who is the daughter of the McClellands, spoke about the heartbreak in their family.
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CHRISTINA FOREMAN, MCCLELLAND DAUGHTER: They were amazing. They were the most amazing people I have ever known in my entire life. They had such conviction and such strength and they really believed in what they were doing. And they loved their family. You know, we have a blended family in the five kids, and they loved all of us. And they had so much to give.
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SAVIDGE: Everything you read, everything you hear in this community, that is echoed over and over about the McClellands.
Mark Hasse is the other lead prosecutor and he was murdered nearly two months just before. Miguel?
MARQUEZ: Terrible case. Thank you there -- very much there, Martin.
Turning now to North Korea and the question of how far the regime is prepared to go.
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MARQUEZ (voice-over): The reclusive nation is showing off its military might in newly released images and appears to be readying its missiles. A U.S. official confirms North Korea has loaded two medium range missiles onto mobile launchers on its East Coast. They could threaten South Korea and Japan.
Former U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell says the Obama administration must be ready.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GEORGE MITCHELL, FORMER U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY TO THE MIDDLE EAST: I think it requires a high level of concern without creating any new pressure or tensions, and I think the president is handling it about right in that regard.
It's -- this is a totally totalitarian state dominated by the military with a young, untested and probably lacking in knowledge leader who has to prove himself. He's trying to show the military that he's a tough guy.
We've been through this before with North Korea and with others, but, absurd as some of these claims sound coming from them, they must be taken seriously and the administration must be prepared to act.
MARQUEZ: Now as North Korea ramps up its threats, Washington is deploying missile defense systems in Guam, where U.S. bases are located, and South Korea is sending destroyers to guard its coast.
Secretary of State John Kerry is headed back to the Middle East today just weeks after his last visit. Kerry's first stop is in Istanbul. He has six more cities on his itinerary before returning to Washington on April 15th. The tour includes stops in Jerusalem and Ramallah, where he could urge both the Israelis and Palestinians to return to peace talks.
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MARQUEZ: Some breaking news out of South Africa, anti-apartheid icon -- anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela has been released from the hospital. That's great news.
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MARQUEZ (voice-over): Doctors have been treating the former South African president for pneumonia. It was the second time in the past month the 94-year old has been hospitalized. The Nobel Peace Prize winner's history of lung problems dates back to when he was a political prisoner.
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MARQUEZ: A dismal look at the economy coming from the government; just 88,000 people got jobs last month and another 500,000 stopped looking for work entirely.
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MARQUEZ (voice-over): One bright spot, though, construction jobs: 18,000 people were hired. Job growth in this sector has been trending up since last fall.
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MARQUEZ: If you're a big fan of college basketball, your wait is over. The Final Four tips off tonight.
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MARQUEZ (voice-over): The action starts around 6:00 Eastern right here in Atlanta, where nine seeded Wichita State takes on number one Louisville -- that's Kevin Ware's team, the player who brodely (ph) -- that poor guy broke his leg last week.
And just before 9:00 pm Syracuse goes up against Michigan. Stay with us all day for the latest on the big games.
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MARQUEZ: And let's talk about weather for the big games. Meteorologist Alexandra Steele joins me now.
So what can the 100,000 or so fans here in Atlanta expect this weekend, Alexandra?
ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, with 100,000 people, we're going to deliver. Right? Come on. All right. Look what Atlanta is going to do for all of these people at the Final Four. The nicest weather, the warmest weather thus far of the entire year. So no cumbersome coats, no umbrellas. You're just going to have beautiful conditions, 72 and sunny today, 74 tomorrow, Monday 76.
And if you're here until Tuesday, 78 degrees. Average here is 70 and temperatures have not been this warm really since last year, so really conditions that are quite nice.
But here in the Southeast it's warm, but not just confined to the Southeast. Warm conditions, 66 in New York City on Monday, gets to 70 on Tuesday, the average is 58. Dallas as well, even Chicago above average temperatures, so finally the warmest temperatures spring-like temperatures kind of now coinciding with the season.
The little fly in the ointment: we are still seeing some snow, though. The Upper Midwest, a little disturbance coming through, temperatures are cold enough, so Upper Michigan could see about 3-5 inches of snow, but that will quickly move out.
The other area we're seeing some weather in the Pacific Northwest, rain and mountain snow, maybe about 6 inches or so in the highest of elevations.
The big picture really could not be nicer. But just kind of want to give you a heads-up of what's in store. You know, it's been benign all March, certainly thus far this April. Temperatures have been cold; it's been very rainy, so we haven't seen severe weather.
Severe weather looks like we could have quite a severe weather outbreak, especially on Tuesday and into Wednesday. So here's what's going to develop. It's Kansas, Oklahoma, into Missouri and Arkansas as we shift east toward Wednesday.
So here's the deal. Warm, moist air, we haven't had that really all March or April, that's coming into play. Cold air with the front and that's where we're going to see kind of that severe weather, Miguel, erupt, again Monday, kind of peaks in earnest, Tuesday and Wednesday. So kind of just keeping a heads-up for this for next week.
MARQUEZ: Alexandra, breaking news: I brought the lovely Final Four weather to Atlanta from Los Angeles, (inaudible).
STEELE: Oh, thank you.
MARQUEZ: No charge, no charge.
STEELE: (Inaudible), thank you.
MARQUEZ: Just ahead, President Obama apologizes to California attorney general over a remark about her appearance.
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MARQUEZ (voice-over): It's a story that has many of you talking.
Plus remembering a film legend, we'll look back at the life of pioneer film critic Roger Ebert.
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MARQUEZ (voice-over): Good morning, Washington, D.C. You're looking at live pictures there of the Capitol Building on a sunshiny Saturday morning, lovely.
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MARQUEZ: California's attorney general seems to be letting President Obama off the hook after his remarks about her appearance had people in an uproar. CNN's Rene Marsh explains the apology and the response.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: California state attorney general --
RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kamala Harris, a potential candidate for governor, maybe even the next U.S. attorney general, by many accounts a rising star in the Democratic Party. But her resume isn't grabbing headlines. What President Obama said about her Thursday at a private fundraiser in California is, calling her, quote, "By far the best-looking attorney general."
The White House answering to CNN about the comment.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How has he reflected on his comments since making and has he called Harris?
CARNEY: He called her to apologize for the distraction created by his comments, and, you know, they are old friends and good friends, and he did not want in any way to diminish the attorney general's professional accomplishments.
SAM BENNETT, PRES/CEO, SHE SHOULD RUN FOUNDATION: It's sexist. That simple comment drops her like a stone electorally and makes voters much more likely to see her -- much less likely to see her as qualified or worthy of their vote.
MARSH (voice-over): A harmless compliment or a sexist remark, it sparked a debate.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The president also causing a bit of a stir with some comments he just made.
ROBIN ROBERTS, ABC ANCHOR: Also raising eyebrows overnight, the president out in California --
LAUREN ASHBURN, "THE DAILY BEAST": It's not as if he called her a slut.
MARSH (voice-over): The president acknowledged Harris' accomplishments, saying, quote, "She is brilliant and she's dedicated and she is tough," before mentioning her looks.
LEONARD STEINHORN, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY: The debate requires a lot more context and a lot more knowledge, because we don't fully know the extent of their friendship, which they claim to have.
MARSH (voice-over): The president has been on the defensive before, fighting perception of a boys' club attitude. This picture of the president's inner circle had many asking, where are the women. The president has turned that around, appointing women to his Cabinet, most recently the Secret Service director.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What should the president have said when he introduced her?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everything he said, except the last thing he said, which is comment on her appearance.
MARSH: Harris' office released this statement, saying the attorney general and the president have been friends for many years. They had a great conversation and she strongly supports him -- Rene Marsh, CNN, Washington.
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MARQUEZ: Now Facebook's new phone software promises to put people first. We'll ask our tech expert what that means, next.
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MARQUEZ: Facebook has a new home and you can find it on the Android. Mark Zuckerberg shot down the idea of his own phone during his software announcement, but did introduce us to a new operating system partnership. It says that -- he says it puts people first.
Joining us from Los Angeles this morning to explain just what that means is tech expert Carley Knobloch.
Carley, how's this going to work? The phones are preloaded with the software, is that right?
CARLEY KNOBLOCH, TECH EXPERT AND DIGITAL STYLIST: That's right. So for years Facebook has been keeping us guessing about what they're doing on the mobile (inaudible). And it turns out they built kind of a skin or a blanket that goes over the Android operating system. It's called Facebook Home and it will be preinstalled on the HTC First Phone along with the update Facebook app and Messenger app so that all you have to do is turn it on to enjoy the immersive Facebook experience.
MARQUEZ: So are there any new or different features that are going to be on this phone?
KNOBLOCH: Yes, so one of them you can use without even unlocking your phone. It's called the cover feed and it is a live and in real- time, always in motion slide show of all the things that are going on on your news feed, so photos and updates from your friends. And you can like them or interact with them without even unlocking your phone.
Another one that's getting a lot of attention are the chat heads. Now wherever you are on your phone, if you're surfing the Web or playing a game, if a friend wants to chat with you, a little bubble will pop up and you can engage with them right then and there without leaving what you're doing.
MARQUEZ: So much competition in the social media space. How will this impact Google?
KNOBLOCH: I think it's giving Google a little bit of a run for its money. On the one hand, they didn't really mess with Android. People are calling it spooning with Android as opposed to (inaudible) it. And so they're playing nice, but they're definitely moving in for the kill.
MARQUEZ: Now let's talk about data collecting. Some apps take our info when we download them, but come July, new federal restrictions protect child's privacy, what are they?
KNOBLOCH: Yes. So the Federal Trade Commission has finally figured out what many of us parents have known for quite some time, which is that data collection is a huge problem, especially when games are targeted at kids. So when they're collecting data from our kids, our privacy is protected -- is violated, rather.
And so they are tightening the restrictions on how these app developers can collect data when the game is marketed to children.
MARQUEZ: Yes. So it will hurt the mobile apps that target kids or go after them specifically? KNOBLOCH: I think it's going to hurt them and it's definitely going to be a big problem for them. Remember that their revenue model is based on collecting this data so that they can target specific ads to you.
So if you're not paying for that app, remember that the revenue model is you and they want as much information as they can from you in order to target the best ads to you.
So it's definitely going to be a problem for them. It might even hurt innovation, so a lot of these companies are second guessing whether to put these apps on the market that could be construed as marketing to kids. So imagine a world without the next Angry Birds. Could be a pretty sad place.
MARQUEZ: Yes. Carley Knobloch, thank you very much for joining us.
KNOBLOCH: Thank you.
MARQUEZ: A 76-year-old retired educator hasn't given up her love of teaching, only this time she's taking her classroom to the students in a high-tech bus that's like none other. She's reaching out to undeserved (sic) communities in Palm Beach County, Florida. Meet Estelle Pyfrum.
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ESTELLE PYFRUM, EDUCATOR (voice-over): I grew up in the segregated South. I actually started picking beans at age 6. But my father, I used to hear him say, if you get a good education, you can get a good job. So we knew that education was important.
In today's time, many of our children don't have computers at home, and low income families don't have transportation to get to where the computers are.
Kids who don't have access to computers after school will be left behind.
My name is Estella Pyfrom. At age 71, I took my retirement savings to create a classroom to bring high-tech learning to communities in need.
All right, let's get on board Estella's Brilliant Bus.
Estella's Brilliant Bus is a mobile learning center.
Are you ready to get on the computer?
Yes!
We want to do what we can do to make things better for all, adults as well.
OK, got it.
I see the bus as being able to bridge that gap between technology and the lack of it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She helps me having one-on-one attention. And if I don't get it she'll help me with it. I look forward to it a lot.
PYFROM: How are we doing here?
It's not just a bus. It's a movement. We're going to go from neighborhood to neighborhood, keep making a difference.
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MARQUEZ: It's a multimillion-dollar business where the employees are criminals and you don't get out alive. Sound like a movie? Well, it's a real organization and it might be connected to murders of the Texas D.A. and his wife; that's next hour at 10:20 Eastern.
Now some videos that you just got to see, a boat that washed ashore in Washington State is described as a Noah's ark of marine life.
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MARQUEZ (voice-over): Officials say the boat traveled 5,000 miles from Japan after the tsunami nearly two years ago.
The boat's hull became a home for tropical fish native to Japan. Officials say five fish and other animals survived because the boat acted like a tide pool. Scientists say they will study the creatures for their endurance.
Hundreds of stranded sea lions are turning up all over the California coastline, even behind the wheel of a car. This cute little guy was spotted on a road in San Diego this week; a driver thought it was a dog, opened the door and the pup hopped right into the front seat. A rescue crew from Sea World came to take him away. He will be nursed back to health before being released back into the sea.
And if that wasn't cute enough, check out Ronan the dancing sea lion. The University of California Santa Cruz provided this evidence Ronan may be the first nonhuman mammal trained to keep a beat. Scientists spent time in a lab with Ronan, teaching her to bob her head to music, but surprised everyone with her rhythm while dancing to a song she had never heard before. Amazing.
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MARQUEZ: And "The New Yorker" magazine is remembering legendary movie critic Roger Ebert, who died Thursday, by publishing his cartoon captions.
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MARQUEZ (voice-over): Ed Fisher says ever since Ebert won its contest with the caption you see here, he sent one in every week. Roger Ebert had battled cancer and died just two days after revealing it had returned to his body. Ebert will not only be remembered for his elegant movie reviews, but for the phrase he coined, "two thumbs up."
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ROGER EBERT, MOVIE CRITIC: My aunt would take me to the grownup movies. My dad took me to see the Marx Brothers. And I just loved movies.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How many thumbs?
EBERT: I just -- I only have the one. This is the actual one that I use on the show right here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I like to call him the mayor of Movie Criticville.
EBERT: The bottom line is dinosaurs, yes; story, no, with this picture.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We proudly welcome to the Hollywood Walk of Fame Roger Ebert! There it is, Roger!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's the most passionate person I've ever met about the movies.
EBERT: I think every critic has to be judged on the basis of his own work.
THEA FLAUM, CREATOR, "SNEAK PREVIEWS": The whole idea of a movie, watching a movie, being a personally enriching experience, I think, was at the heart of all of Roger's communications about the movies.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We would still get excited every time the lights went down and the curtains parted in the screening room. He was always rooting for a movie to be good.
EBERT: I gave a thumbs-up. I thought it was a very interesting film.
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MARQUEZ: Thumbs up.
Thanks for watching today. I'll see you back here at the top of the hour. "YOUR BOTTOM LINE" starts right now. (MUSIC PLAYING)
