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CNN Saturday Morning News
North Korea Not Backing Down; Tiger Woods Penalized at Masters Tournament; Kobe Bryant Down With Torn Achilles; The Power of Propaganda on a People; New Vine App; Bitcoins: The New Digital Currency?
Aired April 13, 2013 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It's Saturday, April 13th. Good morning. I'm Alison Kosik.
With North Korea showing no signs of backing down, the U.S. secretary of state pays a visit to the North's big ally, China.
And a big NASCAR race today is drawing a lot of attention because of three letters attached to it: N-R-A.
And are you frantically trying to finish your taxes this weekend?
Well, would you ever think of deducting a swimming pool? You got to hear these crazy tax stories.
But first to China, where Secretary of State John Kerry is urging leaders there to pressure North Korea to tone down its threats. Kerry met with China's foreign minister and the president. He said the U.S. and China face enormously challenging issues.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: Mr. Minister, you said at the very beginning of your comments that this is a critical moment.
I look forward to having that conversation with you today, to do exactly as you said, lift this conversation up, broaden it, set a road map, define for both of us what the model relationship should be and how two great powers, China and the United States, can work effectively to solve problems.
KOSIK (voice-over): This comes after Kerry visited South Korea yesterday. There he warned North Korea that launching a missile would be a huge mistake.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: Anna Coren is live in Seoul.
Anna, what came out of the meetings in China today?
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Alison, John Kerry basically asking for China's help, for it to use its leverage and influence over North Korea. We know that China is North Korea's only friend and ally in the entire world. It provides food; it provides fuel and aid.
And if it wants, it can turn off the taps as far as money goes into North Korea. It flows into North Korea illegally through banks, through companies and that is what funds its nuclear weapons program.
Now China has obviously backed the U.N. sanctions against North Korea following its third nuclear test. It's also said that it is fed up with the rhetoric coming out of Pyongyang and that no one country has the power to influence the region the way that it does.
So we know that China is tired of this, but it really, I guess, needs to put its money where its mouth is, if you like, and to turn off the taps, stop the money flowing in and to use its influence over North Korea to really change things here on the peninsula.
KOSIK: But is Kerry's visit expected to have any impact on North Korea at all?
COREN: Well, look, I think if John Kerry can get through to China, then, yes, possibly, it will have a huge impact.
But you know, you mentioned that John Kerry was here in Seoul yesterday. And while he had some pretty tough words for North Korea, he also had a rather conciliatory tone in his message. He basically said that the door was open to diplomacy if North Korea was serious about denuclearization.
He also mentioned that the Obama administration had called off some of the drills that are being held in the joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea, something that is really getting up Pyongyang's nose. So perhaps we are seeing some concessions from the United States in the hope of deescalating things here on the peninsula.
KOSIK: OK. Anna Coren reporting in Seoul. Thank you.
There's now a confirmed case of bird flu in China's capital.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK (voice-over): A 7-year-old girl in Beijing is the latest person to be infected with the disease. The country's official news agency says she's being treated and is in stable condition. So far 44 people in China have been infected with the new variation of bird flu, called H7N9.
In Indonesia, a plane overshot the runway and landed in the ocean. Amazing pictures of the Lion Air flight that was carrying about 100 people. Fortunately, no one was killed, amazingly enough. Only one person is confirmed injured and a total of 18 people were taken to the hospital to be checked. The airline says the Boeing 737 is new and has only been in use since March and the pilot, they say, was fit to fly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: Back in the U.S., authorities investigating the murders of two Texas prosecutors have searched the home of this man, Eric Williams.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK (voice-over): He used to be a justice of the peace in Kaufman County. That's until last year when he was convicted of stealing public equipment.
The prosecutors who were killed, Mike McClelland and Mark Hasse, handled the case. Both were shot this year.
Williams' lawyer says he's innocent and that a gun residue test Williams took hours after McClelland and his wife, Cynthia, took -- were killed -- came back negative.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: A NASCAR race in Texas today is at the center of a political controversy. At issue is a decision by organizers to award the National Rifle Association naming rights to the race.
Our Susan Candiotti is live in Ft. Worth, Texas, for the running of the NRA 500.
Susan, how much does this issue really resonate with the people coming to the race, meaning the drivers, the people watching?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly the people who are attending this race -- and there will be a few hundred thousand of them coming here this day; they are just now trickling in and the race doesn't happen until tonight.
This is a hugely popular event. People come here literally from all over the country who follow stock car racing to watch this NRA race that is being sponsored by them and is being held here by the Texas Motor Speedway. It is the Texas Motor Speedway that negotiated the NRA to sponsor this race. And of course it is sanctioned by NASCAR.
But for the most part here, people here are just huge racing fans. They don't care about the politics of it. They don't care that the NRA is endorsing this -- or, rather, sponsoring it. They just want to see their favorite race car drivers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHRIS MURPHY (D), CONN. They could have found another sponsor for this race. They could have waited until after the debate to have the NRA sponsor a race. It's just really, really poor timing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: Now that was Senator Chris Murphy and he is from the state of Connecticut. He said that -- as you heard him there -- that the timing of this just isn't right. And he said that Newtown families feel the same way.
Because of what's happening on Capitol Hill right now, of course, the major debate going on about gun control legislation,, and therefore he says why did they have to do this now and he wishes that NASCAR might have intervened and he wishes that FOX would not broadcast it tonight. But of course the show will be broadcast and be seen by many, many people tonight.
KOSIK: NASCAR spokesman has said that the NRA sponsorship is going to be fitting in within the existing parameters that NASCAR affords.
Do you know what those parameters are?
Do we know if and how NASCAR plans to change them, if they do at all?
CANDIOTTI: Well, here's what we do know, that, in a case like this, you have Texas Motor Speedway negotiates with a potential sponsor -- in this case, NRA, the NRA -- and so they strike a deal. But then it's up to NASCAR to approve it.
They could have rejected that sponsorship. And the negotiations, we are told, began before the Newtown massacre, but they were finalized; the deal was announced just last month.
And so that is what is striking a chord with people who wonder about why this has to be happening now. We don't know -- we do know because of this controversy that NASCAR is saying, you know, maybe we should reexamine the parameters and take another look at it. But they won't tell us exactly what it is about the parameters that they're going to be looking at, Alison.
KOSIK: OK. Susan Candiotti in Ft. Worth, Texas. Thank you.
Tiger Woods will start the Masters today with a two-stroke penalty against him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK (voice-over): He was penalized for taking an illegal ball drop on the 15th hole yesterday. Woods is the world's number one golfer. He's going for his fifth green jacket and 15th major championship title. We're going to take you live to Augusta at the bottom of the hour.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: Of all the things that could happen as the Lakers fight for a spot in the NBA playoffs, their leader, Kobe Bryant, goes down with a possible torn Achilles tendon.
If that's the case, Bryant could be out three months to a year. An MRI is planned today to confirm the injury. He fought back tears as he explained to reporters how bad he hurt his leg.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KOBE BRYANT, L.A. LAKERS: I was just hoping it wasn't what I knew it was, just trying to walk it off and hoping that the sensation would come back, but no such luck. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What was that sensation?
BRYANT: I had no Achilles. And that's the sensation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: Lakers fans aren't the only ones disappointed about losing a star player. So are L.A. Dodgers fans. Dodgers pitcher Zach Greinke is out for as many as eight weeks with a broken collarbone. It happened when Padres slugger Carlos Quentin charged the mound after Greinke hit Quentin with a pitch on Thursday. A bench-clearing brawl followed. Now Quentin faces an eight-game suspension.
KOSIK: Brainwashed since birth: a North Korean defector remembers a lifetime of propaganda. We're going to hear her story next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
KOSIK: Brainwashed since birth, Chae Young Hee escaped from North Korea 10 years ago. She says she endured a lifetime of propaganda that still haunts her today. Our Kyung Lah reports.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over); Bizarre, over the top.
Welcome to the one and only television channel available in North Korea, Korean Central Television, KCTV.
To the outside world, the state-run images run from the weird and ridiculous to unbelievable and outlandish propaganda. But look at what happens as Chae Young Hee watches KCTV.
"Their god," she says, referring to North Korea's trinity Kim Jong-un, his father and grandfather.
LAH: But how can people think of him as a god?
"That's what you're taught since birth," says this defector, who escaped North Korea 10 years ago, fleeing the brutal regime.
She says, "It's been a long time since I last saw this and I feel -- I'm getting emotional. I don't know how to express this.
"This is not a lie. This is not an act. It's real. If anything happens, North Koreans will give up their lives. They will even jump into a fire."
LAH: This is very powerful; even though you left 10 years ago, this still has power over you.
LAH (voice-over): We watched a children's show that Chae fondly refers, the good North Korean cat defeating the South Korean rat.
And a war film that depicts the North Koreans defeating Americans.
But if there's a revelation for this woman who fled North Korea so long ago, it's this:
LAH: You didn't know Kim Jong-un. Do you feel the same love and devotion to him that you felt to Kim Jung-il, just by watching this television?
"Yes, I feel the same. He looks like Kim Il-sung. He looks exactly like his grandfather. He's the same. He's doing exactly what his grandfather and his father did."
LAH (voice-over): The power of propaganda on a people, the power of a regime -- Kyung Lah, CNN, Seoul.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: You know, after seeing that and hearing the vicious threats, it seems like being near North Korea could be a nightmare.
But people who live close by in South Korea say it actually feels like business as usual.
Christine Rivers is stationed there with her husband, who is in the military. And she talked with my colleague, Victor Blackwell, about what it's like to be there right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: Now here in the States it feels like tensions have reached the boiling point.
What does it feel like there?
CHRISTINE RIVERS, MILITARY WIFE: Well, this might sound crazy but it doesn't feel that intense over here, not as intense as it feels over there, I think. Our families e-mail us every day and want to know how we're doing. And it's -- we're doing fine.
BLACKWELL: Well, you live on a base and this is near Pyongyang Tech, roughly 85 miles from the -- this DMZ.
Do you think about that on a daily basis, how close you are to -- although it's the demilitarized zone, it is the most militarized real estate in the world?
RIVERS: Yes, I think -- I'm definitely aware of it every day. But I don't think about it every day.
BLACKWELL: So you have got, I understand, an emergency alert system in your home, right? Has it ever gone off?
RIVERS: Not since I got it. It has not yet.
BLACKWELL: OK. So you have got this baby girl, what's your daughter's name? RIVERS: Maria.
BLACKWELL: Maria. So you have got Maria, your husband there. You have got a gas mask; there's one for your husband and there's one for your baby.
I couldn't imagine, as a parent, having to place that on my child's face and know that we have got to go.
I mean, how do -- how have you prepared for the potential that you'll have to leave, other than just packing the bag?
RIVERS: Right. Well, I know that that sounds really scary but I really don't ever anticipate having to use that. I feel like, over here, we're definitely more prepared and I would much rather be overprepared than underprepared. So even though it does sound weird and kind of scary to know that you have a gas mask and an alert system in your home and things like that.
It actually kind of makes me feel better because I feel like, OK, if something does happen, then, you know, the military knows what's going on and they're going to get us out of here safely and quickly and then they'll do their job here. So it sounds scary but it's not. It's not as scary as it sounds, really.
BLACKWELL: Well, you are much more calm than I'm sure your family is when they call and ask how are you, how are things, especially over the past few months.
Christine Rivers, thank you so much for speaking with us this morning.
RIVERS: Sure. No problem. Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: Tick-tock, the clock's ticking. The deadline to file your taxes is almost here. And that brings out two things: procrastinators and stories of crazy, crazy tax deductions. We're going to count down the top five most outrageous next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KOSIK: It's getting closer, Monday, April 15th. You know what that means: tax day, the deadline to pay Uncle Sam.
So this morning we're looking at some wild and crazy tax deduction stories, of course. Here are five favorites from bankrate.com that caught our eye. Let's count them down.
Number five, a Texas man deducts a smokestack that sits on his property as a charitable donation to the city because it is considered a local landmark. And he's able to write off more than $100,000. Surprise there.
Number four, a California businessman who owns a string of pie shops tries to expense his lunch meals because he says he ate pies for dessert to study the ingredients for research. Nope, but that didn't fly with the IRS.
Number three, a Texas landlord is also unsuccessful when trying to deduct his dog's vet fees, explaining he used his dog as his security system for the various properties he owned. Good one, good one.
Number two, an elderly woman tries deducting costs for a swimming pool because her doctor told her it was good therapy for her knee. Turns out the pool belonged to her son and had no connection to her, except for the swimming.
And finally, the number one craziest deduction: a retired New York lawyer unsuccessfully tried to claim prostitution as a medical expense deduction, calling it sex therapy and a positive health benefit. How's that for an audit flag?
Keep in mind, these are true stories that CPAs shared.
As tensions mount on the Korean Peninsula, the U.S. meets with the country who could be key to calming it down. But is Washington hearing what it was hoping to from China?
But first, as the construction industry picks up, one American company is celebrating potential new customers along with a big anniversary.
Otis Elevator changed the skylines of our cities. Tom Foreman has their "American Journey."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "EARTHQUAKE")
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It has been a staple of horror movies for decades, a great skyscraper towers high above a city. A calamity strikes, like the one in "Earthquake" and an elevator plunges.
Yet that almost never happens in real life --
(END VIDEO CLIP, "EARTHQUAKE")
FOREMAN (voice-over): -- because 160 years ago a man just outside of New York drew this diagram on a scrap of paper, a simple idea for a simple invention.
His name was Elijah Otis and Pedro Baranda knows all about him.
PEDRO BARANDA, OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY: What he invented is a device by which when the rope broke, the platform remained in position and it became safe. And that was -- opened up vertical transportation safely for people and enabled tall buildings.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Indeed, the elevator's safety brake freed the imaginations and opened the heavens for architects in the rapidly growing cities.
BARANDA: Buildings started to shoot up. First five floors, then 10, 15 -- 102 floors, like here (inaudible).
FOREMAN (voice-over): This is what it looked like when those elevators were installed in the early 1930s.
Today the Otis Company lays claim to elevators all over the planet in the very tallest buildings and fully expects to be climbing to even greater heights as demand for urban offices and homes continues to grow.
BARANDA: There's buildings on the drawing board that are -- that were unimaginable only 10, 15 years ago. So it's -- that's another area for technical challenges in innovation with mega-tall buildings.
FOREMAN (voice-over): In other words, more than a century and a half after Otis started his small company, business is still looking up -- Tom Foreman, CNN.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KOSIK: Secretary of State John Kerry and China's president said today they are committed to the denuclearization of North Korea. That came after the two met in China. Foreign affairs reporter Elise Labott is live in Washington.
Elise, is the U.S. actually hearing what it wants to hear from China?
ELISE LABOTT, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Alison, it's hearing what it wants to hear. Secretary Kerry just came out of a press conference with the foreign minister of China, saying he and Chinese officials have reached unprecedented cooperation, a joint statement calling for a peaceful resolution on the Korean Peninsula.
Now, I'm sure that we're waiting to see that statement and I'm sure it has some specifics about how the U.S. and China are going to cooperate.
But what always seems to be the case is China says it's going to cooperate and then that cooperation isn't as full as the U.S. wants. So it really remains to be seen whether China is going to put its money where its mouth is and not just say all the right things, but get a little bit tougher on North Korea.
KOSIK: Interesting. So yesterday, in South Korea at least, John Kerry indicated the door for diplomacy is still open. But, you know, what would really need to happen, you know, for talks with North Korea to actually get started? Earlier this week, some declassified information came to light saying North Korea may have the ability to fire a nuclear tipped missile. That created a big stir in Washington.
What also is the latest fallout from that?
LABOTT: OK. Well, we're a long way from getting back to the table with North Korea. That's what officials say.
First of all, they have to really wait for this latest round of escalations and threats to calm down. U.S. still is expecting some kind of action from North Korea. Don't know exactly what it's going to be. They are expecting some kind of missile test. It could be a barrage of missiles as they've done in the past.
You have the birthday of the founder of North Korea, Kim Il-Sung on Monday. So what they're hoping is, after there is some kind of North Korean demonstration of power if you will, things could calm down. The rhetoric will stop and then perhaps North Korea could get back to the table. They are still looking before that to happen for North Korea to make some commitments to stop its threats, to work toward denuclearization, curb its nuclear program.
And then there are all kinds of goodies that the U.S. can offer North Korea that it has wanted in the past such as security guarantees, such as economic aid. As you know the country is really in dire straits and perhaps even some kind of peace treaty. There are a lot of things in the offing North Korea could get, but first it has to back down from the brink and commit at least to trying to have some dialogue with the U.S. and the other partners in the region.
KOSIK: That's really the trick is getting that dialogue going, isn't it?
LABOTT: It is. North Korea a lot of times says it wants to get back to the table and then you see these escalatory threats. But these latest reports that North Korea has a nuclear weapon that could be used I think have been a little bit hyped.
You certainly saw John Kerry and the head of, the director of national intelligence (INAUDIBLE) pour a little bit of cold water on this because North Korea does clearly has made a lot of advances in its nuclear program in all components.
We're talking about the actual nuclear warhead, the missile to deliver it and this so-called miniaturization being able to shrink it and fire a nuclear weapon. But nobody in the U.S. really thinks that North Korea right now is capable of launching a nuclear weapon at any country really.
So what the U.S. is hoping is, after this latest round of threats, they can start to get back to the table and star working at getting North Korea to move back a little bit and try to put some curbs on that nuclear program.
It's going to be very difficult Alison because as you have seen, North Korea wants to be accepted as a nuclear power. John Kerry and others in the U.S. government saying that's not going to happen.
KOSIK: OK. Elise Labott in Washington, thank you.
The judge in the retrial of deposed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak quit the case this morning. He referred the trial to a lower court saying he stepped down because of medical reasons. The court has 60 days to pick a replacement. Today is the first day of the retrial and Mubarak was brought to court on a stretcher. He was flown back to a military hospital on a helicopter.
New this morning, Tiger Woods will get to continue vying for his fifth green jacket after all at the Masters but he starts play today with a two-stroke penalty. Rachel Nichols joins us now from Augusta.
Good morning Rachel, a disqualification. I'm thinking that would have shaken up the entire tournament, wouldn't it?
RACHEL NICHOLS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. Let me take you through what happened here. He hit a shot on the 15th hole yesterday that was really just such a fluky shot if you take a look at it. It hits the flagstick and then careens into the water and then Tiger Woods has three options from there according to the official rules of golf. He chooses the option of going back to the site of his shot and then the rule book says that he needs to drop the ball quote, as close as possible to where he took his original shot from. Looking on TV, he drops it near where he took his original shot.
Actually, an intrepid television viewer called in and say they thought that Tiger had broken the rules. So everybody out there watching on TV today, get your pens and pencils out because apparently the Masters takes it very seriously. They have huddled up on that.
In fact, while Tiger was still on the course yesterday, reviewed his shot while he was busy playing 18 and the rules committee decided that he in fact had played within the rules. So Tiger Woods at that point was in the clear, came in, signed his scorecard.
After he signed his scorecard, he addressed the media. In two separate interviews, he talked about that hole and said if he had taken his drop in his words about two yards from where his initial shot was. That is against the rules.
If you go back and look at the video, it's closer than two yards. It's a few feet. In reviewing this especially in light of Tiger Woods' comments, the committee decided that he was guilty in some respects and was to be assessed a two-shot penalty. The reason he wasn't disqualified as many surmised he should be this morning is that they had initially cleared him.
So their ruling is, it's not fair to penalize him now when they themselves had cleared him before his round was even over. Complicated, but that's golf and the end result is that Tiger Woods now starts today two strokes behind where he thought he was and definitely at a disadvantage.
Being three strokes off the lead with two days to play, definitely something Tiger Woods can make up. Five strokes back, a little tougher although he has done it before. He's won the Masters from six strokes back.
KOSIK: Rachel Nichols, very interesting back story. I'll be out watching for sure. Thank you very much.
A key witness who says Jodi Arias was abused might have done major damage to Arias' case. The turning point was in the answer to this question. Was Arias' ex-boyfriend actually afraid of her?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KOSIK: To the Jodi Arias trial now and some real fireworks in the courtroom this week. Prosecutor Juan Martinez really went after the defense's domestic violence expert. At one point, he was able to get that expert Alice (INAUDIBLE) to admit that the victim in the case, Travis Alexander, actually feared Jodi. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUAN MARTINEZ, PROSECUTOR: Isn't it true that Mr. Alexander was extremely afraid of the defendant, Jodi Arias, based on her stalking behavior?
ALICE LAVIOLETTE, WITNESS: He was afraid of her, yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: Earlier my colleague Victor Blackwell asked HLN's Jane Velez- Mitchell what she thought about this moment in the case.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST, HLN'S JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL: That was perhaps her greatest admission. And essentially, she was talking about a message that Travis Alexander sent to a friend saying he was scared of Jodi because of her stalking. But this defense expert went on to say, well, he couldn't have been that terrified of her because he continued to communicate with Jodi Arias and indeed, he continued to have sex with Jodi Arias, and who would have sex with their stalker, which is one of the many conundrums and riddles of this case.
BLACKWELL: And we typically don't see this back and forth, at least this type of back and forth between the expert and the attorney like we saw this week. Let's watch part of it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAVIOLETTE: Do you want the truth of this, Mr. Martinez?
MARTINEZ: Yes or no?
LAVIOLETTE: Mr. Martinez?
MARTINEZ: Yes or no?
LAVIOLETTE: I discuss (inaudible) stalking.
MARTINEZ: The person in the blue shirt over there moved over to Mesa, Arizona, correct?
LAVIOLETTE: It is not a yes or no. I cannot give that a yes or no.
MARTINEZ: Isn't that stalking behavior? I am over here. You keep looking to your left.
(END VIDEO CLIP) VELEZ-MITCHELL: A lot of people have criticized prosecutor Juan Martinez for being too aggressive, but the question is, is it working? And in Arizona jurors can ask questions of the witnesses, and it would appear it is working based on the jury questions. They asked about 150 questions of this defense domestic violence expert who is arguing that Jodi was a victim of Travis Alexander, that he abused her emotionally and physically. And most of those questions, the overwhelming majority were very hostile toward the defendant indicating that they don't buy her story, that they don't think she is the victim, that think she's a manipulative, pathological liar. So I would think based on the jury questions that they like the prosecutor's style.
BLACKWELL: I want to get to something else that happened over the past few days. An interrogation that we are going to watch. Let's take a look and then we will talk about it.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Sure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I don't know what this is all about.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it's about an incident that took place yesterday.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know for a fact that you were in Central Park yesterday.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: You know for a fact that I was in Central Park yesterday?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Jane, how did you get involved in all of this?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I wanted to find out what an interrogation felt like because the interrogation tapes are very crucial to this case, and what I learned is, A, these seasoned detectives who did a mock interrogation with me, and I actually --
(LAUGHTER)
BLACKWELL: It's a Jodi Arias head stand.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. I reenacted the Jodi Arias head stand. They felt that Detective Flores, who interrogated Jodi Arias, did an incredible job. And that he remained very professional. They pointed out some of the techniques. For example, there are techniques like what if. What if I told you that it was all caught on cell phone camera? So, the suspect here thinks oh, my gosh, well maybe they got me, maybe I should then try to spin it and admit what I did and try to put a good spin on it. There is also the either -or technique. Are you a monster? Well, of course I'm not a monster. Well, then maybe you just had a bad day and you did something you now regret? Tell us about it. So, I learned some of these great techniques that these detectives use to extract confessions. And it really is a chess game, a three dimensional chess game and a head game.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOSIK: Want to stay up to speed on the Jodi Arias trial? You can with Jane Velez-Mitchell. You can watch her program on our sister network HLN weeknights at 7:00 Eastern.
There's an app that's making YouTube feel so six seconds ago. It's the latest social media craze and it only takes six seconds, coming up next.
Tomorrow night Anthony Bourdain brings his taste for adventure to CNN. A new show with no boundaries. CNN brings you the world as Bourdain and his crew travel to Myanmar, Colombia, Libya, Peru and more. "ANTHONY BOURDAIN PARTS UNKNOWN", begins tomorrow night at 9:00 Eastern and Pacific only right here on CNN. I'll be watching.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KOSIK: Twitter's Vine app is making YouTube feel so six seconds ago. What Vine does is it lets you share videos that are barely longer than a sneeze. It's the hottest thing on social media and it lasts only six seconds.
Jake Tapper shows us how.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAKE TAPPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There was once a time when really short shorts meant this. Today it means this. The video sharing app Vine was launched just in January by Twitter, yes, the same company that has made communicating 140 characters at a time the norm. Vine fuels creativity by limiting the length of video clips to just six seconds. Those videos are then posted on an endless loop to your Twitter account.
Since its debut, Vine has become a go-to service for not just avid tweeters but advertisers and celebrities. This woman created what may be the world's first Vine resume and it landed her a job.
Actor Adam Goldberg has come to be known as the king of Vine thanks to his soap series where he pieces together one man's unraveling life.
Six seconds at a time. Vine has even made a teaser out of teasers. Check out this six-second trailer for the movie "Wolverine." The concept can seem a little tricky so we decided to help out all of vinosaurs (ph) still stuck in the social media ice age by getting a lesson from this guy.
Twitter Co-Founder Jack Dorsey showed me firsthand just how easy it is to point and click my way into generation V. Before long, I was a lean, mean, video sharing machine.
The app has become so entrenched in pop culture, the Tribeca film festival is now letting Vine vets vie for their shot at six seconds of glory with a competition for the best Vine video. Here's one contender's take on the film classic "Citizen Kane." The beauty of Vine is you don't need to be a trained photographer or a techie to create a mini masterpiece. There are no filters, no editing or ways to add audio. In fact, the biggest obstacle on Vine is time. Right now Vine is only number one in the U.S. and there is no version of the app for Android phones. Jake Tapper, CNN, Washington.
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KOSIK: You can watch the lead with Jake Tapper weekdays on CNN at 4:00 Eastern time.
When you see this video, I'm think you're definitely going to say ouch. It's a bridge that ends up leaving trucks topless. I'll tell you why.
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KOSIK: It's called the can opener bridge and trucks that go under it end up becoming topless. Our Jeanne Moos explains.
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JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a bridge over troubled traffic. A bridge too low. Or trucks too tall.
For the past five years Jurgen Henn -- watch your back -- has been using cameras to record the results and posting them on his website, 11 foot 8. That happens to be the official clearance of the Gregson Street Railroad Trestle in Durham in North Carolina, affectionately known as the Can Opener Bridge.
Some vehicles just get a shave. Others get stopped cold.
For nearby businesses it can be --
JURGEN HENN, VIDEOGRAPHER: -- almost earth shattering. And people jump out of their chairs.
MOOS (voice-over): Some get off easy. An RV loses its AC.
A POD gets left behind.
The trestle is a working railroad bridge that sometimes trucks hit as a train passes by.
The railroad, Norfolk Southern, installed a crash beam to protect the century-old bridge, so the bridge always wins.
Not only has Jurgen uploaded about 60 crashes, he also collects pieces of debris and sometimes gets drivers to sign them.
HENN: Just a hobby, you know, to have some fun.
MOOS (voice-over): Not so much fun for the drivers. Authorities know of no serious injuries. The signs start warning of the low clearance several blocks away and vehicles that are too tall trigger the "overheight when flashing" lights, which drivers manage not to see.
Don't even think of trying to slowly sneak up on the Can Opener.
MOOS (on camera): So you say why doesn't someone fix it? Raise the bridge, lower the road.
MOOS (voice-over): But the sewer main runs right under the highway and the bridge would cost millions to raise. So the can opener keeps racking up hits that YouTubers enjoy putting to music, like "Rocky" and the good, the bad and some ugly crashes.
It's enough to make you want to burn your bridges -- before the bridge burns you.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
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KOSIK: "CNN NEWSROOM" starts at the top of the hour with Fredericka Whitfield. You've got a busy day.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Beginning at Noon Eastern time, beginning with our legal guys, they always bring very intriguing, fascinating cases. This one involves an employee who had to have brain surgery, came back to work. Her appearance altered quite a bit. And she says her employer discriminated against her.
Our legal guys, Richard and Avery are going to tackle that case involving Hooters. You know, a huge chain that has restaurants all across the country. How far reaching might this case be potentially?
And then Mark Geragos and Pat Harris rate criminal legal minds. We're going to be asking their opinions about the Jodi Arias case. They also have a book out called "Mistrial" that reveal the good, the bad the ugly they say in our legal system, everything from jurors angling to convict, to use of media and beyond. We'll be talking about all those things.
And then the movie "42" the Jackie Robinson story. That hit theaters this weekend. We're going to be talking to one former executive of the MLB. He was the highest ranking African-American in major league baseball. We're also going to talk to Ernie Banks. He was the first black player to join the Cubs team. We're going to be talking to them about their ideas about "42" and what Jackie Robinson meant to them and how his legacy still resonates.
KOSIK: A good preview to the movie if you're looking to see the movie. I know I am. All right, I'll be watching. Thanks, Fredricka.
Forget using cash, ditch the credit card, the Bitcoin is the next currency, at least that's what some people say. We're going to explain what it is and how it works coming up next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KOSIK: Do you know the Winklevoss twins? Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss are best known for their fight with Mark Zuckerberg over who started Facebook. They went on to make millions from a smart phone currency called Bitcoin, but their bubble may be bursting again. Their Bitcoin stock has dropped from a high of more than $260 a share to just -- to just over $77 yesterday. What is Bitcoin anyway and how and it work?
Our Maggie Lake reports from a New York bar where people are spending Bitcoins.
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MAGGIE LAKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You don't have to whip out your wallet to pay for a drink at this bar. At midtown Manhattan's Evr, Bitcoins are now accepted.
Evr began Bitcoins with the help of this group of early adopters. The owners were quickly won over. Can you explain to me how this works?
CHARLIE SHREM, PARTNER, EVR: They put in the amount in U.S. dollars. You go to your wallet on your phone, your Bitcoin wallet and you simply scan the QR code. All you do is press send, we get the Bitcoins which are then converted into dollars within minutes for us. You get your drink.
LAKE: And you get paid. Ever is one of the few brick and mortar places to accept the payment system. The virtual coins are bought and sold through a limited number of online digital exchanges like (INAUDIBLE) . You can't buy them with a credit card, but you do need to link a bank account or cell phone. Charlie Shrem is an investor at Evr and the co-founder of Exchange Bit Instant. He admits the currency has a reputation to overcome.
SHREM: In the beginning Bitcoin was I would say over 80 percent volume for all illicit activity, drugs, things like that, fake IDs.
LAKE: The boost in popularity came on the heels of the crisis in Cyprus where people had little access to traditional banking. Some say Bitcoins would have offered a workable currency alternative.
(on-camera): You may not want to take your real cash out of a real bank just yet though. Although there are now places in New York City where you can spend Bitcoins, there are real concerns about consumer protection. There's a reason people started putting their money in banks. You get some transparency. You have recourse. You don't get any of that with this new currency.
SEBASTIEN GALY, SOCIETE GENERALE: No, you don't get a regulator. There's a reason why we have regulators and we are not in the wild west.
LAKE: Despite the stomach-turning swings, Evr's managers say they're convinced Bitcoins have real benefits for businesses and are here to stay. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If everyone would use Bitcoins, I would love that. I wouldn't have to deal with waiting for credit cards. It would be a much smaller processing rate.
LAKE: People find a way to pay for a good drink one way or the other, but Evr hopes its payment experiment will raise the currency's profile, at least in this New York bar. Maggie Lake, CNN, New York.
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