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U.s. 25, Us 21, United States 21, Washington 12, Israel 9, Paris 7, Jordan 6, South Korea 6, Amman 6, Texas 6, New York 6, New York City 6, Obama 5, London 5, Brianna 5, Assad 5, Quantico 5, Florida 5, North Korea 5, Colorado 5,
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    March 22, 2013
    2:00 - 4:00pm PDT  

the pop culture lead. there is another tonight show tug of war brewing not over the hosts this time thankfully but the zip code. the "new york times" first reported jimmy fallon would take over the show from jay leno in 2014 and that would also mean a move from what johnny carson once dubbed beautiful downtown burbank to new york city. but the mayor of burbank says not so fast. he's writing a letter to nbc executives to keep the show in
his town. he could face an uphill battle given recent reports new york is offering tax incentives to lure the show back to the big apple. as far as who would replace fallon after he moves on up in the lineup the new york post said nbc could dip into the "snl" pool once again, the great seth meyers is rumored to be the top man for the job. cnn reached out to nbc but the network is not commenting. it was 50 years ago today when pop culture changed forever. today is the 50th anniversary of the release of the beatles' first album. please please me. the lp hit shelves in britain on march 22nd in 1963. sales started out slow. but it would hit number one in may. the british invaded and the beatles never looked back and neither did society. game of thrones fans you still have a full week plus to wait for the premiere of season three but we can help you get your fix before then. don't miss my interview next week with game of thrones
cocreator david benioff and i'll try to pry a few secrets out of him about the upcoming season. we asked you earlier to come up with a new cheer for harvard's basketball team. go crimson! at least we've got most of the supreme court. don't be sad. don't be blue. we beaton we're smarter too. that does it for our very first week of "the lead." join me monday at 4:00 p.m. eastern when we'll do it all over again. i leave you now in the able hands of mr. wolf blitzer in "the situation room." jake, thanks very much. happening now president obama calls iran a great civilization. so what's behind this renewed outreach even in the face of a potential nuclear threat? vice president joe biden spends one night in paris. the hotel bill comes to more than half a million dollars for him and his entire delegation. we're getting an extremely rare glimpse at how much it costs
when a vice president of the united states travels. and a newborn baby found in a new york city subway, adopted by the man who found him. you'll find out how extraordinary this story really is and how it's playing out. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." president obama is kicking off the next leg of his trip to the middle east with what might seem to be a change at least in tune a little bit as far as iran is concerned. at a news conference in amman, jordan the president made a staunch plea for a peaceful solution in the face of growing nuclear concerns. >> if, in fact, what the supreme leader has said is the case, which is that developing a nuclear weapon would be unislamic and that iran has no interest in developing nuclear
weapons, then there should be a practical, verifiable way to assure the international community that it's not doing so. and this problem will be solved. they are a great civilization. they have an extraordinary history. they have unbelievable talent. part of the frustration that i think we all feel sometimes is that it seems as if people spend all their time organizing around how they can gain advantage over other people or inflict violence on other people or isolate other people instead of trying to figure out how do we solve problems? this is a solvable problem. >> our chief national correspondent john king is traveling with the president in amman right now and is joining us now with the latest. it sounds like the president is still a little bit hopeful at least that this can be resolved, iran's nuclear ambitions, peacefully through diplomacy and negotiation. that is the impression i'm getting though he is obviously not ruling out the military
option either. >> reporter: that's the delicate challenge for the president. if you just listen to one event like that one today you might think oh, he's playing good cop. then you listen to some of his statements during the trip in israel where he promised the israeli government if necessary if diplomacy fails look me in the eye. i mean it. i will use military force to prevent iran from getting a nuclear weapon. he also said he wouldn't stand in the way if israel wanted to defend itself. so at some points he is muscular at other points more gentle and reaching out. it is the big national holiday, the biggest holiday of the year in iran right now. when he talks about the great civilization he is trying to reach out to the iranian people saying if we can have a diplomatic solution here you and your isolation in the world community, you end that and become a bigger part of the national community. even as he did that today he did say all options are on the table. twice he said as president of the united states he can't take that away. the president is hoping and believes there are several more months to continue the diplomacy, he is hoping that works. he said at every stop on this trip if it doesn't he reserves the right to use a military
strike. >> he seemed to be reaching out beyond the ayatolla, beyond ahmadinejad speaking directly to the iranian people from amman, jordan. on another sensitive issue in response to a question the president seemed a little defensive about why the united states during his administration has not authorized military force to stop the slaughter in syria. listen to this. >> i think what your question may be suggesting is why haven't we simply gone in militarily? and i think it's fair to say that the united states often finds itself in a situation where if it goes in militarily then it's criticized for going in militarily. if it doesn't, then people say, why aren't you doing something militarily? and, you my response at this stage is to make sure that what we do
contributes to bringing them into the blothem -- an end to the bloodshed as quickly as possible. >> did you get the sense the president is on the same page as far as syria is concerned with jordan king abdullah nearly half a million syrian refugees have poured into jordan over these past two years. >> dealing with the refugee crisis, yes. the president says we'll send more money. we'll try to get more humanitarian aid. i'll pick up the phone and get you more help. nobody knows what page they're on when it comes to the debate about what you do with the opposition. should the united states join the effort of others to arm the opposition? how long will assad stay in power? that changes on almost a day-to-day basis because the situation is so uncertain as it enters the third year. the president is a bit defensive because people ask where was the world's biggest super power? you are supposed to be the voice of humanitarian needs around the world. how could you let this go on so long? why haven't you done more? the president said today at the
news conference the united states from the start was calling on assad to step down and we know if you look at the calendar it is simply not true. many other countries were ahead of the united states in calling for assad to step down but it's a tough one for the president. he is right in the sense the united states used military force in this region from the beginning, there is still a big hangover from the iraq war in this part of the world. it would have been controversial. all the choices are difficult. he does get a bit defensive when that question is posed, wolf. >> he certainly does at least that is the impression you get from his comments. john is traveling with the president in amman, jordan. the president also scored a huge diplomatic victory on this trip today. he personally helped orchestrate a major step in healing the rift between two critical u.s. allies. the israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu issuing a stunning apology to the turkish prime minister for this, an israeli commando attack that killed nine people on a gaza bound flotilla nearly three years ago. our senior international correspondent ivan watson is now
turkish prime minister for the killing of these eight turks as well as one american citizen aboard that flotilla under the cover of darkness. and the two prime ministers discussing the possibility of israel paying compensation to the families of the victims here in jordan the american president spoke about this tarmac diplomacy. >> during my visit it appeared that the timing was good for that conversation to take place. i discussed it with prime minister netanyahu and both of us agreed that the moment was right and, fortunately, they were able to begin the process of rebuilding normal relations between two very important countries in the region. >> so the turks have welcomed the apology and this has begun a
process of removing basically a headache that the u.s. didn't really need in a very turbulent part of the world, wolf. >> turkey, a major nato ally, israel a major ally of the united states as well. they've also agreed to resume full ambassadorial diplomatic relations, a significant achievement for president obama in bridging this gap and a major concession by the israeli prime minister to apologize and offer compensation for the deaths of those people on that flotilla to gaza. ivan, thanks very, very much. back here in washington what could be a major development in the push for immigration reform. a source now telling cnn a group of bipartisan senators could be on the brink of a solution. our chief congressional correspondent dana bash is here. she's got details learning of some significant developments. if this happens, this would be a huge breakthrough. >> absolutely. what i'm told is that this so-called gang of eight, group of eight senators, four democrats four republicans had a meeting this morning and then
right about now they're going to have their last meeting before going home for spring break. and they believe that when they get back from those two weeks off, wolf, they are going to be ready to unveil their proposal, that they will have agreed on, and that is talking about april 8th, the beginning of that week. >> that would be huge. what have they agreed on apparently so far? well, let's start with the most divisive issue and that is of course a path to citizenship for illegal workers. i'm told they settled on the 13-year path. ten years to get a green card and three years to get citizenship which could only occur after they pay fines, back taxes and prove they haven't been involved in criminal activity. no one would be eligible for citizenship without border security. that is something that is critical especially for republicans. one of the things the senators have been wrestling with is how to quantify and ensure the border is secure. i'm told what they would agree to is a form of border commission that will determine the criteria for border secur y
security. they would decide who exactly would be -- state and federal officials. >> there seems to be one key sticking point not yet resolved. >> there is. and that is on the whole issue of what you do about people in the future. guest workers when they come here to the united states to make sure the illegal problem doesn't continue. what i'm told is that the rub is that labor unions are worried that if they -- there are too many guest workers, if the pay is too low it will hurt american workers and the chambers of commerce is pushing senators in the other direction. they say that they're worried that there won't be enough workers and their pay will be too high. so it will hurt businesses. they won't be able to get the workers that they need. you know, i think all of this even if we assume that's going to get worked out in the next two weeks, all of this we should remember is only happening because republicans did so poorly in november with latino voters. they knew they had to at least get immigration reform done before they could begin to lure those voters back. >> if they work this out this would be huge in the senate. then it has to go to the house
and the president has to sign it. still a long way to go but it looks like a significant piece of movement right now. dana, thanks very much. all right. this is just coming into the situation room right now from new york. we're getting word of three people shot on coney island in brooklyn. officials say one person was pronounced dead on arrival. another is in critical condition. the third is in serious but stable condition. it's unclear if the shooter is still at large or among the dead or injured. more information coming in from our affiliates in new york. we'll share more information with you as soon as we get it. but significant development now on coney island in new york. when we come back, a newborn baby found in a new york city subway adopted by the man who found him. that's an extraordinary story. in and of itself. wait until you hear what happens next. [ male announcer ] this one goes out to all the allergy muddlers.
one of his two dads. >> how did you get into baseball? >> i was playing catch with my father. >> reporter: we're not showing his face to protect his privacy. talking to him, you'd never know his personal story has been a sensation here since the day he was born. an abandoned baby in the subway a few hours old with the umbilical cord still attached. >> it was a baby boy and police say he is no more than a day old. >> reporter: at first new york authorities named him daniel ace doe. ace after the subway. the ac & e trains. daniel for the man who found him. social worker daniel stewart, who spotted the baby wrapped in an old sweatshirt. at first he thought it was a doll. >> all i saw was two little legs sticking out but i still thought oh, it's one of those new, realistic dolls. i started to go up the stairs. i was going up the stairs and looked back one last time and that is when he started to move. and i knew he was alive and i ran back, made sure he was okay.
>> reporter: he made two calls -- first to 911, second to peter mercurio. they had planned to meet for a dinner date that night. >> picked up the phone and called. what did you say? >> i said i found a baby. >> reporter: what did you say? >> i didn't believe him at first. why would he even say something like that? >> reporter: months later a family court judge asked if the couple wanted to adopt the child. daniel jumped at the chance. at first, peter wasn't so sure. >> i had to examine how having a child in our -- my life and our life was going to affect every second of every minute of every day. >> reporter: he eventually came a round. they moved in together and renamed their son kevin. years later when daniel and pete got married, kevin suggested the judge who recommended the adoption do the honors. >> and he said, don't, you know, judges perform ceremonies? why don't you try to contact the judge who finalized my adoption? >> reporter: his parents made sure kevin knew the whole story
by putting together a child story book titled "the boy from new york city." featuring as characters the baby, the subway, the judge, and the parents. >> he looks at us and he says, is this about me? and we were like, yes. >> this is your story. >> and he grinned from ear to ear. >> i thought it was the best thing in the world. to know that was me. >> reporter: pete is working on a play about this story. we may never know what caused that new mom to abandon her hours old baby one late summer evening in new york on the subway but if that mother were listening today we could report thanks to a couple dads it all turned out pretty well. >> what a wonderful, wonderful story. i am so glad you brought that story to our viewers. hold on for a moment because it's part of a bigger story unfolding right now. same sex marriage will be part of two huge cases coming before the united states supreme court next week. cases likely to produce the
court's most far reaching decisions on this sensitive issue. look at this. people already are camping out in line for tuesday's oral arguments before the nine justices. only 250 seats are available in the spectator's gallery. let's bring in our chief political analyst gloria borger. she's been part of this coverage and you have a major documentary coming up on this whole issue as well. joe, first to you. give us a little sense of what's playing out before the supreme court next week. >> big picture, two of the most important cases the court has seen as relates to gay marriage and in some ways you can compare it almost back to the 1960s when the court first took up the issue of interracial marriage. you know, there are all these questions about whether it's constitutional to ban it, whether it's constitutional to disallow a federal benefits for individuals. so a whole cast of questions
that will not be answered until the court releases its decision in june. >> it's clear, gloria, that public opinion on the issue of same sex marriage, marriage equality, is clearly changing. >> oh, hugely changing, wolf. i mean, you can see over the last decade or so that now a majority of the american public believes that same sex marriage should be allowed. we've seen the president, obama change his mind. president clinton changed his mind. hillary rodham clinton came out and spoke about it. republican rob portman spoke about it. and i think, wolf, there's a question here about whether this shift in public opinion is actually going to affect the supreme court. those justices sitting on the bench. when you talk to both sides of the argument, one side says, the side that's for same sex marriage, will say, you know, maybe it will help us because the court won't think it's such a heavy lift to rule in favor of same sex marriage. they won't be going against
public opinion and in the way they were against interracial marriage, for example. or on the other side, they say the court will also say, look. it's proceeding in the states. you know, you now have eight or nine states who have approved same sex marriage. public opinion is shifting. let it play out with the voters and the court's not the place to do it. >> they're very conservative ideas at play here, too. back in 1996 when the court passed the defense of marriage act a lot of people said, the united states congress was actually moving against states' rights invading states' rights. and now this is a chance for the court to come back around and right the ship if you will. that is at least some of the arguments i've heard from conservatives. >> you know, the court can rule in a number of ways. it can rule broadly. i mean, those who are four same sex marriage say this is a constitutional right. >> right. >> of equal protection. period. now people who argue against them say, you know what?
it really isn't. it wasn't what the founding fathers had in mind. and the court can say, you know what? we will defend same sex marriage narrowly or oppose it in the state of california. or we will go along with what the court decided there. >> the american academy of pediatricians just came out with a study with their position on same sex adoption. >> yes. >> and it was fascinating. >> right. just this week we heard about this. and basically what they said is two parents is what you want. we don't care whether they're male or female or they're both male or both female. sexual orientation doesn't matter that much if you have two parent that's good for the kids. >> the question is, is the court the place to decide this or is the court of public opinion and are the voters the ones who should decide it? >> we'll see what the supreme court does. i want to point out, please be sure to watch gloria's special report "the marriage warriors" a showdown at the supreme court. you can see it here on cnn march 30th a week from tomorrow 7:30
p.m. eastern. only on cnn. excellent, excellent documentary. you're going to want to see it. up next we're taking a closer look at a fight some republicans just won't give up. repealing obama care. plus, president obama trying to close it. now the u.s. military wants to fix up the terrorist detention center at guantanamo in cuba. wait until you hear the price tag. stand by. [ bop ] [ bop ] you can do that all you want, i don't like v8 juice. [ male announcer ] how about v8 v-fusion. a full serving of vegetables, a full serving of fruit. but what you taste is the fruit. so even you... could've had a v8. a new ride comes along and changes everything. the powerful gs. get great values on your favorite lexus models during the command performance sales event. this is the pursuit of perfection. it's lots of things. all waking up. connecting to the global phenomenon
happening now, dozens of air traffic control towers are closing because of washington budget cuts. during our next hour we'll ask
about the impact on your safety. in this half hour a rare look at what it costs to send the vice president of the united states overseas and questions about how the numbers went public. plus, a warning from the u.s. military. wait until you hear how much they want to repair and remodel the detention center for the most dangerous suspected terrorists. believe it or not we just hit the third anniversary of the passage of obama care despite all of this time u.s. supreme court decision upholding it, a presidential election, and a whole lot more, some republicans out there still are trying to repeal it. some in fact more than others. >> it should be repealed. >> repealing obama care. >> repeal, root, and branch. repeal funding for obama care. >> let's repeal this failure.
>> i would urge that obama care would be repealed and i yield the floor. >> our national political correspondent jim acosta has been looking into what for some republicans has clearly become an obsession. >> reporter: wolf, republicans tried once again to repeal the president's health care law dubbed by supporters and detractors as obama care. the latest gop senator to take a shot says he is not giving up. three years after president obama signed health care reform into law, republican opponents are still treating it like a dise disease that needs to be cured. >> obama care is hurting young people, seniors, hispanics, african-americans. >> reporter: texas gop senator ted cruz is the latest lawmaker to propose eliminating obama care. like all of the other repeal attempts, it failed. >> i intend to keep trying to repeal obama care and to fight for pro growth policies every single day.
let's not do that. >> but it seems it is the law that can't be killed almost like the legislative equivalent of kenny from south park. >> they killed kenny! >> reporter: but some republicans outside of washington have a different take. a slew of high profile gop governors recently accepted the law's massive expansion of the medicaid program for the poor into their states. the law's defenders say other popular provisions go into effect next year such as the ban on insurers discriminating against patients with preex-conditions. and new insurance exchange market places where people can shop for coverage. the white house says the repealers ignore that. >> that seems at some point to be time not well spent. and the president believes it's important to expand health insurance coverage to the millions of americans who will be covered because of the affordable care act. >> reporter: but the law is not entirely popular with democrats. several senators from the president's own party joined republicans to vote to repeal a
tax on medical devices that was tucked into the law. but the vote was nonbinding and symbolic. much like the rest of the attempts to repeal obama care. wolf? >> jim acosta, with that let's dig a little bit deeper in our strategy session right now. joining us two cnn contributors the former obama special adviser van jones and former bush speechwriter david frum. here is what it would take to repeal obama care. you understand this completely. maybe they could do it in the house where the republicans have a majority but in the senate you would need 60 votes. even if they got 60 votes, the president would veto that legislation. you need two-thirds overrides in both houses to override a presidential veto. you would need 67 votes in the senate. and that's not happening. >> that's not happening. the republicans are motivated i think by two concerns. the first is this is a very narled statute heading toward a lot of trouble that the financing mechanisms are
inadequate. and what we're going to see is it is going to offer very per verse incentives to people to game the system. the subsidies aren't sufficient to cover the cost of health insurance policies. meanwhile the penalties for not buying one are quite small so the incentive for people locked out of the market is wait until the last possible minute and then take advantage of the ability to buy in. that is going to create all kinds of problems. >> but repealing it is, as long as the president of the united states barack obama is the president he is not going to sign that. >> that is the second problem. ted cruz is putting down some markers. there is a struggle to define who is going to be the next leader of the republican party and a lot of people who have emerged early are people who have one strike or another against them. rand paul, too exotic, another case they may not have the force of character but ted cruz has the toughness and brains and represents an important fund raising state. he is putting down his marker to be at least a senate leader maybe more. >> what's wrong with that? if you really believe it's a blunder, a horrible mistake, what's wrong with taking a position of principle like ted
cruz and others and saying, we have to repeal this even though they know it's not happening? >> well, there is nothing wrong with it except that it's just fear and part of the thing is if, if the things mr. frum says are true there are ways to begin to fix it, repair it, improve it. there is nothing wrong with that. this is pure theater. and part of the problem is that it overlooks the things people actually like about obama care. we've already got about $6 billion of savings to seniors because we've knocked out a bunch of waste, fraud, and abuse. you've already got control -- the cost control mechanisms are just coming into effect and all the cost control measures are measures that republicans and democrats like. this bill is going to get more popular going forward where did you get the $6 billion figure? >> well, they put that out there i think progress just put out a big report pointing out $6 billion worth of savings over the next four to five years. my point is this. there are cost control mechanisms that come into effect. you keep hearing people saying, well the cost of medicine keeps
going up. that's been going on for decades. the cost is beginning to slow down. we're now in a fact free world. you have actual facts about this bill that are not being talked about and we're doing theater as people are not actually trying to help anybody's medical situation. they're trying to help their political situation. >> all right. hold on a minute. i want to get back to this. i have other subjects to discuss. don't go away. we'll also talk about the united states military. it wants to spend hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to upgrade the detention center for the world's worst terrorists at guantanamo bay in cuba. that's the same place the president of the united states wanted to close in his first year in office. that did not happen as you know. it's still open. but now the pentagon wants to upgrade it. also ahead, amazing security camera video of a gunman. and the people he was shooting at. plus, two years ago a husband and wife decided they'd try to lose some weight together. stay there and see what they look like now.
a top u.s. general is now calling for hundreds of millions of dollars to upgrade the u.s. detention facility better known as a prison at guantanamo bay in cuba. let's get back to our strategy session. once again van jones is joining us and david frum is joining us as well. here's the general testifying before congress saying they need more money. they got to fix it and improve it. >> i'm concerned at this point in time that the facilities down there, the infrastructure down there built to last two or three or four years has now been in existence for 11 years and is rapidly deteriorating and in large measure has deteriorated. >> the president wanted to close it his first year, couldn't close it. now in his fifth year still can't close it. is there anything wrong with trying to improve it, fix it, spend a few hundred million dollars to get it ready for
maybe a new generation of terrorists? >> well, i mean, i don't think we understand what guantanamo means to the world still. sort of, we tried to make it an issue. we tried to fix it and said okay. we'll leave it there. it still stands as a symbol around the world of the u.s. not living up to our best standards. if it then becomes a place where you have health conditions and human rights violations that are happening because of that, it's a negative. i think we should if we are going to play the role we're trying to play which is to keep our country and the world safe from terrorism there is a cost that is associated with that. we've got to live up to our own best theaters even as we prosecute this war. >> you think it is a good idea to fix it, reware it, keep it going? i find it baffling. i visited guantanamo in 2007 and it is a compound of five or six prisons. >> about six years ago. in that kind of heat -- >> this thing with the chicken wire, at least one building is a substantial medium security prison built out of concrete
cinder blocks. there are now only 130 or so prisoners. it is strange to me for the military to say that that building which i saw which looked really robust and with the prisoner population 1/6 of what it was at maximum that they don't have room or the facilities. that may be right. >> general kelly whose the commander of the u.s. southern command in charge of the region is making this up? >> i find it hard to process exactly what they think they need that they haven't got with a relatively small population. >> you think the president would still like to shut it down? >> i think he is a man of his word. honestly there is no reason we couldn't bring a lot of these people here and try them here. i still believe that. >> he wanted to do that. >> but actually even democrats balked at it. i do think we under estimate. people still hold the united states in such great esteem because of the rule of law here and the further we get away from that and guantanamo as symbol i think we weaken some of our soft power influence on the world. >> i wish the military would
give you better -- so people could see what it actually looks like. it actually looks like a medium security prison. >> you make a fair point. david, thanks very much. thanks to you as well. we have pictures of something you almost never see on a friday here in washington. lisa sylvester is monitoring that and some of the other top stories in the situation room right now. tell our viewers what is going on. >> indeed. this is a very rare sight. u.s. senators, how about this? actually working on a friday afternoon. they're debating and voting on about 400 amendments to a proposed u.s. budget. senate democrats even haven't put up a budget for debate in four years and this vote-a-rama should continue into the wee hours of saturday morning. the republican controlled house passed a budget plan on thursday. take a look at this man on the sidewalk. philadelphia detectives don't know who he is but they want to find him because he fired a gun into a chinese food store on tuesday. security cameras, take a look here, also showed the people inside desperately trying to keep the gunman from getting in.
three suffered nonlife threatening wounds. police say all tolled ten shots were fired and the man, he only stopped because he ran out of ammunition. and this story takes togetherness to a whole new level. over the past two years angela and willie gillis have lost a combined total of 500 pounds. he dropped 300. she lost 200. and as you can see the contrast from the before and after pictures it's pretty dramatic. so what's their secret? you're probably wondering that. it really isn't that much of a secret. the healthier food choices, counting calories, and hitting the gym six days a week. what a difference. they look like two different people there. and finally, boy oh, boy. punxsutawney phil. that guy is in trouble. a prosecutor in cincinnati has indicted the famous groundhog accusing him of messing up this year's forecast and causing people to believe we have an early spring. cincinnati, like washington, we might add. well, we haven't warmed up yet.
certainly didn't warm up early. a lot of people are really mad at that particular groundhog. what was he thinking? >> never made a mistake before? stuff happens. >> even ground hogs make mistakes. >> of course they do. thanks, lisa. just ahead if you're planning on flying without any carry on baggage, one airline is now testing out a special perk just for you. and the vice president of the united states spends one night in paris. the hotel bill comes to more than half a million dollars for him and his delegation. we're getting an extremely rare glimpse at how much it costs when a president or a vice president we should say travels. we are taking ultra downy with silktouch to the streets.
washington's forced budget cuts are about to take a toll on airline passengers. the faa announcing it will close 149 regional airport control towers in a four-week phased closure beginning in april. meantime, in other news, american airlines is reaching out to its passengers. they are testing out a new perk that may convince you to fly without any carry on baggage. cnn's athena jones is over at washington's dulles airport. she's got the details of what's going on. tell our viewers. >> hi, wolf. you know, airlines collected nearly a billion dollars in baggage fees in the third quarter of last year alone and now america is experimenting with the new policy that could encourage more folks to check their luggage. >> thank you. >> will the boarding hassle ever change? on this american airlines flight
passengers without carry on bags are getting on faster. >> if you have a carry on please move forward to the gate. >> the company has been experimenting with a new policy that lets people without carry on luggage board before folks with bags. >> i think it is actually great because i quite often check my bags. i think it's a good benefit. >> reporter: american isn't the first. frontier and alaska airlines already give priority to passengers without carry on bags. american is testing this approach in austin, baltimore, fort lauderdale, and washington dulles where some passengers we talked to liked the idea. >> sounds great. need to get on the plane sooner. you don't need your bag on the plane. >> anything to improve process and flow is excellent. >> reporter: others weren't onboard. >> i don't like it. this basically is saying you have to pay the fee to get in. >> reporter: travel expert charlie lioca says airlines are constantly trying to find ways to speed up the boarding
process. but that american's policy probably won't make much difference. >> those who really want to get space in the overhead, they'll be jostling just like they are today but they're going to be jostling after all the people with carry on bags that are going under the seat or in front of them get on first. >> reporter: now, different airlines charge different fees to check your bags. right now, buying the convenience to get on first on these particular american airlines flights. and on alaska and frontier airlines, will cost you between $20 and $25. wolf? >> to check the bags. all right. athena, thank you. coming up, we have a rare look at the vice president's overseas travel bills. you probably won't believe how much it costs to spend just one night in paris, or london. and coming up in our next hour, 6:00 p.m. eastern, a close look at this weekend's dangerously cold and snowy forecast.
we're getting an extremely, extremely rare glimpse at how much it costs when the vice president of the united states, joe biden, goes traveling. our white house correspondent brianna keilar is here in "the situation room." we've covered a lot of presidential and vice presidential trips, but this is pretty amazing. >> pretty amazing. when you go on these overseas official trips with the white house, wolf, they're really logistical feats. the number of people involved, it's clearly expensive. descriptions of hotel and
transportation bills for vice president biden's february trip were posted on a government website. and biden and his staff, biden spent one night in each city, some of his staff obviously more, $585,000 for paris, and $459,000 for the hotel bill in london. now, that particular bill includes 136 rooms for multiple nights. that's an average of $568 per room per night. that's by our math, wolf. >> that's expensive, obviously, but it's the number of rooms they need for a vice president to visit a city like london, or paris for that matter, for one night, that really adds up. >> $500 in paris or london. you can kind of see that happening, especially at a nice hotel like this. we spoke with several people who handled these kinds of trips for previous administrations. some said, hey, this is just what it costs. but one person that i spoke with from the bush 43 administration
thought this price tag was high. also he conceded there are a lot of factors that drive up the cost. like empty rooms for security, and the hotel, of course, may require a compensation for displacing guests. e vice president's office referred us to the state department on this. the state department is saying, these costs are nothing out of the ordinary. they say the contract costs cover the entire range of support, including accommodations for military communications, secret service staff, and other support. security experts are also required to travel in advance of the president or vice president, safety and security are not negotiable. i will tell you, one government watchdog group we spoke with said they had never seen documents detailing travel costs like these for a vice president, or a president posted before. so it kind of makes you wonder if perhaps this information wasn't put out on this website accidently. >> was it put out accidently? what do you think? >> i don't know, but i did a search for the last 365 days on
other foreign trips, and i could find no contract information for any of those trips. >> covering the white house, the clinton administration, for seven years, i don't ever remember seeing details about how much it costs to spend a night or two in paris or london, or anywhere else for that matter. >> it's rare. >> not cheap. in our next hour, a major development in the shooting death of a baby in a stroller. we're going to share with you the latest information. and just in time for spring. yes, spring. parts of the united states, they are now bracing for another major snowstorm. you're going to find out where it's expected to hit the hardest. neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair has the fastest retinol formula. to visibly reduce fine lines and wrinkles in just one week. neutrogena®. mommy's having a french fry. yes she is, yes she is. [ bop ] [ male announcer ] could've had a v8. 100% vegetable juice,
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it may be spring, but parts of the united states can't escape winter wallop. >> can you believe it, the nation's heartland is bracing for another significant snow. >> we're likely to feel it here on the east coast in the next few days. our meteorologist, chad myers, is over at the cnn weather center. this is springtime. >> nobody happy with punxsutawney phil this year, are they. another snowstorm is coming out of utah, it will roll right over denver tonight and nebraska and kansas and it will spread snow across some of the towns including dayton that are hosting ncaa tournaments. a couple of different scenarios that could still happen. snow in st. louis, illinois, indiana into ohio. a dominant low could develop off the east coast. if that coastal low becomes the big low, becomes the big dog, there will even be snow in philadelphia, new york city, maybe in baltimore and along the shores of new jersey. there could be that much snow.
maybe four to five inches. but that's still a pretty wal p wallop, a good wallop for monday afternoon or monday morning. in denver it's starting there at this point in time. probably six to eight for you, kansas city. into ohio and pennsylvania. i didn't draw any farther to the east because we're still going to have to watch the low, wolf, whether it picks up that moisture from the atlantic ocean or not. it's going to be cold enough, tomorrow's going to be a warm day, but it will get colder for sunday into monday. certainly it will snow all across pennsylvania. we'll keep you up to date. for new york city or philadelphia, you're still talking like two and a half days away. so that might be a little bit too far away to make a good prediction for those cities, but we'll keep you advised here at cnn. >> brianna and i are particularly interested here in washington, d.c. president obama is winding down his middle east trip right now, trying to boost some of america's be most important allies in the region. >> he personally encouraged
israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu to give turkey the apology that it's been wanting. this is a big step in easing tension between those countries. he promised new financial aid to the king of jordan as he struggles with a flood of refugees from war-torn syria. our chief white house correspondent jessica yellin is in the jordanian capital of ayman. hey, jess. >> hey, brianna, president obama, jordan's king abdullah stood for assad to stop the massacre. neither of those two men offered a single new step to force assad out. the final stop in the president's hopscotch around a region in tumult. a visit with jordan's king abdullah. >> the thing i mainly remember when i came here is his majesty was kind enough to personally dreef me to the airport. i won't tell you how fast he was
going. but secret service, i don't think, could keep up. >> reporter: close u.s. ally, jordan's king is facing new strains. political pressure, as one of the only royals still standing after the arab spring. and economic troubles made worse with more than 400,000 syrian refugees fleeing to safety here. so, president obama jetted to amman to show support. but he arrived late. delayed by a sandstorm earlier in the day. >> we ended up having a sandstorm. >> reporter: to the kingdom of jordan, he announced an additional $200 million in u.s. aid. to the world, he promised an end to assad's slaughter. >> i'm confident that assad will go. it's not a question of if, it's when. >> reporter: but asked how that
will happen, he struck a defensive note. >> it's fair to say that the united states often finds itself in a situation where if it goes in militarily, it's criticized for going in militarily, then if it doesn't go in militarily, then people say, why aren't you doing something militarily. >> reporter: in israel the president scored a diplomatic coup, arranging a detente between the prime ministers of israel and turkey, former allies whose three-year standoff has had ripple effects across the region. >> during my visit, it appeared that the timing was good for that conversation to take place. i discussed it with prime minister netanyahu and both of us agreed that the moment was right. and fortunately, they were able to begin the process of rebuilding normal relations between two very important countries of the region.
>> and back here in jordan, the king of the nation abdullah had previously offered assad asylum in this country. but when asked today if he would renew that offer, he did not say it still stands. brianna? >> interesting. jessica yellin for us in amman. another political crisis in the middle east. the lebanese prime minister and his government resigned today. his cabinet was torn by infighting over upcoming parliamentary elections and the future of a top security official. this comes during rising tensions in lebanon linked to the civil war in neighboring syria. north korea taking 150,000 americans hostage. that's the latest threat coming from the rogue nation, as it rattles its sword at the united states and south korea once again. our pentagon correspondent chris lawrence is joining us now. what's going on with north korea? what are they saying to you over there, chris? >> well, wolf, basically there's well over 100,000 american men,
women, even children living in south korea. and the north seems to be signaling if it comes down to a war, they are fair game. north korean troops charge over the border, as artillery blasts away. rockets rain down on south korea, as thousands of tanks invade. pictures of u.s. military officials flash, and a north korean narrator promises to take 150,000 americans as hostages. there are about 130,000 u.s. citizens living in south korea, and nearly 30,000 u.s. troops stationed there. the message in this latest north korean propaganda video is clear. >> they have a very, very large military, and we had better not think about doing anything to challenge that military. >> reporter: retired general skip sharp commanded u.s. forces in korea until 2011.
he knows the adversary on the other side of the demilitarized zone. >> just their pure mass, they have the largest military force in the world. their pure mass is very, very dangerous. >> reporter: the general dealt with kim jong-il, but after the north showed progress in its recent long-range rocket and nuclear tests, sharp said the son, kim jong-un, is even more dangerous. >> he is in a place where he has more threatening assets that are being developed than his father did. >> reporter: south korea is still trying to determine if the north recently used an entirely different offensive capability, a cyber attack on south korean banks and television stations that caused thousands of computers to crash. now, so far, the u.s. has taken a sort of go-slow approach with north korea, trying to preserve stability on the peninsula. but general sharp said it's now time to be more forceful, trying to push as much information and
broadcasts into north korea to encourage the north korean people to take a harsher look at their own government. as well as trying to help south korea develop the kind of stealthy jets that can get into north korea and destroy some of those missiles before they take off. wolf? >> let's not forget, chris, there are nearly 30,000 american troops along the demilitarized zone between north and south korea. they would be very vulnerable. there are a million north korean troops just to the north. >> prime target, wolf. it's something that the u.s. military always takes into account when it looks at tension and rising tension in that part of the world. >> it looks like tension is rising very, very rapidly. chris lawrence is over at the pentagon. up next, new information about the prime suspect in the killing of colorado's prison chief, gunned down at his front door. his history of hate and anger. also, coming up, police say he pretended to be a pilot and he got all the way to the cockpit. find out what gave him away.
police are examining evidence from the car of their prime suspect in the cold-blooded killing of colorado's prison chief. evan ebell died yesterday after a shootout with police in texas and a car crash. he's a white supremacist gang member and former colorado inmate who was out on parole. casey wian has new information on the case and a possible link to a second killing. what can you tell us, casey? >> well, brianna, a lot of these cases, you hear from neighbors who knew someone who's gotten in trouble with the law in a big way and they express a lot of surprise, saying he was such a nice guy. that is not the case with evan ebell. evan grew up on this quiet street in lakewood, colorado, except neighbors say when he was around, it was anything but quiet. >> he just seemed angry. he was an angry kid. >> reporter: vicky lives across
the street from the home. >> i could see him, he would be running out on his -- on the front lawn to come out to a car with friends. he would have screaming, obscenity laced arguments with them sometimes. one time i saw him take something to the back of his friend's car, he was so mad. he just struck me as angry. and troubled. >> neighbors vividly recall his wild streak. in addition to the violent encounters with his friends, once he was seen jumping off the roof of his house here. his criminal record dates back to his teenage yearlings. there was a misdemeanor conviction of obstruction of a police officer. five felony convictions for robbery, menacing and assault. in 2006 she was convicted of assaulting a latino prison guard. but nothing like he's charged
with now, killing the nate leon, a domino's pizza man and shootout with police in texas. >> certainly he is the focus of our investigation at this point. we do have investigators in texas, the moment that we heard about the high-speed pursuit and shooting, we did have investigators pretty much on a plane en route to texas. >> ebell also had ties to the white supremacist 211 prison gang. neighbors say they saw no signs of racist leanings during his rants. now, neighbors also expressed sympathy for ebell's father. well-respected colorado attorney who had been raising his two children on his own. neighbors say his daughter died in an automobile accident back in 2006. and now his son has been killed in a barrage of bullets, and under suspicion, brianna. >> terrible story for multiple
people. a shooting at quantico, virginia, not far from here in washington, d.c. one serviceman shot two of his colleagues last night before turning the gun on himself. authorities are trying to figure out if there was a romantic angle to the killings. brian todd is over at quantico, he's joining us now with the latest. what are you learning, brian? >> wolf, investigators piecing together this crime right now. you know, quantico is a crucial training base for marine officers. it was inside the officer training campus that the shootings occurred. right now, investigators are trying to piece together how one of the training staffers apparently turned on two others. a visibly shaken marine commander tries to absorb an apparent double murder and suicide at his base. >> as we take care of our marines and their families, that are dealing with this tragedy, i would also ask for the support of our neighbors, the community, and their thoughts and prayers as well.
for our marines who have lost their comrades in arms. >> reporter: it played out overnight thursday into friday morning on the campus of the officer candidate school at quantico, a historic training and war strategy base for the marines. after a 911 call, military and civilian police found one marine, a male, dead of a gunshot wound. the base and surrounding area were locked down. >> they pursued the shooter, into a barracks that was confined to the campus. >> reporter: that's where they found the bodies of a female marine and the shooter who apparently killed himself. the names of the three have not yet been released. all three were staffers at the training facility, not students. lisa windsor is a former j.a.g. officer who dealt with similar cases. i asked her about the information we got from military officials who say they're investigating every lead, including whether a relationship dispute led to the shootings. >> it's definitely more likely
than this was a random shooting, something like the ft. hood shooter case. these sorts of disputes for whatever reason, crimes of passion, happen definitely more often than random violence. >> reporter: windsor says investigators will investigate almost everyone, the three marines knew, looking for any personal problems or stressors between them. this comes the same week as the deaths of seven marines in a training accident in nevada. i caught former marine sergeant renzo as he was finishing up a hair cut. >> it's a tough week. >> very tough week. it's very tough. when you lose marines, it's -- or any servicemen, it's tough. to lose it on foreign soils, or lose it here, and at the hands of your own marines, it's even harder. >> now, at one point, officials say the responding officers
surrounded the building where the shooter and his apparent second victim were found. they tried to establish communication with him. officials say they did not enter the building for about another two hours, and so far they have not explained the reason for that time interval. >> any word, brian, on the weapon used? >> no word on the weapon yet, wolf. the woman we interviewed, the former j.a.g. officer, said that will be a crucial part of this investigation. because she says these bases in her experience, these bases keep a very tight control over the weapons that are used on base. so that's going to be a crucial part of this investigation. at least one of these office evers, one of these marines may have been a trainer, not clear whether they were trainers or staffers. they may have had some access to the weapons. that will be a crucial part of the investigation. >> certainly will be. brian todd over at quantico, thanks very much. you have to hear this story. an emotional meeting between the father of the newtown school shooter and the parents of one of the young victims. we'll hear from one of the grieving dads. plus, wildlife rescuers
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new information on a wild scene in egypt today. brianna's following that, and some of the other top stories as well. >> in egypt, wolf, violent clashes between supporters and opponents of the ruling muslim brotherhood. riders set fires to the bus headquarters and egyptian television reports they were attacked and set on fire. religious tension between buddhists and muslims boiling
over in myanmar, formerly known as burma. it prompted thousands of people to flee. buddhist monks reportedly are stalking the streets of one city. about 20 people have died in the violence. and states of emergency are in effect in four towns. yoko ono is stepping into the u.s. gun debate. she tweeted this image of the blood-streaked glasses that her husband, john lennon, was wearing when he was shot and killed. she writes that since his assassination in 1980, more than 1 million people have been killed by guns in the u.s. the tweet came on what would have been the couple's 44th wedding anniversary. and the heat is hot, and so is the team's merchandise. as it closes in on the nba record for most consecutive wins. fans in miami and beyond are scooping up heat-related items with sales up as much as 40%. the heat won its 24th straight game on wednesday. the current record of 33 straight wins was set by the
l.a. lakers in 1972. that's going to be tough to beat. a reason why it's been so long. >> let's see if they can do it. >> they might be able to. >> they're good. >> do you have a jersey? >> i have a wizards jersey. i love my washington wizards. >> i know you do. >> i think they've won one in a row. they're doing better the second half of the season. i love the wizards. still ahead, a very, very serious story we're watching, a police officer on the new arrest in the death of a 13-month-old boy. he was gunned down while his mother pushed him in a stroller. ♪ [ acoustic guitar: upbeat ] [ dog ] we found it together. on a walk, walk, walk. love to walk. yeah, we found that wonderful thing. and you smiled. and threw it. and i decided i would never, ever leave it anywhere. because that wonderful, bouncy, roll-around thing...
party...... finding you the perfect place, every step of the way. happening now, arrested in the killing of a baby. a baby gunned down in a stroller. a police officer on the case joins us live. from the cockpit to jail. new details on a man who allegedly pretended to be a pilot on a jet getting ready for takeoff. we're jumping into the march madness. you'll find out how my brackets compare to president obama's. >> i don't know, that may be good. >> no. >> no?
i'm brianna keilar in for kate baldwin. >> and i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." new developments in the shooting death of a 13-month-old boy, gunned down in his stroller in a south georgia town. >> this is a very tough story, wolf. police arrested two teenagers in connection with the case. we'll get a live update from police in just a moment. but first, this is an 's motion al description of the cold-blooded killing from the baby's mother. >> what ne did to my baby was terrible. what though boy did to my baby. i thought the gun was fake. you know, i didn't -- i didn't think the gun was real. >> do you want to tell us exactly what happened? >> i was walking home from the post office. i thought, you know, i don't go out enough so i should take a walk. and i was five minutes from my
house. next to the blue house out this road here. i always walk out to the street. and a boy approached me, and told me he wanted my money. and i told him i didn't have any money. and he said, give me your money or i'm going to kill you, and i'm going to shoot your baby and kill your baby. and i said, i don't have any money. and don't kill my baby. and they tried to grab my purse. and i tried to tell them, i don't have any money, and then he shoved me, and he shot me in the ear, it grazed my head, back here, and then he shot me in the leg. and i didn't feel it. it got numb. i thought it was just a bb gun, because it was a small gun. and then all of a sudden he walked over and shot my baby right in the face. and he must have died instantly because i screamed for help and a neighbor to call police. and he ran off.
he got scared. but i screamed. and i wheeled my baby really quick to a safe place. inside the gate of the blue house on ellis street. and then, you know, i took him out of the harness, and i tried to perform cpr, but i saw his lungs inflateding, but he was not breathing. and there was no pulse. and by the time the emts got there, the police, they tried to do cpr also. and they lost him. i hope that they get the maximum sentence if they're caught. if they can commit an adult crime. even the police can't even go to training without being 21 years of age. so if they can use a gun like an adult, then they can be charged like an adult. i want to see lethal injection, or at least life in prison. you know. because this child did nothing to him.
he was innocent and helpless. >> let's get more on this. honestly, unthinkable case. tell us officer rhodes, how did you make this arrest? what can you tell us about the suspects here? >> well, i can't really get into how we made the arrest. we're just excited and pleased to announced that we have made two arrests. from the start, our agency believed there were two suspects that we were looking for. and earlier this afternoon, we were able to identify, locate and apprehend two suspects. and so we're pleased with that. very bad thing to happen. however, we are pleased that we are bringing these two individuals to justice. mr. de'marquis elkins is a 17-year-old black male arrested. and his accomplice is a
14-year-old juvenile, who will remain nameless at this time, because here in georgia, we have to protect the identity of the juveniles. >> officer rhodes, can you tell us -- have you been able to find a weapon? >> well, of course, this is still an open and ongoing investigation. and we don't have a weapon at this time. however, we are in the process of doing three search warrants. in three different locations here in brunswick. so we are very confident that we will locate a weapon. >> have you been able to determine a motive beyond what it sounds like from the description here of the mother, that this was an attempted robbery? >> no. we are still investigating this. and so a clear motive has still not been determined. but as the investigation goes on, and we're sure that one will be established and we will bring that forthcoming to you all.
>> i think officer, anyone looking at this story would just probably think that this is one of the most unthinkable sort of crimes that they've ever seen, a defenseless baby. have you ever worked a case that is really honestly just so awful? >> well, i've been in law enforcement for 25 years. and i've seen quite a few things that i wouldn't want others to see. however, this is right up there with those things i've experienced in the past. but let me say this, in addition to what has happened, which is very horrific, i want to just, one, encourage our community here in brunswick, and you the viewers, that brunswick, the city of brunswick and the county of glen, is a very safe community to live in. now, much like other cities, we have our glitches like other cities have theirs. and this happens to happen at this time. so we're very grateful and
thankful that we're able to arrest the two individuals involved in this act. but brunswick in and of itself is a very safe place to live, work and play. >> so this must be, i guess, increasingly shocking then for the folks who live there. but can you tell us, is there any direct connection, do you think, between these suspects, the 14 and 17-year-old and the mother of this baby that died? >> well, i can't really divulge any additional information in regards to that, because with this still being an ongoing investigation, we wouldn't want anything to jeopardize our investigation. >> sure. >> or the case. or the prosecution of these individuals. >> but are you looking for anyone else? is this it? do you think these are the two suspects? >> we believe these are the two suspects. and currently right now, we're not looking for anyone else. we believe these are the two that committed this crime. >> officer rhodes, with the
brunswick police department there in georgia, awful story. thank you for joining us with more on this. >> thank you. my pleasure. take care. >> it is a shocking, shocking story. >> it's horrible. >> listen to that mother. you know, our hearts go out to her. >> defenseless 13-month-old baby. just no reason. >> no reason at all. >> no, no reason. other news we're following, a pilot imposter makes it all the way to the cockpit of an airplane. we have details of his amazing security breach. none of us would want to be told we can't marry the person we
dozens of americans regional
airports all across the united states will now start closing their air traffic control towers. 149 towers across the nation got the official word today that they're falling victim to the forced budget cuts. some were on the chopping block, some others were on the chopping blocks and they were spared. rene marsh is joining us from the airport in frederick, maryland, not far away from here in washington, d.c. what's going on over there, renee? >> wolf, just last year, the federal government turned the lights on in this control tower and in just about two weeks from now, they'll be turning the lights out. they were told here, the people were told here they will be shutting this down. the faa announced 149 towers like this will be shut down, because of those forced spending cuts. although 40 towers were spared. but let's take a closer look at
what areas are really going to be hit the hardest. florida, we know 14 closures, places like boca raton and hollywood, texas, 14 closures, in california 11 closures. one of the towers being shut down in california is at the ramona airport. that airport is critical to aircraft fighting those wildfires. we also know that in 1995, two u.s. forest service planes collided mid-air. so earlier today, on "the lead" with jake tapper, san diego county supervisor spoke to us, and she said she's afraid that sort of thing could very well happen again. take a listen. >> this is a foolish, foolish move by the faa and the federal government. and as a great example of how they can't get their budget act together. this is a public safety issue. this puts at risk the citizens.
>> all right. wolf, we can also tell you roughly 1,000 air traffic controllers got the news today, that come april 7th, they will be without jobs. we spoke to one, he said he simply does not know what's next for him. wolf? >> the result of the forced spending cuts. renee, out in frederick, maryland. thanks. a scary airport security breach. a man accused of impersonating a pilot sits down in the cockpit of a plane preparing for takeoff. now he's behind bars and the fbi is joining the investigation. lisa sylvester here, this is one of those stories that makes you go, how did this happen. >> yeah, this is truly one of those pretty wild stories here. he was actually a ticketed passenger, so he didn't breach security. but let's just say when he didn't like his seat assignment, he tried to pass himself off as a pilot. in the movie "catch me if you can" a smooth-talking leonardo
dicaprio flies around the world posing as a pilot. philippe jernnard thought he could pull something off similar. jernnard, a retired winemaker, was traveling from france headed to west palm beach and was on a layover in philadelphia. he was dressedn a white button-down shirt with a airfrance logo over the pocket. jernnard went to the gate and tried to get his seat upgraded from coach. but an agent said business class was already full and couldn't accommodate his request. that's when authorities say he boarded the plane and went straight to the cockpit, and sat behind the pilot in what's known as a jump seat. but according to the philadelphia police, the pilots became suspicious when jernnard couldn't even figure out how to fasten the straps. when questioned, he didn't have any of the proper paperwork, and became argumentative. >> this has happened before. >> reporter: retired airplane
pilot mark weiss said they always have to show their credentials. >> in order to have access to the cockpit, once the cockpit door is closed, the paperwork that you have to have would normally come from the ticket counter, or the gate, the company specific paperwork. >> reporter: jernnard was carrying a very bad fake i.d. he now faces charges of trespassing, and lying to police. law enforcement officials said investigators haven't found any links to terrorism. still, passengers on the plane all had similar reactions. >> that's pretty scary. i fly every week. so that's actually pretty concerning. >> that's nuts. yeah, there's no way. >> i think it's crazy. >> reporter: but authorities wanted to know, what was his motive? was it just for perks and having a better seat, or life imitating art? little reminiscent of the movie
with leonardo dicaprio. >> i don't think it was quite that far. this guy certainly didn't look like leonardo dicaprio. >> we're learning new details, after being confronted, he became very angry. he was escorted off the plane. it wasn't immediately apparent to airline officials this was a criminal situation. so they rebooked him on another flight. but when security was alerted, they immediately contacted the philly police, arrested him at the gate where he was waiting for his next flight. and then it all came out that, yeah, this guy definitely was a phony. they contacted airfrance. they said, that's not our guy. that's not our pilot. so million-dollar bail now. >> $1 million. let us know if there's any sinister motive? what was going on? >> at this point they're saying that there does not appear to be a terrorism link. but you know how these investigations go, they want to make sure. but he's still in custody at this point. >> lisa sylvester, thank you. coming up, a desperate
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have you ever seen a manatee? >> probably. >> kind of those tubby things, in florida, in the channels there. they're cute. >> do you like them? >> they're so ugly, they're cute, i think. a sudden dieoff in the endangered species, dozens of manatees are suffering grim dechts. >> the desperate effort to save them. >> wolf, in 2010, 260 manatees
died in southwest florida, from all causes. that was the worst year ever. so far this year, less than three months in, nearly 200 manatees have died from one cause. it's called red tide. for wildlife biologists, this was one of the best days in a long time. >> there's two noses up behind us. right at that corner. >> reporter: boyd was out with florida wildlife officers on the orange river near ft. myers looking for sick or dead manatees. and endangered species. none so far. a hopeful sign after a brutal start to the year. >> the number of mortalities has exceeded anything i've seen in the past. >> reporter: the lethal toxin from an algae bloom called red tide settled in the worst possible place, the see grass beds off southwest florida we manatees feed during the winter. killing more than 180 since january. a lack of winter rain scientists
say may have caused a more widespread bloom this year. >> we started getting five or six in a day. and now there was a few days when you'd have ten calls for manatees. >> they eat the sea grass and then paralysis sets in and they drown. wildlife officers say it's a good sign when they're approaching a manatee and it's moving to get out of the way. because when they're sick with the toxin in them, they usually just sit there. but even when the creatures are in distress from the toxin, it's not too late. if they're found, they can be saved. >> if we get them to fresh water, they'll get rid of the toxin and once it's out of their system, then they're feeling like a new manatee. >> reporter: virginia edmonds is the animal care manager at tampa's lowry park zoo. the lucky ones, the dozen or so that have been rescued are brought here. to keep them from drowning,
their heads are held out of the water. >> having to the toxin to the degree that the manatees do when they come in, they are comatose in a way. and can't move their heads or their bodies. and that's why we have to support their heads and help them get a breath. >> it's estimated there are no more than 5,000 manatees left in florida. for biologists, the most frustrating part of this ep i sowed has been not finding them in time to save more of them. the outbreak by oolgiiologists e nearing the end. but the toll has never been worse. biologists say they don't know what causes red tide to be worse some years than others. but sadly, when it is, they know exactly what that means for the manatees. wolf? >> john zor he willa with that report. john, thank you. he was the first newtown, connecticut, parent to speak out after the massacre that really did shock the world. robby parker's daughter emily was among the victims at the
sandy hook elementary school. now he's talking to piers morgan with his emotional meeting with the father of the shooter, adam lanza. >> when you walked into the room and there is the father of this young man who took your daughter's life, what goes through your mind? >> one of the main reasons i wanted to speak to him was i wanted to speak to him as a father, one father to another father. and i understand that despite the circumstances that he lost his son and that he needed to grieve that as well just as much as i needed to grieve my daughter. and so i wanted to express those condolences to him and i felt like we were able to do that for each other. >> what a heartbreaking story. you can see the full interview "piers morgan live" later tonight, 9:00 p.m. eastern only here on cnn. up next, we'll be making a bit of a turn. some scientific comparisons?
wolf's ncaa brackets put up against the president's picks. let me tell you, it is not pretty. ing customer needs... to meeting patient needs... ♪ wireless is limitless. [ female announcer ] from finding the best way... ♪ to finding the best catch... ♪ wireless is limitless. to prove febreze can keep this car fresh, we loaded it with fast food, sweaty hockey gear, and a smelly dog cage. and parked it at a mall. in texas. for two days. then put a febreze car vent clip on the dash and let in real people. it smells good. like laundry fresh out of like the dryer. yeah. a man fresh out of the shower. nailed it. oh yeah. proof. febreze car vent clips keep your car fresh.
what's your policy?
harvard rocked the ncaa tournament and everyone's brackets when they beat three seeded new mexico last night. that got us to thinking about those brackets and, wolf, i confess i did not actually complete mine. mostly because i didn't want to embarrass myself. >> i'm ready to embarrass myself. tom foreman is going to help me. i feel confident my final four. but the first round, you know, stuff happens. >> rough there. let's look at this. everybody is filling out brackets. let's look at the other picks out there, wolf. president, he says indiana is going all the way. that's his pick. pretty solid bet. joe montena, he thinks miami. >> alicia tyler, louisville. this is my pick. and then wale, he is a er