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CNN NEWSROOM

Slain Baby's Mom Speaks to CNN; Snow Pounds Parts of Colorado; Feeling Spending Cuts; Apprenticeships Hold Key to Success; Boys Accused of Killing Baby; CVS Employees Told to Share Health Info; Scouts Speak Out on Homosexuality; Life After Extinction

Aired March 23, 2013 - 17:00   ET

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


DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Happening right now on CNN, heartbreak and hatred. A mother's emotional words to the teens accused of shooting and killing her baby.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERRY WEST, SLAIN BABY'S MOTHER: Human life. And that I hope you die for it.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: We've got a new patient in Florida, pregnant female (INAUDIBLE) third patient.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: In Colorado, a giant snowstorm wreaking havoc on drivers causing huge pile-ups. And it's not over yet. A child is dead from a bizarre accident at a U.S. airport. How a 10-year-old was crushed to death right in front of his family.

And what was the fireball in the sky over the East Coast? It caught NASA, astronomers and the FAA off guard.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Don Lemon, those stories and more this hour.

You are about to see and hear a mother who experienced probably the worst thing that could happen to a parent. Her baby in a stroller shot to death right in front of her. It happened here in Brunswick, Georgia, a couple of days ago. Police have two teenagers in custody who they believe pulled a gun on the baby's mother. Then did the unthinkable. I want you to listen from this phone call, it is an eyewitness who called 911.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: It appears that her baby's been shot.

911 OPERATOR: OK. Listen to me, ma'am. Is the baby breathing?

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: I don't know. He's in a stroller. I just came out the door.

911 OPERATOR: OK. UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Yes. She's trying to get the baby out now.

911 OPERATOR: OK. Hold on. So, did you hear any shots in the area?

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Listen, the baby is shot. The baby is in there. The baby is on the ground.

911 OPERATOR: Ma'am, listen to me. We've got the people en route to you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: The baby's mother, Sherry West talked at length to our CNN reporter Nick Valencia today. We'll going to bring in Nick live in just a moment. But first, I want you to listen to the message that she has for the two teenage boys she said shot and killed her baby.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WEST: That I hate you. And I don't forgive you. And that you killed an innocent human life. And that I hope you die for it. That's how I feel.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No one would blame you for feeling like that.

WEST: Yes. Because this is the second child that people have taken from me in a tragic way. And that I'm so afraid to have any more babies now. I tried to raise really good kids in a wicked world. I didn't go out a lot. But when I just took a walk with my baby I thought it was safe, you know, because that's the only exercise I can do, you know, for the heart. I mean, you know. And I can't believe that this could happen. And I left early in the morning. I thought that, you know, there would be less people on the road and I wouldn't be in anybody's way walking down that road. And apparently either he targeted me or I was just unfortunate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: The man who conducted that interview, CNN's Nick Valencia live now in Brunswick, Georgia. Nick, it is hard to watch. And that was -- she had even more to say about the accused killers.

VALENCIA: Yes. Police are still investigating. This is still an open investigation, Don. There is no clear motive as to why this happened. They are also looking for that handgun. Yesterday they conducted three search warrants in the Brunswick area. So far, they still haven't come up with that gun. But I want to get back to the interview. We walked in there, our camera man and I -- we used watching to that apartment.

She lives in a duplex, very humble. Very humble household. She was by herself eating a dinner provided to her by the neighbors. And, you know, we're talking about her kids. She's recovering from that. Still very deeply emotional. But she was shot herself. And she was limping around the house as well. She's on pain medication to get over that. She talked to me about what she would miss most about her child. She can't seem to get past this. I want you to take a listen about what she had to say about young Antonio Angel Santiago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WEST: I still think of my son walking over to me in the morning, putting his head on my lap and on my shoulder and me feeding him meals. And the fact that he was just learning to eat and then he'll never say his first word.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: This is not the first tragedy she's suffered. She lost her 18-year-old son a couple of years ago in 2008 in a stabbing in New Jersey. So, this is a mother that just got to the point where she said she could have children only for something like this to happen, Don. And she's very suspicious and paranoid about living here. When we showed out, she was packing up her belongings. Packing out the belongings of her 13-month-old, she said she's moving about a thousand miles away back to New Jersey just to go away from she's home. She's worried about retaliation in fact.

LEMON: Yes. Nick, can we talk now about the suspects? Who do police have in custody? And what are they charged with?

VALENCIA: They've got a 17-year-old suspect in custody, his name is De'Marquis Elkins, and also a 14-year-old juvenile, his name has not been released. Both were officially charged with first degree murder. We asked officer Todd Rouge (ph). She's a public information officer here in Brunswick, if he had any more information or details about the suspects. He was unwilling to release that information. But we saw the Facebook page of De'Marquis Elkins.

And he claims to be part of the bloods. I asked the city manager here if there is a gang problem in the area here in Brunswick. He said this area where it happened, it's a quiet neighborhood, Don. It's an area where you wouldn't suspect something like this to happen. This is a town that's shocked and devastated about what happened. This is not something that they were prepared for and this is certainly something that the mother is still having a hard time getting over.

LEMON: Anyone who's heard about this in the country is shocked as well. Nick Valencia at Brunswick, Georgia, thank you very much for that, Nick. Other news now. Heavy snow is pummeling parts of Colorado. Road conditions are treacherous on several key highways. Interstate 70 is closed for more than 150 miles. Interstate 25 northbound is closed as well and will remain close for hours.

Casey Wian in Colorado Springs for us. Casey, up to 50 vehicles wrecked on that interstate, on Interstate 25. What are you hearing about people in those cars? Are rescue crews getting to those drivers?

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we haven't heard specifically what's happening with those people in the cars. But we do know that rescue crews have been on their way. We've heard them and we have seen them ourselves. Where I'm standing right now in Colorado Springs looks pretty mild. But as you mentioned, throughout the state of Colorado at least 12 major U.S. interstates and state highways are closed today. Some because the weather conditions are so treacherous.

Some because there have been so many accidents, spinouts, multiple car pileups. And earlier today, we were on our way south on I-25 to cover another story. We had to turn around because we were right in the middle of some of the worst of the weather. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: We are at a rest stop off Interstate 25 between Colorado Springs and Pueblo, Colorado. And we are in the middle of a very serious storm. You could see the flags over here just being whipped by the wind. The snow is blowing very dramatically. It really hurts your face just to be standing out here in the snow. Over here you can see -- or you can't see Interstate 25. Normally the speed limit on the Interstate is 75 miles an hour.

You can see this vehicle goes by us he's going much slower. You can also see on the other side of the interstate vehicles heading south at a very slow rate of speed. Perhaps 30 miles an hour or so. For the past 20 miles that we have been driving, we seen a succession of accidents. Multi car pileups, spinouts, traffic backed up for a half mile or so heading south because of the accidents.

We couldn't even pull over to shoot pictures of what happened because it was just too dangerous. A very, very serious winter-type storm has hit Colorado in early spring.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: Now, it's not just Colorado that's being impacted by these closures affecting Interstate 25 which are northbound north of Denver, South of here in Colorado Springs. This is a major highway that runs north and south all the way from northern Wyoming almost to the Mexican border in Southern New Mexico. So, anyone on that interstate right now has got to be feeling the pain from this storm -- Don.

LEMON: Absolutely. Casey, thank you very much. And of course, not only on Interstate 25. Let's get a live look now at I-70 from the Colorado Department of Transportation. Just look at the snow there. Remember, this is March. It's not early in March, this late in March, traffic just crawling along. Interstate 70, Interstate 25. Two of the interstates affected by the snowstorm in Colorado. We'll continue to follow the story.

In the meantime, an orphan from Ethiopia served in the Israeli army and goes on to become the first black Miss Israel. Her inspiring story is coming up.

And a precious resource. Clean drinking water. See how one CNN hero turns wine into water in an effort to alleviate the global crisis.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: Here in the U.S., police are trying to figure out if a suspect in a shoot out this week in Texas could be connected to three different murders in two states. There are more questions and answers after an ex-con was killed in a shoot out by Texas police. Investigators are looking into whether Ivan Ebel (ph) could have been involved in the murder of Colorado's top prison chief Thursday morning. There could also be a connection to the murder of a pizza delivery worker in Denver and a Texas prosecutor killed back in January.

President Barack Obama is on his way home after a very busy trip to the Middle East. The President played tourist today ending his visit to Jordan with a walking tour of the ancient city of Petra. It was his first trip to Israel and the West Bank since he was elected in 2008. It could pay dividends. The State Department now says, Secretary of State John Kerry will hold separate talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders today.

President Obama attended a gala, a dinner in his honor hosted by Israeli President Simon Perez. There were many other high profile government officials in attendance. But one face in the crowd was particularly memorable. Yityish Aynaw, is the first Miss Israel with Ethiopian heritage since the pageant began in 1950. Aynaw, an orphan came to Israel live with her grandparents at the age of 12. President Obama has long been one of her idols. She says a recent trip to her homeland showed her how far she'd come.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YITYISH AYNAW, MISS ISRAEL 2013 (through a translator): I stood there as a girl who had finished the Israeli army as an officer and thought how much a person can go through in 19 years. I learned a new language and culture. I've been into good places, I enlisted and trained people and returned as a totally different person.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Aynaw will now go on to represent Israel as the first world pageant, at the first world pageant in Jakarta this September.

Before becoming pope, former cardinal Bergoglio addressed the issue of celibacy, the role for priests. Well, could that role becoming to an end? That's next.

But first, this week's CNN heroes, something we all take for granted -- clean water. Worldwide one in six people don't have access to this basic necessity. We want you to take a look at how one man is trying to change that by bringing water to communities around the world including war-torn Syria.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DOC HENDLEY, FOUNDER, WINE TO WATER: Here in the U.S., it's hard for us to understand the water crisis because we have it right at our fingertips. There's some countries where it takes many women and children four and five hours every single day just to get water, and it's absolutely filthy and it's making their children sick. When you see that firsthand, you can't help but be changed from that. My name is Doc Hendley. I used to be a bartender and now I bring clean water to the world.

The water won't make you feel sick to your stomach anymore.

CNN heroes changed everything. Before we were able to reach four different countries and now, we're in 15 different countries. Syria is our latest one.

In Syria, every single day people are leaving their homes, fleeing to the border areas, in these camps, the living conditions, they are terrible. They don't have access to even the basic essentials. Right now we're actively working in two camps in the northwestern region of Syria. I was able to bring about 350 water filters in just a couple months ago. Syria is the very first location that we're actually using these filters.

They filter up to 250 gallons of water every single day for ten years. We have a partnership with an organization called stop hunger now. We'll be sending a container with about 250,000 meals and another 1,000 water filters. This will be just the first of many shipments hopefully. There's really no way to describe the feeling when you see a family have crystal clear clean water for the first time. A lot of people think what can we do? But you can make a difference in one family's life. That's a huge thing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Well, here is something no one has ever witnessed before today. Two popes greeting each other. Pope Francis met with his predecessor Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. The current and former leaders of the Catholic Church met for lunch and to pray together. The Vatican said, this is the first encounter of its kind in the history of the church. Before becoming the now Pope Francis, former Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, commented on the celibacy role for Catholic priest in an interview published last year, he said this.

For now, the discipline of celibacy stands firm. But it is a matter of discipline, not of faith. It can change. And he's not alone. Just last month, Scotland's Cardinal O'Brien said he would be happy if priests could marry. Because he believes many struggle to cope with celibacy. Wendy Walsh is a psychologist. Her new book comes out soon "The 30-Day Love Detox." Make sure you pick it up. OK, Wendy, I'll be blunt, is celibacy bad for you?

WENDY WALSH, HUMAN BEHAVIOR EXPERT: Absolutely not. I did a lot of research and I couldn't find one study showing that celibacy hurts you in some way. Even a 30-year study done on priests. And remember, just because you are celibate doesn't mean you are not ejaculating. Because there were some associations thought between prostate problems. And none sex. But no, it doesn't matter that celibacy does not hurt. In fact, it can help you and it can be really good for your health if you happen to live in a high supply sexual economy where STDs are on the rise or if you risk an unwanted pregnancy. There are all kinds of reasons why celibacy can be good for your health. But I couldn't find one bit of data on it physiologically being bad for your health.

LEMON: I love how you just say it, Wendy. That's why we have you on.

WALSH: I just say it.

LEMON: You just say it. Thank you.

WALSH: Just because you're not having sex doesn't mean you're not ejaculating. You know that. You sleep in a man's body every night. You know how it works.

LEMON: OK. Maybe, we got to move on now. Not all sex but physical touch is necessary. Right? There are programs for older folks who are by themselves get them things like massages because they need it. Right?

WALSH: We do know that nonsexual touch is one of the best life enhancing things out there. And in my book, "The 30-Day Love Detox" when I ask girls to get off the hook-up culture, I told them to schedule a weekly massage. Because they will going to miss the touch no matter what. So, yes, touch is a very important thing and I think that's partly what we are seeing the rise of all these pets with single people. But we do need to reach out and get used to nonsexual touch as a good thing.

LEMON: OK. There are some now that not only are embracing celibacy, they are hitting the reset button even. They are called born again virgins. Right? I guess it's obvious. Talk to me about that.

WALSH: This is the new term in our culture which I find really fascinating. We have a number of famous athletes who have come out and said that they are definitely virgins. But the fiancee of the new bachelor on the "The Bachelorette" have told People Magazine that she's a Born Again virgin. And that really means somebody who says, wait. I don't like what's going on in our culture with young people where we are separating sex from love.

I have tried the whole no strings attached thing. And it doesn't work for me. And truthfully the only thing that does work is to practice low love, it's kind of like the slow food movement but it's a slow love movement. And that's what these Born Again virgins are doing. They are saying, wait, I'm going to stop and figure out how to have a good friendship, how to have a healthy relationship. And then I will decide if I trust someone enough to expose my bloodstream and my eggs to them.

LEMON: You know, I cosign on that idea.

WALSH: Yes.

LEMON: I do. Because there's nothing -- and I have been doing this lately. Nothing like going out on good old fashioned romantic dates. You pick them up, you go to dinner, and you leave them at the door and go home. Right?

WALSH: It's wonderful. Because, you know, the best sex comes with great anticipation. And the longer you drag out the courtship at the beginning, the better the sex will be anyway.

LEMON: Absolutely. Thank you, Dr. Wendy. We appreciate it.

WALSH: Thank you.

LEMON: Will Saturday restore some sanity to March Madness? My brackets are all screwed up. We'll see a 16 teams play to advance in the NCAA tournament. Two have already moved on to the sweet 16 Michigan stomped Virginia Commonwealth University. Seventy eight to 53. The Wolverines won by 25. And could have won by more. And state rivals, Michigan State will join them in the next round. The Spartans knocked off Memphis. Seventy to 48.

And right now, you might be asking yourself, why do so many people care about this tournament? We'll going to explain now.

CNN's Tom Foreman says, the secret to its success is simple. For the teams that qualify, if you're in you can win.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Even as tiny Valparaiso fell beneath the thundering sneakers of Michigan State, boosters still had reason to celebrate. Because their team at least made it into what has become the sports spectacle spring. In truth, the NCAA tournament is rivaled by few other sporting events any time of year. Drawing millions of fans who follow every dribble and millions more who don't know a free throw from a foul. Michael Wilbon with ESPN.

MICHAEL WILBON, HOST, ESPN'S "PARDON THE INTERRUPTION": They don't have any idea what those basketball programs are about or what they have done historically. But they know final four. It's a brand. It's a, you know, uniquely American brand.

FOREMAN: The tournament started in 1939 when basketball itself still was gathering steam and it was an underdog, a distant second to a much more popular college playoff series but shrewd marketing and good luck pushed the final four into a fast break of staggering success. Today the contest nets of billion dollars in TV revenue and has fans from Wichita, that's their team playing to the White House. Guessing who will win.

PRES. BARACK OBAMA (D), UNITED STATES: This is Indiana's year.

FOREMAN (on camera): In many ways that's what makes the final four so attractive unlike say football where many teams are out of contention for the championship even before their season ends. In the final four, dozens of teams come into the tournament with a real shot at the crown, even if it's a long one.

WILBON: Basketball is a much more democratic endeavor, if you will. It is much more inclusive.

FOREMAN (voice-over): That is what has driven the final four to such heights.

The Cinderella stories, the championship comebacks and the idea that even when Bucknell meets Butler, one of them might go all the way. Tom Foreman, CNN.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Forced spending cuts from furloughed workers to loss of costumers at local businesses, details on how the fallout could have a negative ripple effect on people who tried to make ends meet.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Getting close to the bottom of the hour. So, we want to get a look at our headlines right now. We want to get you live now to Interstate 70 in Colorado. This is Vail Pass, about two hours from Denver. Traffic crawling along after several shut-downs of I-70 and the northbound Interstate 25. It's not over yet either. Witnesses describe a terrifying scene at the Birmingham Airport, Alabama Airport after a newly installed flight display board collapsed, killing a 10- year-old boy as his family watched and critically injuring another person. The sign that displays flight arrival and departure information landed on several people, crushing the boy to death.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: The family was crushed. Little kids crushed underneath the sign. And everybody was scattering to lift it up. I helped lift it up and helped pull people out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: My goodness. The sign was located in a new part of the airport. Officials still don't know why it fell.

Fifteen thousand runners hit the pavement this morning for the inaugural Sandy Hook run for the families.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(Children): Sandy Hook!

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: This run today is part of a far greater journey for --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Another 30,000 people gathered along the three-mile route to cheer the runners on. The money raised goes to support victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. So far the race has raised $420,000.

There is another kind of March Madness and it's called Powerball fever. Tonight's jackpot is up to $320 million and could go even higher. This is the sixth highest Powerball jackpot in history. A cash payout of tonight's drawing would be nearly $200 million. Fingers crossed, everyone.

After 13 hours of non-stop voting, the Senate passed its first formal budget proposal in four years just before 5:00 a.m. this morning. Lawmakers considered dozens of amendments to the Democrats' proposal. In the end though, it passed by a vote of 50-49. No Republicans voted in favor of the measure during the so-called vote-a-rama. Four Democrats voted against it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HARRY REID, (D-NV), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: Over the last two decades, an average budget resolution considered 78 amendments. We have done 101. The average vote-a-rama, 35 amendments, we have done 70, twice as many. Doing this has been a herculean feat.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL, (R-KY), SENATE MINORITY LEADER: I know everyone is exhausted. You may not feel it at the moment but this is one of the Senate's finest days in recent years. And I commend everyone who has participated in this extraordinary debate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: The passage of the budget is the good news. The bad news, the plan now goes to the House where it is expected to be shot down.

The back and forth on the budget led to those forced spending cuts that just took effect March 11. Some people are beginning to feel its effects. It couldn't be more true in the nation's capitol where businesses are very dependent on the fed.

That's where we find Athena Jones. She joins us live there.

Athena, the budget fallout seems to really have been having a ripple effect on just about everyone.

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Don. These cuts have the potential to affect a whole lot of people. You don't have to go far to see those effects.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONES (voice-over): Herndon, Virginia, is right outside Washington in a county filled with government workers, federal contractors and the businesses that depend on them. Here they are already feeling the effects of those steep budget cuts put into place three weeks ago. The reality is sinking in. Those cuts are here to stay.

KEITH MCGLAWN, U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION: This is getting realer as the days go on. I was hoping Congress would come together. But they have still not come up with agreements.

JONES: Keith McGlawn fixes computers for the Customs and Border Protection agency. He's learned he'll have to stay home from his job for up to 14 jobs so the agency can save money. He thinks that will cost him 20 percent of his pay. To make due he found a part-time job and is cutting back on expenses.

MCGLAWN: They won't see me at the shop as much as I used to be every year buying plants and dirt to get my front yard looking nice and everything.

JONES: McGlawn is also eating out less. Fewer lunch breaks like this one at the deli near work. That's a concern for the owner, Kawal Kapoor, who says at least a quarter of his customers are federal employees and furloughs will eat into his bottom line.

KAWAL KAPOOR, OWNER, DELI: They will be spending less money, not eating as much out as they are right now. We're going to have less business.

JONES: One small business owner and one federal worker multiplied by thousands across a region that relies on government money.

STEPHEN FULLER, GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY: I think that we know we are going to lose about $4 billion or $5 billion from the local economy due to cut backs. And they're going to continue next year as well.

JONES: McGlawn is still hoping Congress will act, and fast.

MCGLAWN: Congress, you all get it together. Let's do it tomorrow. Let's do it really, really soon. You're talking 14 days out of my life that I won't get paid for.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JONES: And one more thing about the ripple effect the cuts could have. The economists we spoke to said it could lead to a million jobs lost among small businesses nationwide -- Don?

LEMON: Athena, what happens as a worst case scenario here? More furloughs?

JONES: The worst case is that Congress never reaches a deal to stop the cuts so they stay in place. That means the furloughs go on for much longer than people affected by them want to see. And beyond that, it's uncertainty. Economists say uncertainty is a four-letter word. It means people and businesses put off big decisions, whether it is hiring new workers or starting, expanding under contracts, new projects, or for people not buying houses or cars. That could further slow down the economy -- Don?

LEMON: Athena Jones, thank you very much.

Two teen boys accused of killing this little boy. Now the mother of the child is talking to CNN.

First, the jury is out whether college prepares you for the real world. One thing is sure, apprenticeships can make you stand out.

Christine Romans takes a look in this week in "Smart is the New Rich." (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(MUSIC)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: This is the American dream.

(CHEERING)

ROMANS: But for too many college graduates --

(SCREAMING)

ROMANS: -- this is the American reality, an average $27,000 in debt when they leave college and a job market where one in every seven can't find full-time work.

But there's a new model that could change the way students learn the skills they need to make it in the work world. This is where future 26-year old bosses are currently learning the skills they need to be successful, not in a college classroom, but on the job. Working 40 hours a week in New York City as part of a pilot program for Institute, a nonprofit that cofounders, Shaila Ittycheria and Kane Sarhan, think can change how students get the skills employers need, not only on college campuses but through full-time on-the-job apprenticeships.

SHAILA ITTYCHERIA, CO-FOUNDER, INSTITUTE: Focus on skills, those business skills and textbook skills. They can learn a foreign language. They can learn ops and they also learn marketing, business development.

KANE SARHAN, CO-FOUNDER, INSTITUTE: It's about taking whatever they learn and putting it into real-life scenarios.

ROMANS: The first class has 11 participants chosen from a pool of 500 candidates, living together in a 3600-square-foot loft.

SIEGEL: Exactly.

ROMANS: Weezie Yancey-Siegel is one of them and brings a unique perspective. She spent a year and a half at college, costing $58,000 a year before deciding it wasn't for her. She now apprentices at Flavor Pill, a digital media company, getting paid minimum wage.

WEEZIE YANCEY-SIEGEL, APPRENTICE: In school, you have a teacher who tells you what they need. Here's when I need it by. If you need help, talk to me. Being an apprentice, I do a lot of scheduling and assisting, but I also get to see what's happening in different departments.

ROMANS: What's in it for Flavor pill? According to Weezie's boss/mentor, Sascha Lewis --

SASCHA LEWIS, CO-FOUNDER, FLAVOR PILL: The benefit that we're getting from the apprenticeship concept is it's a longer-term relationship. There is a deeper commitment.

ROMANS: Christine Romans, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERRY WEST, VICTIM'S MOTHER: But what they did to my baby was terrible. What that boy did to my baby. I thought the gun was fake.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Let's talk more now about that heartbreaking and bizarre story we have been reporting out of Brunswick, Georgia. A baby is shot dead. Two teenage boys under arrest now.

Karen Conti is here. She is a trial attorney and partner with Behrman Law in Chicago.

Karen, welcome.

This case is a real life nightmare. Really. We always say a parent's worst nightmare. It's a cliche. This really is.

The woman we heard speaking, Sherry West, says two boys approached her as she pushed her 13-month-old son in a stroller. One boy pulled a pistol, demanded money. He shot her and then her son. The little boy is dead. Mom is recovering.

But, Karen, no weapon found. No eyewitnesses. Will this make it hard to charge and convict the suspects?

KAREN CONTI, TRIAL ATTORNEY, BEHRMAN LAW & CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Of course, it will. All the studies have shown that eyewitness identification is very, very unreliable. However, jurors believe eyewitnesses. How could you mistake that person? How could you not have recognized the person who had a gun in your face. We know that about 70 percent of all DNA convictions that are overturned are overturned with two or more eyewitnesses. That's not going to stop the prosecutors from charging or stop a jury from convicting. I think it's a problem.

LEMON: We were just talking about the New York rabbi killed and on eyewitness account. Convicted the wrong man. They let him out of jail this week. It's not always a reliable.

I want to turn now --

CONTI: No, it's not.

LEMON: Go ahead.

CONTI: I was going to say, the line-up, Don -- you know, when there is a line-up or a picture shown to a person who is a victim of a crime, how do they pick? They have to pick one of them. One of them has to be the perpetrator. That's a real hard thing to do.

LEMON: I want to turn to this report from CVS/Caremark Pharmacy. It told employees, Karen, to share their blood pressure, their cholesterol, their weight and other health information with the company's insurer or face a $600 annual fine. I don't know -- is privacy a thing of the past here? Could this lead to discrimination?

CONTI: Well, it sure can. The company is saying that -- what they are doing is saying, if you get this free screening and do the blood pressure work and all this stuff, then we are not going to fine you. But if you don't do it, we are going to fine you. The idea is supposed to be that all of this is kept private with the insurance company and the employer will never know the results. This has been upheld by courts, the idea that an employer can basically encourage employees to be healthy by having them get a check-up, quit smoking, reduce blood pressure, et cetera. This is not as surprising as it sounds.

LEMON: It's not a surprise. Do you see it going on to other companies?

CONTI: I do. The staff on this, about two-thirds of all employers nationwide, have an incentive program, whether it's encouraging people not to smoke and giving them a reduction in premiums or something like that.

I have concerns about this, sure. We don't want to discriminate against people based on medical conditions but our law doesn't really stop us from doing that. Just because somebody is overweight, tall, short or has high blood pressure, that doesn't mean an employer can -- not discriminate. Sure, an employer can discriminate.

LEMON: When we heard this next story, we thought of you, Karen. It's about strippers. And seriously --

(CROSSTALK)

CONTI: Thank you, Don. Thank you.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: We'll get to why we thought about you. They're often classified as independent contractors with very few benefits. Sometimes they have to pay club owners for access to the stage. Now they're suing for benefits and back pay.

The reason we thought of you is because you represented a Chicago club in a case like this. Why should the government care if someone is making more than minimum wage?

CONTI: The law says if you are an employee rather than an independent contractor, you get certain benefits, taxes are deducted. There are minimum wage laws, et cetera. If they are an independent contractor, the rules don't apply. A lot of the girls are paying to dance there. When they get tips, they have to tip out the stage fees. They have to tip out the bartenders and the like. So they have a vested interest in not classifying them as employees. But they are probably employees. As long as the employer has some control over when they come, their hours, what they wear, what they do, how they do their job, they are going to be employees. These girls probably have a good lawsuit.

LEMON: Yes. That didn't come out right.

(LAUGHTER)

The stripper story made us think about you.

(LAUGHTER)

I should have said --

(CROSSTALK)

CONTI: I know. Don, really.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: Strippers are attractive, too.

(LAUGHTER)

Thank you. Thanks, Karen. We appreciate it. See you next time.

(LAUGHTER)

CONTI: All right, Don.

LEMON: Boy Scout leaders and Eagle Scouts make their voices heard.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED SCOUT LEADER: -- do my duty to God and country. Scout sign, please.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Why they say homosexuality and politics have no place in their organization.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Remember the uproar over the poisoning of oak trees at Auburn University in 2010? There's been a plea deal in that case. Harvey Updike will serve at least six months in jail and five years on supervised probation. Updike is an Alabama football fan. And the trees are a part of Auburn's athletic tradition. Fans typically gather around them after a victory.

In just a few days, a contentious topic will be before the U.S. Supreme Court, one that could set a precedent for years to come. The high court will hear arguments in separate appeals on same-sex marriage. At issue, is it a constitutional right? Congress has banned federal recognition. Nine states and the District of Columbia currently allow same-sex marriage.

Some members of the Boy Scouts are doing what they can to keep openly gay members out of the organization. Leaders, Eagle Scouts and parents from around the country gathered in Orlando, Florida, to announce the launch of a national campaign. They said the goal is to keep sex and politics out of the Boy Scouts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN STEMBERGER, FLORIDA FAMILY POLICY COUNCIL: In almost every newspaper I have ever read the words, "Boy Scouts of America are banning gays." But this is simply not true. The fact of the matter is that there aren't currently gays in Scouting. Those of us, who have been in the program for a while, know who they are. But they are discreet. They are private. They are discerning. And most of all, they act appropriately in front of other young Scouts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Boy Scouts of America is scheduled to decide in May whether to allow openly gay members.

A bright fireball spotted streaking across the night sky was captured on video. Find out why astronomers were caught off guard.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All along the east coast, a bright fireball was spotted streaking across the sky on Friday night. You can see it there, captured by a dash-cam in Washington. Experts say it probably was a meteor. The flash lasted for several seconds. The sighting lit up social media. People reporting seeing that meteor, or whatever it was, from Florida to Quebec. The FAA took lots of calls. The object was so fast and small that astronomers had no warning it was even coming.

"The Situation Room" with Mr. Wolf Blitzer is straight ahead.

What do you have for us, Wolf?

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST, THE SITUATION ROOM: Don, lots coming up right here in "The Situation Room." We go to Amman, Jordan. Our own John King and Jessica Yellin will tell us how the president did in the Middle East this week, but more importantly, where we go from here. Is there really hope that an Israeli, Palestinian peace process can get off the ground? We will get their assessment. They have been there with the president.

Also, two potential Republican presidential candidates, Senator Rand Paul, Congressman Paul Ryan, my interviews with them, and a lot more coming up right here in "The Situation Room."

Back to you, Don.

LEMON: Looking forward to it, Wolf. Thank you very much. What if extinction isn't forever? Researchers are working on bringing back some species that haven't been seen on earth for decades. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Extinction may not be the end of the line for some species. Scientists are trying to bring some back to life decades after they disappeared.

Here is CNN's Lisa Sylvester.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LISA SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We all saw in "Jurassic Park" dinosaurs brought back to life. Now science has almost caught up with science fiction. Di-extension, as it's called, isn't so far fetched.

STEWART BRAND, CO-FOUNDER, REVIVE & RESTORE: Since we played the devil by causing these species to go extinct, so in that sense, playing God to bring them back might be the right thing to do.

SYLVESTER: Stewart Brand is a scientist. He feels so passionately, he founded a nonprofit, Revive and Restore.

(on camera): This is the passenger pigeon. This is Martha. She was the last remaining passenger pigeon. She died in 1914 in the Cincinnati Zoo. At one point, there were billions of these birds. So many, in fact, that they would travel in large flocks that would darken the sky.

(voice-over): Commercial and recreational hunting led to the passenger pigeon's extinction. But now the same science that brought us Dolly, the cloned sheep, has advanced to the point where scientists might be able to bring them back.

Di-extinction is National Geographic's April cover story.

CARL ZIMMER, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC: If you have a viable cell from an extent animal, maybe it got frozen somehow, you can use that to create an embryo. You can implant it in a living animal and that egg will become an animal.

SYLVESTER: Don't expect T-Rex to roam the earth again says Jon Coddington, with the Smithsonian's Natural Museum of Natural History.

JON CODDINGTON, SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY: You have to divide it into stone-cold dead, which is what dinosaurs are -- they're fossils -- and then things that went recently extinct that you may have specimen of what amounts to be the carcass of the animal.

SYLVESTER: Di-extinction has already happened. In 2003, a team of French scientists brought back the bacardo (ph), a type of mountain goat. The last one died in 1990, but scientists preserved cells and were able to genetically engineer it that lived 10 minutes before dying. While it may be cool to have a passenger pigeon back or a bacardo (ph), there are a number of ethical issues. You're tinkering with Mother Nature. The animal habitat may no longer exist. And what happens in this new world of genetics where people pick and choose genetic quality? Who controls the technology?

ROSS MACPHEE, AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY: The technology is the same with a passenger pigeon or a virus. What it means is that shortly we can synthesize completely new organisms, organisms that never existed in nature.

SYLVESTER: Scientists envision a world where extinct may not always mean the end, where animals return. But it is a new realm of science where we don't have all of the answers yet.

Lisa Sylvester, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: How cool is that.

How cool is this? Coming up at 7:00 tonight, we are celebrating the 40th anniversary of Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon." Want to know how we are doing it? Tune in.

I'm Don Lemon. See you back here in one hour.

"THE SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer begins right now.