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Tom Clements Laid to Rest; Supreme Court Hears Arguments on Same-Sex Marriage Cases This Week; Airline Prices Based on Weight?; Hollywood Backs Same-Sex Marriage; Florida Gulf Coast Makes NCAA History

Aired March 25, 2013 - 09:30   ET

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


CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Looks like banks are probably going to lead higher. Watch shares of Blackberry. There was a downgrade of Blackberry. That stock is going to be lower than pre- market.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Okay, I'm sure you're keeping an eye on it throughout the day. Christine Romans, thanks so much.

Ford and an advertising firm are apologizing for a recent ad that used questionable judgment. It's a cartoon showing three scantily clad women tied up and gagged in the back of a hatch back. And the man in the front seat looks a lot like the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi who has been accused of throwing sex parties. And in another ad, the driver resembles Paris Hilton and the women in back look like the Kardashian sisters. The advertising company says the ads should never have been made.

It is the first week of spring, but millions of us are not buying it. A wicked storm is dumping about 7 inches of snow from St. Louis to Pittsburgh. Some areas could be buried under a foot. Airlines have canceled hundreds of flights today and Washington, Baltimore, and Philadelphia are in for one sloppy mess. In fact it's already here. Some areas will see a few inches of a slushy mix.

In just a few hours, a public memorial will take place for the Colorado prison chief shot and killed at his home. Today's service for Tom Clements is at the Colorado Springs mega-church not far from where Mr. Clements was gunned down last Tuesday night. On Sunday Clements' family and friends held a private funeral. The investigation into the shooting centers around a former Colorado prison inmate and gang member, Evan Ebel, who was killed in a shoot-out with Texas sheriff's deputies. He's also investigated in the death of a Colorado pizza delivery driver. Jim Spellman is in Colorado springs with more. Good morning.

JIM SPELLMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol. We're learning more about Tom Clements. He only worked here in Colorado for about two years and he's really left a huge mark on all the people that we've been able to talk to that have worked with him. And remarkably, even though apparently he was gunned down by a former prisoner, he's still pushing, his family is still pushing for the state to continue reforms that he was working on that would perhaps give more opportunities for inmates that were just released. We got to speak to Roxane White, the governor's chief of staff are and someone who worked on a daily basis with Tom Clements and considered herself a good friend of his. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROXANE WHITE, CHIRF OF STAFF, GOVERNOR HICKENLOOPER: Last night at the family memorial, Lisa asked us to find forgiveness and to pray for forgiveness and that we double down on the efforts that Tom had made to create a better system. And so today my commitment to Tom, our commitment to Tom, is we will double down on the reforms he was working on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SPELLMAN: Later this morning, the governor himself will speak here at the memorial. And I heard a cute story this morning. The daughter of Tom Clements, Sarah, they have become so close with the governor and his family that she asked the governor to bring his puppy, sky, to the private funeral yesterday. That's how close these people have all become. So it's really having a huge impact throughout state government here in Colorado.

COSTELLO: Jim Spellman reporting live from Colorado Springs this morning.

A milestone for marriage equality this week as the U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments on Prop 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act. It comes amid growing support as more Americans say they think gay and lesbian couples should have the legal right to get married. And as the Republican party is urged by its own self review to solve then its tone on the issue particularly if Republicans want to the attract young voters. And get this, none other than Karl Rove says candidates for the next president ticket could be influenced.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Karl Rove, can you imagine the next presidential campaign, a Republican candidate saying flat out I'm for gay marriage?

KARL ROVER, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: I could.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: And then Karl Rove quickly changed the subject. Joining me now CNN contributor and senior writer for ESPN L.Z. Granderson and CNN contributor and analyst for "The Blaxe," Will Cain. Welcome to you both.

WILL CAIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning.

L.Z. GRANDERSON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: Good morning. So it's 34 degrees today. It's been snowing here in Washington. But that is not deterring these people. They have been camping out at the Supreme Court, some of them since Friday in the hopes of getting a good -- can you believe this? They're waiting to get into the court to hear the oral arguments. There is intense interest in this issue. Why do you think that is, L.Z.?

GRANDERSON: Well, I'll tell you one thing. I plan on joining those people in a few hours. I'll be on a plane headed to D.C. and I'll be speaking at one of the rallies tomorrow. And it's because this has been a long time coming. If you can expect Americans to sit outside of retailers for two, three days in advance for Black Friday, you can imagine what people, what Americans who have been denied their benefits and denied their rights as Americans have been anticipating this for a really long time. The question is will the Supreme Court have the courage to go beyond just the state of California and actually do what we know history will show to do, which is prove that there is no room for discrimination in this country, there is no room for discrimination in the law of the land.

COSETLLO: There is such optimism, Will Cain, among gay rights advocates that the U.S. Supreme Court will rule in their favor. Are they right to be so optimistic, though?

CAIN: Well, there are two separate cases. There is the one dealing with the Defense of Marriage Act at the federal level and then the one dealing with Proposition 8 in the state of California, and whether or not states can enact bans on same-sex marriage. I can't answer both of those at once, because I do think all those people you show waiting out front assuming they're supporters of same-sex marriage can be optimistic about DOMA, the Defense of Marriage Act being struck down. But I don't think they should carry as much enthusiasm for the Supreme Court to knock down Prop 8. I think the Supreme Court will probably look for a narrow decision that affects possibility just the state of California and they will do that because they want to see the political process play out. They have seen through history with examples like Roe v. Wade that it's better for democracy to sort these things out than to come from the court. That's just a political analysis and prediction. It's not whether it's right or wrong.

COSTELLO: And I hear you. And I just want to read to you, L.Z., something Justice Kennedy was quoted in the" Washington Post," he said "A democracy should not be depended for its major decisions on what nine unelected people from a narrow legal background have to say." He seems to be saying this issue is already playing out in political circles. It's playing out in individual states. So why should it be up to the Supreme Court to decide?

GRANDERSON: I don't know. That's like asking why should the Supreme Court get into decide decisions (ph) regarding race. You know, this notion that comparing marriage equality to Roe v. Wade may work when it comes to hypotheticals among those who are deep into the law, but when it comes to morality, there really is no comparison. This isn't about whether or not someone should have their right to choose to guide their own bodies. This is something the Supreme Court has already ruled on 14 times and that is marriage.

Marriage is a fundamental right of Americans. They have already decided this 14 times. So really what this is just a repeat of something that justices before them have done. One other thing I would like to make note of is that this isn't about unelected officials. These officials, these justices, were appointed by presidents who were appointed. And that means the American people indirectly did vote for these people because they voted for a president that they knew had a certain political leanings. And those leanings helped influence who they picked to be justices.

(CROSSTALK)

CAIN: No, no, that's just a misunderstanding of the role of the justices. They are inherently anti-democratic.

(LAUGHTER:

CAIN: They are inherently there to stand in the way of the democratic process. They are inherently there to defend the rights of minorities over the vote of majorities. That's the role of Supreme Court and the justices. That being said, what we're confusing here is this. I actually think Prop 8 is unconstitutional. I think it's a violation of the equal protection clause. But your question what we're trying to analyze, is whether or not they will actually be struck down this week, or rather in the decision two months from now.

And what I'm telling you is because of their experience with Roe v. Wade and because that halted debate in this country and on the reverse (ph) side, Loving v. Virginia, which was laws that banned interracial marriage, by the time they knocked that down, which was a long time coming, 20 states had already gotten rid of those laws. They like to seat Democratic process play out because the country is better off having the debate publicly rather than judges stopping it cold in its tracks. That being said, I think they should.

(CROSSTALK)

CAIN: Hold on, L.Z., that being said I think they should. I think same-sex marriage bans are unconstitutional. I'm telling you that what you can expect this week.

COSTELLO: All right we'll have to end it there. Thanks to you both, CNN contributors L.Z. Granderson and Will Cain. I'm sure you'll be back again this week to talk more about this very issue.

Coming up, punishment by the pound. The shocking suggestion to base airfare on how much you weigh.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Forty-two past the hour. Time to check your top stories. For millions of Americans, March is going out like a lion. A wicked (ph) storm is dumping about 7 inches from St. Louis to Pittsburgh. Some areas could be buried under a foot of snow. Airlines have canceled hundreds of flights today. Washington, Baltimore, and Philadelphia in for one sloppy mess. Some areas will see a few inches of a slushy mix.

A night on the town ends with a car on a roof. A California man loses control of his car on a steep driveway and ends up driving on to his neighbor's roof. He says his brakes failed. No one in the car or in the house was hurt. A crane had to be brought in, though, to get the car down. Police say this is the second time the driver has hit a neighbor's house.

The CEO of Starbucks sticking up for same-sex marriage and facing off with a shareholders. The coffee chain facing a recent boycott due to its stance for same-sex marriage, and in a recent shareholder meeting, one man argued the boycott had hurt first quarter profits. Starbucks CEO pushed back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IHOWARD SCHULTZ, CEO, STARBUCKS: It is not an economic decision for me. We employ over 200,000 people in this company and we want to embrace diversity of all kinds. If you feel respectfully that you can get a higher return than the 38 percent that you got last year, it's a free country. You can sell your shares at Starbucks and buy shares in another company. Thank you very much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Last fall Starbucks backed a Washington state bill to legalize same-sex marriage. That bill later became law.

Here is a golf lesson for you. No lie is up playable. Sergio Garcia hit a tee shot into a tree. He turned his club backwards and knocked the ball back into the fairway. Garcia got a double bogey on the hole. He wound up with a draw from the Arnold Palmer Invitational, though a few holes later. Tiger Woods leads the tournament going into today's final round.

And here is an idea that has a lot of people outraged. Pricing a plane ticket based on how much you weigh. Here is Zain Verjee.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Hi, Carol. How would you feel about declaring your weight each time you buy a plane ticket? Actually you'd be okay because you're pretty thin. But I think I may have to pay a little bit more lately judging by things around here.

Anyway, an academic in Norway is suggesting airlines introduce a pay as you weigh scheme. He's suggesting three ways to do it. One, you pay ticket prices per pound. Two, a fixed low fare with heavier passengers paying a surcharge. And his other idea is a low fare and then the lighter thinner passengers basically get a discount. For airlines, every single pound means more jet fuel has to be burned and it costs more money. So the question is, is there going to be a weighing scale every time you check in or will there be a fat chance of that happening -- Carol?

COSTELLO: I would agree with that one, Zain.

The Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments tomorrow on California's controversial Prop 8 which defines marriage as between a man and woman. But some of Hollywood's A-List are making their case today.

Nischelle Turner looks at how they feel about the ban on same-sex marriage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: If the fight for same-sex marriage is a war, many in Hollywood are on the front line.

BRAD PITT, ACTOR: What make this is nation great is our freedoms and the idea of equality.

LADY GAGA, SINGER: We must demand full equality for all.

MATT DAMON, ACTOR: It's about time the Supreme Court weighed in on it and you know hopefully they will come down in favor of it.

TURNER: From movies to music to television, there is a long list of world famous entertainers who publicly support same-sex marriage.

JESSE TYLER-FERGUSON, ACTOR: We've been talking about it for a long time.

TURNER: For "Modern Family" star Jesse Tyler-Ferguson and his fiance, Justin Mikita the fight is personal.

TYLER-FERGUSON: It's like an uphill battle. Justin actually works in the field, so he's -- he sort of lives that every day.

TURNER: Mikita works for the American Foundation for Equal Rights which was created in 2008 to sponsor the lawsuit filed by two California couples challenging Prop 8 -- the state's ban on same-sex marriage.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's in my heart.

TURNER: AFERS board is full of entertainment heavy weights like Oscar-winning producer and screenwriter Bruce Cohen and Dustin Lance Black along with Rob Reiner.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a nonpartisan issue.

TURNER: While some in Hollywood are working behind the scenes in the fight for marriage equality, others are openly asking the Supreme Court to allow gay people to marry. Talk show host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres married her wife, Portia De Rossi, four years ago when same- sex marriage couples were briefly allowed to wed in California. The legal recognition of their marriage will hinge on how the state Supreme Court weighs in on the state's Proposition 8.

In a letter to the court, DeGeneres addressed marriage equality with a touch of her trademark humor. Reading in part, "Portia and I have been married for four years and they have been the happiest of my life. And in those four years, I don't think we hurt anyone else's marriage. I asked all of my neighbors and they say they're fine."

It may be months before we know how the Supreme Court will rule on same-sex marriage. But many celebrities believe Hollywood is already on the right side of history. And hope the court follows.

JULIE BOWEN, ACTRESS: Absolutely will be done this week. I just can't even imagine anything else. To me it's -- it's an embarrassment that it hasn't already been done.

JANE LYNCH, ACTRESS: You know the thing is the march towards history always leading, I'm quoting Martin Luther King there it always leads towards equality. And I think I just terribly paraphrased that, but that's what we're hoping for here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's you know it's definitely going to be overturned I hope.

TURNER: One corner of California that's united under the banner of marriage equality.

Nischelle Turner, CNN, Hollywood.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Up next, your "Talk Back" question today, "Can New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg buy gun control?" Facebook page on fire and I appreciate that. Facebook.com/carolCNN or tweet me @carolCNN. You're responses next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: "Talk Back" question for you today, "Can the New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg buy gun control?"

This from Arthur. "No, the NRA can run 20 ads for each ad that Bloomberg runs. Besides we have a Congress that would not approve anything that makes sense."

This from Robert, "In his own mind he thinks he can. Bloomberg suffers from delusions of grandeur."

And this from Dick, "You ask can Bloomberg buy gun control when the question should be how long can the NRA buy Congress."

Please keep the conversation going. Facebook.com/carolCNN or tweet me @carolCNN.

26 down, seven to go. The Miami Heat do it again and move closer to the NBA's all-time winning streak. Bleacher Report next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Have you checked your bracket this morning? I'm sure you have. And I'm sure you're crying because I bet you didn't have Florida Gulf Coast in the sweet 16, did you? Andy Scholes joins us now with Bleacher Report. Good morning.

ANDY SCHOLES, BLEACHER REPORT: Good morning Carol.

Well, if anyone had the Eagles winning two games in their bracket, there's probably a good chance they attend school at Florida Gulf Coast because yesterday the Eagles did something no one has ever done and that's make the sweet 16 as a 15 seed. In just their second year of being eligible for the tournament, Florida Gulf Coast is making it look easy out there. They went on a 17-0 run in the second half to cruise past San Diego State, 81-71.

Up next for the Eagles a trip to North Texas where they will look to continue their Cinderella run against the mighty Florida Gates. Well the tournament almost lost two more high-seeds yesterday. Ohio State Aaron Craft rescued the Buckeyes with a game winning three with under a second to go as OSU escaped with a 78-75 win over Iowa State.

One seed Indiana was also on the ropes against Temple, but Victor Oladipo clutch down the stretch, part of a 10-0 run by the Hooters to end the game. They went on to secure their second straight trip to the sweet 16.

For the Nascar we go where Joey Logano continues to make enemies out on the track. Fighting for the lead on the final lap at Fontana, Logano and Denny Hamlin they get tangled up. Hamlin crashes hard into the wall. He would have to be air lifted to the hospital but would be ok.

After the race, Logano's troubles continued as Tony Stewart came after him. The two had to be separated and afterwards Stewart didn't hold back his disdain for Logano.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY STEWART, RACE CARD DIVER: What the hell do you think I was mad about? Dumb little (EXPLETIVE DELETED) runs us clear down to the in- field. He wants to (EXPLETIVE DELETED) about everybody else and he's the one that drives like little (EXPLETIVE DELETED). I'm going to bust his (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks, Tony.

STEWART: Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: The Heat streak now at 26 in a row after they handled the Bobcats last night. Lebron leading the way with 32 points. Miami is now just seven wins away from tying the '71-'72 Lakers for their record of 33 wins in a row. The Heat kick off a four game road trip tonight in Orlando.

This must be the year of the half court shot. Last night a fan was picked out of the crowd at the Thunder to take a shot for $20,000 and he nails it and gets tackled by Kevin Durant afterwards. To see the entire video, head over to bleacherreport.com.

I don't know what's in the water down there in Florida, but between the Heat, the hurricanes, the gators and Florida Gulf Coast, everyone just seems to be playing good basketball down there.

COSTELLO: You're right about that. That was an exciting game. And good for them. Thanks so much.

The next hour of CNN newsroom after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Happening now in the NEWSROOM? More like first fury of witness, treacherous roads snarled air traffic and up to a foot of snow and the spring surprise, it now is marching eastward.

Minutes seem like years. That's when the family of missing Brown University student says. Now the FBO is stepping and we've seen the protests and heard the arguments for and against same sex marry. Now the two cases are about to front and center before the nation's highest court.