Transcripts For CNNW The Situation Room 20130124

That will do it for me. Im don lemon. Thanks for watching. The situation room with mr. Wolf blitzer begins right now. Don, thanks very much. Happening now, the United States senator talks about the traumatic day she tried to find a pulse by putting her finger into the bullet hole of a colleague who had just been shot. Now she wants to ban 158 kinds of assault weapons. Dispute all the iphones, the tablets, ipods and a whole lot more there are out there, perhaps in your hands right now, apples day as a wall street darling potentially, potentially could be over. Wait until you hear how the stock got clobbered today and why. And football star manti teo opens up about the hoax that fooled him and the rest of the country. Its the interview that so many people have been waiting for. Im wolf blitzer. Youre in the situation room. We begin with a new effort to ban 158 specific assaultstyle weapons and prohibit other guns from using magazines containing more than ten rounds of ammunition. Those are just two of the provisions of a bill put forward today by United States senator whose own hands were bloodied by one of the most notorious shootings in california history. Dana bash was over at the emotional announcement on capitol hill. Tell our viewers, dana, how it unfolded. Reporter wolf, of all of the gun control measures that president obama announced earlier this month, banning the assault weapons at least reviving the ban is going to be the most difficult to pass here in congress. Even the primary senate sponsor says it will take years. For Dianne Feinstein, its personal. Supervisor harvey milk have been shot and killed. Reporter the death of her colleagues, including harvey milk, the first openly gay public official in america was so traumatic, she rarely discusses it. You were very close to that tragic shooting. But here at the launch, she announced it great detail. I was the one who found supervisor milks body and put a finger in a bullet hole trying to get a pulse. Once you have been through one of these episodes, one you see what the crime scene is like, it changes your view of weapons. She put on an elaborate event. Even getting permission from d. C. To display ten types of assault weapons, including an ar15, the kind of rifle the shooter uses to murder children in newtown. Assault weapons were designed for and should be used on battlefields, not on the streets. Reporter this would prohibit the sale, manufacture, transfer and importation of assaultstyle weapons and ban largecapacity magazines of more than ten rounds of ammunition. It keeps legal most handguns and 2,200 hunting and sporting rifles. How are you going to go hunting with Something Like that . Reporter family members and victims of massacres across the country. I was shot in the jaw. Its one millimeter from my brain stem. If anyone asks today, can you win this . The answer is, we dont know. Its so up hill. Reporter but pushing gun control is now a White House Campaignstyle effort and Vice President joe biden held a social media town hall, a google hangout to rally support. Make your voices heard. This outfit, this town listens when people rise up and speak. Reporter the white house and feinstein know their biggest hurdle is convincing fellow democrats from gun right states to support gun control. The message to democrats is, see what your silence does . There will be more of these. Reporter no surprise, wolf, saying that they dont like this proposed ban. Feinstein is, once again, focused on curtailing the constitution instead of prosecuting criminals or fixing the Mental Health system. We are confident congress will deny the wrongheaded approach. Its not just republicans who are going to be opposed to what senator feinstein is proposing. A whole lot of democrats are going to be nervous about it as well. Reporter precisely. Thats what senator feinstein was saying there in the piece, that her message to those fellow democrats, which they really are her first target, if you will, in terms of lobbying for her legislation, her message is, silence is really deadly. And the number of democrats, though, from those red states are big. Ive talked to couple of these, ted barrett as well. Senators that say just not they dont even think that they could go for the assault weapons ban. Universal background checks, that is something that has the most likelihood of passing but thats a long shot. Well see what happens. Dana, thanks very much. Other news were following, including a dramatic new confession involving one of the best Football Players in the nation. Manti teo, the aspiring story of the player who kept playing despite the death of his grandmother and girlfriend took a bizarre turn a couple weeks ago. Teo revealed that he had been deceived. His girlfriend who he had only spoke with by phone but still called the love of his life never actually existed. Deadspin. Com revealed he was the victim of a hoax. Teo tells katie couric he initially wasnt as forthcoming as he could have been after finding out the truth because he was embarrassed. Did you have any involvement in creating the scam . No, i did not. I think what people dont realize is the same time people found out about this situation, i found out. I got the call on december 6th saying that she was alive and from december 6th to january 16th, my whole reality was that she was dead and all of a sudden she is alive. At that time i didnt know that it was just somebodys prank. Katie couric also asked teo about the phone conversation he had with the alleged perpetrator of the hoax after it had all been revealed. You say he later called you. What did he say to you on the phone . He just basically expressed and explained what he did and why he did it. Did he say why he did it . He didnt say why. He just explained that he just wanted to help people and that was his way of helping people, of being someone that he wasnt and trying to connect with somebody on a different level and help them out. What did you say to him . Obviously it didnt really help me out. Well have more excerpts in a little bit. Lets get more background on this story thats the talk of much of the sports world, even beyond. Our cnn National Correspondent Deborah Feyerick reports. Reporter for manti teo, every game, every victory led to this, januarys National Championships shaped and inspired in many ways by the personal tragedy months earlier of the 21yearold College Football hero. When i lost my girlfriend and my grandma, that was possibly the hardest time of my life. Reporter the day was september 11th, 2012. Teo learned his beloved grandmother had died. Hours later, a call that his girlfriend who had apparently told him that summer she had been in a car accident and diagnosed with cancer, she had also died. You know, the love of my life, the last thing she said to me was, i love you. Reporter teo dedicated the season to them both, sending white roses and skipping the funeral to play football, as he promised. Everyone, opposing teams, fans rallied around the hawaii native. To see the whole stadium, both notre dame and michigan fans wears leis, you know, thats where i just looked up and said, my father, youre the man. Reporter the relationship began on facebook. In an offcamera interview with espn, teo says he met ka cue wa the winter of his freshman year. He fell in love with this photo and the voice over a secell pho. I just want to say i love you and good night and ill be okay. Teo telling espn that she was a stanford graduate running the family Construction Business because her dad had dead. Every time they tried to meet, something prevented it. Teos first facetoface contact came with this guy, renaiah who claimed to be her cousin. A girl who in reality is diana omeara. He left me messages on facebook that he and his cousin had been in a traumatic car accident. Reporter the story unravelled two days before the heisman trove trophy award. What i went through is real. The feelings, the pain, the sorrow, that was all well. Reporter he references the death and keeps the story alive. Soon after, teo tells his coaches and notre dame investigates but says nothing before the National Championships. The story breaks a week later and the University Stands behind its player saying teo was the victim of a cruel hoax. Now, there was no overt red flag but some signs. He contacted friends. He asked about her, did they know her, what did they know about her . And a couple people said, yes, she does exist but they never went into further detail. Also, she wanted his Checking Account number. He went to the credit union where he kept his money and said, is it possible to withdraw money if you give somebody your account. They said no. But its a fantastic story. Every time he had an answer, any time there was a little sign that maybe this wasnt right, the person on the other end was able to answer miss question. Wolf . All right. Deb feyerick, thanks very, very much for that. Were going to have more from man ta teos interview with katie couric well also have a recording of the voice who you believed was the voice of lennay. Also, why apples stock is nosediving despite the companys record profits. Whats going on . , your life will flash before your eyes. Make it worth watching. Introducing the 2013 lexus ls. An entirely new pursuit. Another punishing day for shareholders for one of the best known companies. Apple stock loft more than 12 of its value today. Since september, the stock has dropped 28 even though the company just reported recordbreaking quarterly profits. Lets bring our own alison kosik. She is in new york. What is going on here . What apple did after the closing bell, it released its report card, its earning report and apple can na can balancized itself. People bought more iphone 4s instead of the iphone 5. To put it in perspective, apple reported record profits and sold 48 million iphones in the recent quarter and 23 million ipaipads three months. Wall street was unhappy with it. Thats how the shares ended, more than 12 lower. The mantra, buy low, sell high. They wanted to take a profit before the higher Capital Gains taxes can kicked in at the beginning of the year. Whats happening today is investors choosing to get out of the stock because competition is becoming more of a factor. There are these quality alternatives going strong these days. Im talking about the tablet and the smartphone arena. Its getting crowded. What youre seeing is the average price is still around 700. A lot of people are still sweet on apple shares even though it plunged today, wolf. Steve jobs died about a year and a half ago. What does all of this say about tim cooks tenure as the apples ceo . It says you know what, youre going to get the blame, tim cook. Youre the ceo so the buck stops with you. He saw the blowout of the iphone 4s and took the stocks to greater heights. It was around 375 when he took over. The price almost doubled in tim cooks first year in charge. It peaked in september when iphone 5 came out. Since then, the shares have been tumbling. For one, wall street and analysts dont have much confidence that he can deliver like steve jobs did, that he can deliver the hippest, sexiest blockbuster devices. If the next quarter shows more of what we saw last quarter, there may be a reevaluation going on but for now the analyst expects cook to stay. Wolf . Alison kosik, thanks very much. In the wake of yesterdays fireworks, Hillary Clinton came to praise the man that is taking over her job as the secretary of state. Senator john kerry, our Foreign Affairs correspondent, jill dougherty, was watching what could very well be her last public appearance before congress. The waning days of Hillary Clinton as her secretary of state and its time to ask the question, did she put her mark on that job . Hillary clintons last day of secretary of state is almost here. Were all getting a little emotional anticipate sentimental around here. We have about a little over a week to go in my tenure. That is, if the senate, as expected, confirms john kerry by then. John is the right choice to Carry Forward the Obama Administrations Foreign Policy and i urge his sped deacon firm mags. Before leaving, just like her first day on the job four years ago i am absolutely honored and thrilled beyond words to be here with you. Clinton is likely to say goodbye to the diplomat shes led and deliver a major speech on international policy. But her last days as americas highflying top diplomat have been overshadowed by nearly a month of illness, the fallout over the deadly attack in benghazi. I think its inexcusable that you did not know about this and that you did not read these cables. And her impassioned defense. What difference at this point does it make . It is our job to figure out what happened. I dont think it will be part of her legacy. Beyond benghazi, former secretary of state Madeleine Albright says clinton did Something Big for americas Foreign Policy. I think she will be valued greatly for finding other parts than just military power for america the way that we use our influence. Others, while praising clinton personally, charge the administration shes part of, failed on the Big International issues, like middle east peace, iran, and north korea. I think the probably for Hillary Clinton and her legacy has less to do with hillary herself or with her competence and has a lot to do with barack obama and the way he runs this administration. Basically, in his first term, the state department had no role in the making or execution of Foreign Policy. But a former Senior Member of Clintons State Department believes Hillary Clinton changed the relations in the world. You think about Climate Change can or global pandemics or Food Security or water security, all those are issues that involve development as well as diplomacy. They require a different set of tools and secretary clinton understood that and has been systematically building up those tools. And last week Hillary Clinton was asked whether shes ready to retire. I dont know if thats a word i would use, she said, but certainly stepping off the very fast track for a little while, which, of course, a comment that only fueled speculation that she might run for president in 2016. Wolf . This woman is not getting ready to retire, thanks for sure. Jill, thanks very much. The republican senator who provoked Hillary Clintons exacerbated response yesterday tried to dot same to john kerry today as well. Lets listen to this exchange. It makes a big difference whether the people of the United States have the confidence that the administration and president is being truthful with them. So i guess my question is, do you agree with that point and are you willing to work with me or do you agree with Hillary Clinton that thats kind of yesterdays news and lets move on . Well, be senator, if youre trying to get some daylight between me and secretary clinton, thats not going to happen here today on that score. But i think youre not i think youre talking past each other z we could be. I dont think that was the question. I think that if your question is, should the American People get the truth and does it matter . Hillary clinton would say yes. And i say yes. Will you work with me on an ongoing basis so we can get that behind us so we can find out what kpaactually happened . Can you make that commitment to me . Senator, in all fairness, i think we do know what happened. I think it is very clear were you at the briefing with the tapes . No. Well, there was a briefing with tapes which we all saw, those of us that went to it, which made it crystal clear. We sat for several hours with our intel folks who described to us precisely what we were seeing. We saw all of the events unfold. We have a very complete and detailed description. Senator kerry telling senator johnson he does not agree with the claim that the Obama Administration intentionally misled the American Public about what happened at benghazi. Coming up, youre about to hear the voice mail left by the woman who pretended to be the Football Player manti teos girlfriend and his emotional response. Reach one customer at a time . 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Plus, get interestfree financing and free sameday delivery. Why wait for the new models . Sleep trains year end clearance is ending soon. Superior service, best selection, lowest price, guaranteed. Sleep train your ticket to a better nights sleep. An american faces a long jail sentence for his role in the 2008 attack in mumbai, india. Kate bolduan is here. What happened . So many of our viewers will remember the story. A federal court has sentenced david hedley to 32 years in prison. 164 people were killed. Prosecutors agreed to not seek the Death Penalty. He cooperated with government efforts to fight terrorism. Also, whats the video version of a tweet . Good question. Apparently it is a vine. Thats the new Video Service unveiled by twitter today. Like tweets, vines have to be six seconds or less. For now, its only available on iphones or ipads. A Soccer Player is facing a suspension for kicking a ball in the last few minutes of a match between chelsea and he kicked the ball boy. Chelsea down by two goals, every second counted, obviously. But the kick outraged fans of both teams and got him kicked out of the game. Not a surprise. A camera operator has a real life presh with death brush with death. Wow. Thats a biplane coming within two feet of filming this stunt. The video has been posted on youtube where its been seen 166,000 times so far. He hadnt seen the video and wasnt able to comment on it quite yet. Close call. Is that a runway . It looks like it. What were they doing on a runway . All wonderful questions people are asking right now. Fortunately everyone is okay. Fortunately. Manti teo has now told his side of the story. You hear him explain why he never doubted his girlfriend was real. Thats next. Make just one someone happy and you will be happy too. [ female announcer ] nothing gets you going quite like the power of quaker oats. Today is going to be epic. Quaker up. So i used my Citi Thankyou card to pick up some accessories. A new belt. Some nylons. And what girl wouldnt need new shoes . And with all the points ive been earning, i was able to get us a flight to our favorite climbing spot even on a holiday weekend. Things are definitely looking up. [ male announcer ] with no blackout dates, you can use your Citi Thankyou points to travel whenever you want. Visit citi. Com thankyoucards to apply. [ male announcer ] its red lobsters 30 shrimp for 11. 99 pair any two shrimp selections on one plate like mango jalapeno shrimp and parmesan crunch shrimp. Just 11. 99. Offer ends soon im ryon stewart, and i sea food differently. College Football Players usually welcome exposure ahead of the nfl draft, but not manti tie ohio. The Heisman Trophy winner up may be the best known player in the country but for all of the wrong reasons. Weve brought together a panel to talk about manti teo and the latest information coming out, including his interview with katie couric. Andy, Sports Illustrated our sisters publication in gainesville, florida. Joining us is gail saltz, also joining us in washington, eric, the president of resources and the author of damage control, why everything you know about Crisis Management is wrong. Let me just play you a clip that katie couric just aired. The main person, there are so many similarities. She was polynesian, samoan, im samoan. Im mormon and she knew a lot about that. I found a lot of peace and comfort in being able to talk to somebody and they knew my standards, they knew my culture, they knew what is expected of me and i knew what was expected of her. One of the theories, many theories, manti, making the rounds is somehow you created this whole scenario to cover up your sexual orientation. Are you gay . No. Far from it. Far from that. As you mentioned, you did try to see her in person on multiple occasions and she would always come up with an excuse as to why she couldnt meet you. Uhhuh. I mean, as this happened repeatedly, didnt you think, there is something really fishy going on here . For me, i guess i was just so caught up in the whole thing that i was like, okay, she cant see me and she would give me good reasons, too. She would say, my brother has my car can or im in the hospital. I wasnt going to tell a person who just came out of a coma, you need to call and come and see me right now. Lets start with andy staples from sports ill straighted. You interviewed manti teo when he was in high school. What kind of person is he . Can you see why he might have believed this story . Well, hes a devout mormon. That was very clear from the start. In fact, the reason i met him is i was doing a story on recruits who belong to the lds church and what challenges it poses when they are picking a college. We knew his religion was extremely important to him. He seemed like a very nice guy, like a very thoughtful guy. That continued through college and i followed this story as well and was at the heisman ceremony when he was talking about this stuff when apparently he had already been told it was a hoax. Its just really weird and raises a lot of questions. Manti teo, gail, released some of the voice mails that he said came from this person that he believed to be lennay, the girlfriend online. Let me play a clip. Hi, im just telling you know i got here and im getting ready for my first session and just want to call you to keep you posted. I miss you. I love you. Bye. Babe, im just calling to say good night. I love you. I know that youre probably doing homework or youre with the boys or i want to say i love you and good night. Ill be okay tonight. Ill do my best. Yeah. So get your rest and ill talk to you tomorrow. I love you so much, hun. Sweet dreams. I dont know who answered your phone and i dont care. I swear on my life im trying. You made it clear what you want. Take care. So gail, why do people trust in these online relationships . What causes someone to fall in love, for instance, with someone theyve only had an online relationship, theyve never met person to person . We have to realize, first of all, this is a generation that is communicating online in the way that, you know, my generation, your agageneration communicated in person. It all seems the same to them. And a young person its just not unusual for a young person to believe what they want to believe so that the idea that this person is similar to them, shares an identity, that this fits with their life, you know, youre busy. Youre playing ball. Youre very absorbed in what is going on but you want someone to be intimate with and share with and someone comes along and to say that they are like you in so many ways is really quite compelling and its easy for us to say in retrospect, how could he believe this . He came from the other direction. Why would someone, you know, try to dupe him . Why would someone say who they were and go on in such incredible detail . I dont think its that shocking and denial is very powerful so when things would come up that didnt quite fit but you now feel emotionally involved, you want to believe that its true and your mind can play that kind of trick on you. Eric, let me clay another clip from Katie Courics interview with manti teo. The Sports Illustrated reporter who wrote your cover story has made some of the transcript of your interview available. He asked you, quote, how did you meet her . And you responded, we met just she knew my cousin. Later you told him you met at a u is sc game your sophomore year, that you were just friends then. Can you see why people would view this as, at worst, as a complete lie and at best as incredibly misleading . I can see that. And for that, for people feeling that they are mislead, you know, that im sorry for. But i wasnt as forthcoming about it but i didnt lie. I never was asked, did you see her in person . And through the embarrassment and fear of what people may think, that i was committed to this person who i didnt have the chance to meet and she all of a sudden died, now that scared me. So to avoid any further conversation, i kind of, you know, wasnt as forthcoming as i should have been. Arent you splitting hairs here a little bit . Didnt you actually say things that werent true and isnt that, in essence, lying . I think the biggest lie that im sorry for is the lie i told my dad. When i told dad, when he asked me, hey, you did you see her and i said, no. I mean, yes, i saw her. You know, as a child, your biggest thing is to always get the approval of your parents. All right. Eric, i know you deal with damage control for your clients. If he were your client, what would you tell him to do . Look, the first thing that you do when you get a Crisis Management client, you have to look where they are on the spectrum between being a villain and being a victim, manti teo is closer to being a victim. The closer you are to being a victim, the easier it is for to you dig at. The second thing that you look at is the extent to which you have to determine what your goal is. His goal is not to impress katie couric. His goal is to get recruited by the nfl. I think the sin that he committed by lying about feeling foolish, theres no question its a sin. But theres a difference between a mortal sin. What he has to do at this stage, i think, is consider that less is more. Theres no correlation between how many interviews you do and how well you do. There does come a time, hes made his points, theres something to be said provided that the facts are going his way and they are, to let those facts emerge. The other thing is, four Washington Redskins have come out and said, Something Like this has happened to them. So, again, its trending his way, which suggests that its time for him to be be quiet. Let me play one more clip from katies interview with manti teo, then well discuss. This story was working for you. You were being considered for the Heisman Trophy. It was a huge, huge deal. So did you say, this is my story and im sticking to it . Was there a part of you saying that. Part of me was saying, if you say that shes alive, what would everybody think . You know, what are you going to tell everybody who follow you, who youve inspired . What are you going to say . And at that time, on december 8th, two days after i just found out shes alive, as a 21yearold, i wasnt ready for that. I didnt even tell my parent yet. I didnt tell anybody. The only one who knew was me. Thats all. And i felt like i could not i did not know who to turn to. I did not know who to tell. Did i not know who to trust. It was a big thing for me and i was scared. Thats the truth. I was just scared and i didnt know what to do. Didnt a part of you just want to tell the truth . Yeah. And i eventually i did to my parents. Andy, you were there at the Heisman Trophy award ceremony. He came in number two, as we all know. Did you ever suspect anything was wrong there . No, i didnt. And, you know, a lot of reporters who werent on the story and i didnt write the story for us, the big feature on it. You want to think, oh, i would have gotten that. I would have done the next search or gotten that. Its hard when youre on that deadline and they are giving you such rich detail. I mean, if you read the transcript of his interview with pete, the detail is is vivid and you think, well you dont even think it would be untrue. And so right now, manti teo has to deal with the fact that people feel like he misled them. Its really a nowin situation for him. At best, hes gullible and got duped and isnt very bright. At worst, hes calculating and came up with a story to help him win awards. I dont believe its that calculated or nefarious but there are people who do and so hes got to rebuild his image so potential people that would sign him to do endorsement deals will say, people can trust this guy again. Well see if hes drafted into the nfl. Thanks, guys, for joining us. Appreciate it. Manti teo story is unusual but hes far from the only person to fall for all of this. In fact, hes not only the Football Player to have fallen for this kind of hoax. And Hillary Clinton said her testimony was one of her most trying moments in washington. Will it be her left, though . My Insurance Company told me not to talk to people like you. You always do what they tell you . No. Try it, and see what your good driving can save you. You dont even have to switch. Unless youre scared. Im not scared, its. You know we can still see you. No, you cant. Pretty sure we can. Try snapshot today no pressure. Get at low clearance prices. , even tempurpedic mattress sets save even more on floor samples, demonstrators, and closeout inventory. The year end Clearance Sale ends sunday at sleep train. Your ticket to a better nights sleep lets talk about secretary of state with Donna Brazile and editorinchief from redstate. Com, erick erickson. 5 1 2 hours of q a from the secretary of state. Look at these polls. Impression of Hillary Clinton, favorable, ratings, 67 . Unfavorable, 28 . Thats very, very high. In contrast, joe biden, the Vice President , his favorable rate, 48 . Unfavorable, 37 . What should these numbers, erick, tell us about 2016 in the time between now and if anything . I dont know that they should tell us anything, wolf. Im always cautious about being that far out. Remember, 2006 and 2007 Hillary Clinton was the shoein for the democratic nomination. Fast forward, if the angst remains and grows between the republican and Democratic Party about hostility in washington, which they both share for different reasons, im not sure that hillary or joe are going to be the fit that the democrats want. They might want someone from outside washington. How important was the hearing for the secretary of state, donna . I thought it was very important. Mrs. Clinton has been admired 11 times since 1993. The only time shes been topped is Mother Teresa and i dont believe you can top Mother Teresa, god bless her soul. I thought secretary clinton was very clear, concise, combative at times when clearly she should have been. But she represented our country very well, represented the administration in laying out the facts yesterday clear in the air and hopefully we now know more about what happened to those four americans as a result of her excellent testimony. How important was that testimony, erick . You know, i think its pretty important. The republicans still have some questions that i think were left unanswered but she needed to testify if only because she is the secretary of state, this happened on her watch, and im sure she wanted to get some answers answered before she walked out the door. Donna, the president is really are giving the Vice President right now a whole lot more responsibility and certainly a whole lot more visibility. Whats going on here . Do you think he personally, the president , would like to see joe biden succeed him . Well, i think from day one the president has given the Vice President major responsibilities. As you recall, the middle class tax force, helping with implementation of a stimulus plan and, of course, with just recently with the deal that was worked out with the republicans on the tax cuts and hopefully the fiscal cliff. Joe biden is when it comes to washington, d. C. , he knows this city but knows it in a way that allows him to be as effective as Vice President and hes a lea r leader. People trust him. I think joe biden is in an excellent position. So many other democrats who might right now be thinking about 2016. But for me, im with eric k. Its too early. Im thinking about super bowl and mardi gras and a costume. Chris christie want to be reelected. Hes the republican. What do you make of this . I think its an interesting dynamic. Most people think of Silicon Valley with the Democratic Party but often times you see someone who has lived in a state who support the guy who is doing a good job. I think its a good sign for dom governor christie. I dont think its a good sign. I think its a great sign. You have Mark Zuckerberg and trying to get reelected. Wolf f. I know hes married but he can friend me. Ill be very friendly to mark. Friend me. Guys, thanks very much. Thank you. Manti teo is not alone. An apparent hoax involving Football Players from the Washington Redskins. [ male announcer ] when we built the cadillac ats from the ground up to be the worlds best sport sedan. People noticed. The allnew cadillac ats 2013 north american car of the year. For a limited time, take advantage of this exceptional offer on the allnew cadillac ats. Exceptional offer did you just turn your ringer off so no one would interrupt and. Us . One. Oh no, i. Just used my geico app to get a tow truck. Its gonna be 30 minutes. Oh, so that means that we wont be stuck up here, for hours, with nothing to do. Oh i get it, you wanna pass the time, huh. holds up phone fruit ninja emergency roadside assistance. Just a click away with the geico mobile app. If theres any comfort for manti teo, it could be this. He is not alone. Plenty of people have been victim of hoaxes brian todd has this part of the story. Wolf, according to a new report, a woman led several Washington Redskins players to believe she was someone who she was not. She even led them to try to arrange meetings with her. It was about the same time manti teo claims he first learned his online girlfriend was phony. An indication that other highprofile Football Players had been teod. The gist of it was, stay away from redridnhood. Do not converse with this person on any social media platform. She is not who she claims to be. Thats according to an article at nfl. Com. The memo was posted by Phillip Daniels, a former redskins defensive end. Daniel was not available to speak with us. Daniels told nfl. Com that on multiple occasions several redskins players tried to arrange meetings with the woman who the report says went by sidney ak customer man. She also wasnt cj miles, the entertainment adult star that they found were ripped off and used in correspondence with the players. Theres an unverified twitter feed registered with pictures of a similar looking woman. The tweet there warns people that imposters used her photos. The report says none of the players were successful in arranging meetings with the woman who sent the tweets and that raised suspicions with the redskins. She didnt ask the player for money or perks and didnt threaten them. But a radio analyst says the communications were fraught with risk. Its not the smartest thing to do but you do some things when you are young that are not real bright. The whole internet deal is odd to me. The manti teo deal to me is ridiculous. And players have them coming to them from any direction . I assume. Its not my world. I know a lot of guys that are very popular and anybody that believes that pros are chasing ghosts is a damn fool. So who is the woman who sent the tweets to the redskins players . The reporter said they were unable to identify the identity. The womans twitter and Facebook Accounts have been deactivated and we have tried to reach cj miles in emails and have not heard back. Is the league trying to go after her in any legal way . We asked and the nfl would not comment. Speaking with a reporter, neither the league nor the players are going to go after her legally. We spoke to paul could you went about this. He said until someone tries to defraud you by perpetrating a hoax monetarily, its not a crime. You can sue them for trauma, pain and suffering, you can do that civilly. As we understand, the league and players are not inclined at this point to go after her legally. Brian todd, thank you very much. In the next hour, a new phase in what north korea claims it ises confrontation with the United States. Plus, a history making change at the pentagon. [ female announcer ] what if the next big thing, isnt a thing at all . Its lots of things. All waking up. Connecting to the global phenomenon we call the internet of everything. Its going to be amazing. And exciting. And maybe, most remarkably, not that far away. Were going to wake the world up. And watch, with eyes wide, as it gets to work. Cisco. Tomorrow starts here. So i used my Citi Thankyou card to pick up some accessories. A new belt. Some nylons. And what girl wouldnt need new shoes . And with all the points ive been earning, even on a holiday weekend. Things are definitely looking up. [ male announcer ] with no blackout dates, you can use your Citi Thankyou points to travel whenever you want. Visit citi. Com thankyoucards to apply. Youre in the situation room. Happening now, the pentagon clears the way for women to serve in combat. Critics question whether they can handle all of the physically demanding jobs on the front lines. Vowing to carry out a nuclear task and more rocket launches, north korea talks about settling accounts with the United States by force. So how dangerous are its threats . And why is the countrys largest Civil Rights Organization fighting new yorks efforts to crack down on supersized soft drinks . We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. Im wolf blitzer. Youre in the situation room. American men and women already are fighting and dying together overseas. The defense secretary leon panetta said today its time for the military to recognize that reality. So the pentagon has ended its longtime policy of barring women from combat. Critics question whether women can handle the grueling, physical tasks that come with those roles. Chris lawrence has been looking into this for us. Whats the latest, wolf . When it comes to integrating women, forget about privacy concerns. Sleeping in close quarters, separate bathrooms, never mind that. Its strength and stamina. With a stroke of his pen, defense secretary leon panetta altered the look of the american sword. Not everyone is going to be able to be a combat soldier but everyone is entitled to a chance. Panetta officially opened up over 200,000 combat jobs to women. Now the question is, can they physically qualify . I think thats already been proven. Sergeant hunt was in afghanistan and still remembers the sixmile runs in full gear. I found that physically taxing to having that pack on my back but i still was able to make the requirement of, you know, of going that six miles. A number of nato countries permit women in combat, like canada, france, germany, and australia. The british do not. The secretarys action technically opens all jobs but the services can still apply for specific exemptions if women are not able to meet specific standards. What i worry about is lowering standards, saying that we have people on our team that cant carry their weight. They mean that literally. Some soldiers are hauling around more than 100 pounds. Tank loaders have to lift a shell out of a confined space, spin it around and push it into the breach. A Senior Defense official says that standard cannot be lowered. Officials have identified specific physical requirements for each combat job. Next they will turn that information over to scientists who can build physical tests to measure if a man or woman is fit for the front lines. At recruiting stayintions, y cant say lift this ammo and put it in the tank. The marines are going to take 400 male marines, 400 female marines and have them perform the physicals tasks for these jobs and come up with some sort of standard physical test that they can use to find out who may be qualified for them. It still remains to be seen how many women will be interested in these very demanding and dangerous jobs and, of course, by the time some of these units are qualified, if they are, the u. S. Will be winding down very quickly in afghanistan. Wolf . Lets hope thats true. Lets hope that winding down happens very quickly. Chris, thanks very much. Ryan smith served as a u. S. Marine infantry man in iraq. He raised questions about women on the front lines. Hes joining us now along with firstterm congresswoman tulsey who served in combat in iraq as well. Thank to both of you for joining us. And thanks for your service to the United States. What you wrote in the wall street journal, yes, a woman is as capable as a man as pulling a trigger but our goal of our nations war is to fight and win wars. S has the government considered whether introducing women into the abovedescribed situation would have made my unit more or less combat effective . Congresswoman, you served in iraq. Respond to what ryan just wrote. I think this is what is going to be the biggest challenge now that the policy change has been announced, which is getting folks to understand in reality what has already been happening. The contributions that women in uniform have been making in combat settings, the hardships that they have been dealing with. Ryan, why do you have such strong feelings that women cant be capable of participating in these combat units . Wolf, i think people have a mistaken view of what is happening. People assume its going to be in iraq and afghanistan. But in 2003 it was a mek cannized push. If you had to go to the restroom, hu to pea in a bottle. If you developed disinterry, you had to pooh in a bag inches from your comrades face. Introducing women to that can be traumatic and humiliating. You dont need to add this other layer. Ryan, i respect you and thank you for your service. Ive been honored to serve with many women who have already operated under these circumstances. This is not something new. Women have been operating shoulder to shoulder with men in these types of settings in iraq and afghanistan. Some of the things youve described are things that i and friends of mine and people that i have served with have already experienced and i think thats the strength of our military. Men and women adapt and overcome because were there to conduct a mission to serve our country. So all of these other things that are societal norms back home, it doesnt count. Youre in combat. Ryan, we used to hear similar arguments before they allowed africanamericans to serve equally with caucuses caucasians, unit coheegss and stuff like that. Are you afraid that the arguments youre making now have historical recei historical reference . No. Theres reasons that we have separate lockers and sports teams. Its because it can be traumatizing to be forced to do things that youre uncomfortable with in front of members of the opposite sex. Combat is a very hard game and people are being cavalier. Its a life or death game and if we get this wrong, the loser dies. Im giving this from a grunts point of view. I was a sergeant on the ground living in these condition cans. I talked to my comrades and they all said we couldnt imagine having a woman in our midst going through these situations. Congresswoman in. I understand where youre coming from ryan and i think youll find the opposite is also true. When you talk to folks that have already operated under these situations combat shoulder to shoulder with women, they recognize the unique contributions that having unique skill set at your disposal to conduct a mission, again, i really believe that these things fall to the wayside, as you respect your comrades, regardless of gender, race, religion. Its the strength of our country that allows us to set that aside and put the mission first. Do you have a problem with gu guys gays serving openly in the combat situations that youre describing . No, i dont. Everyone keeps their sexuality to themselves. I do not have a problem with gays serving in the military. Everyone is there to get the situation accomplished. Telsi gabbard, thanks to you as well. Both iraq war veterans. Six weeks after the massacre at a connecticut school, a new move to ban certain assaulttype weapons but even its sponsor admits it will be an uphill fight. Officemax can help you drive supply costs down. And down. Use your maxperks card and get a 10ream case of officemax multiuse paper for just 4. 99 after maxperks rewards. Find thousands of big deals now. At officemax. Lets say you pay your guy around 2 to manage your money. Thats not much you think. Except its 2 every year. Does that make a difference . Search cost of Financial Advisors ouch. Over time it really adds up. Then go to etrade and find out how much our advice costs. Spoiler alert its low. Really . Yes, really. Etrade offers Investment Advice and guidance from dedicated, professional financial consultants. Its guidance on your terms, not ours. Thats how our system works. Etrade. Less for us. More for you. I wish my patients could see what i see. That over time, having high cholesterol and any of these risk factors can put them at increased risk for plaque buildup in their arteries. So its even more important to lower their cholesterol, and thats why, when diet and exercise alone arent enough, i prescribe crestor. In a Clinical Trial versus lipitor, crestor got more highrisk patients bad cholesterol to a goal of under 100. [ female announcer ] crestor is not right for everyone. Like people with Liver Disease or women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant. Tell your doctor about other medicines youre taking. Call your doctor right away if you have muscle pain or weakness, feel unusually tired, have loss of appetite, upper belly pain, dark urine or yellowing of skin or eyes. These could be signs of rare but serious side effects. Is your cholesterol at goal . Talk to your doctor about crestor. [ female announcer ] if you cant afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. Sick weeks after the shooting rampage that took the alives of 20 children and sick adults, theres a new move to outlaw militarystyle assault weapons. Senator Dianne Feinstein proposed a new ban on some types of assaulttype rifles and semiautomatic weapons, the measure replacing a ban that expired in 2004 would prohibit the sale, manufacture, transfer, importation of more than 150 assaultstyle weapons, ban large capacity magazines with more than ten rounds of ammunition but to appeal to gun owners and excludes or keep legal more handguns along with 2,200 hunting and sporting rifles, victims of gun violence, one after another they told their stories. Lilly was shot while in class at Virginia Tech university. I have a bullet still in my head. I was shot in the jaw. Its one inch one millimeter away from my brain stem. Senator feinstein concedes her proposed ban will be tough to achieve but the california democrat says the time has come. Since the last assault weapons ban expired in 2004 and, incidentally, in the ten years it was in place, no one took it to court. More than 350 people have been killed with assault weapons. More than 450 have been injured. We should be outraged by how easy it is for perpetrators of these horrific crimes to obtain powerful militarystyle weapons. Feinsteins announcement of her new legislation comes three days after the president and his inaugural address promised to make gun control a secondterm priority. Our journey is not complete until all our children, from the streets of detroit to the hills of ap pa lach cha to the quiet town of newtown know that they are cared for and cherished and always safe from harm. But can the president deliver . How will the politics of guns impact the secondterm agenda . John king is joining us. Tough questions. Can the president , can senator feinstein really deliver on these promises . At the moment, the answer is no. Shes appealing for help not only inside washington but she says call your congressman, your senator. Well see if they can succeed. But as bill clinton said, this is about arithmetic. The president didnt touch this in the first term. However, where you have to pass the legislation in congress, watch that today. Dianne feinstein has been for these bills for a long time. Senator Chuck Schumer for this issue for a long time. Carol mccarthy of new york from the house side of democrat for gun control for a long time. Where are the new faces . People like joe manchin, a democrat, saying look at these things. None are saying, lets pass all these things that the president wants. Lets look a map of the democrats. We can show you at least 11 vulnerable democratic incumbents. Those are at least 11 democratic seats up in 2014. Senator from alaska has said no thank you. Montana, max baucus has said, im not sure we want to do gun control. Republicans are saying that were going to see what harry reid in the senate does and the expectation is at best he could get a very watered down version. No assault weapons ban, maybe progress on background checks and the republicans around the house, from what they are saying, well have our committees look at these issues but were not going to think about voting on a bill until the senate proves it can pass something. On this day, well see if he can rally public support and change a lot of minds. How visible will the president be, the Vice President as well . That is a big question. Will he try to rally public support . We know tomorrow the Vice President will be in a gun state, richmond, virginia, and the Vice President wants to run for president in 2016. This is political courage on his part. He did the Google Program today, google hangout they call it. Listen here. In california everyone talks about the big earthquake or a terrible disaster as the last line of defense. Well, guess what, a shotgun will keep you a lot safer, a Double Barrel shotgun than an assault weapon. Its harder to use an assault weapon than it is a shotgun. If you want to keep people away in an earthquake, buy some shotgun shells. Colorful from the Vice President and he often is colorful. Buy a shotgun or shotgun sells, not assault weapons. Thats part of the challenge. Trying to convince enough people that these assault weapons have no use except for military use. Wolf, you know how this works. An issue comes front and center, it tends to fade. If there are no more tragedy, can the president keep the political attention on this . He will have to use the bully pulpit, traveling the country. At the moment, people think hes not going to get anything near his wish list. Maybe some background checks, ammunition clips, not even assault weapons. He and the Vice President with the help of the American People if they can rally support, simply on this day the math is not there. John, thanks very much. The hoax that inspired the manti teo case studying Notre Dame University but another story that could blind it in more ways than one. Sport sedan. Lds bet. People noticed. The allnew cadillac ats 2013 north american car of the year. For a limited time, take advantage of this exceptional offer on the allnew cadillac ats. Notre dame football star manti teo is speaking out about the infamous hoax and is talking about the pain he felt in the week of his girlfriends death is real despite she never existed. Couric asked about the phone conversation that he had with the alleged perpetrator of the hoax after it had all been revealed. Watch this. You say he later called you. What did he say to you on the phone . He just basically expressed, you know, and just explained what he did and why he did it and did he say why he did it . He didnt say why. He just explained that he just wanted to help people and that was his way of helping people, of being someone that he wasnt and trying to connect with somebody on a different level, too, and help him out. And what did you say to him . Obviously it didnt really help me out. The bizarre hoax isnt just about manti teo. Its also raising some questions about Notre Dame University and a Football Program that has seen controversy before. Lets bring in sarah ganim. She has details. Lizzy died more than two years ago but its how her parent were treated by notre dame, going to Great Lengths to protect ppds their own. The story dominated the bcs championship game, how manti teo grandmother and girlfriend both died that same day. It turns out the girlfriend was a hoax and notre dame admits that they knew that, saying nothing as media ran sympathetic stories. The most beautiful girl i ever met. The language is inspiring about the pursuit and sharing of truth for it is own sake but its not the first time the university has been accused of making the actual mission more about football. Our experience has been very, very eyeopening and i think corrupting impact of big time college athletics. Toms family is filled with notre dame alumni. It felt like betrayal. In 2010, his daughter liz zee committed suicide ten days after reporting to police she was sexually assaulted by a notre dame Football Player. She really brought joy to us every day. Seebergs story is complicated. She battled anxiety. But her parents say its no longer what happened in that dorm room, its how the university handled it. It all became clear then that we had been basically jerked around for a couple of months, that we were being played. They found out the player was only interviewed by the Campus Police and despite a threatening text message, police waited a month to get phone records. They believe now that notre dame never intended to investigate. Notre dame declined an interview but said the seeberg family has been, quote, twisted falsely. The University Said the debl detectives interview was delayed while he waited for her to prepare a second statement and then later taking her own life. Then, in that same season, another tragedy. A student filming a football practice died. Notre dames own investigation and found no one was to blame. Two months later, indiana slapped the university with six safety violations and said that staff knew about the high winds. The university was hit with a 77,000 fine. And now manti teo, notre dame say it was teos decision about when to reveal a personal matter. These events have one thing in common, the way note notre dame responded is protective of their Football Program. The common theme in all of that is notre dame first, image first. It was all about making sure that notre dames Story Program was defended. Kathy runs the coalition against violent athletes, a group she started after she was raped at the university of nebraska in 1999. After lizzy died, the u. S. Department of education investigated. Notre dame agreed to change its response to sex assaults and is still required to file updates with the government. Certainly there could be no criminal proceeding after lizzys death but there could be hope in a place that has a disciplinary process Whose Mission is to seek truth. As the Notre Dame Mission statement says, truth for its own sake. Its important to say that no one has or ever will be criminally charged in any of these cases. To critics and to the seebergs, this is more about accountability. Wolf . Sara, thanks for that. Good information for all of our viewers to digest. Will the north try to carry them out . Stand by. Are easy with free pip from the u. S. Postal service. Well even drop off boxes if you need them. Visit usps. Com pay, print, and have it picked up for free. Any time of year. Nice sweater. Thank you. Thank you. train horn vo wherever our trains go, the economy comes to life. Norfolk southern. One line, infinite possibilities. Its lots of things. All waking up. Becoming part of the global phenomenon we call the internet of everything. Trees will talk to networks will talk to scientists about Climate Change. Cars will talk to road sensors will talk to stoplights about traffic efficiency. The ambulance will talk to patient records will talk to doctors about saving lives. Its going to be amazing. And exciting. And maybe, most remarkably, not that far away. The next big thing . Were going to wake the world up. And watch, with eyes wide, as it gets to work. Cisco. Tomorrow starts here. Or treat gas with these after you get it. Now thats like sunblock before or sun burn cream later. Oh, somebody out theres saying, now i get it take beano before and therell be no gas. The communist nation plans to carry out a nuclear test and more longrange tests as part of an allout confrontation with the United States. Leon panetta says its hard to know what north korea is up to. We are very concerned with north koreas continuing provocative behavior. We are fully prepared. We remain prepared to deal with any kind of provocation from the North Koreans but i hope in the end that they determine that it is better to make a choice to become part of the international family. Cnns tom foreman has a closer look at north koreas threats and capability. What are you seeing, tom . North korea is saying that they have a right to Nuclear Program, a right to a space program, and they are painting the United States as the aggressor here in trying to thwart those programs but its the last sentence that has attracted so much attention. Look at it here. Settling accounts with the u. S. Needs to be done with force, north korea says, not with words, as it, the United States, regards jungle law as the rule of its survival. So does this mean that north korea is going to start lobbying nuclear test missiles at the United States and, even more importantly, are they even capable of that . The truth is, last december, north korea had its most successful launch to state. It managed to carry a payload of 1300 pounds and travel about 6,000 miles or it is capable of that which would bring it to the coast of carolina. They say all they were trying to do was get a satellite into space. Thats all this program was about. But intel general analysts say they dont believe it. They think the problem is, given time, North Koreans could test enough and one day they could swap this out for a Nuclear Warhead. So if you combine, tom, that test with this latest message, does that mean that the u. S. Will strike the mainland with a Nuclear Weapon . In a word, wolf, no, it does not. They really are profound. They have to look at the issue of reentry. The simple fact that you can get a rocket like this up into space, that does not mean that you can bring it back into the atmosphere without it bursting into flames or tearing it apart. Secondly, they have to look at targeting. Nuclear weapons do not have to be that accurate but you have to have some means of controlling it from the other side of the world and it would be very easy with a bad Guidance System for it to simply splash into the ocean. They would suffer all of the repercussions from agitating the u. S. And its allies into conflict. And lastly, there is the issue of the size of their nukes. There is no indication that the North Koreans have created a Nuclear Weapon small enough to ride on top of these rockets that. Is a huge challenge that takes a lot of work. They are not there yet. Thats one of the reasons many intelligence analysts are being looking at these very sharp words, wolf, as secretary panetta suggested, you have to be serious about it but its probably just an empty threat at this point. Good explanation, tom. Thank you. And joining us now, the abc News Global Affairs anchor, christiane amanpour. How credible are these threats coming out of north korea . They are credible as threats and they hope to make these a deterrent but when it comes to could they actually and do they intend to launch anything against the United States . The consensus is no. Not only do they not have the ability to invade, but they dont have the ability on longrange missiles and they are not considered to have the ability to put a Nuclear Warhead on a missile. The problem, of course, is that the u. S. Does not want to see any more of these nuclear tests. It would be the third in the last seven years and despite sanctions, which have been ratcheting up over the last several year, the fact that they cant launch rockets as they did last month shows that the sanctions are not fully working. So it really is a bit of a worry, of course. I want you to listen to what senator marco rubio, a member of the senate committee, what he said today at the hearing with john kerry. North korea announced that they are developing a weapon that can reach the United States of america and i think the Bush Administration was wrong to remove north korea from the list of states sponsored terrorism and i hope well reverse that. You were there about five years ago when the relationship at least seemed to be improving. And what about under the young leader jim jongun. He has come into office and has been there nearly a year now and has followed his fathers hard line, military force, pulling rockets, missile, satellite, Nuclear Program into their military program. And that is a bit of a worry. Also people who are trying to figure out which way to go forward, it looks like hes trying to prove himself as a young leader and he is young and has old military around him and hes trying to project himself on the world stage. So i think the interesting thing will be is there any hope of resumption of the u. S. , china, japan, those talks with north korea and what will be the effect of the south korean president. She has said that shes interested in, again, trying to have a better relationship with the north. It was a relationship that was completely broken off under her predecessor who took a hard line. A lot of people think that kim jongun is doing all of these provocative things to establish his credibility with the military back in north korea. Do you buy that . Well, probably. I mean, i think that people are seeing that hes been there for about a year now and that he does need to sort of stand tall on the stage. But also hes actively pursing his fathers policy. I must say, having been there five years ago now t. Is a dramatic change because then there was a thaw for a year they moth balled their Nuclear Program. We saw that an agreement between the United States and north korea that they were literally dismantling it. The plutonium extraction plant that created this material. They were wrapping it up, moving their things into storage, a few months later we were invited to watch them blow up their signature cooling tower from that Nuclear Plant and than kim jongil grew ill and it hasnt regained that footing at all. Thats clearly where the u. S. Wants to and needs to get back to. Christiane amanpour, as usual, thanks very much. Thank you, wolf. A tough former prosecutor is named the watch dog on wall street. And Lance Armstrong faces a new lawsuit. Stay with us. Youre in the situation room. When you hear some of the stories that people tell you about their experiences in iraq and afghanistan, the variety of things that affect people are unimaginable. I was having a hard time sleeping, having a lot of nightmares and just memories and flashes and they diagnosed me with posttraumatic stress. What we do is have the person go over their memory as if it was happening again but they are in a safe environment. They say it looks like a video game but when you put the goggles on, it brings you to the same scenario. You put on the sounds, the sound of wind. And we can blow stuff up. Therapy has been effective. I was never a fan of prolonged exposure and that kind of thing because its an uncomfortable thing. At its core, therapy has to induce some level of anxiety so that youre processing hard memories. Im skip, clinical psychologist at the university of California Institute for creative technologies. Lets go. [ male announcer ] introducing the allnew cadillac xts. Another big night on the town, eh . And the return of life lived large. Humans. Even when we cross our ts and dot our is, we still run into problems. Namely, other humans. At Liberty Mutual insurance, we understand. Thats why our auto policies come with accident forgiveness if you qualify, where your rates wont go up due to your first accident, and new car replacement, where, if you total your new car, we give you the money for a new one. Call. To talk to an Insurance Expert about Everything Else that comes standard with our base auto policy. And if you get into an accident and use one of our certified repair shops, your repairs are guaranteed for life. Call. To switch, and you could save hundreds. Born to make mistakes Liberty Mutual insurance. Responsibility. Whats your policy . President obamas named a tough former federal prosecutor to head the security and exchange commission. That was part of Mary Jo Whites turf as well. Our joe johns has a look at this pretty impressive woman. Thats right, wolf. The president has been criticized for not going after wall street and hes named one of the toughest legal bulldogs anywhere to take care of the financial business. Shes small in stature but larger than life in the legal world. President obama wants Mary Jo White to lead the Securities Exchange commission. You dont want to mess with mary jo. She does not intimidate easily. Her early claim to fame was the successful prosecution of john gatti of the crime family. Jeffrey toobin, a former prosecutor himself, worked alongside white. Mary jo combines really impressive intellectual distinction with street smarts. She knows which juries will like and how to allocate the resources to the most important cases. Today shes best known for her dogged pursuit of terrorists as the first u. S. Attorney to head for a southern district. The message that stands and i hope its unmistakable, we will not tolerate terrorism in this country. White got attention for highprofile terrorists in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, even inditing president obama for bombings before 9 11. Her office prosecuted terrorists back in the 1990s. We did that because we perceive this to be a longterm danger. Now the president has asked her to be the sheriff of wall street. The s. E. C. , a long and vital force for the markets has a lot of hard and important work ahead of it. That hard work may also include having the last word on the excesses of wall street and the financial turmoil of the past five years. One of the great Unanswered Questions of this era in Law Enforcement is why werent any of the people responsible for the tremendous financial collapse of this country ever prosecuted . I think we will now know that if she doesnt do it, no one could have. Thats a big change from what whites been doing in private practice, defending highprofile wall street clients in trouble with the law like gupta and ken lewis. Mary jo white has been in private practice for about a decade defending highprofile clients on wall street, some critics saying it could create conflicts of interest at the s. E. C. I think she also worked and represented our Parent Company time warner as well. Thats correct. I want to make that clear as well. Shes going to be tough at the s. E. C. Thats right. Thank you very much, joe johns. Democratic senator john kerry of massachusetts is one step closer to being confirmed as the next secretary of state. Kate bolducan is here. The longtime senator testified before the Senate Foreign relations committee, the panel he chaired for four years. He was praised by Hillary Clinton, mccain, and elizabeth warren. Also, sunday it will cost you another penny to put a letter in the mail. A regular stamp will cost 46 cents. The raise comes as the Postal Service is barring billions of dollars from taxpayers to stay afloat. It could be at least june before they determine whether criminal charges will be pursued. During the first meeting of the connecticut special advisory panel, the lead investigator said that prosecution is not on the horizon but its still unclear who would potentially be charged. The panels initial report on the shooting is due in march. And days after Lance Armstrongs chilling doping confession, the latest in what could be scores of lawsuits has been filed. The california classaction suit has been brought by readers of armstrongs books accusing the disgraced bicyclists peddling lies. Just beginning. Oh, yeah. Hes got a lot of money. Well see how much he winds up with. How much he has at the end of it. New yorks ban on soda has drawn its share of critics but one that knows how to fight for its rights. [ woman ] my boyfriend and i were going on vacation, so i used my Citi Thankyou card to pick up some accessories. A new belt. Some nylons. And what girl wouldnt need new shoes . And with all the points ive been earning, i was able to get us a flight to our favorite climbing spot even on a holiday weekend. Things are definitely looking up. [ male announcer ] with no blackout dates, you can use your Citi Thankyou points to travel whenever you want. Visit citi. Com thankyoucards to apply. More bad news on wall street for apple, whose shares plunged more than 12 , amid forecasts showing slowing demand for popular products like the iphone. The companys stock has dropped in value by over 200 billion over the last four months. Netflix, on the other hand, was the star performer on the s p 500 today. Shares in the online video rental giant jumped more than 42 on the heels of yesterdays shocking profit. The world of Home Entertainment is changing so fast, its almost impossible to keep up. It wasnt that long ago that most of us watched movies on vhs, tapes from the local video store, or listened to music on records and cassettes and cds. Now it seems, even the dvd, yes, even the dvd could soon be a thing of the past. Heres cnns dan simon. Reporter wolf, at one time, it seemed like there was a Blockbuster Video on every corner. Now theyre getting tough to find. The Company Announced that its shutting down 300 stores. Thats on top of the 500 stores it shut down last year. But there may be a larger story here. Physical media. It seems to be on its last legs. From vhs tapes to dvds, blockbuster defined a generation of technology and Home Entertainment. Drop by one of its remaining stores, and you can still find some loyalists, like lester yee. Sometimes ill keep it for a few days and watch it again, bring it to my friends house and watch it. Reporter but the last several years have not been pretty for anything that represents physical media. From cds to dvds to games to books, digital distribution has steadily eroded physical sales, causing some traditional brick and mortar chains to go under. Borders books, gone, tower records, gone, Blockbuster Video, a shadow of what it used to be. In terms of pure consumption in volume, weve already hit the stage that consumers are watching more movies digitally than they are physically. That actually happened in 2012. Reporter netflix, amazon, itunes, hulu, youtube, and ondemand video have redefined our viewing experiences. Plus, computers from apple and others are ditching the dvd drive all together. So are we witnessing the last breath of physical media . Maybe, but analysts like dan cryon say it could take years to actually happen, noting that film studios still earn more revenue from hard copies. The overall trend, if you will, is that the money is following consumption relatively slowly. Because there is a higher cost, higher value per transaction when you go out and rent a disc than when you watch something on netflix. And redbox, the kiosk dvd s by business, is continuing to have success. But in 2012, digital streaming was expected to go up 135 and keep climbing. Todays youth may not immediately recognize this, the cassette, and those born today probably wont know what a dvd is. But for some, there will always be something of a nostalgia factor. Whether its a preference for oldfashioned Vinyl Records or actual books as opposed to ereaders. But this local bookstore chain in San Francisco is booking the trend. The ceo says theyre thriving. Everybody can get the books, but the staffs that we have, really, and the readers that we have that are working with the public, thats the difference. Thats a different factor we have. Reporter nonetheless, its been two years since amazon announced that kindle books began outselling physical copies. Blockbuster has gotten into the streaming business, but what are the lessons of its struggling Retail Operation . Well, it means that nothing lasts forever. Just ask kodak and polaroid, iconic brands of yesteryear, surpassed by better technologies. Wolf . Dan, thanks very much. Surprising new allies in the proposal for new yorks new ban on supersized drinks. Thats next. [ female announcer ] nothing gets you going quite like the power of quaker oats. Today is going to be epic. Quaker up. [ male announcer ] when we built the cadillac ats from the ground up to be the worlds best sport sedan. People noticed. The allnew cadillac ats 2013 north american car of the year. For a limited time, take advantage of this exceptional offer on the allnew cadillac ats. Exceptional offer trying to find a better job can likbe frustrating. Gs, so at university of phoenix were working with a growing list of almost two thousand Corporate Partners Companies Like microsoft, American Red Cross and adobe to create options for you. Not only that, were using what we learn from these partners to shape our curriculum, so that when you find the job you want youll be a perfect fit. Lets get to work. So if ydead battery,t tire, need a tow or lock your keys in the car, geicos emergency roadside assistance is there 24 7. Oh dear, i got a flat tire. Hmmm. Uh. Yeah, can you find a take where its a bit more dramatic on that last line, yeah . Yeah i got it right here. Someone help me i have a flat tire well its good. Good for me. What do you think . Geico. Fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. And less saturated fat . Its eb. Egglands best. Better eggs. Its eb. The senate has some powerful new allies in trying to get new york city from banning those supervised drinks. Mary snow is in new york with details. Mary . Wolf, theyre groups known for fighting discrimination, not whether sugary drinks over 16 ounces should be served in new york city. But as new york gets closer to imposing a ban in march, they decided to speak up. The fight to ban large soda and sugary drinks in new york city is getting some highprofile, but unlikely support. One of the nations oldest Civil Rights Group is taking a stand in support of beverage companies. The new york chapter of the naacp is backing a lawsuit filed to try and stop the city. Hazel dukes is the new york chapter president. Its not about race. Reporter its about . Economic disparity, and how the Small Business is being punished while we allow the big corporate people, again, to have their own way. Reporter Convenience Stores like 7eleven are exempt. The naacp argue that small and minorityowned businesses will feel a disproportionate impact. Then theres the obesity epidemic. Plaque nonhispanic blacks have the highest rate at 44 followed by mexicanamericans at 39 . They filed a legal brief saying to tackle the Public Health crisis of obesity, its developed a holistic, Educational Program called project ethhealth. The funding for that project, according to the naacps website the cocacola foundation, the philanthropic arm of the company. Duke says the new york chapter received 75,000 in the past two years. Theres a conflict . Absolutely not. If this is the first time that cocacola had given us money, sure, it would raise questions, but its not the first time. Cocacola has been supporting naacp nationally and locally for years, not only here in new york state, but all over the country. Reporter the Hispanic Federation also says it received 75,000 from coke for this year. The organizations president also left last year to work for cocacola. A spokesman for hf says those factors had no impact on its decision to file the legal brief. As for the city, when asked to comment on the beverage industrys latest allies, it said in a statement, the obesity crisis impacting the nation and disproportionately affecting minorities calls for bold action and we are confident support will grow as more people learn about the unique impact sugary drinks have on this epidemic. We reached out to cocacola for comment. They referred us directly to the american beverage association, which says, its not surprised to be gaining more support. It believes the citys board of health overstepped its authority, which is why the lawsuit was filed. Wolf . Mary, thank you. Happening now, a senator who experienced a horror of bullets and blood launches a new fight to ban militarystyle weapons. Notre dame football star manti teo says his girlfriend may have been a phony, but his emotions were real. The revealing interview. Were learning that proFootball Players also have been duped by a woman pretending to be someone else. A newly reelected congresswoman quits, sparking outrage about special interests and big money. And well take you inside the investigation of the dreamliner, boeings new plane has even more problems. Im wolf blitzer. Youre in the situation room. These are the faces that advocates of the new assault weapons ban want us all to remember. The 26 children and teachers gunned down at the Sandy Hook Elementary School almost six weeks ago. And these are the guns they want to get off the streets. The legislation unveiled today marks the first major test of whether the newtown, connecticut, massacre was indeed a turning point in the National Debate over gun control. Lets bring in our chief congressional correspondent, dana bash. Dana, one senator in particular is on a personal mission to get this measure passed. Reporter thats right. Of all of the gun control items that president obama proposed last month, earlier this month, i should say, this is going to be the toughest to pass through congress, reviving the assault weapons ban, which expired about a decade ago, almost. But it is because this particular senator is on a personal mission, based on a tragedy that happened four decades ago. For Dianne Feinstein, its personal. I became mayor as a product of assassination. Both mayor moscone and supervisor harvey milk have been shot and killed. Reporter the death of her colleagues, including harvey milk, the first openly gay public official in america, was so traumatic, she rarely discusses it. You are somebody who was very close to a tragic shooting. But here at the launch of her push to renew the assault weapons ban, she answered in graphic detail. I was the one that found supervisor milks body, and i was the one that put a finger in a bullet hole, trying to get a pulse. Once you have been through one of these episodes, once you see what the crime scene is like, it isnt like the movies. It changes your view of weapons. Reporter she put on an elaborate event, even getting special permission from d. C. And Capitol Police to display ten different types of assault weapons, including an ar15, the kind of rifle the shooter used to murder children in newtown. Assault weapons were designed for, and should be used on our battle fields. Not on our streets. The proposed legislation would prohibit the sale, manufacture, transfer, and importation of more than 150 assaultstyle weapons. And ban largecapacity magazines with more than ten rounds of ammunition. But to appeal to gun owners, it excludes or keeps legal most handguns and 2,200 hunting and sporting rifles. How are you going to go hunting with Something Like that . Thered be nothing left to eat. Reporter and lily was shot in german class at Virginia Tech. I have a bullet still in my head. I was shot in the jaw. Its one inch, one millimeter away from my brain stem. Reporter still, feinstein is realistic about the slim chance this assault weapons ban has of passing. If anyone asked today, can you win this, the answer is, we dont know, its so uphill. But pushing gun control is now a White House Campaign style effort, and Vice President joe biden held a social media town hall, a google hangout to rally support. Make your voices heard. This outfit, this town listens when people rise up and speak. Reporter the white house and feinstein know their biggest hurdle is convincing skeptical fellow democrats from gun rights states to support gun control. The measure to democrats is see what your silence does . There will be more of these. Reporter and that is such an important point to underscore, wolf, that a big part of the problem for Diane Finestein and other sponsors is their fellow democrats. At least half a dozen, maybe more, have told us that they just dont see themselves supporting it, because of the opposition in their states, and from the nra. In fact, the nra released a statement today, saying feinstein is, quote, once again focused on curtailing the constitution instead of protecting criminals or fixing the broken Mental Health system. And it went on to say that theyre confident that congress will reject senator feinsteins wrongheaded approach. An uphill fight for Dianne Feinstein. Thanks very much, dana, for that. And kate has some new information about a story. A very interested day in this convoluted tale, as Heisman Trophy runnerup, manti teo, is trying to explain to the world why he lied about falling in love with woman who doesnt exist. Te teos extended interview about the scam just aired with katie couric. He was very emotional at tiles, george. Kate, it was an interesting interview. At first, he insisted that he did not lie about it. Then he backed off that a bit and admitted that he did, kind of, sort of. But throughout the interview with katie couric, he insisted that he really believed that his girlfriend was real. That is, until he realized that he had been duped. Then he didnt know what to say about it. In his first televised interview since the scandal broke, notre dame star linebacker manti teo spoke to katie couric about the online girlfriend hed never met face to face, a woman we now know never existed. Manti, did you have any involvement in creating this scam . No. I did not. For people feeling that theyre misled, for that, im sorry for. But i wasnt as forthcoming about it, but i didnt lie. You know, i never was asked, did you see in person . Teo says he had every reason to think that lennay committkeka real person. In december, the story changed. I got the call on december 6th, saying that she was alive. And from december 6th to january 16th, my whole reality was that she was dead and all of a sudden shes alive. At that time, i didnt know that it was just somebodys prank. At the Heisman Trophy ceremony, you were interviewed, and you repeated the story that your girlfriend had, in fact, died of cancer. Thats a lie, why would you say that . At that time, i didnt know. To be honest with you. Like, i did not know. Reporter teo admitted he briefly lied to the press, keeping with the narrative that his girlfriend had died within hours of his grandmothers death. Couric asked for proof of an intimate relationship and teo provided hundreds of hours of phone records, even voice mail. But i just wanted to say i love you and good night, and ill be okay tonight. Ill do my best. Um, yeah, so get your rest and ill talk to you tomorrow. I love you so much. Sweet dreams. You have no idea who the voice on the other end of the phone was . Do you think that might have been a man on the other end of the phone . Well, it didnt sound like a man. It sounded like a woman. But if, but if he somehow made that voice, thats incredible. Reporter deadspin. Com uncovered the scam, revealed that the identity of lennay kekua was entirely made up. It was actually the identity of diane omeara, a Marketing Executive whod never met teo. So shes a real person, right . Right, shes real, theyve met her, theyve seen her. So this girl was in the pictures, and this girl im talking to must be the same. Reporter both teo and omeara apparently knew this man, ronaiah tuiasosopo. Ronaiah even offered pictures, but didnt realize they were being used for a false identity. Teo says that tuiasosopo called him to admit his part in the hoax. Tuiasosopo has not made a Public Statement since it all began. What would you say to this person you claim was responsible, ronaiah, what would you say if you could meet him again, face to face . I would just say, you hurt me. And you hurt me only because you hurt my family. But other than that, i would say, draw you nearer to your family, because thats exactly what i did. So throughout this interview, teo admitted that there were signs, for instance, when he would try to see his girlfriend, she wasnt available. When they would try to skype, he couldnt see her, but she could see him. So, you know, the questions, was he duped . Was he part of the hoax . He insists that he wasnt. Or was this a situation where he wanted to believe something so badly, that he would frankly believe anything. Kate, these are the questions that a lot of people are asking after watching that interview. They sure are. And even his father said, hes just a kid. That poor kid. Thats for sure. George howell, thank you so much, george. What a wild story, wolf. Of course, athletes arent the only ones at risk of being scammed. If youre looking for love online, you may, repeat, may be vulnerable. Cnns Deborah Feyerick has that part of the story. Deb, explain whats going on hear. You know, wolf, a lot of people out there have their hearts broken when they realize theyre having a relationship with phantom, a fraud, a phony, someone who never really existed in the first place. As crazy as it sounds, what apparently happened to notre dame Football Player manti teo happens every day. Doctors, lawyers, Law Enforcement. I mean, people who are really smart. Reporter private investigator dawn ricci says shes spoken to hundreds of men and women who get conned after falling deeply in love online. What is it theyre hoping for . Everyone just wants to feel needed and loved and find that romance, the wonder, the excitement of it all. The scammer just knows how to pull them into it. Reporter its called catfishing, a term popularized by the 2010 film catfish, about a man who has an online love affair with the ideal woman, who turns out not to exist. Its a scam built on trust, one email, one text, one phone call at a time over months, or in manti teos case, perhaps years. He fell in love with a fictional character. I mean, just a thought. Like, a fantasy in his head. Reporter ricci believes that teo is like many of her clients, the target of a cruel hoax. The bottom line is that theres money. Theyll always ask for money. Reporter ricci says shes had clients send tens of thousands of dollars to pay outstanding bills, or buy expensive gifts like airline tickets, jewelry, in one case, a new bmw. Teo told espn he never gave money to his socalled girlfriend, but admits she wanted to send him money and asked for his Checking Account number. He says he refused to give it. Its very hard for people to accept the fact that this person doesnt exist. Nothings going to match up. Phone numbers arent going to match up, addresses arent going to match up. I mean, you can send me to an address, and its not going to be the person. Reporter in most cases, once the money drys up, the scammer disappears. In manti teos case, his girlfriend faked her death. My clients are truly embarrassed of what has happened to them in their life. They dont want to talk to their friends, their family. Theyve depleted their bank account. They feel completely humiliated. Reporter humiliated and left facing questions, how could it happen in the first place. And you know, it happens pretty easily. Scammers will search dating websites, which are hugely popular, but theres also facebook and twitter or social media sites that give strangers access to you. This is a con and the person on the other end becomes the person you need, your ideal, and it may mean stealing somebody elses photo, somebody elses life. But facetoface meetings, they are not going to happen. And as the private eye says, its not really a date if you cant touch them or see them. And by the way, teo tried skyping this girl so he could see her face to face, guess what, she claimed her skype was broken. Kate, wolf . The Important Information is, just be really, really careful out there. Thats what youve got to be. Reporter absolutely. Because they know how to make a profile that will be so attractive that you cant even resist them. Deborah feyerick, thanks very much. Still ahead, the desperate scramble to escape syrias civil war. Members of Bashar Al Assads own family on the run. Plus, one of americas most Successful Companies isnt worth what it used to be. Apples plunging stock, ahead. [ male announcer ] dont just reject convention. Drown it out. Introducing the allnew 2013 lexus ls f sport. An entirely new pursuit. The slaughter in syria continues. Even as the syrians strongman, bashar al assad, seen in public today, celebrating the birthday of the prophet muhammad, while he clings to power and more blood is spilt all across syria. We have new information about the fate of his own family. Cnns ivan watson is joining us now from the turkey syria border. Ivan, youve had some exclusive opportunities today to speak with the u. S. Ambassador to syria, whos obviously no longer in damascus. What did he tell you . Reporter well, he answered a riddle that a lot of us have wondered about, the whereabouts of the former spokesman for the syrian foreign ministry, jihad, who disappeared years ago. And ambassador robert ford said hes in fact now in the u. S. , not cooperating with the u. S. Government, but actually a refugee there. So one of the spokesman for the regime has fled to the u. S. , according to the u. S. Ambassador, to syria. And ambassador ford also gave us some tantalizing glimpses about the family of the embattled syrian president , himself, his mother, aknneanissa. Take a listen. What is this news about the president s mother left the country . Yeah. When did that happen . Im not watching her passport, ivan, i dont know when she got there. But thats where she is. Dubai . Well, i should say united arab emirates. What does that tell us about the cohesion of the Syrian Government right now. As the pressure builds, they, themselves know that they are losing, when he met him last december in his office, he told us that you could hear artillery outside the president s office. I mean, the fighting is getting that close now to the inner circle itself. And so you can imagine what that does to their own spirits, their own moral. Reporter now, wolf, this is a fight that is still dragging on, more than 100 people being killed today. The syrian army is losing ground, but at the rate its egoing, tens of thousands more people could be killed before he has to truly evacuate his palace. Wolf . Youve also been talking, ivan, to syrian refugees, who say theyre very frustrated right now with the United States. How come . Reporter well, the answer you get from refugees outside the country, from syrians weve talked to over past week, inside syria, theyre saying, where is the u. S. Help . If the u. S. Doesnt want to provide weapons to overthrow bashar al assad, where is the humanitarian assistance, and ambassador ford got an earful today, wolf, from refugees in a refugee camp he visited here in turkey. We watched him, and some of them arguing, wolf, if the u. S. Isnt helping overthrow bashar al assad, then that must mean they want him to stay. He heard from him. Take a listen to an excerpt from our interview. Do you think the u. S. Government could have been done more . I think the syrians, as i said, are the one who is will bring the answer to the problem. Just as in iraq, iraqis brought the solution to the iraq crisis, to the iraq war. The americans can help, and we helped in iraq, but ultimately, it wasnt the americans, despite our help, it was iraqis. In syria, again, it has to be syrians who find their way forward. Reporter now, wolf, the u. S. Has already pledged 210 million in assistance to the 2. 6 million syrians who have been displaced by the conflict. Its clearly not enough. Theres going to be a donors conference in kuwait that ambassador ford will be attending to try to attract some more money to it. This problem is enormous and it continues to grow, and sadly, its not new. Theres clearly not enough help for these desperate people fleeing this conflict. Wolf . Ivan watson on the scene for us along the border with syria in turkey. Thank you. So many people, you, me, so many people have iphones and macs and ipads, so the real question here, why is the price of apple stock plunging . Find out, ahead. Right in the old bucket. Good toss see thats much better that was good. You had your shoulder pointed, you kept your eyes on your target. Lets do it again watch me. Just like that one. [ male announcer ] the durability of the volkswagen passat. Pass down something he will be grateful for. Good arm. Thats the power of german engineering. Back to you. Its been a rather punishing day for shareholders of one of the worlds best known companies. Kates here. Shes got that, some of the days other top stories. Not good news for apple. No. A punishing day, indeed, wolf. Apple stock lost more than 12 of its value today, even though the company just reported recordbreaking quarterly profits. We asked cnns alison kosik, whats going on . To put it in perspective, apple reported record profits and sold 48 million iphones in the most recent quarter. It sold almost 23 million ipads in three months. And it even sold 12. 6 million ipods. So thats really nothing to sneeze at. But wall street clearly was unhappy with it. Thats why youre seeing how the shares ended today, more than 12 lower, because part of it is the old mantra, buy low, sell high. And part of the reason why youve been seeing the stock price fall since september, is because for many investors, they bought shares when they were lower and they wanted to take a profit before those higher Capital Gains taxes kicked in at the beginning of the year. Now, whats happening today is investors are choosing to get out of the stock now, because competition is becoming more of a factor. Also today, both at t and verizon announced record iphone sales in the fourth quarter. Well be watching that closely tomorrow. In chicago today, a judge sentenced a pakistani american man to 35 years in prison for helping with the 2006 mumbai terror attacks. David headily admitted he was conducting advanced surveillance for the attack, which killed 164 people. Prosecutors agreed to not seek the Death Penalty in this case in exchange for his plea. Heres an interesting one for you. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is getting political. Hes facing a fundraiser next month for chris christie, whos up for reelection this year. A facebook spokesperson says that zuckerberg and his wife admire the governors leadership on education reform and other issues, but thats definitely an interesting political relationship. Chris christie, Mark Zuckerberg, very interesting. Yeah. You want Mark Zuckerberg backing your reelection. I think hes got some cash to help you out. Thank you. All the time and effort to get reelected, now this. We have an estimate on what it cost taxpayers for a United States congresswoman to call it quits. Thats only one reason her decision is sparking outrage. To pick up some accessories. Rd a new belt. Some nylons. And what girl wouldnt need new shoes . And with all the points ive been earning, i was able to get us a flight to our favorite climbing spot even on a holiday weekend. Things are definitely looking up. [ male announcer ] with no blackout dates, you can use your Citi Thankyou points to travel whenever you want. Visit citi. Com thankyoucards to apply. To travel whenever you want. Iimagine living your life withss less chronic low back pain. Imagine you with less pain. Cymbalta can help. Cymbalta is fdaapproved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. One nonnarcotic pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. Tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. Antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. Cymbalta is not for children under 18. People taking maois, linezolid or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. Taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. Severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. Signs include abdominal pain and yellowing skin or eyes. Tell your doctor about all your medicines, including those for migraine and while on cymbalta, call right away if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles or serious allergic skin reactions like blisters, peeling rash, hives, or mouth sores to address possible lifethreatening conditions. Talk about your alcohol use, Liver Disease and before you reduce or stop cymbalta. Dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. Ask your doctor about cymbalta. Imagine you with less pain. Cymbalta can help. Go to cymbalta. Com to learn about a free trial offer. Not a secret here in washington, theres a revolving door between congress and the lobbying world, and thats raising all sorts of ethical questions once again. Yeah, and it always has. One congresswomans decision to quit right after her reelection is putting a very bright light on the halls of power and the influence of special interests and big money. Heres drew griffin of cnns investigative unit. Reporter she may be the perfect example of what washington critics call the revolving door syndrome. Congresswoman . Congresswoman emerson, its drew griffin with cnn. Reporter which could explain why all we got from congresswoman Joanne Emerson was the slam door treatment. The Southeast Missouri republican is quitting congress. Not because she lost. In fact, she just won her last election to her tenth term, by a landslide. Shes quitting because she landed a job back in what you might call the real family business, the politics of influencing congress. Follow the lineage. In the 70s, Jo Ann Emerson, a washington, d. C. Native, married a lobbyist named bill emerson. When lobbyist bill emerson went on to become congressman from missouri, jo ann went on to become a lobbyist for the restaurant industry. When he died of cancer in 1996, she took her seat and shes served nine terms since then. And while the combined emersons were spending 32 years in the congress, they were raising two daughters, both of whom who are now registered lobbyists. Now, congresswoman emerson goes back to a trade association, directing a team of lobbyists. Its the personification of the revolving door. Reporter kathy kiley will the Sunlight Foundation says its a revolving door of lobbyists and politicians and Staff Members and big payoff jobs that erode americas faith in a system that seems to be driven by special interest access and money. When people have the impression that those special interests are dominating washington and the way things work here, it reduces peoples faith in their government. And it probably should. Reporter technically speaking, Jo Ann Emerson is not becoming a lobbyist, at least not yet. She has been named the new ceo of the National Rural electorate cooperative association. She will direct a group that has a staff of lobbyists, that spent 3. 5 million handing out Campaign Contributions in the last election, and has spend many more millions lobbying congress. Her predecessor was paid 1. 6 million a year. That predecessor, a former congressman himself, and a registered lobbyist. Glen english. So this Organization Must value your participation in congress more than your ceo experience, when you came in, and thats the same thing with her. Oh, i think so. I think thats probably true. I think the membership recognizes out there that one of the very important functions of this organization, of course, is making sure that were well represented within congress. Reporter Jo Ann Emerson is one of five members of congress leaving office in 2013 to become part of the lobbying influence community in d. C. One of them, north carolinas heath shuler, was asked about that back in december. Are you planning to become a lobbyist . No. Reporter despite that assertion, hes taken a job as senior Vice President of federal affairs for duke energy. Technically, this freshman crop of brandnew lobbyists wont be able to Lobby Congress officially for two years, which is in the bizarre world of loophole washington, making them all the more valuable. Theyre still in the influence business, but theyre not registered lobbyists, which, in fact, enhances their influence. Reporter in fact, official registered lobbyists are so concerned about all these unregistered influencers, that the American League of lobbyists wants to impose new rules, especially aimed at former members of congress, who can still use the congressional gym, walk on to the house floor, or use all their past contacts to, well, influence. So what does the congresswoman have to say about all of this . Thats what brings us back to the halls of the raeburn Congressional Office building. The congresswoman agreed to talk to us in washington monday at 5 00. Then a few days later, she backed out. Her aide telling us the congresswoman just didnt think it was such a good idea. Leaving us to have to come to washington, to the halls of congress, to play the bad guy, staking out congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson, just to try to get a comment. And about 5 00 monday, there she was, emerging from an elevator. Congresswoman. Congresswoman emerson, its drew griffin with cnn. Can you give us fif minutes, congresswoman . Congresswoman emerson . And there she went into her soon to be vacated office. So we waited. Can you tell us why youre leaving congress . Can you tell us why after you won an election pretty well, why would you leave congress to take basically a lobbying job . Congresswoman . Back in missouri, the state now must hold a special election to fill the seat Jo Ann Emerson is walking away from. That will cost taxpayers nearly 1 million. And drew is joining us right now. Drew, youve been talking with the Governors Office in missouri. Will Jo Ann Emerson have to, at least, pay the state of missouri the 1 million it will take to have to hold a special election . Not unless she sends in a gift. We dont see anything that says that she has to pay or reimburse the stake. The governor actually wants to make sure the military overseas can vote, he had to set the election for june 4th, so this district in missouri is going to be without representation in congress for the next six months. And, drew, you know, theres nothing illegal about what she did, which is why this is so interesting and always is, but why are, are you getting any information of why the congresswoman didnt quit before the election, if she knew she was leaving . If she knew, kate, and that is the big question, she filed a records with the House Committee on this nine days after the election to tell them shes negotiating or in negotiations for this job. Weve been trying to ask her how long has she known shes been a candidate for this job. She wont answer any of those questions. Obviously, did she know beforehand . An aide said, look, this opportunity just popped up. Thats really a stretch for me to believe, given that this is such a haighpaying, highprofie job, to a group whos been one of her biggest donors. When you say highpaying, certainly a lot more than she makes as a United States congresswoman. And i know shes no longer a congresswoman, but do you know how much shes going to be making . Youre right on both counts, she resigned tuesday night as of midnight. She was going to be paid as a congresswoman 174,000. We dont know exactly what shes going to make, wolf, but her predecessor, the congressman she is replacing, made 1. 6 million. So, roughly ten times what a congresswoman would have made had she fulfilled her duty and stayed in congress. And as you say, youve been trying all these days to get at least some comment from her or her office. Nothing yet, right . Nothing at all. We even agreed to go to missouri at one point, because she said she was there. She told us, no, just meet us in washington. Well have time for you in washington. Well, we got the time of day in washington. Drew, thanks very much for that report. Drew griffin reporting. A groundbreaking moment for women in the United States military. Who will soon be fighting on the front lines in combat . Can they meet the standard . Stand by. Its lots of things. All waking up. Becoming part of the global phenomenon we call the internet of everything. Trees will talk to networks will talk to scientists about Climate Change. Cars will talk to road sensors will talk to stoplights about traffic efficiency. The ambulance will talk to patient records will talk to doctors about saving lives. Its going to be amazing. And exciting. And maybe, most remarkably, not that far away. The next big thing . Were going to wake the world up. And watch, with eyes wide, as it gets to work. Cisco. Tomorrow starts here. President obama says the American Military is growing Even Stronger with the new decision to allow women to serve in direct combat roles. And the official announcement was made at the pentagon today. It opens new doors to women in uniform, if, if they can physically do the job. Lets bring in our pentagon correspondent, chris lawrence. They made it official today, chris. Yeah, exactly, wolf. And you can pretty much forget about privacy issues, where troops sleep or go to the bathroom. Sources tell me, the biggest obstacles to putting women in artillery, armor, and infantry positions are strength and stamina. With a stroke of his pen, defense secretary leon panetta altered the look of the american sword. Not everyone is going to be able to be a combat soldier. But everyone is entitled to a chance. Reporter panetta officially opened well over 200,000 combat jobs to women. Now the question is, can they physically qualify . I think that its already been proven. Reporter Sergeant Jennifer hunt was attached to an Infantry Battalion in afghanistan. She still remembers the sixmile runs in full gear. I just found that physically taxing to have that pack on my back, but i still was able to, you know, make the requirement of, you know, of going that six miles. A number of nato countries permit women in combat, like canada, france, germany, and australia. The british do not. The secretarys action technically opens all jobs, but the services can still apply for specific exemptions, if women are not able to meet certain physical standards. The concern i get when i talk to soldiers is really about lowering standards, saying that we have people on our team that cant carry their share of the weight. Reporter in the military, they mean that literally. Some soldiers are armored down with loaded plates, packs, boots, and equipment and theyre hauling around more than 100 pounds. Tank loaders have to lift a 40 to 50pound shell out of a confined space, spin it around, and push it into the breach. A Senior Defense official says that standard cannot be lowered. Officials have identified specific physical requirements for each combat job. Next, theyll turn that job over to scientists who can build physical tests to measure if a man or woman is fit for the front lines. At recruiting stations, you cant say, here, lift a 54pound ammo shell and put it in a tank. Yeah, not in a recruiting office, at least. For example, next summer, 400 male marines and 400 female marines will go out and perform various physical tasks relating to specific combat jobs. The marines are then going to use that information and those results to come up with sort of a fitness standard. But if no women or even very few can do those tasks, then the marines have to, quote, go back to the drawing board. Wolf, kate . Andist k isis isist chris, on of the marine corps, the marine corps has been the most reluctant, if you will, to go along with this. But theyre on board now, yeah . They are to the extent that the base requirements are not going to change. You know, the senior marine corps official was saying, look, if you want to be a tanker, youve got to be able to lift that 50pound shell in very tight quarters, spin it around, put it into the breach. That is the basic function of a tanker. That cant change. So if youre going to be a tanker, youve got to be able to do that. Now, he says, you know, for certain other jobs, do you need to be able to run x number of miles in exactly this many minutes and seconds . There may be some leeway there. Chris lawrence, history unfolding at the u. S. Department of defense. Appreciate it very much. Yeah, thanks, chris. You may never know who would be vulnerable to being duped online. Were going to tell you how players on the Washington Redskins were targeted. [ dad ] find it . Ya. Alright, another one just like that. Right in the old bucket. Good toss see thats much better that was good. You had your shoulder pointed, you kept your eyes on your target. Lets do it again watch me. Just like that one. [ male announcer ] the durability of the volkswagen passat. Pass down something he will be grateful for. Good arm. Thats the power of german engineering. Back to you. Manti teos father broke down on tv, saying his son wasnt a liar, hes just a kid who thought his girlfriend was real, until they found out it was all a hoax. And as teos family opens up, were learning his strange story is more common than you think. Its common enough that several members of an nfl team fell for a similar scam. According to a new report, a woman led several Washington Redskins players to believe she was someone she was not. She tailored her communications with them, and even led them to try to arrange meetings with her. It was about the same time manti teo claims he first learned his online girlfriend was phony, an indication that other highprofile Football Players had been teod. A memo went up in the locker room of the redskins in october saying, stay away fro from redridin hood, avoid her on twitter, avoid her on instagram, do not converse with this person on any social media program. She is not who she says she is. The redskins said Phillip Daniels was not available to speak to us and the family wouldnt put anyone out to talk to us about the players interactions with the woman on social media. But daniels told nfl. Com that on multiple occasions, several redskins players tried to arrange meetings with the woman, who the report said went by the pseudonym, sidney ackerman. She not only wasnt sidney ackerman, the report says, she also wasnt c. J. Miles, whose pictures were ripped off and used in correspondence with the players. Theres an unverified twitter feed registered to c. J. Miles, with pictures of a similarlooking woman. The tweets there warn fans that an imposter has used her photos and say she feels sorry for the players who fell for the hoax. The nfl. Com hoax says that none of the players were successful in arranging meetings with the woman who sent the tweets, and that raised suspicions with the redskins. Nfl. Com sources say that the woman is a redskins fan, didnt ask the players for money or perks and didnt threaten them. But former redskins tight end, rick doc walker, now a radio analyst, says the communications were fraught with risk. Yeah, its not the smartest thing to do, but you do some things when youre young that arent real bright. You look back on it as you grow up. The whole internet thing is odd to me. The manti teo thing is ridiculous. And the players have women coming at them from all directions, right . Well, i assume. Its not my world, but i know a few guys that are very popular. And i would say anybody that believes that pros are chasing ghosts are a damned fool. So who is the woman who sent the players those tweets . The nfl reporters said they were unable to verify that womans identity. A League Spokesman had no comment on the report, even though it was done by the leagues website. The womans twitter and Facebook Accounts have since been deactivated and we have tried to reach that Adult Entertainment star c. J. Miles in emails. We have not heard back, wolf and kate. So is the nfl or any of these players looking to take any legal action against this person . We sked a about that. The reporter from the nfl. Com has told us, according to his understanding, that the players and the league are not inclined to want to do that right now. Our legal contributor, paul callan, says that its very hard to go after people criminally for this kind of thing, unless youre defrauded monetarily, via some kind of hoax like this, you can sue people civilly for pain and suffering and things like that, but you have to figure out who they are, first. Very hard to do. Right now, at least, the league and the players not inclined to go after them. Be very careful with who youre communicating with online. Lets get back to manti teo for a moment. Erin burnett is also going outfront on this story with a man who knows teo better than most. Erin, tell us what you have. We have the coach who actually recruited manti teo to come to notre dame. He spent a lot of time with him, met him about 18 times. Were going to talk to him about whether he believes manti teo and what kind of a person he is. Well also be playing, when katie couric asked manti teo, are you gay, how he answered that question and what he was really saying. Plus, were going to talk about something, wolf, i find pretty amazing. You know how Silicon Valley is often perceived as very liberal and very democratic. For example, google, you know, had that town hall for president obama, about 97 of money google gave went to president obama. Well, one very big executive in Silicon Valley is getting in bed with a republican likely for 2016. Im talking about Mark Zuckerberg. And weve got that story. Well see you at top of the hour and thank you. A Top Executive with United Airlines says hes confident that passengers will want to fly the new dreamliner jet once its allowed back in the air. Cnns sandra endo is here and she went behind the scenes into this grounded aircraft and its problems, sandra. Whatd you find . There are still a lot of problems, kate. The ntsb is relaying on tools used in medicine and crime investigations, and we got an inside look at the laboratory, where cameras, microscopes, and cat scans are examining the damaged battery of boeings prized dreamliner. This is one of the cell cases. Reporter piece by piece, inside this ntsb lab in washington, analysts are dissecting the charred battery which caught on fire in a boeing 787 dreamliner earlier this month in boston. We know that the lithium ion battery experienced a thermal runaway. We know that there were short circuits and we know that there was a fire. Reporter the faa gave special permission to boeing, allowing the use of these lightweight batteries, only if Safety Measures were installed to prevent overheating. We do not expect to see fire events on board aircrafts. There are multiple systems to protect against a battery event like this. Those systems did not work as intended. We need to understand why. Reporter the investigation was launched after two 787s this month experienced issues surrounding the jets unique use of lithium ion batteries. First a battery behind the wings of a Japan Airline 787 exploded, and caught fire, while on the ground in boston. Initial tests rule out excess voltage and overcharging. Another battery problem, this one near the cockpit of an a dreamliner led to smoke president cabin, while in the air over japan, forcing an emergency landing. Excess voltage has also been ruled out, and for now, it doesnt look like overcharging was an issue. The ntsb is looking for defects or contamination in the battery, but said the problem could be elsewhere. United airlines is the only u. S. Carrier with six dreamliners in its fleet. The coo said, all new aircraft types have problems and the 787 is no different. Customers will flock back to that airplane once were able to get it back up again. Boeing, which manufactures the dreamliner, issued a statement this evening saying it is confident and welcomes the ntsbs progress in this investigation and it has hundreds of engineers and technical experts working around the clock to resolve the issue. But the ntsb had no timetable as to how long this investigation will take. So, for now, all dreamliners will remain grounded, and that includes any test flights. Wolf and kate . All right. Sandra endo, thank you. I mean, these are huge airplanes. It affects a lot of passengers, as well. Well stay on top of this story. That could be very, very important. Yeah. Up next, jeanne moos has a new way to keep your pets, big pets, warm. And it will have you doing a double take. To the best vacation spot on earth. all the gulf it doesnt matter which of our great states folks visit. Mississippi, alabama, louisiana or florida, theyre gonna love it. Shaul, your alabama hospitality is incredible. Thanks, karen. Love your mississippi outdoors. I vote for your florida beaches, dawn. Bill, this louisiana seafood is delicious. Were having such a great year on the gulf, weve decided to put aside our rivalry. Now is the perfect time to visit anyone of our states. The beaches and waters couldnt be more beautiful. Take a boat ride, go fishing or just lay in the sun. Weve got coastline to explore and wildlife to photograph. And theres world class dining with our world famous seafood. So for a great vacation this year, come to the gulf. Its all fabulous but i give florida the edge. Right after mississippi. You mean alabama. Say louisiana or theres no dessert. This invitation is brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home. So i used my Citi Thankyou card to pick up some accessories. A new belt. Some nylons. And what girl wouldnt need new shoes . And with all the points ive been earning, i was able to get us a flight to our favorite climbing spot even on a holiday weekend. Things are definitely looking up. [ male announcer ] with no blackout dates, you can use your Citi Thankyou points to travel whenever you want. Visit citi. Com thankyoucards to apply. In taste, freshness, and nutrition . Its eb. Egglands best. Better eggs. Its eb. All right. So we know all ponies have coats. That is true. But leave it to Cnns Jeanne Moos to find some that actually have sweaters too. Reporter fasten your cardigans, prepare to say ahh. These shetland ponies really know how to fill out a sweater. Now, were these the biggest sweaters youve ever knitted . Oh, yes, indeed. Reporter their names are fivla or vitamin. They are the new poster ponies for scotlands tourist organization, and instantly the world has gone gaga over them. We got a phone call saying, would your ponies wear jumpers. And i said, i dont see why not. Reporter the owner sent their measurements to doreen brown, known for her shetland wool knitwear, but pony dimensions are different. You had to work out where his legs came and then, of course, he had a wide neck compared to a human being. Reporter so how do you get a cardigan on a pony . It was just a case of putting one foot in, put the other foot in, button it up. Reporter most of the buttoning was done lying on the ground, which was only possible because 17yearold fivla and vitamin are so calm. No accidents, right . No, no, no. Reporter scottish tourism officials wanted to combine their two most famous exports, shetland ponies and shetland knitwear. Though in the case of these pony sweaters