benedict xvi wore red shoes. they were made here in a backstreet shop near the vatican, by peruvian cobble her, antonio orlando. he says he's incredibly proud to have provided shoes to the pope and hopes the next pontiff will order his footwear here too. some of the pope's robes are made here at family firm gamarelli. three outfits ready to take to the vatican. >> these different sizes, one small, one medium, and one large. this is a fashion director at a top italian couture house. he shows me the workshop where they have made garments for previous popes, including the green mantel, embroidered with threads of cloth to represent the humility of st. francis. and controversial where they made papal costumes for women, so-called potesses, who took part in an irreverent fashion show.

but the serious work was dressing pope benedict which was easier than john paul 2's charisma was easy to reflect. >> in the case of benedict, it's a different charm. it's more like the theologist. plus, he's not the tallest in the world. come on, what can you do? >> reporter: he doesn't know who will be the next pope, but says in this case, the clothes do not make the man. >> i don't wish a pope i could dress. i wish a pope that can fix my problems and feel like i have a pope. then, whatever he is, we can dress him in pleasure, with love. but we need a pope. pope is needed always. >> reporter: deciding what to wear is the least of the pope's problems, but for the designers who have to put their own spin

on the papal outfit, there is no greater challenge than making clothes for the pope. dan rivers, cnn, rome. >> that's it for us. the pope. dan rivers, cnn, rome. >> thank you for watching. "early start" begins now. catholic conclave day one. cardinals celebrating mass right now with secret voting on the next pope just hours away. sweet victory for big, sugary drinks. a new york judge cans the city's soda ban just hours before it was set to kick in. hackers hit some of the biggest names in america. personal information on beyonce, donald trump, even vice president biden reportedly exposed for the entire world to see. good morning to you. welcome to "early start." thanks for being with us. i'm zoraida sambolin. >> it's a big day. i'm john berman. it's tuesday, march 12th, 5:00 a.m. in the east.

welcome, everyone, to cnn's special coverage of the selection of the next pope. in just six hours, 115 cardinals from around the world will take an oath of secrecy and begin voting for the next spiritual leader of the world's 1.2 billion catholics. right now at this very moment, the cardinals are holding a special mass for the election of the holy father. at 10:45 eastern this morning, those cardinals are scheduled to leave their residence at casa santa marta and head to the pauline chapel. 45 minutes later, they enter the sistine chapel and then the waiting begins. let's get straight to rome and my colleague, chris cuomo, in rome for the conclave. set the scene for us, pal. >> reporter: hey, how are you, john? well, this is the day. over my shoulder, you see st. peter's basilica, the famous square. that's where the sistine chapel is. that's where the 115 cardinals will join for the conclave, an

800-year-old, secret procedure that is watched the world over. however, it does begin with this mass. the mass has a name in latin. it is called pro elegendo pontiffige for selecting the pope, and this is the beginning of the beginning for the conclave. one of the headlines in the italian paper said it all, el tempo de la shelta, it is time to choose, and that is what the 115 cardinals are here to do. you will be watching live pictures from vatican tv of the mass. what you're seeing now are the cardinals proceeding in. this mass is going to be officiated by the dean of cardinals, angelo sodano, 85 years old, a major figure. we will talk about him throughout the conclave process. is he a favorite? is he not and why? we'll take you through all of the proceedings as 1.2 billion catholics wait for their leader. now, the mass is the beginning of the conclave.

what preceded it just as important, ten general congregations where the cardinals got together to debate. each one had an opportunity to speak, if they wanted it, and there were lunches and meetings where they would discuss what mattered and who may be the next leader. it's an interesting question, because it is technically a nonpolitical process. so, how does a cardinal position themselves to be pope? it's difficult, to say the least. let's go to miguel marquez, who's with us watching all the events today for some insight into how the next pope is made. good morning, miguel. >> reporter: good morning there, chris. we're just down the street from you, a little closer to the basilica here where that mass is under way. they're actually watching it on big-screen televisions out here. and while it is a nondemocratic process to become the pope, i would say it is definitely political. in the politics of becoming pope, there's never been a race quite like this. the church's problems enormous.

the need for a powerful, unifying pope never greater. >> we have to finish this. we have to get on with this. if we don't do this, it's over, blow the candles out. >> reporter: the new pope will have to reinvigorate the church and brings its curia into the modern world. we're talking nuts and bolts, finances, being a good ceo -- >> the church is not just run on hail marys. we have to make it work in terms of personnel and money and being effective and the question is how effective is the curia in an internet 24/7 world? >> reporter: from the time a cardinal becomes a cardinal, the race for pope is on. they are judged on their intellectual, religious and spiritual heft, even their ability to communicate in italian. politicking done, support secured in formal settings and often in out of the way and unlikely venues. this is benevina restaurant,

just around the corner from the vatican. cardinals come here in the ones and twos, they have lunch, dinners, sometimes little wine. nz places like this that a lot of the heavy lifting is done. venedina lavate has served meals to powerful vatican insiders for 25 years. "dozens of cardinals have been here the last couple weeks," she says. "when you're at the table, you decide things." deciding important for many reasons, as one cardinal jokingly told her during his last meal here, when the conclave is under way, it is bread and water until a new pope is named. it is hard to get a decent meal, apparently, once they get locked down into the conclave. they will be in the sistine chapel around 4:30 local, 11:30 eastern, and then we suspect that the voting will begin some time around 5:00 or 6:00 p.m. local, which means that by 2:00

p.m. eastern or so, we may see smoke rising out of that chimney from the sistine chapel for the first time. nobody expects it to be white smoke today. chris? >> reporter: all right, thank you, miguel. we'll be coming back to you all morning. and as you're seeing, there will be a picture of the ongoing mass. the cardinals are all going up, presenting themselves at the altar as they get ready to begin their mass. this is a process that they lean very heavily on their faith. the expectation is that god has already decided who the next pope is and their challenge is to figure out who he has decided it is. now, obviously, beginning with the mass, we have two great experts with us to help us through all the proceedings for today. seated just to my right here is john allen, our senior vatican analyst. great to have you, as always. next to him, father edward beck, passionate priest, cnn contributor. this begins with a mass, fitting for a religious organization, but edward, what makes this mass special today? >> well, of course, with all we've been hearing about the politicking of how a pope gets

elected, this is the most important part in that you are coming to the highest form of worship that we have as a catholic cristian community. it's the mass. so, they're all gathered. we're going to hear the reading, the scripture, the word of god. we're going to come to the table to be fed with the body and blood, and they are going to be praying for god's leadership and guidance in electing this pope. so, i mean, this, for them, i think, is going to be one of the high points, because they are putting it in the proper context of celebrating mass first, a mass that you can see in all of its splendor. it's beautiful. we're going to hear different languages. the first reading is going to be in english. the psalm response will be in italian and the second reading will be in spanish. you know when you listen to the intercessions, you'll hear so many languages, french, swahili, portuguese, malaysian, dutch. this is an international, universal affair, and its full pageantry is on display right now. >> it really is gorgeous. we're still watching as the cardinals are making their progression. they're also open to the public, this mass.

6,500 seats can fit into this particular chapel where they're having it, so people there on display, the last chance for the public to be in contact with the cardinals before they begin what they see as their sacred duty. now, john, today does begin the conclave. they will have one vote today, somewhat of a beginning, right, not supposed to be definitive, obviously? >> yeah, that's right, chris. technically, the rules don't apply to them to have a vote tonight, but i think we all expect they will do so, because as you and i and father ed have been talking throughout this process, the consensus is there is no clear front-runner, the cardinals don't know where one another stand. so, think of this vote as sort of the new hampshire primary of the conclave. it's the first chance to get a sense of where things actually stand and which candidacy might have legs. >> now, what makes this different, a couple of big things we're dealing with here. look, we love just the spectacle of this. it's such an old, secret rite that we get to eavesdrop on. but two things -- first, the

stage was set by pope benedict 1'6" resigning, first to do so in 600 years and perhaps a temple for a watershed moment. john, outline why there are bigger issues at play here than in the last conclave. >> well, in the last conclave, you'll remember, chris that followed the death of john paul ii. there was this massive outpouring of grief and love. 5 million people crowded the streets of rome here during that period. the conclusion was this had been a massively successful papacy and the cardinals were looking for continuity to keep the momentum going. this time, the dynamic is different. i think all of these 115 cardinals appreciate enormously the teaching dimension of benedict's papacy, but there is a perception that the level of business management, there were some real failures, and there is a kind of antiestablishment mood. so, one of the fault lines shaping up here, chris, is between what you might think of as the vatican's old guard, that is, guys vested in traditional ways of doing business, and a large number of the cardinals who would like to shake things up and are looking for the candidate who might be able to

deliver that reform. >> edward, let's end with you before we go back to john and zoraida. how expected is the mood of the church right now to see some type of change in quotes, because who knows what it will mean? >> i don't know. i've been a priest for a long time and haven't seen this buzz in a very long time. i have parishioners e-mailing me, who do you think will be the pope? will there be change? so, there is a lot of expectation and hopefully the holy spirit is a large part of this. >> john, father beck, we'll be with you all morning, obviously. we leave you with pictures and go back to john and zoraida. the cardinals continuing to come in, beginning the mass, all lays on the shoulders of these 115 men, john and zoraida. mass begins now. >> chris, these pictures are truly amazing. such interesting assessments you're having right now in rome. >> and the process so fascinating. it's really fantastic. thank you for that. we'll go back and check in again. meantime, go ahead and supersize it. a judge kicks new york's so-called soda ban to the curb. mayor mike bloomberg's response, coming up.

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♪ welcome back to "early start," everyone. you are looking at live pictures right now from the vatican, where a special mass is under way at this minute. in just a few hours, the 115 cardinals will begin the conclave after they swear an oath of secrecy, and they will begin the process of leblgting a new pope. >> 266th pope is what they're electing today. 14 minutes past the hour. meantime, here at home, new developments concerning new york mayor michael bloomberg's effort to ban sugary drinks. a judge struck down new regulations set to go into effect today. the mayor now vows to appeal. cnn's mary snow is following this story for us. she joins us now. this was a surprise. >> it really was, and i talked to a number of businesses who thought that there was a slim chance that they would win. this was such a bitter fight. the mayor is defiant.

he says he's confident he'll win on appeal. businesses scrambling to comply with these rules are relieved. it was a first of its kind effort in the country to ban soda, sugary drinks, even some types of coffee beverages from being served in containers larger than 16 ounces. the idea was part of mayor michael bloomberg's effort to fight obesity. but beverage companies, restaurants, movie theaters and others went to court to fight back against what they called a nanny state. just hours before the ban was to take effect, a state supreme court judge invalidated the city's rule, saying, "it is arbitrary and capricious because it applies to some, but not all food establishments in the city. it excludes other beverages that have significantly higher concentrations of sugar sweeteners and/or calories on suspect grounds." lattes and other drinks that were at least half milk were not on the list, and supermarkets and convenience stores were also

exempt. but the mayor has vowed to appeal. >> if we are serious about fighting obesity, we have to be honest about what causes it and we have to have the courage to tackle it head on. >> reporter: the american beverage association considers the block a victory. "the court ruling provides a sigh of relief to new yorkers and thousands of small businesses in new york city that would have been harmed by this arbitrary and unpopular ban." local businesses were worried about their bottom line, like this theater that says 30% of its business is from large beverage sales. this is the largest size. it's 44 ounces. this is the smallest. it's 22 ounces. the theater would have had to lose those large sizes in favor of 16 ounces or less. it had general manager russell levinson worried his small theater would lose tens of thousands of dollars in sales. >> on an independent theater like ours, it's a pretty significant hit. >> reporter: the portion control battle continued on late night.

>> i think that it is incumbent on government to tell people what they're doing to themselves and let people make their own decisions. >> now, that movie theater you just saw, along with other businesses, have held off making changes until this lawsuit was resolved. now they'll wait until an appeals judge makes the final decision. >> there is going to be much more to come. thank you, mary. all right, 17 minutes after the hour. later on "starting point," we'll hear from both sides. soledad talks with health commissioner dr. thomas farley in the 7:00 hour, and andrew moesel, spokesman for the new york restaurant association, joins her in the 8:00 hour. new developments in the helicopter crash that killed five coalition service members in southern afghanistan. according to a government spokesman, the chopper lost control and went down in the southern part of kandahar province during a rainstorm on monday. coalition forces say there was no enemy activity in the area at the time of the incident. and we're expecting colorado movie theater massacre suspect

james holmes to enter a plea later this morning. yesterday a judge ruled that holmes could be given medically appropriate drugs during psychiatric interviews and possibly face a polygraph test if he chooses to plead not guilty by reason of insanity. he must also waive all medical confidentiality and turn over the names of any doctors or psychologists who have treated him. holmes is accused of killing 12 people during a movie screening last summer. also new this morning, authorities hunting for a hacker who claims to have exposed the personal information of some really big-named celebrities and political figures. the list of victims now includes the first lady, also donald trump, britney spears, beyonce, jay-z, vice president biden and hillary clinton. >> wow, quite a list there. >> can't get any bigger than that. information including financial details, addresses and credit reports were posted on a website. we are not giving out that website right now. all right, so your credit score is about to change. coming up, the new rules could affect millions of bill-paying

americans. i'm going to tell you, this is kind of good news. i can't wait to share it. >> excellent. and on day one of the papal conclave, morning mass being celebrated right now ahead of the first secret ballots for a new pope. look at the majesty of this process right there, happening live. "early start" back right after the break. ♪ [ female announcer ] from meeting customer needs... to meeting patient needs... ♪ wireless is limitless. [ female announcer ] from finding the best way... ♪ to finding the best catch... ♪ wireless is limitless. you name it...i've hooked it. but there's one... one that's always eluded me.

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♪ welcome back to "early start." take a look at this and listen. live pictures from the vatican, where cardinals are celebrating a very special mass before heading to the sistine chapel a little later this morning, where they are expected to elect a new pope. we'll be bringing you live coverage all morning from there. >> from beautiful music there to the music of business and the economy right now. >> jess. we are "minding your business" this morning. another day, another record for the dow.

the clblue chip average hit a n high for a fifth straight day. right now dow futures are pulling back about ten points. listen to this, a new credit score could help millions of people. a major company is overhauling how it tallies people's credit and could work in your favorite. very excited about this. you gave me a preview. please share. >> i actually have great news today, zoraida, which i'm very excited about. so, they're unveiling a new credit system that will be essentially more forgiving to anybody who is seriously in debt or has no credit history in this country. so, previously, under fico, if you had debts outstanding, it would stay with you for roughly around seven years, no matter when you made the payments. under the new scoring system, you will be essentially forgiven as long as you end up making those payments eventually. so, it won't haunt you, won't come back to haunt you anymore. also, natural disaster victims are also going to benefit. if they make payments on time, despite their disaster. also, foreigners. we were talking earlier about

foreigners. if you have no credit history in this country, it sort of counts against you hugely. under the new scoring system, it's going to be using people's rent records, utility records to basically offer 30 million more customers, essentially, a credit score. so, it's great news, essentially. >> and also for young people as well, you were saying, that have no credit history. this will help them. my question is when does this get implemented and does it get picked up by the large companies? >> right now, seven out of ten financial institutions use vantage score. 60% of credit card companies use it and 40% of car companies use it. but the bottom line is, you can't really control which scoring system your financial institution's going to be using. you can't call up and say use my other credit score, not that one. so, you have to still make payments on time, that's the most important thing. >> great. thank you so much. appreciate it. from your personal credit to the nation's credit. paul ryan, chairman of the house budget committee, he is about to issue his plan to balance the budget.

live in vatican city right now, morning mass with the conclave to select a new pope. it's getting under way in a few hours here. we're going to continue our live coverage. that's coming up on "early start." [ mom ] 3 days into school break and they're already bored. hmm, we need a new game. ♪ that'll save the day. ♪ so will bounty select-a-size. it's the smaller powerful sheet. the only one with trap + lock technology. look! one select-a-size sheet of bounty is 50% more absorbent than a full size sheet of the leading ordinary brand. use less. with the small but powerful picker upper, bounty select-a-size. bjorn earns unlimited rewards for his small business. take these bags to room 12 please. [ garth ] bjorn's small business earns double miles on every purchase every day. produce delivery. [ bjorn ] just put it on my spark card. [ garth ] why settle for less?

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prayers, secret ballots, morning mass now under way at the vatican on day one of the papal conclave. struck down. a judge puts a stop to new york's soda ban just hours before it begins. and saved from really certain death.

a camera captures a police officer pulling an unconscious man from a burning car. amazing pictures. >> that really is incredible. >> welcome back to "early start," everyone. i'm john berman. >> and i'm zoraida sambolin. it is tuesday morning, just about 30 minutes past the hour. welcome back to cnn's special live coverage of the selection of the next pope. in about six hours, 115 cardinals from every corner of the earth will take an oath of secrecy, and then all eyes will be on the chimney atop the sistine chapel, as they begin voting for the next spiritual leader of the world's 1.2 billion catholics. so, right now, the cardinals are holding a special mass at the vatican for the election of the holy father. at 10:45 eastern this morning, those cardinals that you're seeing are scheduled to leave their residence at casa santa marta and head to the pauline chapel. 45 minutes later, they will enter the sistine chapel and the pope watch officially begins.

so, let's get right to chris cuomo. he is live in rome with all the details for us this morning. good morning to you. >> reporter: all right, good morning, zoraida, thank you. we're at the midpoint of the mass right now. a deacon is reading the gospel from the new testament. after this, we'll follow what you could say is the most important part of this particular mass. angelo sodano, cardinal, the dean of the cardinals, is going to deliver the homily. it will be the last major influence on all 115 voting cardinals. in the room are, we believe, well over 150 cardinals. remember, you have to be under 80 years of age to vote, so they are to celebrate together and to witness who will be the next pope. that man is also in the audience today. by definition, the 266th pope. now, the rain has started to come down here, but it has not dampened the spirits of expectation here so close to vatican city. miguel marquez is weathering the

rain right now closer to the mass this morning. miguel, what is the mood? >> reporter: well, it's a wet mood, i will tell you, and i don't know what one thinks about rain, but it has been raining, every pun intended, biblical proportions the last few days. it just has started to downpour now in the middle of this mass. i want to show you a bit of what's happening here. we're obviously at st. peter's basilica, but you can see right over that taxi, there are big screens out on the basilica. a lot of people have cleared out because of the rain. if you pan over, the basilica itself is just over to the left. the first reading is from the prophet isaiah. to christians, he's important because he not only prophesized the future of the church, they believe, he was so good, he knew the past as well. basically, he was telling people what happened in the past. and the reading basically says i'm sending you good news to the poor, to the broken, to the captives, those who are in prison. this is a guy, they believe, the

reading clearly indicating that they want to bring somebody to fix this church, to bring good news to christians around the world that the new pope will be taking care of their everyday needs. the red curtain just behind me above the doors of st. peter's basilica is where the pope, once he is named, will appear to the world for the first time. despite the rain, there is great excitement here as this afternoon voting gets under way for the first time. chris? >> reporter: all right, miguel, thank you. check in with you in a little bit. let's bring in john allen now, senior vatican analyst. this is the last major influence, politically, to use the words loosely. the last time we had a conclave, 2005, this mass, the homily is given by the dean of cardinals. that was joseph ratzinger. so, it was a major moment for him. what is the context this time with angelo sodano? >> well, slightly different, chris. i think a lot of people will tell you that the homily ratzinger gave in 2005 sort of

solidified his status as the front-runner going into that conclave. now, this time, the dynamic is not the same. cardinal angelo sodano is already over 80. he's 85, so he's not going to be in the sistine chapel. for that reason alone, probably, he would be a radical long-shot to be elected pope. but in addition, he's sort of identified with the old guard in the vatican, and as we were talking earlier, there is kind of a strong antiestablishment mood among these cardinal electors that indicates many of them would like to see a change. and so, i don't think anyone believes that sodano is in a position to propel himself forward as a candidate. however, this is sort of a last opportunity for the ruling regime in the vatican, so to speak, to be able to make its case as to why continuity, rather than discontinuity, would be the wisest course for these 115 cardinals to imbrace. >> father beck also joining us, cnn contributor, passionist priest. they believe these men, that the holy spirit will guide them toward the selection that god has already ordained for the next pope.

>> with some clarification. interestingly, the past pope, the previous pope, pope benedict, was asked about this. what role does the holy spirit have in the election of a pope? and he was very guarded in how he put it. he said, i don't actually think that the holy spirit picks the pope. i think the holy spirit is present to us, he moves in the assembly and helps us to come to the right decision. so, he just put it in a context that it's not a divine intervention, it's god working through the assembled gathering to pick the pope. >> reporter: was it the pope or was it someone else who said that he doesn't help us pick it but he keeps us from messing it up? >> that was benedict, and he added that the proof of that is that historically, there are too -- >> oh, he didn't like that joke, as the thunder comes. >> he said historically, the proof of that is there are too many popes the holy spirit obviously would not have picked, benedict 16. >> reporter: now, there are applause. what we're hearing at this point in the mass is the homily.

angelo sodano is welcoming everybody. we've been given an advanced copy of the homily. we're going to let it be delivered first, but john, what are some of the major themes we can expect? >> well, first of all, i believe that applause is for a line in the homily where cardinal sodano expresses thanks to benedict xvi, and obviously, the crowd here feels the same. the major points will be, a homily is designed to be a reflection on the readings from scripture. so, we had a reading from the old testament, a reading from the new tastement, a reading from the gospel. so at one level, it's a spiritual meditation what god is trying to say to us through the stri striptures. this is one of the last two things the cardinals will hear. they will also get a private meditation from another cardinal, an over-80 cardinal from malta, but this is the last public opportunity for cardinal sodano to lay out in front of the 115 electors some food for thought as they file into the sistine and cast their ballots.

>> reporter: this is really, and after this, it's go time. i mean, they're at the mass. these are holy men. they're trying to draw inspiration, and hopefully, some guidance today, because when this mass is over, sure, they'll go back to where they're all staying, casa santa marta, and they'll have some lunch, but then they really have to get down to business. and the church at this point, as we go back to john berman in new york, the church has not faced the kinds of issues that it does right now in a long time, john. so, these 115 cardinals have some serious work cut out for them. >> so true. so, too, chris, the stakes are incredibly high right now as we watch these ceremonies unfold before our very eyes in rome. chris, we'll come back to you. back here at home, new york city mayor michael bloomberg promising to appeal a court ruling that struck down his controversial ban on sugary soft drinks that was to have started today. in his 11th-hour ruling, the judge called the law banning drinks larger than 16 ounces arbitrary. the mayor says he's confident that he will win on appeal. former vice presidential candidate paul ryan is ready to

roll out the republican budget plan today. he claims it will cut $4.6 trillion from the federal debt and balance the budget in the next ten years. according to congressman ryan's op ed piece in the "wall street journal," the plan calls for increased oil drilling, repealing president obama's health care reforms, overhauling medicare and the welfare system and rewriting the tax code with only two brackets, 10% and 25%. close call to show you here. a dramatic rescue caught on camera. you have to see this. dash cam video shows iowa police officer zach mcdowell in a race against time, pulling an unconscious man from this burning car. what happened, the car crashed into the side of a church on sunday night. others jump in and are able to pull the driver to safety. the driver was eventually able to put the fire out. >> unbelievable. heroes there. all right, these are anxious hours along the border between north and south korea, where a six-decade cease-fire agreement has been cast aside. we are going to go live there coming up. of course, we are also

following this morning's papal mass at the vatican right now, and later today, the first voting for a new pope will begin. "early start" is back after the break. yes that say wow? with olay, here's how. new regenerist eye and lash duo. the cream smooths the look of lids... softens the look of lines. the serum instantly thickens the look of lashes. see wow! eyes in just one week with olay. see wow! eyes in just one week try running four.ning a restaurant is hard, fortunately we've got ink. it gives us 5x the rewards on our internet, phone charges and cable, plus at office supply stores. rewards we put right back into our business. this is the only thing we've ever wanted to do and ink helps us do it. make your mark with ink from chase. a hairline fracture to the mandible and contusions to the metacarpus. what do you see?

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wow. it's the honey, it makes it taste so... well, would you look at the time... what's the rush? be happy. be healthy. ♪ welcome back to "early start." you are looking at live pictures from the vatican where a very special mass for the election of the holy father is under way. in less than six hours, 115 cardinals that are all present there from around the globe will begin their conclave to elect a new pope. a lot of news going on around the world. tensions at a breaking point right now between north and south korea. south korea warning that it is ready with u.s. help to respond to any provocations, their words now, resolutely and destructively. within the last 24 hours, tensions on the korean peninsula really hit a new level. the north saying it scrapped an

armistice credited for keeping a cease-fire between the two sides. our reporter, anna coren, is at the demilitarized zone for us right now. good morning. >> reporter: john, that's right, we are at the border very close to the demilitarized zone. you can probably see over my shoulder a rail line. well, that used to go to pyongyang, now it just goes across the river to the dmz. just to give you an idea, this area has become extremely sensitive. the south korean military came up to us a little earlier and basically said we cannot reveal the outpost or their bunkers, we can't identify their troops or show their defense systems against the north koreans. and of course, this is all in the wake of north korea scrapping that armistice agreement that fundamentally ended the korean war back in 1953. north korean leader kim jong-un has been down visiting his

front-line troops and basically gave them a big war cry, saying to lull the enemy into the caldron, to break their waist and crack their wind pipes, a very visual and motive language, but we are used to that rhetoric coming from him, but while he was rallying the troops, the south koreans and the u.s. military are holding those joint military drills on the korean peninsula. and south korea has said that if there is any military provocation from pyongyang, that it will respond in a resolute and destructive manner, john. >> we're looking at pictures of these military drills just a second ago, and the u.s. and south korea, we have conducted drills like this before, so the question is, why is north korea really reacting so acongreggres here? >> reporter: it's a great question, john, because as you say, this is something that happens every single year. the americans and the south koreans, they are using some pretty advanced weaponry, the

f-52 stealth, the b-52 bombers as well as a nuclear powered aircraft carrier, so these drills are really getting up the nose of the north koreans. let's have a listen to what general jim jones, a former national security adviser, had to say about north korea's reaction. >> there are a lot of reasons why dictators behave the way they do. number one, they're insecure to start with. number two is they have an internal audience they have to play to, and i would imagine that kim jong-un is playing to his military as well. and he's also playing to the south korean administration, new president park. >> reporter: kim jong-un is definitely out to make his mark. he's untested. he's been on the job for just over a year after taking over from his father, and he really wants to be a player on the world stage. so, kim jong-un, he certainly wants to make his mark. he is unpredictable and he is determined, john, to develop a

nuclear weapons program. >> all right, anna coren, thanks to you. anna coren really in the middle of a place where the tensions are boiling, live on the korean peninsula for us this morning. thanks, anna. it is 45 minutes past the hour. we're learning more now about that suv crash that killed six teenagers. this is warren, ohio. police say the honda passport was reported stolen. it was carrying eight people but is designed to seat five. and the driver was reportedly speeding on a two-lane road when that vehicle went off the road, flipped and then landed in a pond. two passengers did survive the crash, and according to police, none of the eight teenagers was wearing a seat belt. harvard university officials are now offering a limited apology to some resident don't after admitting it conducted a secret search of its e-mail accounts. the school offered apologies to the deans if they felt the investigation at the conclusion was insufficient. the search was sparked by a leak of the e-mail about last year's

cheating and plagiarism scandal. this is something you've got to see to believe. washington state police say this cell phone video shows a mother letting her 22-month-old son take a hit off her marijuana bong. police received the video anonymously. the mother, 24-year-old rochelle brayton and 25-year-old tyler lee were arrested. the boy is in the custody of protective services now. >> wow. a blunt assessment by former first lady laura bush as some of the republican candidates who ran last fall. during an interview on "erin bunnet's out front i d," she wa asked about the emphasis they put on social issues and how that may have affected women who voted. >> every candidate was different, you know, each one of them. there were obvious examples of candidates that i think frightened some women, but they were the exception rather than the norm in the party. >> she went on to say that she understands that people view social issues differently and

that the republican party has room for all those different viewpoints. 47 minutes after the hour. ahead on "early start," it is a soggy start to some across the nation. jennifer delgado will join us with a look at your weather woes this morning. >> meantime, more of these amazing, live pictures from the vatican, where the cardinals are celebrating a special mass before heading to the sistine chapel later this morning where they will begin the process of electing a new pope. with the spark cash card from capital one... boris earns unlimited rewards for his small business. can i get the smith contract, please? thank you. that's three new paper shredders. [ boris ] put 'em on my spark card. [ garth ] boris' small business earns 2% cash back on every purchase every day. great businesses deserve unlimited rewards. read back the chicken's testimony, please. "buk, buk, bukka!" [ male announcer ] get the spark business card from capital one and earn unlimited rewards. choose 2% cash back or double miles on every purchase every day. told you i'd get half. what's in your wallet?

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♪ welcome back to "early start," everyone. these are live pictures from rome, where cardinals are celebrating a special mass. later today they will head to the sistine chapel to elect the next spiritual leader of the world's 1.2 billion catholics. >> i could listen to that music all day. >> beautiful. >> so peaceful, isn't it? meantime, back here at home, threats against michael vick have forced him to cancel a book tour. he spent 18 months in prison for his role in a dogfighting ring, but since his release, vick's been rebuilding his image as a changed person. he's now out with an autobiography, called "finally free," but threats, apparently have been made against him and book stores that he planned to visit, so they scrapped them. and former nba star dennis rodman says he will be going

back to north korean to visit his friend, kim jong-un. >> i don't condone what he does, but he's my friend. >> do you anticipate going over there again? >> yes, i will, in august. >> you are going over there? >> yes, i'm vacationing, yes. >> so, his visit a few weeks ago came at a time of heightened tension between the u.s. and north korean over pyongyang's pursuit of a nuclear program. the stakes are even higher now when during yesterday's interview, rodman insisted that the north korean leader does not want war. >> crazy story. >> dennis rodman, ladies and gentlemen. >> unbelievable. prosthetic limbs can be made for people, so why not animals? meet mr. stubs, an alligator with a new, three-foot-long, prosthetic tail. this is a reptile preserve in arizona. his real tail was bitten off by another alligator when he was just a baby. it's believed to be the first time scientists have designed a rubber tail for a gator. >> it's just a process of

figuring out how to make a mold and then getting the mold and then playing with the material, and i made some little models and stuff and figured out that it's going to be pretty good for the full tail. >> that is so cool. a lot of science went into this particular project and his handlers say it could take up to six months for mr. stubs to learn how to use his new tail. i wonder what it feels like. >> you know, my kids love the movie about the dolphin with the prosthetic tail. >> i don't know the name of that. >> if you know it, tweet us, because we can't remember it. lots of rain in the country today. will it affect you? jennifer delgado has all the answers for us at the weather center in atlanta. good morning, jennifer. >> good morning, guys. the crew just told me the name is "dolphin tale." you're talking about the one with harry connick jr., ashley judd, right? >> that's the one. >> is that it? >> yes. >> yes. thank you for that. we appreciate that. they're paying attention. that's fantastic. thank you. >> you're welcome. all right, guys, we are talking about a rainy start for areas right along the east coast. we're talking from the north all the way down to areas including

tampa. now, the rain is going to be heavy at times, and we're really concerned about parts of new england where they potentially could see one to two inches of rainfall, and that includes new hampshire, vermont, parts of massachusetts as well as eastern new york. well, the problem is, all this heavy rainfall coming down on top of snow, well, you can see we're talking about concerns of flooding. we could start to see some of these rivers rising, so that is going to be a concern as we go through wednesday morning. that's why we have flood watches in place. as we show you the wider view, sunshine down towards the south. we are going to dry things out, out towards the west. high pressure out of the pacific northwest. some locations could pick up between four and six inches of rainfall as we go through thursday. here are your high temperatures. in the upper midwest, temperatures running 10 to 15 degrees below average for this time of year, a lot of 30s. that will sweep into the east by wednesday into thursday. and then the south is really going to start to warm up. guys, send it back over to you and i guess we'll continue more coverage. >> thank you, jennifer delgado.

>> you're welcome. >> appreciate it. coming up on "early start," the work begins to elect a successor to pope benedict xvi. >> and we continue to watch the mass at st. peter's basilica. we'll continue our coverage from rome after the break. zap technology.

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conclave day one. cardinals celebrating mass right now. secret voting on the next pope just hours away. sweet victory for big, sugary drinks, that is. a new york judge cans the city

soda ban hours, just hours before it was to kick in. shaken but not stirred. california's biggest earthquake in captured on camera in a live television broadcast. >> that's like my worst nightmare come true. i have not lived through one of those and i don't want to. >> earthquake? you know it when they come. good morning, welcome to "early start" everyone, i'm john berman. >> i'm zoraida sambolin. it is tuesday, march 12th. and you are watching cnn's special coverage of the selection of the next pope. in just over five hours, 115 cardinals from every corner of the earth will take an oath of secrecy and they will begin voting for the next spiritual leader of the world's 1.2 billion catholics. so right now the cardinals are holding this very special mass for the election of the holy father. it began about an hour ago. at 10:45 eastern this morning the cardinals are scheduled to leave their residence at casa

sanctae marthae and head to the chapel. 45 minutes later they enter the sistine chapel and the pope watch begins. let's get right to chris cuomo live for us at the vatican. something i learned i didn't know is there are common folk actually attending that mass this morning. you said 6500? >> that's exactly right, zoraida. there are about 6500 seats and people waited in long lines this morning over there in st. pet peter's square to get in to this mass. and it's an important reminder. because not only do we have about 150 cardinals. only those 80 and younger can vote, but they would be reminded that these are the people they need to serve. remember the next pope is in that room, the 266th pope. obviously the cardinals are using this mass. it has a name in latin, pro eligendo dell romano pontifice. maybe my mother winced right now. but that's latin. maybe she'll be okay with it.

this is a mass of the pope and this is what begins the process of the conclave for the cardinals. the conclave goes back to the 1200s. it's a secret process. but it's watched the world over, certainly the 1.2 billion catholics who are waiting their new leader. but it all has to begin with the mass. the homily today, that has already been given was given by the dean of the cardinals, angelo sodano. he's 85 years old. this is the last message that all these cardinals receive together before they get down to voting. now, in the mass that we're watching right now, cardinal sodano is preparing the eucharist. this is the most holy and spiritual part of the mass for catholics. they believe that this eucharist that they're about to be able to eat is actually the tran substantiation of god, that this is the bread and wine that will become the body and blood of their savior. of their god. so this is a very important moment and the pope in the mass,

it's a point of focus for them. once the cardinals leave, as zoraida was saying, they'll have their lunch. then they'll begin the conclave. secret procedure. conclave means with a key. because this all started as a way of motivating, to use the word gently, cardinals so select a pope. under lock and key. now the process has gotten much more gentle. don't worry about the ambulances. there's a hospital right near here. so ambulances move through throughout the day. not a sign of any kind of emergency. now, that said the only emergency is the one at hands for the cardinals 6 picking a new pope. the question is, how do you put yourself forward? can you, as a cardinal? how do you pick who's right in a process that's really not supposed to involve politics, as we understand them, say an american presidential politics. let's go to miguel marquez who is going to help us figure out how these 115 cardinals figure out whom to choose. good morning, miguel.

all right. are we hearing miguel? no. >> reporter: kwshs quite like this. the church's problems, enormous. the need for a powerful, unifying pope, never greater. >> we have to finish this. we have to get on with this. if we don't do this it's over, blow the candles out. >> reporter: the new pope will have to reinvigorate the church and bring its enormous bureaucracy, the curea into the modern world. we're talking nuts and bolts, finances, being a good ceo. >> the church does not run on hail marys. we've got to make it work in terms of personnel and money and being effective. and i think the question is, how effective is the curiea in an internet world. >> reporter: from the time a cardinal becomes a cardinal, the race for pope is on. they are judged on their intellectual, religious and spiritual heft. even their ability to communicate in italian.

politicking done, support secured in, formal settings, and often in out of the way and unlikely venues. this restaurant is just around the corner from the vatican. cardinals come here in the ones and twos. they have lunch, dinner, sometimes a little wine. and some places like this that a lot of the heavy lifting is done. benadina has served meal to powerful vatican insiders for 21 years. dozens of cardinals have been here the last couple of weeks, she says. when you're at the table, you decide things. deciding important for many reasons, as one cardinal jokingly told her during his last meal here, the conclave is under way, he eats bread and water until a new pope is named. the rain coming down here, biblical proportions, is causing a few technical snafus,

obviously. but the cardinals will go into seclusion this afternoon. once that starts, and they're in the sistine chapel, the voting will start. and we expect to see from the chimney just behind the roofs there, some smoke this afternoon. no one expects it to be white. with this weather, we're not sure we're going to see smoke at all, even if it comes up black, white or otherwise. chris? >> miguel, you looked up to the heavens, and you were smiling, and you were silenced. i wonder by whom. hopefully it was just the weather, for your sake. we'll be back to you in a little while. the italian newspapers said it in a single line this morning. time to choose. and that's what's going on. this mass that we're watching live pictures of, the 115 cardinals who will vote. this is the last moment they're together before the conclave begins. this scene, of course, possible because pope benedict xvi did something a pope hadn't done in 600 years. he resigned. and now the cardinals, the

princes of the church, must get together to figure out whom will be the next pope. he's already in the room, because he just be one of the 115. not necessarily, i guess they could pick anybody. let's bring in john allen, the senior vatican analyst for us and father edward beck, cnn contributor, also. they're in this mass. it is a holy moment for them. of course they're praying for inspiration because they believe this is divinely inspired. they believe that god has already chosen the next pope. how heavy is the contemplation? how many big issues do they face, john? >> well, i mean, there's a laundry list of issues these 115 cardinals face. but if you listen carefully to what they were saying during the two weeks that we've had of a run-up to this decisive moment, seems to me three things loom especially large for them. one, they want a pope who has a global vision. who can embrace not just the catholics here in europe for north america, but the two-thirds of those 1.2 billion catholics who live outside the west. this mass this morning symbolizes the universality.

we've heard prayers in multiple languages and so on. second, they want a cardinal or a pope who can evangelize, that is who can put a positive faith and voice on the catholic message, get people excited about the faith. and third they're looking for a governor. i think there's a perception among many of these cardinals that benedict's papacy was magnificent in terms of his teaching but a mixed bag in terms of its business management. they want somebody who can get their hands around the system and take control. of course, any one of those things is hard to do well. you put them all together, it's almost impossible that any one person could perfectly tick off all the items on that wish list. so they've got to look around at themselves and decides which one of us. >> the homily in the mass is always directed at the readings and you hear that today, but there was something a little bit specific to the act of picking a pope. what did we hear this morning? >> well, the gospel was a familiar one to us from the gospel of john, it's, this is my commandment, love one another as i have loved you.

you can have no greater love than to lay down your life for your friends. now cardinal sodano in his homily, interestingly, spoke about the mission of the pope, and heaid that the basic attitude of the shepherd is to lay down your life for your sheep, even more so for the shepherd of the church, the pope. now we all remember the images of john paul ii in his final stages with parkinson's. i mean, he really deteriorated before our eyes and literally laid his life down. now with pope benedict, he took another way. he said, i am going to resign, and you're not going to see me diminish in the same way, but i'm still giving this up for the sake of the greater good of the church. now, there's some reports that some felt betrayed by benedict's resignation. they thought if john paul ii can witness to us suffering and the humanity of christ in that, you can, too. but he didn't, and it's interesting to see that this is highlighted here to lay down your life for your sheep.

>> that's interesting. we're watching the mass now. they are preparing during this mass to take communion. take the eucharist which catholics believe is the body and blood of jesus. especially momentous today for the 115 cardinals who have to go vote, because they are looking for divine inspiration from what they believe is the holy spirit, to pick their next pope. john and zoraida, certainly their heads are heavy with the burden of expectation. >> chris, we are more fascinated by the pictures and we are riveted by your discussion, and we are in awe of the italian that you've been speaking all morning. so we thank you. >> with a little latin thrown in there, as well. not bad. >> ten minutes after the hour right now. go ahead and supersize it. a judge kicks new york's so-called soda ban to the curb. we're going to have mayor michael bloomberg's response, coming up. zes... [ sneezing ] she may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec®.

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oh, i don't have a cat. now you can save up to 50% during priceline's spring hotel sale use promo code spring for additional savings on all express deals, including pet friendly hotels. express deals. priceline savings without the bidding. welcome back to "early start." >> you're looking at a weather forecast somewhere overseas. >> i forgot to tell you you were looking at live pictures from the vatican where the special mass is under way. here it is for you.

in just over five hours 115 cardinals will begin their conclave to elect a new pope. that is officially the mass that is under way at this hour. we are there live and we're going to bring you live coverage throughout the morning. >> back here at home, a major setback this morning for new york's mayor michael bloomberg, just hours before the city's new restrictions on large sugary beverages were to take effect. a judge struck them down. so the mayor is going to appeal the decision. he says he's confident he will win. cnn's mary snow is here. this really came as a surprise. >> it really did come as a surprise. it's all over this. from now on, this soda will flow freely and so will sugary drinks. it was a bitter fight. well it's not over. many businesses scrambling to comply are cheering this setback. it was a first of its kind effort in the country to ban soda, sugary drinks, even some types of coffee beverages from being served in containers larger than 16 ounces.

the idea was part of mayor michael bloomberg's effort to fight obesity. the beverage companies, restaurants, movie theaters and others went to court to fight back against what they called a nanny state. just hours before the ban was to take effect, a state supreme court judge invalidated the city's rule, saying it is arbitrary and capricious because it applies to some, but not all food establishments in the city. it excludes other beverages that have significantly higher concentrations of sugar sweeteners and/or calories on suspect grounds. lattes and other drinks that were at least half milk were not on the list. and supermarkets and convenience stores were also exempt. but the mayor has vowed to appeal. >> if we are serious about fighting obesity, we have to be honest about what causes it, and we have to have the courage to tackle it head-on. >> reporter: the american beverage association considers the block a victory. the court ruling provides a sigh of relief to new yorkers and thousands of small businesses in

new york city that would have been harmed by this arbitrary and unpopular ban. local businesses were worried about their bottom line. like this theater that says 30% of its business is from large beverage sales. this is the largest size, it's 44 ounces. this is the smallest, it's 22 ounces. the theater would have had to lose those large sizes in favor of 16 ounces or less. it had general manager russell levinson worried his small theater would lose tens of thousands of dollars in sales. >> an independent theater like ours, it's a pretty significant hit. >> reporter: the portion control vow, continued on late night. >> i think that it is incumbent on government to tell people what they're doing to themselves and let people make their own decisions. >> reporter: now that movie theater you just saw, along with other businesses, held off making any changes until the lawsuit was resolved. now they'll wait until an appeals judge makes a final

decision. >> interesting. we will be watching. i think for some time. >> and so will so many other people. >> mary, thanks to you. later we're going to hear from both sides of the debate. new york city health commissioner dr. thomas farley will join us. then we're going to talk with andrew moesel, spokesman for the u.s. restaurant association in the 8:00 hour. >> 17 minutes past the hour. new information this morning on a deadly black hawk chopper crash in afghanistan. we now know that all five people who died are, indeed, americans. according to a government spokesman the chopper lost control and it went down in the daman district of the kandahar province near kandahar city. bad weather appears to be at fault. coalition forces say there was no enemy activity in the area at the time of this incident. we're expecting colorado movie theater suspect james holmes to enter a plea later this morning. yesterday a judge ruled that holmes could be given medically appropriate drugs during psychiatric interviews, and

possibly face a polygraph test if he chooses to plead not guilty by reason of insanity. he must also waive all medical confidentiality and turn over the names of any doctors and psychologists who treated him. holmes is accused of killing 12 people during a movie screening last summer. southern california rattled by more than 100 aftershocks after getting hit with its most powerful earthquake in three years. seismologists say yesterday's tremor hit an unusually wide area and even rocked a tennis channel broadcast. >> everywhere i go now, 76 years, plodding through my brain and i keep hearing that particular element of -- -- >> yeah, look around. >> having said that he coped with it really well. >> those comments were so powerful, neil, we actually just endured an earthquake. >> yeah, he was looking around, did you notice him? he's like -- something's happening here. the quake caused no major damage. >> all right. death and taxes are supposed to

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welcome back to "early start," everyone. these are live pictures right now from vatican city where cardinals, they are celebrating a special mass right now before

heading to the sistine chapel later this morning. that is where they will officially begin the process of electing a new pope. >> so fascinating to watch. >> it really is. >> i love all the tradition and pomp and circumstance. >> and the music. so we're minding your business this morning, as well. the dow record high count is now at five days. the futures are lower this morning. history shows that in the two months after a record high, stocks tend to drop a little, or they stay flat. >> turning on eye now to corporate america, new report shows that some of the biggest companies are stashing their cash overseas. it helps them avoid paying taxes here in the u.s. imagine that. cnn's zain ascher is in today for christine romans. >> hey, guys. massive shout-out to ge because they have the most corporate profits kept overseas. essentially what they're doing is dodging paying, as you said, high corporate tax rates here in the u.s. and this is completely legal. ge has $108 billion kept overseas. completely legal. and essentially they make money overseas they don't have to pay u.s. taxes on that money as long

as that money isn't brought back to the u.s. so at ge, $108 billion. also pfizer $73 billion kept overseas. microsoft, let's give a shout-out, $61 billion are kept overseas. a lot of health and tech companies do this. essentially they assign their patents and intellectual property rights, their foreign subsidiaries. they don't bring the money back to the u.s. they don't have to pay taxes on that money. and joint committees of taxation show if we tax their foreign earnings fully, we would generate billions of dollars. and if you think what we're dealing with -- >> $85 billion. >> but i think the solution is you can't tax these corporations to oblivion. if you tax them too much they won't invest that much on infrastructure, labor, that kind of thing. >> it's a whole lot of cash, though. >> i am totally -- >> what's the one thing we need to know about our money? >> americans are also stashing some cash, too. a new study says americans had nearly $200 billion stocked away in 529 college savings plans.

that's a record high. and it's a trend we've seen several years now. the only problem is the average 529 balance is $17,000. barely enough to buy one year at a public school. >> but it's a start. >> yeah. >> we're working on it. he was over there saying -- >> working. this is me. this is me. >> thank you very much, appreciate it. 25 minutes past the hour. how paul ryan wants to cut the debt, balance the budget, a first look at the plan. the congressman's unveiling today on capitol hill. and live at the vatican, right now. morning mass as the conclave to select the new pope getting under way, just a few hours from now they will be in the sis teen chapel. >> they're receiving communion right now. if youthen this willbrids arbe a nice surprise. meet the 5-passenger ford c-max hybrid. c-max come. c-max go. c-max give a ride to everyone it knows.

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prayers and secret ballots. morning mass now under way at the vatican on day one of the papal conclave. struck down. a judge puts a stop to new york's soda ban just hours before it was set to begin. and saved from certain death. a camera captures a police officer pulling an unconscious man from a burning car. unbelievable pictures for you this morning. welcome back to "early start." glad you're with us. i'm zoraida sambolin. >> i'm john berman. it is a big day here. tuesday morning. it is 30 minutes past the hour. welcome back to cnn's special live coverage of the vote for the next pope. 115 cardinals have every corner of the earth will take an oath of secrecy in just five hours. and then, the eyes of the world will be on that copper chimney above the sistine chapel as the cardinals begin voting for the next leader of the world's 1.2 billion catholics. right now, as you can see, the cardinals are wrapping up a special mass at the vatican for the election of the holy father.

at 10:45 eastern this morning those cardinals are scheduled to leave their residence at casa santa marta. 45 minutes later they will enter the sistine chapel and the pope watch officially begins. we've got a jump-start on that. the pope watch starts very early here at cnn. chris cuomo is leading our coverage in rome. good morning, chris. >> hey, john. how are you? you know, this is the last moment that all the cardinals who will vote are together before they get down to business. this mass is about drawing inspiration. it's alled pro eligendo pontifice in latin. it is to select the pope, that's the purpose of this mass. and right now we're at the point in the mass where they are receiving communion. which is the most holy and spiritual aspect of the mass for catholics. where they believe that in taking communion they are taking in the literal body and blood of god. so this is a very big moment for them that we're watching. they are joined by some 6,500

regular people, lahti, as they say in the church, who stood in long lines to come in and join the cardinals this morning. so, it's a very big moment. and we also saw something this morning in the mass you almost never really witness in a mass, because it's a solemn occasion. applause. take a listen to what caused it. >> translator: such an interior attitude is ours today as we wish to offer ourselves to cries in heaven, to thank us for the loving assistance he always reserves to the holy church and in particular to the brilliant pontificate that he granted to us through the life and the work of the 265th successor of peter, the beloved and venerable pontiff benedict xvi, to whom we renew in this moment all of our gratitude. >> a big round of applause for pope benedict. of course he set the stage for the need for this decision by resigning as pope.

hasn't happened in some 600 years. there you see on the recognition of the work that he had done. now, here this morning, they're inside, rome has been being hit by what they call these big massive storm cells, just dumps rain here and then passed along. miguel marquez has been in st. pet peter's square weathering the rain, literally. miguel, how are you now? >> it's not bad. it is coming down out here. we don't know when exactly it's going to come. it's been rain, hail, wind, just about everything. when the -- i'm not superstitious, but i did notice that when the cardinals clapped, there was a huge clap of thunder and lightning at the same time, which i thought was interesting. i could point out one thing to you today, because now it's getting to be very, very crowded down here. the red curtains on the basilica there, that is the balcony where the pope, once he is named, will make himself known to the giant

crowd here, and to the world on live television. during cardinal sodano's homily today he talked about justice. he talked about mercy. he talked about them getting back to the work that christ wanted them to do. which was to do all of that around the world. so it sounds like he is certainly, as a front-runner, telegraphing the hope that whoever is the next pope will be a merciful one, will seek justi justice, and will get back to some of the work that john paul was known for, and be a more activist church basically in the everyday lives of people. chris? >> all right, miguel, thank you very much. you know, in italian they say that this is il tempo della shelta. angelo sodano is the dean of cardinals. he is 85 years old. which makes it a little bit less

likely that he could be pope. he doesn't even get to vote because he's over 80 years old. but he has a very big place in the mass right now. this is it. this is the last moment before the conclave begins. where all these cardinals are together. john, zoraida? >> it is such a big moment. of course, later today they will enter the sistine chapel and that is where they will cast their very first ballot. joining us once again is monsignor rick hilgartner the head of the u.s. conference of catholic bishops and secretary on divine worship. as we said today we do expect the first vote. the first ballot. but the vatican is all but guaranteed that it will be black smoke. there will be no pope picked today. but what is the significance of the first ballot? >> the challenge is that because the cardinals haven't officially talked about names of candidates, but only talked about broad concepts of issues and concerns, they really don't know who they're voting for until that first ballot is cost and they start to read off the ballots, and they see. then they really see the consensus, the sense of the

group, and really see what the trends are looking like. so there could be 12, 13, 14, 15 or 30 cardinals who garnish any votes in this first ballot. >> walk us through that process, will you, of who actually counts the ballots? how does that all happen? >> the cardinals will actually choose, if they've not already done so, a series of nine cardinals who will assist in the ballot counting process. there will be three who are essentially the tellers who will open the ballots, they first count them to make sure that there's the proper number. maybe sure nobody's tried to slip in a second ballot. and then they'll read off the number -- read off the names and there will be another cardinal tallying and all the other cardinals sitting in the room can tally off and keep their own count because they're reading them out loud. the second three are the three who would go, if there are any of the cardinals who are sick in dead at the domus santa marta and they have to go there and allow the sick ones, if there are any, it doesn't appear that there will be. and then there are three additional cardinals who are the

revisers, who are the reviewers, to make sure that all counts are accurate. so they do all the counting right there in the chapel in front of all of them. and then there's another cardinal who is in charge of the stove when it comes time to burn the ballots. >> the all-important stove. we've been talking about the extraordinary secrecy, and the ceremony of this. and a lot of people find that intriguing in a way. but there was a really interesting column in "the new york times" today that said this secrecy is actually part of the problem. not something to be celebrated. he said when an organization shrouds itself in mystery, it's invariably treated as a cradle of intrigue. are these traditions in a way holding the church back? >> the intention of the secrecy is less about what the world doesn't get to see than it is about the outside influences affecting the cardinals in their voting. the idea is that they enter into this time of reflection and prayer, because it is spiritual. the mass sets the stage for that. the gospel reading this morning from the gospel of john, jesus

says to the disciples, it was not you who chose me but i who chose you. it reminds the cardinals that they need to be listening to what the lord's intentions are. >> what about the people's intention? the flock? because at the end of the day, this is really service to those people. and i think that maybe is part of the problem in the secrecy, that at the end of the day, who you serve doesn't necessarily have a voice here. >> well, i think, i hope that what happened last week in all of the general congregations was an opportunity for the cardinals to reflect on what they're hearing. they're bringing word back from their diocese where they serve around the world. the ones who work in the roman curiae certainly aware of what's going on in different parts of the world. we would hope as members of the faithful, spread throughout the world, that the cardinals are considering and taking into account what the faithful are saying. what the needs of the church really are. >> monsignor rick hilgartner, extraordinary process. thank you for helping to guide us through. >> my pleasure. other stories we're

following for you this morning. new york city mayor michael bloomberg promising to appeal a court ruling striking down his controversial ban on sugary soft drinks. it was actually to have started today. in his 11th hour ruling the judge called the law banning drinks larger than 16 ounces ash rather and capricious. bloomberg for his part said the court ruling is completely wrong, and that he is confident he's going to win an appeal. >> he didn't agree with it one bit. in just a few hours former vice presidential candidate paul ryan will roll out the republican budget plan. the wisconsin republican claims it will trim $4.6 trillion from the federal debt, and balance the budget in ten years. according to a ryan op-ed piece in "the wall street journal," the plan calls for increased oil drilling, he wants to repeal president obama's health care reforms and calling for an overhaul of the medicare and welfare system and rewriting the tax code with only two brackets at 10% and 25%. >> and take a look at this. it's the dramatic police rescue

caught on camera. dash cam video shows iowa police offering zack mcdowell without a minute to spare, pulling an unconscious man from this burning car. the car crashed into the side of a church in suburban des moines. it was sunday night. others jumped in, and they are able to pull the driver out to safety. the officer was eventually able, also, to put the fire out. >> amazing. >> what a hero. ahead on "early start" a soggy start to the day for some across the nation. jennifer delgado will join us with a look at the nation's weather. and we're looking at live pictures from the vatd can all morning long where cart nals are celebrating a really special mass before heading to the sistine chapel a little later this morning. they are charged with ee lejting the new pope. lecting at the new pope. the droid razr maxx hd by motorola.

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all right, everyone, soledad o'brien joins us now with a look ahead. >> a lot happening this morning. going to talk a little bit about the cardinal conclave that's starting today. 115 cardinals, locked inside the sistine chapel. they'll begin the process of selecting a new pope. who's going to be the victor? we're live in rome.

live at the vatican for the history changing event. new york city's mayor is planning to fight that ruling that made his ban on large sugary sodas invalid. we'll talk this morning with the city's health commissioner, and the spokesman for the new york restaurant association. will the mayor win his appeal? plus facebook coo sheryl sandberg's new book touching off a swirl of controversy about women and leadership. we'll talk with rachel thomas, she works with sandberg on her "lean in" campaign. sheryl sandberg likes to talk about women should be leaning into their careers instead of backing out of them the moment they feel like they're unable to move forward. we'll talk to her about that this morning. >> she has launched a discussion that is getting louder and louder by the minute. >> i love it. it's so interesting to me. >> thank you, soledad. get out your umbrellas. it's going to be a rainy start for parts of the east while some areas in the south actually begin to dry out. jennifer delgado is in the weather center for us.

who has a soggy start? >> tampa up towards new england. you can see on the radar, things are lighting up. really we're talking some light rain. we're not talking any severe storms. as we move into areas, including new england, this is going to be our big concern. we are talking one to two inches of rainfall for areas, including maine, as well as into parts of massachusetts, and then to eastern regions of new york. and that's because, with a combination of one to two inches of rainfall for today, and tomorrow, and then you add in mild temperatures and all that snow out there, this is going to be making for a messy and particularly dangerous commute for part of new england. you can see for yourself anywhere in green you're in the flood watch. show you some video coming out of the midwest just from yesterday, showing you the result of that snow melt that's happening there. you're also looking at icejam. again, coming out of cedar falls, iowa. as we take you back over to our graphics, we want to show you it's not all bad out there. the south is going to dry out, cooler conditions roll in through parts of the upper midwest, and six inches of

rainfall possible for parts of washington, as we go through thursday. especially in the mountains. also want to point out to you, of course, miguel has been talking a lot about what's been happening in rome. and the rain there. well we have this radar for you, because i'm a weather nerd. you can kind of see for yourself that cell that moved through that brought the hail, as well as the strong winds. we'll continue to see bad weather conditions as we go through the next couple days. depending on how long this conclave happens. it could be bad. >> well, it's nice that they have you, though, so you can let them know what to expect. next fall when we're all talking about what we did on our summer vacation, basketball's dennis rodman may have a big, big, big story to tell.

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so march madness is kind of in full? >> almost in full effect. >> last night gonzaga put an exclamation point on their argument they should be the top seed for the ncaa tournament. >> jared greenberg here with today's bleacher report. >> will number one please stand up? this morning it is indeed gonzaga. the polls have the school atop the rankings and last night they backed it up. for the 15th straight year gonzaga is headed to the ncaa tournament. they beat st. mary's to win the west coast conference title all but locking up a top seed when the ncaa tournament is announced on sunday. four other teams punched their tickets. super bowl champ is on the move. the ravens have shipped an kwan boldin to the team they beat in '87. he had refused to restrung your his salary.

the ravens were in need of making some financial adjustments after giving quarterback joe flacco the richest deal in nfl history. one of the most exciting young players is reportedly heading west. the seattle seahawks have sent draft picks to minnesota in exchange for percy harvin. adrian peterson called harvin the best player he has ever seen. they expect a busy day in the nfl. free agency officially opens up at 4:00 p.m. eastern. the michael vick book tour has been sacked. reports have surfaced that credible threats of violence have caused organizers to cancel the quarterback's book signings in new jersey and in his former home of atlanta in 2007 vick served an 18-month prison sentence for his role in a dog fighting ring. dennis rodman is making his summer vacation plans. the former nba star says he's headed back to north korea to hang with his quote/unquote friend kim jong-un. wait, it gets weirder. listen. >> i don't like what he does, but he's my friend. >> do you anticipate going over there again? >> yes, i will.

>> you are going over there? >> yes, i'ming going to vacation with him. yes. >> and that's not all. according to tmz rodman has his sights set on meeting the new pope. the flamboyant former nba rebounding machine told tmz he is jetting off to rome and that his peeps are in contact with the folks at the vatican trying to arrange a sit-down with the next pontiff. the san antonio spurs made a statement last night, logon to bleacherreport.com to check out from their first place showdown with the thunder. >> you're right, it does get weirder. can i talk nfl trades for one second? an conboldin sixth round pick for that guy. sixth round pick is all he can get back? >> they've got to pay him and that's the deal that san francisco is saying listen, if we've got to pay these guys and restructure their deals we're only going to give you a six-round pick and the ravens have to figure out their salary structure trying to defend that championship and they've got to

make a lot of different financial moves to make sure everybody is in place. but joe flacco is going to miss an kwan boldin in that offense. >> berman is already making predictions on who is going to win the super bowl. >> the seahawks. that percy harvin trade is a big deal for the seahawks. thank you for humoring us with our football talk here this morning. 54 minutes after the hour. officials at harvard university offering a limited apology to some resident deans after admitting it conducted a secret search of their e-mail accounts. the school offered an apology to the deans if the deans felt that communication at the conclusion of the investigation was insufficient. the search was sparked by the leak of a confidential e-mail about last year's cheating and plagiarism scandal. some frank words from former first lady laura bush about some of the republican candidates who ran for office last fall. during an interview on cnn's erin burnett out front she was asked about the emphasis some of them placed on social issues and how that impacted how women voted.

>> every candidate was different, you know, each one of them. there were obvious examples of candidates that were -- that i think frightened some women. but they were the exception, rather than the norm. in the party. >> mrs. bush also said that she understands that people have different views on social issues, and that the republican party has room for all of those different viewpoints. "early start" back just after the break. [ female announcer ] new york strips. sudden trips. mr. wiggles and curling irons. for the little mishaps you feel, use neosporin to help you heal. it kills germs

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