lot like spring, finally, for most of the country. but some areas can expect a blizzard this week. what you need to know in a live weather report coming up. >> and potential history in the making. louisville and michigan face off for college basketball's national championship. how one coach has more to lose than just the game. monday, april 8th, "starting point" begins right now. "starting point" is breaking news. tragic news from rural lincoln county, north carolina. that's where a human drama played out all night. a 6-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy both feared dead after they were buried by dirt at a construction site. the two were apparently playing in the pit when a dirt wall just collapsed. >> cnn's shannon travis has more on this breaking news. he's live in washington. this has turned from a rescue effort to a recovery effort. what can you tell us? >> it has, christine. what was the scene of hope is

now a scene of horror. officials determined those two children have been trapped under dirt for so long, without oxygen, it's unlikely they're still alive. that determination made just earlier this morning. crews are now trying to recover their bodies. it had been a rescue effort. those two children reportedly cousins were playing in that dip pit behind a family member's home some 20 miles outside charlotte. that's when that wall of dirt just simply collapsed on them. one child's father saw what happened and quickly called for help. some 75 workers spent hours at the mouth of the deep pit, crawling through earth with heavy equipment, even using their bare hands, looking on in shock, family members, some of them children themselves. one neighbor said that the children watching feared the worst and she told them, quote, god will take care of them. this recovery effort continues, officials have brought in a structural engineer and others to prevent the pit from caving in as searchers look for the children. christine? >> oh, shannon, thanks for that report. just oh, just such a sad story

for anyone with children or anyone who could just imagine what's happening to them this morning. joining us on the phone dion burlson, the public information officer with lincoln county emergency management. sir, thanks for, for, for tuning in here and letting us know what's happening the very, very latest. this is a recovery effort now. you don't think there's any chance those children could be alive under that dirt? >> unfortunately, no, ma'am. this has been a very tragic point in this smalltown community in lincoln county. and rescue efforts, recovery efforts are still under way as we speak at this time. crews have been working feverishly throughout the night. the call first came in around 6:00 yesterday afternoon. crews have been on the scene ever since. and they will remain here until we retrieve these two innocent babies' bodies and return them back to their family members. >> any sense of how the kids got into the pit? why they were playing there to begin with? >> no, there's not.

the lincoln county sheriff's office will be the lead investigative agency on this and they will be looking into the circumstances that surrounded this incident. at this point in time, the efforts are focused entirely on getting to these little children and getting them out of this predicament, and back to their final resting place. >> all right dion burlson, lincoln county emergency management. our thanks to you. i know it's been a difficult night there. some 75 workers working overnight to try to rescue those two kids now. >> it's impossible. don't know what to say. president obama begins a big push for new national gun legislation this morning with a speech in connecticut. cnn's brianna keilar live in washington with those details for us. brianna? >> hi there, christine. and according to "the washington post" this morning, there's a new player in the discussions on the hill. trying to come to a compromise between democrats and republicans on background checks, on universal background checks for gun purchases. we understand from "the

washington post" that pennsylvania republican pat toomey is now taking more of a leading role in these negotiations, with democrats. senator tom coburn of oklahoma had really been the point person for republicans in this. but it appears that he may not be the prominent player now amid some concerns that his negotiations weren't bearing fruit because many republicans were concerned background checks will lead to a national gun registry. all of this happening as president obama tries to push congress to act. >> reporter: the president is heading to connecticut, where the governor just signed some of the nation's toughest gun laws, requiring universal background checks, and imposing limits on the number of bullets in a magazine. speaking not far from the scene of the newtown shooting, he'll again say lawmakers in washington have an obligation to the 20 children killed there. >> every senator will get to vote on whether or not we should require background checks for anyone who wants to purchase a gun.

>> reporter: but despite polls showing 90% of americans support universal background checks, even getting that vote is increasingly uncertain. republican senator rand paul is leading a growing group of republicans threatening to block any vote. a total of 13 now signing onto this letter to senate democratic leader harry reid. saying, any new gun restrictions would violate the second amendment. >> they deserve a simple vote. they deserve -- they deserve a simple vote. >> reporter: white house officials respond by saying, every member of congress applauded the president's call for a vote at the state of the union. with newtown families looking on. but officials won't say whether the president would sign a watered down bill without background checks. >> not going to make any predictions here. but we're going to try to get the strongest bill we can. >> reporter: the looming

question remains, can president obama win the gun control at this point, christine, it doesn't really appear that what he's saying is having any weight on them. >> brianna keilar in washington. just about 20 minutes we're going to talk to the connecticut senator, richard blumenthal about federal gun control efforts. new developments this morning in the ever-increasing tensions between north and south korea. the north announcing in just the last couple of hours that it is pulling all of its workers out of the kaesong industrial complex that it shares with the south. cnn's jim clancy is live for us in seoul, south kia this morning. good morning, jim. >> good morning, john. shut it down. that's the message from north korea. a lot of people thought kim jong-un wouldn't go this far, wouldn't take this move. he's going to pull out his 53,000 workers from there. that means about 1,000 south koreans will also be forced to leave and 123 companies will cease doing business in what was the only symbol of cooperation

between north and south for many years. it is, however, a situation where north korea has hedged its bets, saying that this was a temporary suspension of the operations there. it's going to recover those. the blame went on the u.s. the blame went on south korea for impugning the dignity of the north, and for war mongering on the peninsula. the north koreans here take a risk, that was a good, reliable source of hard currency. it could reopen later. the companies are certainly hoping so. john? >> jim, we're getting mixed signals over the weekend, too, from the south over the possibility that the north koreans were preparing for another nuclear test. do we know anything about that this morning? >> sure we do. now, we know that that was a misread, comments were made by the unification minister, there have been activity around that nuclear site, activity ever since they have the test near

the end of april -- or the end of february. but there's nothing to indicate they're planning another new nuclear test. not so with that medium-range missile or missiles launch. we're expecting that to go ahead wednesday. john? >> all right, jim clancy in seoul, south korea. thank you for that important clarification. we're following another developing story involving hillary clinton. zoraida sambolin has that and the rest of the top stories for us. >> police in new hampshire are looking for an escapee this morning. it's a man who took hostages six years ago at one of hillary clinton's campaign offices. 52-year-old leeland eisenberg was reported missing yesterday from a halfway house in manchester. in 2007, eisenberg entered clinton's campaign office in rochester, new hampshire, with road flares strapped to his chest. he claimed it was a bomb and he held several hostages for five hours. hillary clinton was in washington, d.c. at the time. and happening now, secretary of state john kerry in jerusalem trying to rekindle

israeli/palestinian peace talks. he's in the middle of a ten-day trip to europe, the middle east and asia. kerry will meet with israeli leaders including prime minister benjamin netanyahu. and earlier this morning, sirens sounded across israel and all activity stopped for a moment of silence as the country marked holocaust remembrance day. and in just a few hours, the body of state department employee anne smedinghoff will be back on u.s. soil. the 25-year-old was delivering books to schoolchildren in southern afghanistan on saturday when a suspected taliban suicide bomber slammed into her convoy, killing her and also four other americans. barbara starr is live from the pentagon this morning for us. good morning. >> good morning, zoraida. the friends and family of anne smedinghoff say she died doing exactly what she wanted. serving her country. anne smedinghoff volunteered to go to afghanistan. her family said she was doing the work she loved, trying to

make a difference in the world. her father tom. >> we thought she was relatively safe in the -- in the embassy compound. she was always, you know, finding projects and assignments that took her outside, and that was what she wanted to do. that was what really drove her. >> reporter: on saturday she was killed in this attack when a suicide bomber smashed into her convoy. three soldiers and another civilian were killed. they were trying to deliver schoolbooks. her chicago neighborhood now decorated with flags and flowers. smedinghoff is believed to be the first u.s. diplomat killed since last september's attack in benghazi, libya. secretary of state john kerry, traveling, spoke of the young woman he met on his recent trip to kabul. >> she was someone who worked hard and put her life on the

line so that others could live a better life. our hearts go out to anne's mother and father, with whom i spoke yesterday, and to the two sisters and the brother who survive her. >> reporter: smedinghoff had been in afghanistan since july. as her facebook photos show, confidently traveling with troops around the country. >> anne and those with her were attacked by taliban terrorists who woke up that day, not with a mission to educate or to help, but with a mission to destroy. >> of course our condolences go out to the other families who lost their loved ones in the same attack. afghan civilians also, of course, paying a huge price in this conflict. over the weekend an air strike inadvertently perhaps, they believe, killed several afghan children. that incident now also under investigation. zoraida? >> absolutely awful. you know, barbara, at the end of the day you want your kids to live out their dreams and

passions but with this outcome it's very tragic. thank you very much, barbara. next hour we'll be joined live by the parents of anne smedinghoff, thomas and mary beth. four men trying to row from west africa to miami had to be rescued at sea when a massive wave capsizes their boat. they were about 400 miles north of puerto rico trying to set a world record for a human powered row across the atlantic, when all the craziness happened. the two canadians and two americans got into a life raft, then they set off a location beacon. a locator weekend. the coast guard found them a few hours later. a cargo ship dropped them off last night in san juan. and apparently spring has sprung. you can finally feel it at least here in new york city. it could get up to 70 degrees today. i hear perhaps 79 degrees tomorrow. take a look at washington, d.c. the cherry blossoms! finally blooming there. oh, it's so beautiful. but that is unfortunately not the case for many out west, the rockies and the northern plains

brace for heavy snow. jennifer delgado has the 411 for us. she's in the weather center in atlanta. i say you've got a lot of explaining to do for us today. >> that's right, zoraida. i do. mother nature is just going crazy out there. we're talking cold conditions on the way for parts of the west, and happy snowfall. as zoraida said, we're potentially looking at more than a foot of snow for some parts of the dakotas, as well as in nebraska. look for colorado, and some locations there in the northwest. we do have blizzard warnings in place, and the same for northeastern parts of utah. you're saying to yourself it seems rather late in the year to get this going, well, this is what happens when you're in this pattern? it's all due to, of course, the jet stream. now for today, we are going to see some severe storms popping up anywhere from nebraska down to oklahoma. possibility we could also see some of these storms producing some tornadoes. but it's not just today we're talking about the severe weather threat. that is going to increase for tuesday, as well as into wednesday when you get these two air masses around, of course,

you start to see that convection develop. here's what's going to be happening. this is monday, of course we're going to be nice and warm across the south and northeast. cold air starts to spread more over towards the east, temperatures running 15 to 25 degrees below average, get this for denver, today, you will see a high of 65 degrees. by tomorrow, hello, a high of 20 degrees. that is a 40-degree temperature drop. so again temperatures today and tomorrow across the northeast 10 to 20 degrees warmer. you could see 70 for a high today in new york. nearly 80 on tuesday for atlanta. we've been flirting with the 80s over the last couple of days. great weather for the final four tonight. lots of sunshine. zoraida, we feel for the people in the west, because they had it nice for the last couple of weeks. we'll take it. >> yeah, we will. i'm not going to talk about the extended forecast because i think some folks would get upset. thank you for that. >> live in the moment. >> yes. >> that is a good idea to live in the moment. >> the forecast.

thanks, zoraida. college basketball history can be made tonight when louisville and michigan battle it out for the national championship. >> the cardinals are favored by four points, and if they win it would make louisville coach rick pitino the first coach ever to win national titles with two children colleges. it would be kentucky and louisville. joe carter is live from atlanta where they tip off now 14 hours joe. >> it is game day here in atlanta, guys. good morning to you. unlike college football, i believe college basketball got it right and that we have the two best teams in the country playing for the national championship tonight. you've got the number one offense in the country, the michigan wolverines, against the number one defense in the country, the louisville cardinals. both teams had practice and pressers yesterday. the sense we got from louisville is that, you know, they've been here before. they were in the final four last year. they came up empty. they do not want to leave atlanta without a championship this time. rick pitino saying this team is more unified than they ever have been before. i think that's because they've

been together for so long. and also because of the kevin ware factor. then you look at michigan. some say this is louisville, they're the team of destiny. how can you make the number one overall seed the team of destiny. michigan is the team of destiny because this team has had to beat basketball powers in order to get into this game tonight. teams like vcu, kansas, florida, syracu syracuse. this team, which one fan coined the phrase of the fresh five could do what the fab five was unable to do 20 years ago, that's win the national championship. guys, wouldn't it be something if we saw the fab five sitting in the stands tonight when michigan plays? reports are there's going to be four of them at the game. the one missing link, chris webber. he lives here in atlanta but some say he may not show up to the game. let's see maybe he'll have a change of heart, it would really be something special to see 20 years later the fab five watching the fresh five go for the national championship. >> it would be surprising to see weber there.

michigan better keep an eye on their time-outs. >> ooh. >> i know. >> ahead on "starting point" one of the hikers stranded in the mountains in los angeles speaking out. >> so i told her, it's six blocks, if we don't get out of here then we're going to die. >> from hallucinations to going unconscious, he tells all coming up next. >> and later we'll meet jeremy wade host of animal planet's river monsters. he's here live with exclusive clips of the new next episode next episode of the new season. but i wondered what a i tcustomer thought? is great, hi nia... nice to meet you nia, i'm mike. what do you drive? i have a ford explorer, i love my car. and you're treating it well? yes i am. there are a lot of places you could take your explorer for service, why do you bring it back to the ford dealership? they specifically work on fords. it seems to me like the best care. and it's equal or less money, so it's a value for me.

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welcome back. new developments this morning in the rescue of two teens in the mountains of southern california. >> the pair was lost in the woods for three, long, long days. one suffering hallucinations. and this morning we are hearing from him. cnn's nick valencia joins us now live from los angeles with just this crazy story. good morning, nick. >> it is crazy. 19-year-old nick cendoya spoke to reporters yesterday and considering what he went through, he's doing pretty well. the doctors say that if he was out there just one more day there's no telling what could have happened. >> i knew i was going to die. >> reporter: after five days in the hospital, two days longer than he was lost in the wilderness, rescued hiker nicholas cendoya talked about his near-death experience. >> i'm going to be honest with you, i was seeing tigers. i thought tigers were stalking me, like raccoons, everything. i just wasn't scared. i had a stick sharpened ready for anything.

>> reporter: cendoya and his hiking companion kyndall jack went missing during an afternoon easter sunday hike in southern california's cleveland national forest. they called police for help but their cell phone battery died. cendoya says one of the last thing he remembers is a spur of the moment decision to climb a mountain. it was a decision that almost cost him his life. >> we were expecting a helicopter that never showed up. so i told her, it's six blocks, and i told her if we don't get out of here then we're going to die. >> reporter: the doctor who treated him said cendoya is suffering from amnesia after being knocked out from a nasty fall down the mountain. but he expects him to fully recover. >> he has all the evidence of having suffered a significant blunt force trauma. probably from a fall. which can explain his amnesia for the event. he's been doing well, and he's recovered remarkably, probably because of his good physical makeup, and his youth. >> reporter: but it may have been youth and inexperience that led to the problem.

any lessons he learned from the experience. >> definitely bring a compass, water, tell people where you're going, bring a map. i think everyone needs to tell people exactly where you're going because i didn't even tell my parents exactly where i was going. >> now as for his hiking companion kyndall jack, cnn spoke to the uci medical center yesterday, they said she's in good condition and has been for several days. still not sure when she will be released. >> our thanks to you. imagine hallucinating so much you have sticks sharpened to protect yourself from the tigers you think are attacking you. >> what a crazy experience. both glad they're both home and okay. sounds like she's still in the hospital. ahead on "starting point" gas prices are plunging. we'll tell you what's going on. plus which airline, which airline has the best on-time arrival record and who's logginged most complaints? best and worst choices for flying, that's next. you're watching "starting point." changing the world is exhausting business.

with the innovating and the transforming and the revolutionizing. it's enough to make you forget that you're flying five hundred miles an hour on a chair that just became a bed. you see, we're doing some changing of our own. ah, we can talk about it later. we're putting the wonder back into air travel, one innovation at a time. the new american is arriving.

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airline quality ratings from wichita state university and purdue university. united airlines the worst offender, taking in more than four complaints for every 100,000 customers. griping about crowded planes, poor customer service. but on-time arrivals improved for eight of the 14 airlines. if you want to get there on time, hawaiian airlines is top for timeliness. and mishandled luggage is at a 25 year low. virgin america gets top marks there. less than 1 in 1,000 bags goes missing on its watch. maybe because you're carrying them all on. the national average for a gallon of regular gas is down to $3.59 a gallon, more than 10 cents from a month ago. more than 30 cents below last year's peak. many analysts say they saw this coming back when prices were climbing in the middle of the winter analysts were saying it was cyclical and prices were likely to come down before they topped the 2012 peak of $3.93. today lundberg says more u.s. refineries are gaining access to

lower priced domestic and canadian oil. she says the benefits of that domestic crude north american crude is finding its way to customers here. >> fantastic news. ahead on "starting point," president obama continues his push for gun control in connecticut today. as that state's governor shares harsh words for the nra. >> reminds me of the clowns at the circus. they get the most attention. and that's what he's paid to do. >> we have connecticut senator richard blumenthal here to react. >> then the search for two missing brothers believed kidnapped by their parents that search widens. why the coast guard is now involved. thing at all? it's 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.

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welcome back to "starting point" everyone, i'm john berman. >> i'm christine romans. coming up we'll be talking to connecticut senator richard blumenthal about the federal gun control push and president obama's visit later today. first let's get to zoraida sambolin with the other top stories. voters from key west to pensacola are being asked to watch for a sailboat with two kidnapped boys on board. cole and chase haaken have been missing since wednesday. authorities say their father was

armed when he broke into their grandmother's home near tampa, tied her up, and took off toward a pier where the family had a sailboat. that's where the trail ends. cnn is live in miami with more details. good morning to you. >> good morning, zoraida. like you said, this all started wednesday afternoon when that father, went into these boys' grandmother's house. she has custody. police say he abducted them and the next night, thursday evening, that's when the trail went to the sea. because that's when police found this family's suv parked at a dock in florida. florida fish and wildlife officers on land and sea are working with federal authorities and local authorities, they're searching the gulf of mexico, the amber alert was just recently expanded to include the coastal states, including georgia, alabama, authorities are also searching areas on land. this is a really large area that they're searching for this boat for this family, really. there are a lot of waterways in that area. there's a lot of coastline. as you mentioned, the coast

guard is also seeking help from boaters, people who are out recreationally in the gulf of mexico. friday there was some bad weather. but over the weekend and today authorities are hoping that there will be other boats out on the gulf that can help them search for this family. police say that this father is actually a pretty experienced boater. they don't have any indication that these boys are harmed at this point. they wanted the family to know they can reach out and have a conversation with police and try to resolve this. zoraida? >> we know at one point the dad was armed. sara, thank you. we appreciate it. next hour we'll hear from detective larry mckinnon with the hillsboro county sheriff's department that is at 8:15 eastern. health officials playing down a strain of bird flu that's been seen in humans for the first time. six people have died and nearly 2,000 -- two dozen, excuse me, infected. all in china. the world health organization

called it sporadic cases of a rare disease and praised chinese officials for the efforts to contain it. and funeral services will be held this morning in chicago for legendary film critic roger ebert. his loyal fans will appreciate this detail. today's church service will be open to the public. it is a first come, first serve basis. just like "at the movies." ebert's family says a memorial tribute will be held on thursday. roger ebert lost his long, courageous battle with cancer last week at the age of 70. a wall of mud and debris pushing an amtrak train off the tracks. it happened on a southbound train to seattle. the dining car and two coach cars derailed. no one was hurt. train service in that area is canceled today, so workers can fix the track there. and they're off. several endangered sea turtles were he will leased to the ocean sunday at a beach in jacksonville, florida. this was the last major shipment of the threatened species to arrive in the south.

hundreds of them were rehabilitated after washing up cold and stunned on new england beaches last fall. and there, john berman, you finally get to see them actually released. earlier we had the pictures of them being rehabilitated. quite a sight, isn't it? >> thanks, zoraida. 33 minutes after the hour. president obama heads to connecticut today to try to bolster his argument for tougher national gun legislation. the white house issuing this statement. says on the eve of senate consideration of gun safety proposals the president will speak as he did at the state of the union about the obligations the nation has to children lost in newtown and other victims of gun violence. >> this visit comes just days after connecticut enacted some of the toughest gun laws in the country. connecticut senator richard blumenthal will be on hand for the president's speech in hartford today. he joins us now. you know, my first question is, the new set of laws enacted in your state. how will they prevent another adam ran today or a james holmes

from doing the unthinkable in a movie theater or at a schoolhouse? does this move the ball toward preventing these sorts of things? >> it definitely is a step in the right direction. it bans assault weapons, and high-capacity magazines, which were so integral to those mass killings. remember that anywhere from 6 to 11 children were able to escape the classroom where the shooter was firing bullets rapid fire. and that was because he had to change magazines. the same is true in tucson, where christina taylor, the 9-year-old who was killed by the 13th bullet fired might well be alive today if that magazine had been restricted to ten rounds. so high capacity magazines, and assault weapons, both involved in mass shootings will make a difference. plus, and here's where i think the connecticut law is very important as a model for the nation, there are also bans on illegal trafficking, that is

straw purchases, mental health initiative and school safety measures and very importantly, background checks. >> let's talk about -- >> which are very, very important. >> let's talk about background checks. we got news overnight there may be some progress towards a new deal with new players involved in the senate. west virginia's joe manchin a democrat, and pennsylvania's pat toomey, a republican, are apparently working on some kind of a deal on background checks. wouldn't be universal. they'd be limited. they wouldn't count family-to-family sales and also hunter-to-hunter sales. what can you tell me about this possible deal and where you stand on it? >> there really is a compromise and common ground that is feasible and can be done on a bipartisan basis. in fact, has to be done on a bipartisan basis. we will need republican votes to break the filibuster that is threatened. so, senator toomey's involvement along with senator manchin, two very credible and experienced senators, very important to achieving that kind of common ground. >> did you and other democrats, you think, support that deal

that wouldn't be universal, would be limited. could you support limited background checks? >> where there are family sales. where there are sufficient limitations, it may be possible to gain common ground among all the supporters of gun safety measures. and of course, the president is going to be in hartford creating a picture that i think will be very powerful in moving the debate forward. but, there is a compromise that's feasible and possible and necessary and desirable. these kinds of discussions have been going on for some time now crystallizing and very possibly reaching an agreement. >> the president was speaking today i think about 50 miles from where newtown happened. do you worry at all that in washington there is a diminished sense of urgency about this as time passes? >> there needs to be a continued sense of urgency. you know the nra is really trying to slow walk and stall and we have the opportunity for the first time, maybe in a generation, to break the

stranglehold -- >> look at the run on gun sales, and we can really track that through background checks to the fbi. but the amount of gun sales over the past three months since newtown is just staggering. talk about new laws in connecticut and other states, i mean we've got, people are armed to the teeth and someone -- >> and some 24 states have actually passed new restrictions since newtown. >> and no one wants to take away those guns. we respect the second amendment rights of all americans. nobody wants a national registration system. or invasion of privacy. and that's why the sensitivity of those rights is important to reaching a deal, and an agreement that i think can provide a basis for going forward. you know, sense of urgency, i think, is still there for those of us who talk and live with these families. and that's the urgency that the president will try to revive tonight because the families will be with them. and that picture, i hope, along with the knowledge that the majority of americans, more than

90%, want background checks, i think will revive, reinvigorate, but also sustain that sense of momentum and urgency. >> 95% of americans want those background checks. >> richard blumenthal, thank you very much for coming in. >> ahead on "starting point" a heartwarming moment on the football field when a little boy battling brain cancer gets to live this dream. you've got to see this. and the hit show river monsters back for season five. we're getting a sneak peek with exclusive clips of the upcoming episode, host jeremy wade joins us live. we went out and asked people a simple question:

how old is the oldest person you've known? we gave people a sticker and had them show us. we learned a lot of us have known someone who's lived well into their 90s. and that's a great thing. but even though we're living longer, one thing that hasn't changed: the official retirement age. ♪ the question is how do you make sure you have the money you need to enjoy all of these years. ♪

to enjoy all of these years. ó?

to the final four now down to the final two. louisville and michigan play tonight for the ncaa championship. what a fantastic match-up. jared greenberg is here with today's "bleacher report." >> it all started with 345 schools, way back in november. tonight, only one will be able to say mission accomplished. and a different set of circumstances tonight than the norm. as the favorite has the nation pulling for them. and that's because kevin ware is the story for louisville. he watched courtside saturday night a week after suffering a horrific leg injury. the cardinals got past cinderella, aka wichita state. multiple media outlets are reporting later on this morning rick pitino will be selected to the basketball hall of fame. led by the consensus national player of the year trey burke has michigan moving on. they can also capture their

second-ever title and despite a poor performance by burke in the semifinals michigan was able to get past syracuse. see a complete breakdown of the title game you can check out bleacherreport.com. here it is, once again, not a minute before or after 9:23, they're going to throw the ball up eastern time tonight. louisville against michigan in the 75th ncaa men's basketball championship game. and the louisville ladies can complete the blue grass state sweep. last night the cardinals upset cal in the women's final four. meaning the cardinals will also play for a women's national championship. who's going to be producing those bats for louisville slugger when all they're doing is watching hoops? and college career of one of the all-time greats came to an end of notre dame got upended by connecticut. tuesday night it will be uconn against louisville in the women's title tilt. believe it or not billy crystal smiling wider than jack nicholson these days because for the first time ever the lakers have not beaten the clippers in

a single game during the regular season. 4-0 in favor of the clippers. and while the clippers have a spot reserved in the playoffs, the fate of the tradition-rich lakers is now very much in doubt. the video of the weekend comes to us from nebraska. spring football has never meant so much. a 7-year-old battling brain cancer got an opportunity to live out a dream during the nebraska intrasquad scrimmage. jack hoffman took the handoff and he knew exactly what to do with it. look at hoffman go, 69 yards for the score. a feeling he could only describe as awesome. a crowd of more than 60,000 cheered him on. then the entire nebraska squad came out to lift him up on their shoulders. and it is officially team jack. >> you know, pretty special. i mean, it was very special. and you know, i told coach and all these coaches, you know, they've given jack so many once in a lifetime opportunities, and to just have another one of those once in a lifetime opportunities, i think speaks

volumes about the coach and the kind of program that he has. >> and give credit here to the players. this is not a pr stunt. rex burkehead found out about the boy and said listen, we want to have him part of our team. and he was certainly now will always be remembered as a tailback for the university of nebraska. >> fantastic. the players and the fans and jack, who could run. man that kid was booking. all right. jared greenberg our thanks to you. >> ahead on "starting point," river monsters back for a fifth season. host jeremy wade is here with an exclusive look at the next episode and what monsters has got facing this time around. you're watching "starting point." #%tia[

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. welcome back to "starting point". some stories we're watching for you this morning. even as police search for his killer, an honor flag will be raised today for murdered kaufman county d.a. mike mclelland. organizers say it will fly at the top of the pole because mclelland would not want it at half-staff. and more than 200 people who had dessert at a new york city restaurant are now receiving vaccines for hepatitis a. the city's department of health

says as many as 450 patrons of the restaurant alta may have been exposed to the virus by a worker. so far there are no reported cases of the illness. and beyonce and jay-z's could you ban holiday to celebrate their fifth anniversary has raised eyebrows in congress. most travel for americans to the country has been banned unless there is a religious, cultural or academic reason. now two republicans want to know who approved the trip and for what reason. they have written a joint letter to the government agency responsible for the ban. a little bit of trouble. you can go for cultural reasons but -- >> cultural fifth wedding anniversa anniversary? i don't know. fans have come to know jeremy wade on the popular animal planet series river monsters. >> now back for a fifth season, wade is upping the amte to find the most mysterious and dangerous fish.

this includes a search for a mutant fish in chernobyl nuclear waste lands. take a look. >> suddenly i'm hooking something. and it was big and pulling me closer and closer to the water. came off the hook. >> so that was just a little crazy. jeremy is joining us. i think i heard the radiation detector going off there. that's chernobyl, god knows what's in it. how concerned were you about the radiation? >> very concerned. which is why we can't go in to it blindly. we consulted radiation experts beforehand. there was a total limit that we must nt exceed. we were limited to five consecutive days there. i had a thing to my belt that i wore all the time, the radiation is quite patchy, so i had an

alarm that told me if it was particularly high. someplaces if i stood there for an hour, would i have exceeded my dose. so can't see radiation. that's the thing. >> let me quickly ask you about you went in with ukraine why ni scientists. this is still a scientific mystery, isn't? tell us about the region and what you expected to find there. >> well, it's still an excluded zone. you have to get permission to get in. so it was unlike anywhere that i'd ever been. in terms of a backdrop, i'm normally fishing jungles. so scientists wanted a fish that key study because it hasn't been done and it's very important in the likes of fukushima, what effect does it have to underwater life. >> this is season five coming up. i understand you're tackling kind of like the biggest fish story of them all, the lockness monster. >> absolutely. that's the season finale. >> did you find it?

>> we found something. we have a dramatic ending to the program. i obviously can't say too much. >> are you surprised at the popularity of the series and the range of viewers that you're getting? >> absolutely. i think children like the fact that a lot of the creatures look ugly, they're strange, they are potentially dangerous to people. but they're sort of misunderstood. normally they don't know it's somebody's foot they're grabbing. they just see a splash in the water and think it's a small fish. so i show them and generally put them back is very important. >> jeremy wade, now entering your fifth season. congratulations. thanks for being here. we're following breaking news for you. we've confirmed make yorgaret thatcher has died. >> of course the prime minister for so long, the iron lady as she was called. led that nation through a very difficult period. she was in charge when the economy had a big turnaround

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rather than months. because the world's biggest challenges deserve even bigger solutions. powerful answers. verizon. breaking news. margaret thatcher has died. of course the prime minister in england, in great britain, 1979 to 1990. she led a conservative government for that time. she was a fierce ally of the united states. a great friend to ronald reagan

and controversial for some in britain with austerity measures, she battled the unions there. she also led that nation in the falkland war against arrest aga argentina. solidified support within that condition. >> she escaped an ira terrorist bombing at her hotel and she went on eventually to see peace, at that time unthinkable. so she saw a lot of changes over her life time. including 2002, she retired from public life after a series of small strokes and she's been really very private since then. her daughter confirmed in 2008 that she was suffering from dementia, but clearly a woman whose public image was very -- iron lady. >> you say talk about the changes she saw, how about this, she was the first and only so far woman prime minister of britain. and she led that country again through difficult times. and still an icon in that country. >> 87 years old. and again her spokesman is confirming to cnn that margaret

thatcher has died. she had been hospitalized a couple of times over the past few months. obviously 87 years old and in 2002, she had had a series of strokes. that's when she retired from public life. she did attend the funeral services for ronald reagan in june of 2004 and those two figures really key in that era of the american british friendship. >> it was such an amazing life. and becky -- we don't have becky anderson i'm told. but as you were saying, such a crucial period for the united states. fierce allies. ronald reagan and margaret thatcher, you often saw them side by side. you also saw margaret thatcher's handbag of course during all these periods known as the iron lady. >> you mentioned that she was the first female and strong, strong and fierce female, but also three consecutive terms. so at the end of the day leaving a lasting legacy for everyone,

as well. >> we're getting all of our reporters up from cnn and cnn international to talk about her legacy and what happens next in terms of obviously a grieving uk at this point. because this will be -- this is someone for a generation who defined politics in the uk. as i said, also a period of friendship between the americans and the british. >> elected to three consecutive terms. tony blair was elected three consecutive, also, but his last one technically in the 21st century. she was also controversial. she eliminated some government subsidies that did lead to a sharp rise. high unemployment in the country. but of after that the economy did start to take off. >> she was very close to president reagan. she shareded a lot of similar

conservative views. remind us again about what the politics of the era. >> this was the cold war. the height in many cases. before things calmed down. and when ronald reagan and m margaret thatcher were both this charge, you had strong and sometimes controversial leadership from the west facing off from nato against the eastern block and warsaw pact. and in that strength of course nuclear rearment, boosting the nuclear arsenal over in europe, that was controversial to some. but others will argue of course that that strength and that alliance helped win the cold war for the west. >> and then there's the fact that she's the first high profile woman running a country. you look at the political landscape today for women in politics compared with when she began in 1950, her first uns

unsuccessful run for parliament. >> she was in power for a long time before she took over. >> so when you think about her legacy, what would be the key things? >> the cold war, alliance with ronald reagan, coupled in as one. i think the falkland war where you had great britain taking on argentina, a battle over he's tiny little islands. that was a very controversial confrontation where not a lot of the world lined up behind great britain right there. but she saw that through and that really galvanized her support which was wavering at that point in britain. that helped galvanize her support in the country. and then the economic measures which were controversial. the labor movement having going very strong in britain for decades. but when she came in, she really did her best to sort of break that movement. ending government subsidies. strikes, miners were up in arms over the whole thing and it was very controversial. >> again, breaking news, margaret thatcher former prime minister of britain has died.

let's get a closer look at her career with becky anderson. >> reporter: she did defiance. >> the latest not returning. >> reporter: she did direct. >> no. no. no. >> reporter: and when she chose, with femininity alongside the steel. >> where there is doubt, may we bring faith. and where there is despair, may we bring hope. >> reporter: her longest serving cabinet member remembers this way. >> her style was essentially a determination for the to be driven off course. her phraseology there is no alternative demonstrated a clear determination to see tough policies through. >> margaret thatcher grew up here in a solid uncomplicated english market town. and the values that she learned here shaped her entire political ideology. her father, a pillar of the

community, ran a corner shop. now a humble medicine store, a modest plaque on on the wall is all that testifies to its small place in history. margaret roberts as she was born lived with her parents and sister above the family grocery shop. she had the honor of serving as her school representative or head girl in her final year before she went up to oxford where she studied chemistry. but it was her father who was her biggest influence. it was he who impressed upon her wrongs as he saw it of living beyond your means, a lesson she took to heart. >> one of the most immoral things you can do is to pose as the moral politician demanding more for health, more for education, more for industry, more for housing, more for everything, then when you see the bill say, no, no, i didn't

mean you to pay tax to pay for it, i meant you to borrow more. >> reporter: >> we had discontents, we had strikes. we really needed a strong leader. and that's what we got. >> reporter: for today's conservative ladies, margaret thatcher is a source of great pride. >> she had such a wonderful code for life. you have certain rules and regulations in the way you conduct yourself. manners, this sort of thing. she was a great icon of those things. which i think are missing now. >> great britain became great again through margaret thatcher. >> divisive, though. because there are a lot of people who do not like having things taken away from them. and they don't like change. so she had a job to do and she did it. >> so margaret thatcher, one of the most interesting things about margaret thatcher who again we're just learning now has passed away at the age of 87, not only an iconic figure within britain, but she played a big role in the united states,

too. americans growing up during the '80s, everyone knew margaret thatcher. because of what she was doing in britain also her relationship with ronald reagan. when reagan died in 2004, she did come to the funeral and that was sort of an image that seared in so many people's memories. she hasn't looked well for a number of years. >> she retired from public life after suffering a series of small strokes in 2002. so for president reagan's funeral in 2004, she came out of a very private, private retirement so do that. and i think it's a symbol of how close the two were. and the period of them being at the helm of their countries during the cold war, during the kinds of things that we were facing. remember the real concerns about nuclear war at the time. real visceral concerns about the bomb and the morning after the bomb. and these were the two world leaders most recognized for

leading these very two close friends, these countries through all of that. >> she was fierce, fierce critic of communism no doubt about that. of course margaret thatcher known as the iron lady. if ever a nickname sort of epitomized the character of an individual, of a leader, it was that. >> we have more breaking news for you. we'll go to shannon travis right now. we know that firefighters have been digging since late last night in desperate search for 56-year-old girl and 7-year-old boy. and now shannon is here with the news that their bodies have been found. >> that's right. just learning moments ago about the discovery of both children. officials briefed us. they said one child was found about two hours ago. the other about an hour ago. they had been trapped under so much dirt for so long without oxygen, officials said they were found about 24 feet down in the ground under several thousand pounds of dirt. of course just up until this morning, it had been a rescue effort. the 6-year-old girl and

7-year-old boy were cousins, playing in a deep pit behind a family member's home some 20 miles outside charlotte. that's when that wall of dirt collapsed on them. one child's father saw what happened and quickly called for help. some 75 workers spent hours at the mouth of the deep pit clawing through the earth with heavy equipment. even using their bare hands looking on in shock were family members. some of them children themselves. one neighbor said that the children watched and feared the worst and she told them, quote, god will take care of them. christine. >> all right. shannon travis, such a sad development. very sad story. thanks. a murdered u.s. diplomat making the long journey home from afghanistan this morning. later today at dover air force base, the remains of 25-year-old chicago native anne smedinghoff will be back in america. the state department worker was delivering books to schoolchildren in southern afghanistan on saturday when a suspected taliban suicide bomber crashed into her convoy, killing her and four other americans. secretary of state john kerry just met the young woman on a recent trip to kabul.

>> as she was someone who worked hard and put her life on the line so that others could live a better life. anne and those with her were attacked by taliban terrorists who woke up that day not with a mission to educate or to help, but with a mission to destroy. >> now let's talk to anne's parents. they're in dover, delaware, they will be at dover air force base later this morning. first of all, our condolences to you. a bright, brilliant, beautiful girl. young woman who was doing the work of the united states. we thank you first of all for raising someone to hold the american ideals around the rest of the world for us all. and we're so sorry that you lost her. >> thank you so much. thank you so much. those words of comfort have been immeasurable help to all of us since we got the terrible news

from secretary kerry on saturday morning. >> you can tell us about our daughter, first of all, and with a droa drove her and the passio that drove her to the foreign service? she wanted to travel the world. tell us about what drove her. >> she was someone that really embraced life to the fullest. she really wanted to make a difference in the world. she had a strong interest in foreign affairs and internation international internationaldy proceed may massey. and she saw this as a way that she could contribute and help make a difference to, you know, in this case in afghanistan, to the people who really needed the kind of help that she was able to provide both in terms of education, helping local women's groups, helping businesses and

so forth. >> thomas, you've said that she volunteered to go to afghanistan. did you talk to her about this decision? what was on her mind as she headed there? >> you know, when she -- she had a difficulty telling us that that was something that she was considering applying for. and i remember specifically asking her, anne, why would you want to apply for something like that. and she went on to explain how she really thought that there was a lot that could be done there and she could be a part of it. and so i very reluctantly of course as parents, you always want to make sure no harm comes to your children. but i knew that she wanted to embrace this opportunity. and so she had our full heart and support and blessing to apply for that position. >> and apparently she had been having great success there.

just last month when secretary of state john kerry visited afghanistan, she was the control officer which is such an honor for a young diplomat. she really handled the secretary in the country. did she talk to you about her work while she was there? >> you know, why you, we spoke often. many times we had long conversations on sunday mornings. it was her sunday evening there and it was a good time for us. so we had long talks. and we actually spoke the last time on easter morning, and most of the conversation was all about that trip when secretary kerry had been in afghanistan. and she told us what her role was. we didn't know anything about it until everything was over with. and she just was so exuberant of everything that had transpired during that trip and what she had done of obviously, we were very proud of her. >> she sent us the pictures, the

congratulatory e-mail she got from the ambassador. it was quite a deal. >> i know you have other children, she has siblings. how is your family holding up? >> as well as we can. we're pulling together. all of our children are very close and it's been quite a sho shock. but we're coming together. our one daughter is here with us now. we had been visiting her at college in carlisle when we got the news. our other two children are actually on the way home right now. and as soon as we can get back, we'll all be together. >> so apparently this attack where she was tragically killed, she was on the way to deliver school books to afghan children. what does that tell you about your daughter that that's what she was doing? >> that's the way she was. that was the kind of work she really wanted to do in afghanistan.

and she did a lot of that kind of thing. she worked with the education system and trying to support the schools. she worked with a number of the women's groups who were striving for equality for women. she helped support some of the musical groups and the sporting groups. just a lot of that kind of thing really trying to make a difference. >> did she ever talk to you at all about how especially there, the ieds, the way the people -- benghazi, for example, she is the first u.s. diplomat to be killed since benghazi. did you ever talk about that? >> you know, honestly, we did not. we would somewhat joke with her sometimes about how we just wanted to, you know, see her safe within the walls of the embassy compound. but that was not who anne was. >> she wanted to be out. she wanted to be out doing things with the local

population. and there was no keeping her down. >> thomas and mary beth smedinghoff, thank you so much for being with us and again, we're so sorry for your loss. but also as christine said, thank you so much for raising such a wonderful, wonderful daughter. >> thank you. it is 15 after the hour. we'll bring you up to speed on our top story. cnn reporting this breaking news that margaret thatcher, former prime minister, the iron lady has died at the age of 87. british reports say it was a stroke. we're told that queen elizabeth ii has been informed and she intends to reach out to the thatcher family in private. we have ian dale on the phone with us, biography of a margaret thatcher bying a griebiography. thank you for being with us. for measures who may not be as familiar with the prime minister, explain to us what role she plays in the psyche of the brits. >> she he came to power in britain in 1979. this country was an economic

basket case. you'll remember jimmy carter used to speak of the malaise in america. well, it was exactly the same here. and she basically picked the country up by the scruff of its neck, restored our national pride, and helped ronald reagan and any kell gorbachev win the cold are because. she was one of the longest serving prime minister ever. she knew what she wanted and would go to any length to achieve it. in one in the world thought margaret thatcher would go to war to get the falkland is islas back. but she did. shall was this was an iron lady, someone she could very much respect. and her partnership with ronald reagan was i think absolutely crucial to the fact that the west is in the end triumphant in

the cold war. >> certainly defined more than a generation of american british politics and the relationship between the two countries. those two figures, reagan and thatcher, really dominated an entire era. anybody growing up in the '80s, mints '90s and beyond, they defined politics for that generation. >> i think that's absolutely right. and what we have to remember is this was a relationship of equals. britain is clearly a much smaller country than the united states. it's not an economic or military super power. but ronald reagan dealt with her on the basis that she was his equal. they had many disagreements over those eight years. it wasn't just this love affair that some people write about now a days. when the americans invaded grenada in 1984, she was absolutely furious she hadn't been informed and she let ronald reagan have it on the phone.

he said isn't she magnificent. and she was. >> thet taelegraph say it ends e of the most remarkable political lives of the 20th century. almost an accepted fact of course she was prime minister, but when she talk office in 1979, that was truly remarkable for a woman anywhere in the world. >> it was. had been one or two female leaders before her, but never of one of the leading western countries. there was a feeling in britain that people questioned whether a woman could do the job. her final campaign commercial was her looking at the camera trying to reassure the british public that a woman could do the job and they should trust her. she proved very quickly that she was equal to all of the cabinets. there was an expression she had more than steel. >> gives new meaning to the

phrase iron lady. what do you think her legacy will be? what do brits now think of margaret thatcher? >> i was talking to a conservative member of parliament before i came on on air with you and he said this is the end of an era. and he's right. it's not an exaggeration to say that 23 years on after she left office, she still strikes or politics like no other. he said her gracious legacy was tony blair. to tony blair was from a different political party, but he changed his party so that it embraced a lot of the tenants much to the office of many office party. but effectively, the british economy, british foreign policy is still being run on thatcher lines. and she to this day is one of the most controversial figures in british politics. i don't really want to look at twitter at the moment because i know that the very tasteless people on there are rejoicing at

her death, people thinking their greatest political enemy is no longer with us. i think in a sense that is a tribute to the influence that she still has over our politics. >> ian dale, thank you so much for being with us this morning. >> thank you. >> and we have a statement from buckingham palace. the queen sad to hear the news. her majesty will be sending a private message of sympathy to the family. british media reporting she suffered a stroke. but neither party would confirm to us her cause of death at the achb anyone of 87. let's go to max foster. again, the breaking news that the former prime minister has died. max. >> yeah, i've been speaking to henry kissinger describing her as a great leader. certainly a towering figure in british politics. everyone seemed to know her. you were talking there about your previous guest about how

she was quite a divisive figure. she certainly was. this was the prime minister that decimated entire industries in the united kingdom during her period in power as she broke the miners unions in a push towards privatization to create a more flexible british economy which it has become. but she decimated communities across the uk. and a lot of people absolutely decemb despise her legacy. but kissinger's point was she was a great leader. she threw her support behind gorbachev which helped end the war. also her relationship with europe and the falklands, she mounted a successful campaign in the falklands to keep that british. and she was a great towering leader. he also points out she was a very warm character, very funny character. talking about being very fill anyo feminine, as well. so a lot of people that knew her had a huge amount of respect for her. a lot of her political followers

obviously did, as well. nothing personal about the woman, but in terms of her policy, they were very controversial. >> too early to know what the funeral or memorial plans might be. but one would expect that this will be a very big deal in london. >> well, my sources, the palace, that she won't be getting a state funeral. so it won't be the sort of funeral you'd get if the queen or prince philip died. it might be something more on the lines of princess diana, had the hallmarks of a state occasion. so i certainly think it would be a big occasion. there will be huge amounts of people out to see it. and there will be demonstrators, as well. a very big occasion for the uk and it will be showing around the world that she was this international figure as well. >> she's the daughter of grocers, people who had a corner

store. grew up from modest means to run one of the most powerful and important countries in the world. certainly is sort of i ghes tuee british dream in terms of how far she went. >> her father was a big local political figure in her community. and she was defined by him in many ways. she felt very, very strongly about the things that she believed in. and she was a woman, the first female prime minister of the united kingdom, but many feminists assumed her because she only surrounded herself with men. but in terms what have women could achieve in the uk, she was a big figure and also in terms of leadership. and you saw an interesting thing with the last prime minister, the current prime minister expected to support her as a conservative member of the second party, the last prime minister gordon brown a member of the labor party. and he invited her to down any street because he saw her as a great leader. whatever she stood for.ey street because he saw her as a

great leader. whatever she stood for. she was very supportive of the union jack flag for example when british airlines got rid of it on their logo. she really stuck up for britain. so many people liked her because of that as much as anything else. >> max foster, thank you so much for being with us. if you want something said, ask a man. if you want something done, ask a woman. that's what margaret thatcher said. on the phone with us is henry kissinger. secretary kissinger, john berman here. can you hear me okay, sir? >> make it a little louder, please. >> you of course over the years had the opportunity to meet margaret thatcher i imagine many times. give us a sense what have kiof person she was. >> she was a woman -- she was a leader of strong convictions.

great leadership abilities. and extraordinary personality. >> we know her as the iron lady. we saw her, we grew up watching her on television. tell us more about the friends, the people who know here, a warm harted kind lady. tell us about that margaret thatcher, the one that we didn't personally know, but you did. >> i'm not saying that she was a gutsy personality. she was a woman who earned the fact that a leader needed to have strong convictions because the public had no way of orienting itself unless its leadership, its leaders gave it the real push. she didn't being it was her job to find the middle ground, it was her job to have a conviction and then let the political

process find what it would develop. to her friends, she was interested in their personal life. when we were in town, she invited us for tea. i saw her over the decades long after i was out of office. and she was always eager in those conversations to discuss issues of foreign policy a strong affirmation of her point of view with an open mindedness towards others. >> secretary of say the thhenry kissinger, thank you so much for being with us this morning. again the news we've been reporting for the last half hour or so, margaret thatcher has died at the age ever 87.

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for a body in motion. welcome back to starting-point. >> we're following breaking news this morning. former prime minister margaret thatcher is dead. she was called the iron lady. s three consecutive terms. david cameron saying it is with great sadness that i learned of the death of lady thatcher. we've lost a great leader, a great prime minister and a great britain. >> he was part of the con serve

differen conservative party as was she. a lot of people kritizing her for the ruthless way she carried out her policy, but also people around the world who will say that those policies had a long term beneficial impact. she was particularly in the european union for example and we're seeing how the eurozone is breaking down right now. people in argentina won't be a supporter because she beat them in a war over the falklands and that issue has flared up again recently. argentina wants the falklands back and this will play into that debate again. it just shows what a towering figure she was in international policy. in terms of this part of the world, she threw her support behind gorbachev who broke down the soviet union without thatcher support, would he have been able to do that at the time he can did it it's doubtful. so a great leader, but not necessarily liked. >> max foster, thank you so much for being with us.

again, as christine just said, a statement from the prime minister's office right now saying it is with great sadness that i learned of the death of lady thatcher today. we've lost a great leader, a great prime minister, and a great britain. sandra endo takes a look back. >> reporter: she became the first female prime minister of great britain. margaret thatcher was called the iron lady for her personal and political strength. the leader swept into office in 1979 with the promise of transforming the british economy which was suffering from strikes and inflation. >> we decided there was no alternative to tough medicine, it was going to have to be sustained for some time. and it was accepted because there was no alternative. >> reporter: she cut taxes, privatized state industries, and key regulated financial markets. opponents a being accused the prime minister of widening the gap between the rich and poor.

thatcher also restored britain's clout in world affairs and built a special bond with her american counter part, and political soul mate, ronald reagan. they shared similar conservative world views. >> it was closer i'd logically and warmer personally than any relationship between any other british prime minister and any other american president. >> reporter: thatcher convinced reagan that mikhail gorbachev was a soviet leader they could do business with. >> he was willing to admit that some things were wrong in the soviet union, which was very unusual. >> reporter: and reagan backed the prime minister in britain's 1982 falkland's war. the conflict caused 255 british lives and cemented thatcher's reputation as a resolute leader. >> a prime minister never expects to send people into battle. i was agonized over it. but you couldn't leave our people captive of a military juncture of the argentine. >> reporter: thatcher was the

only british prime minister in the 20th century to serve three consecutive terms. in 1990 after a leadership struggle within her own party, thatcher was forced to resign. though no longer on the front lines, thatcher still had political sway as baroness thatcher sitting in the upper chamber of the house of lords. later in life as her health deteriorated, public appearances became rare. but thatcher's reputation was already set as a dominant figure of the 20th century whose influence is still being felt today. i'm sandra endo, reporting. as we said, lady thatcher played such a big role in great britain, but also an iconic figure here in the united states, as well, particularly for members i think of the republican party. we're joined now by mary bono mack and connie mack, both former members of congress, both republicans. and connie, let me ask you because your father was a member of congress in the house and senate during the 1980s.

margaret thatcher played a very big role in the republican party in some ways. >> she was a superstar. she was someone that people looked up to not just in england and not just in the united states, but around the world. and because she had this strength of character, right? when she spoke, you knew that she was talking about something she really believed in and the relati relationship between thatcher and reagan will go down in the history books. because of the way they worked together, the cold war ended. >> he said there is a picture of margaret that much per your parent's house. >> yeah, we have a picture, i was just there this weekend and on the wall is a picture of margaret thatcher, hi margaret thatch margaret thatcher, my mom and my dad and my mom is shaking her hand. my mom is this tine if i lady and i was proud of her for meeting margaret thatcher. and my mother and father talked about her as someone who was very strong, very dynamic. almost you didn't think of her as a woman or a man. you thought of her as an incredible leader, a strength of character that we're missing

around the world. >> what's the great line you had earlier? >> in politics if you're looking for words, ask a man. if you want action, talk to a woman. >> it's interesting because when i look at some of the footage of the period with ronald reagan and with prime minister thatcher, it brings me back to a very brittle and tense time in american politics where these two leaders really were navigating waters that potentially could have been disastrous for americans. >> and the partnership there has been chronicled in the history books and i think it will get bigger and better. but when you do, you think back and you recognize her strength of character when they called her the iron lady. although as russian journalists who said that originally, it about him became a term of endearment. when she encouraged president bush, you shouldn't go wobbly on the gulf war, she had so much strength during very difficult times. and for me, she was a role model. if anybody could have it all,

she almost did. if women can. you think about what she did. and when i had the opportunity to run for office, she really was a huge source of inspiration for me. not her policies, but the fact that a woman could lead with as much strength and conviction as the man, as president reagan did. and i think that was just pretty incredible. >> and three consecutive terms. quite a lady. i wanted to piggyback on the whole ronald reagan and margaret thatcher and they were actually called soul mates. reagan called her the best man in england. and she called him the second most important man in my life. >> there is no doubt that ronald reagan would not have the legacy that he has here in the united states if it wasn't for the relationship that he had with margaret thatcher . >> the news again this morning, margaret thatcher former prime minister of great britain dead at the age of 87. british media saying they believe it was a stroke.

a new study released sunday shows an alarming link between a dietary compound found in red meat and heart disease. now we've heard before that it's the fat in red meat that can be bad for your heart. but this is something very different. and it's getting a lot of attention this morning. let's bring in elizabeth cohen. what exactly is this compound in red meat that is supposed to be so bad for us? >> the chemical is called carnitine. and researchers are just now beginning to go cuss in on on it. and i think this study surprised a lot of people. carnitine converts to a chemical called tmao, and when they look to human beings, they looked at their tmao levels and they found that those are high tmao levels were more likely to have a heart attack or stroke. and again, a lot of researchers are stunned at this because they were so focused on the fat in meat. we talked to the meat industry about this and they said, look, lots of things can look to a heart attack. there are many, many different

factors. genet genetics, for example. and so this was their conclusion from this study which didn't say a lot of good things about their product. so their conclusion is this study should not prompt any dietary changes in consumers who enjoy red meat should continue to do so with confidence. >> so that is getting a huge thumbs up on on the set this morning. elizabeth cohen, thank you very much. >> everything in moderation. everything in moderation. >> yes indeed. >> we have a red blooded american over here. ahead, we'rele following breaking news that former british prime minister margaret thatcher has died. and president obama heading to connecticut to push for stronger gun control laws. we're continuing our conversation with mary bono mack and connie mack next. we're americans. we work. we plan. ameriprise advisors can help you like they've helped millions of others. to help you retire your way, with confidence. ♪ that's what ameriprise financial does.

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president obama continues his big push for federal gun control laws. today he speaks in hartford, connecticut. we're joined again by mary bono mack and connie mack. and news this morning we're wake up to in the "washington post" is there may be a new partnership brewing in the senate between west virginia's democratic joe manchin and also republican pat toomey. limited background checks. i suppose the limitations would be no background checks on family member to family member sales and also some hunters could be exempt, as well. but is this kind of limited deal, is that something you think republicans could support? >> i think it's too early to tell. you have it in a strong coalition of members of the

senate who have joined together on a filibuster. so this is a long way from being over. and the president -- the problem isn't necessarily just with republicans. it's republicans and democrats who don't see eye to eye with what the administration is trying to push. >> mary, occasionally you're more moderate than your husband, i can say. >> you mean this morning or -- >> in general. in life let's say. but one of the things about this deal is that there are those who say this could get some republican votes in a senate, maybe enough to get past the filibuster connie was talking about. >> now that i don't serve in office, i might have a different perspective i'd like to put out there. i've been supportive in the past of some sort of controls, but i'm concerned this is a quick political fix and that i do believe people want to come together, get the issue off the tabled and be done with it and move on. but i don't feel as a mother and grandmother that this is necessarily the answer in our society. and i have big concerns that it's a political fix and that we'll not look at the real

issues behind why this violence is occurring p. and i think it's critical you start asking why are these things happening. if it's the gun, i'm willing to accept it if they can prove it, but is it bigger at play, the mental health of our children 15 to 25, what's happening. and that's a robust conversation i think we need in our country and my fear is the passage of this bill is going to take that off the table. >> do you think there's a big enough or robust enough conversation being had about mental health and mental illness? when you look at the connecticut laws this week, a james holmes or adam lanza, they won't read the law before they go steal someone else's gun. >> exactly. i don't believe will is enough of a conversation. not just this issue, but you can look at a whole other host of issues that is happening in this age group. prescription drug abuse, the epidemic that's occurring. so many kids are suffering, they're hurthurting, and we're doing enough in that regard.

so for me, we should be talking more about it. again, if this bill passes, more power to them. but my fear is it takes this whole issue off the table. connie and i disagreed with this last night. we just started talking to each other again right now. but we went around and around and around on this. and the hard thing with gun checks is how do you do this. do you suddenly say somebody is going through a brutal breakup or divorce so therefore they should be on the list? >> part of the issue here is whatever washington passes, it's not going to solve the problem. you're still going to have people who are going to want to do evil bad things to other people. and you can pass all kinds of laws, but all you end up doing is restricting the rights of law abiding citizens instead of actually getting to the point of the problem. i think that's what mary is saying, too. >> how do you make sure 20 kids and six teachers aren't the collateral damage for not infringing on other people's rights. what is the sensible balance? >> there has been a lot of proposals about how to protect

our schools. and we can do a lot better job of making sure that our schools are protected. and that includes people at our schools who are armed and ready to defend. >> thank you so much for being with us this morning. really appreciate it. ahead on "starting point," chef, author, it tv personality, anthony bourdain is a man for all seasons. also our cnn colleague and he's here to talk to us about his new show parts unknown. at tyco integrated security, we consider ourselves business optimizers.

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take anthony bourdain, mix in global travel and you have a recipe for a show you won't want to miss. parts unknown premieres on cnn this coming sunday night at 9:00 eastern tile. >> and how many times is the word recipe in there?mle. >> and how many times is the word recipe in there?e. >> and how many times is the word recipe in there? it offers an inside look at myanmar. here's a sample. >> krifcrispy little bird, i'm over it. good beak. crispy and tender. >> and they have rides.

check this out. okay. it's ferris wheel, but the power source not unusual for these parts is not electric. it ain't gas. >> oh, man, are you kidding me? >> it's human power. >> so we're terrified and shocked right now. >> what was that you were eating, a bird. >> >> a little fried crispy bird. >> they fried the whole bird. >> everything. >> how was it? >> delicious. >> taste like chicken? >> better. >> so you've done a travel show on another unnamed network now for eight years. but this new show here on cnn premiering sunday night at 9:00, tell us why this is different. >> well, first of all, i get to go to you will at places i never would have been able to go with any other network that doesn't have the international infrastructure and experience. so just off the top of my head, places like congress gcongo,

myanmar, libya, would have been tricky to do. i get to look at the cultures in either a bigger picture or more narrow focus. >> you're talking about places where you have to navigate politics to navigate culture. and the kitchen. >> i'm a chef, not a journalist. there is nothing more political than food, what they're eating and wherat they're not eating. politics tends to intrude. >> what's the most exciting bit about the visit to myanmar? >> it's an enormous and beautiful country that very few westerners have seen or visited. it's been closed off from the rest of the world. a pariah state for as long as i've been alive. and until just a little over a year ago, western film crew if

discovered would have been kicked out of the country. so we're really one of the first crews to have gone in and really shown a big -- not all, but a big slice of a country that a lot of people haven't seen and is incredibly gorgeous. >> so we're seeing all this food that looks delicious. you can give us a sneak peek to the culture and food? >> people ask what's the food like in myanmar. it's not kind of like anything. it's a lot of contrast of flavors and textures are balanced in a really interesting way. i'm not the a big salad guy, but salads in myanmar are worth the trip for. >> what about congo? this is such a -- you said trying to explain the history in a 42 minute episode and here i'm asking to you tell me about it in a minute and a half. >> most terrifying stressful physically difficult shoot of my life. i'm obsessed with joseph conrad

and heart of darkness, so there was that childlike cinematic romantic obsession with this very, very difficult subject. >> why was it so physically difficult? >> there is no infrastructure. 49 different rebel groups fighting it out. the last people in the world you want to encounter in the congo are the police and armed forces. it is a struggle for the congolese to live every day and a struggle to shoot there. but it will be a very exciting, very visual show. >> fantastic to see. it's a very big deal for cnn. we're glad that you're coming here. and when this was announced months ago, one of the things you said is that you would not be cooking barbecue with wolf blitzer in the situation room. now that you've been here a while, is something you would consider? >> totally on my bucket list. >> where do you want to go? >> well -- >> you've been all over the world. is there someplace you haven't

been that you want to love to go? >> i would love to see the political situation change in iran to shoot there. i've heard great report -- i've heard from chef friends who have been beyond the fact that the government is loathsome x the people are loverly and food is fantastic. it's not a place i think i'll be going anytime soon. but i'd love to shoot there. syria. >> you pick all the hot spots. >> well, i regularly do shows in places like spain and paris and i'm shoveling a rolot of good expensive food in my face. >> you have a young child. how often are you on the road? >> too much. i mean, over 250 days a year. i try to mix it up. >> how are you greeted when you go someplace like congo? is there is period where you have to win the trust of people

to really get a real close look at the cuisine? >> it's funny. i think we over the years i make friends faster and easier than journalists. it's an advantage because all i do is show up to look to eat whatever you have to offer. people are generally proud of their food. and that's really willingness to eat and drink with people without fear or prejudice and they open up to you in ways i think somebody visiting driven by a story, you know, may not get. plus we put a lot of time in. >> we're grateful that you came in. happy to have you. thank you so much for being here. anthony bourdain parts unknown sunday nights 9:00 eastern. girl vo: i'm pretty conservative. very logical thinker. (laughs) i'm telling you right now, the girl back at home

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update breaking news. we learned about an hour ago that