that rallied behind an injured player that brought its coach nearly to tears. >> the spontaneous emotion from that event today makes me as proud as any moment i've ever had in coaching. >> it's tuesday, april 9th, "starting point" begins right now. >> and we do begin with this breaking news. north korea telling people to evacuate to south because of the threat of war. >> cnn is all over the story. let's go to jim clancy who is live in seoul, south korea. jim, what are you making of these warnings and what's the response been so far? >> well, you know, from the time i saw it first delivered on north korean television today, until i went back and reread an accurate translation, it's really crafted to intimidate, to

make people fearful. to sow those seeds of fear here on the peninsula and cause economic harm to south korea. it doesn't seem to be working out that way, though. let me show you what the u.s. embassy is saying about all this right now. it informs citizens that despite current political tensions with north korea, there is no specific information to suggest there are imminent threats to u.s. citizens or facilities in the republic of korea. now there's a part of this, you have to understand, what is the message from north korea? the message is, that it would intend to bomb innocent civilians. civilian targets. not military targets. civilians. that's why this kind of warning would have to be issued. did it intimidate anybody, intimidate tourists? i've got a tweet from somebody who just signed up called the lizard of oz. that would be somebody from australia saying, thanks for the reporting from seoul, we are not canceling our trip this week to south korea. and that tells the story.

back to you. >> all right, jim clancy. meantime japan deploying missile defense systems at three locations around tokyo. patriot missiles in place in the central district of itch guy yeah and in the sushs of narashino. our coverage continues with diana mag nay in tokyo. >> they were delivered in the dead of night. residents surround the ministry of defense where i am waking up this morning to see two patriot missile battery systems where normally there is a baseball pitch. but it's not the first time that they've seen this. every time since 2009 that north korea has announced it will launch a satellite the japanese self-defense forces have deployed this patriot missile defense systems in the heart of tokyo, and around tokyo, whilst also moving aegis destroyers into the sea of japan which themselves have a sophisticated missile interception system on board. i was talking to a security analyst who said those two systems combined, these patriots

and the aegis destroyers, could have the capabilities of protecting the japanese archipelagos from any kind of missiles that might come over or any kind of debris that might come off a missile that north korea might test, and which might malfunction. and that is a big concern. it's not so much that north korea will target japan. although it has accused the japanese of blindly showing u.s. policy and saying that it would strike u.s. military bases in japan. jan there are, of course, 38,000 u.s. troops positioned here. so japan is essentially saying a low profile, but doing what it must, which is protect its citizens, whatever it is that the young leader of north korea chooses to do. >> something to see diana literally standing in front of a patriot battery in tokyo. iran announcing its opening a new your abe yum enrichment

plant and mining fasscilitiefac. this comes hours after the u.s. navy demonstrated a new laser weapon that it's deploying in the persian gulf that can blind or destroy aerial weapons like drones and planes. cnn's chris lawrence is live at the pentagon for us. chris, this sounds like something out of star wars. >> it does, john. this is a beam of light that really is no bigger than this dime, and for the first time it's going to be deployed on board a navy ship. it is connected to iran but not quite in the way you might think. this laser is going on board the "uss ponce" which is sort of a floating platform that patrols the persian gulf. it has a lot of issues out there with iran's fast attack boat and that is what this laser has been tested on. shooting down not only drone, but you see in the video right here, but also the very fast small boats that can lug around some of the larger ships. the advantages to this laser? about a dollar a shot. and if the ship's got electricity you never run out of

ammunition. got a couple disadvantages. it can't take out fighter jets. can't knock down a missile. but again, the navy is looking for some cost savings, and with russia and china investing very heavily in this technology they think this is the time to put it on board a ship. john? >> chris lawrence, thanks so much. a dollar a shot compared to more than a million dollars a pop for some missiles they use. happening now, while we enjoy warm springlike weather in the northeast, in the atlantic coast you're looking at washington, d.c. live there right now. >> beautiful. >> out west it's quite a different story. wild weather has the region in turmoil this morning. look at this. hail pelted parts of kansas. this was the scene in northern colorado. tornadoes in colorado leaving a trail of damage and rattled nerves. jennifer delgado is monitoring the storm in the severe weather spenter and our jim spellman is in colorado. jim, let's start with you. let it snow, let it snow. >> yeah, you know, it says spring on the calendar but it sure feels like winter.

here in golden, colorado, and the outskirts of denver now covered with snow. we know that they have about 400 snow plows ready to keep these roads clear. schools are closed for the first time this school year. an april snow day. about 300 flights canceled out of denver international airport. that's bound to go up. and the snow is starting to pile up. about two inches at this point. and it's really coming down fast. they say this is going to be an all-day snow event here. people at home with their kids. they're going to be bundling up, staying warm, while people are driving those plows out keeping everyone safe. >> an april snow day. a snow day around tax time. >> where is it headed next? jennifer delgado tracking the storm for us at the weather center. >> hi there, guys. we are tracking that snow. and it's moving more northerly, as we've gone through the last couple hours. you can see the snow from anywhere from denver all the way up towards south dakota. and we're also talking a wintry mix. this is going to be very tricky travel conditions for areas right along southern parts of

south dakota, as well as in the northwestern part of minnesota. we're talking sleet as well as freezing rain. back to the snow. big snow for april. we're talking nearly a foot in some of these parts. you can see the winter storm warnings in place. and we still have blizzard warnings in place, and that's because we're expecting wind gusts up to 40 to 50 miles per hour. that will drop down visibility. won't be able to see it. so if you don't have to go on the road, don't do it. means you can stay at home with the kids and their snow days. severe weather is going to be our big concern as we go later into the afternoon and evening. anywhere you see in this orange shading moving through oklahoma down towards texas, this is our first moderate threat for severe weather for the season. and that means we do have a possibility we could see some tornadoes out there. but even in the yellow area, that's the slight risk, and that is going to affect millions of people today. now keep in mind, typically, you see on average about 155 tornadoes, for the month of april. the severe weather threat continues for wednesday, as well as into thursday. and more big cities.

it is very active out there. warm in the south, with temperatures in the 80s for the afternoon highs. back over to you two. >> we'll take that temperatures in the 80s. jennifer delgado, thanks so much. there is crazy weather out there. new this morning, hundreds of people evacuated from their homes as strong, gusty winds fueled brushfire just north of los angeles. this was sparked by downed power lines. so far, it's burned about 170 acres and damaged two structures. about 400 firefighters right now trying to get things under control. no injuries have been reported so far. new developments this morning in the case of those two little florida boys we told you about yesterday. kidnapped by their father, and taken to sea. now law enforcement officials in tampa say they've received information that 2-year-old chase hakken and 4-year-old cole are in cuba this morning. >> they were allegedly abducted from their grandparents' home by their father, joshua, last week. it is believed he took them and his wife by sailboat to cuba. the newspaper in miami reporting they are all in custody of the

cuban immigration officials right now. we've got this story covered from all angles this morning. richard blackwell is live in tampa. but we're going to begin in havana with patrick hoffman. what's the latest in cuba? >> good morning, john. and christine. and law enforcement authorities say they believe the hakken family is in cuba. u.s. diplomatic officials have said that they've asked the cuban authorities to cooperate. but you talk with cuban authorities here and they say they've received no such request. the kind of diplomatic dysfunction is all too characteristic of the u.s./cuba relationship. where for years both countries have simply ignored one another's requests to extradite people. there are dozens of american fugitives here. mainly people who've been charged with being involved with politically violent. but cuba real ly when it comes o cuba politics is always involved

here. we're waiting to see if cuba says they have this family. what the next step is. cuba typically does not extradite fugitives back to the united states. and this is one thing christine where the long arm of american justice simply does not reach. >> all right. thanks patrick in havana this morning. >> let's get to victor blackwell standing by for us live in tampa, florida. that's where the boys were living. victor, what are police saying? >> well, christine, it was the local sheriff's department here in tampa. the hillsboro county sheriff's office, that first announced that connection to cuba. saying they'd received information that the hakken family had arrived in cuba. they would not elaborate. now it was five days ago when we're told by authorities that joshua hakken broke into his mother-in-law's home, his children's grandmother, tied her up, and took the children, and then set off in her car. that car was found, his truck was, as well, and that boat we're told, as we're reporting this morning, from the sheriff's office, in cuba. now, why weren't the children

with the parents in the first place? for that answer we've got to go back to june of 2012 when in slidell, louisiana, police say that the hakken parents, joshua and sharon hakken, and their boys chase and cole were in a hotel room. but also there were drugs, alcohol, guns, and they say the parents were erratic, saying that they were on their journey to armageddon. journey to the end. and the children were taken away. there are charges that are filed in slidell, in hammond, associated with allegedly joshua hakken going to the foster home with a gun trying to take his children, and now a list of growing charges here in tampa. cruelty against children, kidnapping, false imprisonment. so if they are extradited back to the u.s., that list is growing. we hope to find out today if charges will also be filed against the boy's mother, sharon hakken. christine? >> all right. victor blackwell, thanks live for us this morning in tampa. in about 17 minutes we're going to hear from florida congresswoman ileana ros-lehtinen about this case.

>> 11 minutes after the hour right now. and many of you have probably been up all night after watching an incredible game. louisville cardinals, national champs after a rim-rocking, heart-pounding, 82-76 victory last night over hish began. this is just an incredible game. in the end there were a lot of great players but may have been one player who never set foot on the court last night who made the difference in the title game. our joe carter live from the georgia dome in atlanta this morning. good morning, joe. >> what a game. so thrilling john. 75,000 behind me rocking throughout the entire game. first half was incredible. and unlikely story for an unlikely freshman. michigan got a game out of a guy named spike, it was incredible. of course you've got kevin ware and the great story line and spike albrecht, a freshman who scored basically averaged one point a game all season scored 17 points gave michigan a big first half lead but then luke

hancock the mvp brought louisville back and they did as they've done all season closed the game. coach rick pitino the first coach in college basketball history to win a championship with two different schools spoke with our rachel nichols after the win. >> was there a moment as the clock is ticking down that it hit you, we're going to win this game, we're going to be national champions? >> i was trying to find the clock. when it was 16 seconds. i knew it. and then for the first moment, because when we prepared for after north carolina for colorado state i knew it could end with them. they were that good. then i knew it could end with oregon. then i knew it could end with duke. we were playing so many great teams. so many great coaches. but this is a special group of young men. >> obviously, congratulations to louisville and the champions last night. but john you got to tip your hat to michigan. they played a great game. they are the youngest team in the field of 68 in the tournament this year. so they certainly have a bright future, john. >> there are so many images from last night that are just seared

in my head. first spike albrecht hitting three after three after three and then luke hancock hitting all those threes. but it may have been a moment after the game that really provided the most indelible image. that was just kevin ware. >> yeah you said it, john, obviously millions watched as he broke his leg last week against duke. we followed him on twitter. we followed him on facebook. we followed him through the media this week and for them to lower the basketball rim down for him last night so he was able to cut down the net was an incredible moment. he spoke with our rachel nichols afterwards. he wakes up today a champion. >> it was all worth it. this is a great, great game. and i really enjoyed every moment of it. >> and the reception you got from everyone around the country and the fans tonight? >> it was big. the support has really been keeping me in my good spirits. honestly that's what's getting me through right now. i just want to say thank you to everybody. >> of course the party continues for louisville as the women will play uconn tonight for the championship. john, real quick, you know we

talked a lot about the fab five and the 20-year anniversary for michigan last night. all five of that team's five members of the fab five were in attendance last night. four of them sat together. we saw some short video of chris webber walking in. just an incredible story. what a great way to end the season obviously college basketball they got it right. >> they sure did. the two best teams certainly faced off last night. joe carter, thanks so much. ahead on "starting point," hallucinations, wild animals, and dirt. a teenage girl explains how she survived five days lost in a california canyon. and then, meet prez billy jeff. >> now president clinton was taken. william jefferson clinton was taken. but prez billy jeff was available. >> stephen colbert brings president clinton near the 21st century. the hilarious exchange coming up next. you're watching "starting point." [ buzzer ]

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welcome back to "starting point." new this morning, we are learning queen elizabeth will attend funeral services of former british prime minister margaret thatcher. it will be held next wednesday at london's st. paul's cathedral. the iron lady died yesterday. she was 87 years old. and new this morning from serbia, at least 13 people, including a child, killed in a shooting rampage right outside belgrade. police officials say a man went into five different houses, and started firing. other media reports say he killed his own son and tried to kill himself and his wife. they're reported in serious condition right now and there's no word about a motive there. and we're hearing now from the second of two hikers who survived after being lost in the southern california wilderness for days. 18-year-old kyndall jack is telling her story, at least the part she says she remembers. >> i only remember the first night and the last thing i remember the first night was fighting off some animal with

nick. and then i just remember the last day scooting down a little hill -- actually, it wasn't little. it was a cliff. and then just resting on my little rock for the rest of the time being. i know i ate dirt, tried to eat dirt and rocks and i came to the hospital with a big mouthful of dirt. that's all i remember. >> wow. both teenagers were dehydrated when found in separate locations a day part. jack also suffered a hand injury and scrapes and bruises. and cnn has learned that former rutgers athletic director tim pernetti will get more than $1 million after stepping down over the mike rice video scandal. rutgers will pay pernetti his annual salary of more than $450,000 through june of 2014. next month he is scheduled to receive a lump sum payment of almost $680,000. and new jersey governor chris christie is no fan of mike rice's behavior. he says win or lose there's no

place for that kind of behavior from a college coach. >> what parent would let this animal back in to their living room to try to recruit their son? after this video? >> so you heard governor christie had harsh words for coach rice. but he offered his support to rutgers president robert barchi. christie says barchi should not lose his job over this scandal. a lot of people would disagree with that. >> will be interesting to see how this plays out. so bill clinton, welcome to the twitterverse. during an interview with stephen colbert the former president was surprised to learn that the comedian and talk show host had set up an account, a twitter account, in his name. >> now president clinton was taken. william jefferson clinton was taken. but prez billy jeff was available.

would you like to break into the 21st century right now and send your first tweet? i'll type -- >> you'll type it? >> i'll type it. 120 characters or less. >> just spent -- >> just spent -- >> amazing time with colbert. >> bill clinton's face really tells the whole story there. >> the funniest part of it is bill clinton on any subject in less than 140 characters or less. he was someone known to hold forth on policy for much more than 140 characters. >> this is a full tweet. it says just spent amazing time with colbert. is he sane? he is cool. #cgiu. clinton has since tweeted this, now that i'm no longer president i've been downgraded to air force seven.

as of this morning prez billy jeff has more than 29,000 fol w followers. >> whatever that next tweet was it was actually colbert pretending to be president bill clinton. coming up, no more "american idol" for some? >> next on "starting point." fox threatening to go off the broadcast air when they're making the threat and what it really means for your -- for viewers. finding you the perfect place. hotels.com.

welcome back. it's early but we're on track for a modestly higher start for stocks. major averages are watching shares of alcoa. slightly higher ahead of the open. the aluminum maker reported better than expected profits. a stunning corporate flameout. jcpenney has fired its ceo ron johnson after 15 months, and one massive misunderstanding of penney customers. penney is not apple and this apple veteran learned the hard way. he did away with sales and k0u7ens, redesigned the store, but customers did not get it. sales fell 28% last year, including a whopping 40% drop during the holiday season. push the reset button is what the company did, bringing in the old ceo mike ullman and wall

street wasn't happy with that choice, either. penney shares set to drop this morning. fox and univision set to go off the broadcast spectrum and become cable-only channels. it's a response to a court ruling that upheld the legality of aereo. a company that makes a small antenna you can plug into a and watch tv channels. it could be an empty threat from the network. an estimated 10 million viewers still get their tv over the air. >> 27 minutes after the hour right now. ahead on "starting point," president obama's emotional appeal for gun control laws. >> plus an aviation first. officials finding evidence of texting while flying in a deadly chopper crash. and no, no cookie monster. a favorite ends up behind bars. we're going to have the details ahead. you're watching "starting point."

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welcome back to "starting point," everyone. i'm john berman. >> i'm christine romans. >> with legislation apparently stalled in washington, president obama is digging in on gun control, and he's enlisting help from parents from the sandy hook elementary school. today they will lobby lawmakers on capitol hill. >> yesterday the president took his message to hartford, connecticut, not far from the

scene of the sandy hook massacre. cnn's brianna keilar is live from the white house for us. and he had some powerful partners in trying to deliver this messing. >> he sure did christine. this is going to be a very tough sell for congress as we watch to see if they are able to come up with some sort of gun legislation that can make it through the senate. and the fact is, president obama can use all of the help that he can get. if he can't convince congress to take up gun legislation, perhaps they can. president obama brought 12 family members of the newtown victims back to washington with him. personally ushering them off air force one. among them -- >> the president of the united states -- >> nicole hockley who lost her 6-year-old son dylan at sandy hook elementary school. >> though sometimes the waves of sadness are so great they threaten to drown me, i stand before you now and ask you to stand with me. with all the families. >> reporter: hockley had earlier introduced the president as he began a week-long white house

push for a gun bill. obama criticized republican senators for trying to block a measure from coming to the senate floor. >> in the wake of a tragedy, you think this would not be a heavy lift. and, yet, some folks back in washington are already floating the idea that they may use political stunts to prevent votes on any of these reforms. >> reporter: senate minority leader mitch mcconnell is planning to join the 13 senators who say they will filibuster a bill. democrats are hoping to overcome the filibuster with a bipartisan compromise that would require background checks for all or almost all gun purchases. the measure has overwhelming public support but is in jeopardy in the senate. >> we have to tell congress it's time to require a background check for anyone who wants to buy a gun so that people who are dangerous to themselves and others cannot get their hands on

a gun. let's make that happen. >> vice president joe biden will participate in an event here at the white house today featuring law enforcement. attorney general eric holder will also make remarks here. and then tomorrow, first lady michelle obama heads to chicago to talk about how kids need opportunities to duck seed. those opportunities including safety. >> all right, brianna keilar for us live at the white house. thanks, brienne. >> it's been more than two years since former congresswoman gab go giffords was shot and nearly killed by a crazed gunman in tucson. today brain injuries make speaking difficult yet giffords has become an active spokeswoman for new restrictions on guns. still she hasn't lost her appreciation for gun culture. dana bash spent some time with giffords and her husband mark kelly at their home in arizona and got incredible, exclusive behind-the-scenes access. >> reporter: target practice is a form of entertainment at giffords' mother's house, deep

in the arizona desert. >> he's aiming for my pot. whoa. >> reporter: husband mark kelly using planting pots and water bottles as targets, while giffords watches from the patio with her mother, cheering him on. >> excellent! >> excellent! excellent. >> reporter: kelly isn't shooting with just any kind of gun. >> this is the same kind of gun gabby was shot with. a glock, a 9 millimeter glock but in that case it had a magazine that held 33 rounds. this when it's full holds 17. he shot 33 rounds. every round hit somebody, we think. >> how long have you had this gun? >> well, i gave this to gabby as a gift. >> reporter: when? >> a number of years ago. she's a gun owner. you know, she's from the west. >> reporter: still, we asked the question a lot of incredulous people seeing this scene would ask. really? this guy sort of still has -- gets his kicks or recreation for him is shooting a gun, after his

wife was shot through the head? >> well, gabby used to like shooting a gun, too, occasionally. >> giffords and kelly argue because they appreciate and understand the gun culture they have more credibility in their fight to expand background checks for private gun sales. dana bash will have more on this, giffords recovery and her bone-chilling experience of coming face-to-face with her shooter tonight on "ac 360." >> meantime zoraida sambolin has the rest of the top stories. >> good morning to you two. just in to cnn, two coalition members have died after a kept crash in eastern afghanistan this morning. so far all we know is that there was no enemy activity in that area at the time and of course we're going to bring you more information as soon as we get it. and secretary of state john kerry has wrapped up his visit to israel. he met with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu this morning and right now he is scheduled to leave israel, headed for london. it is the next stop on his ten-day overseas tour through europe, the middle east and asia. and texting might have

played a role in a medical helicopter crash that killed four people. this happened nearly two years ago in missouri. investigators say the pilot had been sending and receiving text messages during that flight. they think that he was distracted and misjudged how much fuel he had left, and how far he could actually fly. federal officials will hear more about that case that is scheduled for today. and this simply does not happen obsessmy street. a man who dressed up like cookie monster is in big trouble this morning. he's accused of pushing a 2-year-old boy out of his stroller and cursing out the boy and his mother. this cookie monster allegedly lost his cool when the boy's mother refused to pay him $2 after posing for a picture in new york's times square. the suspect 33-year-old lopez is charged with reckless endangerment, and endangering the welfare of a child. he denies those charges. not cool at all. and check out these pictures, it is a dramatic rescue above the frigid james river in virginia.

firefighters plucking a terrified truck driver from the cab of her big rig as it dangles over the side of the monitor merrimack memorial bridge. she lost control of her truck on i-664 yesterday morning. it actually caught fire for a few minutes after jumping that embankment. firefighters were able to use their truck's rescue bucket to bring her right there to safety. lucky gal. >> the pictures are so dramatic. >> can you imagine? >> wow. thanks zoraida. this morning we're talking about two stories out of cuba. one reports two young florida boys allegedly abducted by their father showing up there. and jay-z and beyonce's controversial trip, too. some have questioned whether it crossed the lyle lines. congresswoman ileana ros-lehtinen is a congresswoman from florida. she was born in cuba and fled with her family when she was 8 years old. welcome to the program. good morning, congresswoman. >> thank you. good morning, thanks for having me. >> let's talk first about these two little boys.

if it found that these two little florida boys are in cuba, and you have experienced 13 years ago with the elian gonzalez case, a famous case, obviously this is the reverse, if it is found that these two little boys are in cuba, do you think it will be difficult to get them back? >> well, i wouldn't call it a reverse of the elian case. it's quite different. and here in the united states, we have a system that works with checks and balances. the elian case went through the court. you can't compare that to a kidnapping where there's no redress and there's no criminal justice system that is impartial in cuba. >> right -- first i meant they were in cuba instead of here. >> okay, thank you. because, i would never compare this wonderful country with a communist tyranny in cuba. but, unfortunately, those parents, and those poor children, innocent ones, will now be in a country where there are no laws, there is no redress, and where it has been a

refuge for fugitives, and for wanted criminals for many years. in fact, two of the people who are on the top ten fbi most wanted list are now in cuba living a wonderful life, because castro gives refuge to these criminals. one is joann who killed a new jersey state trooper. another one is a gentleman who killed a -- >> do you think people -- >> -- and it goes on and on. >> you think he would let the father and the children stay? >> i think that sometimes that castro throws a little bit of crumbs to the united states to appear that he is a law-abiding member of the international community, which he is not. he runs a criminal enterprise gangster style. so he might return them if the heat is too much. but remember, he is currently holding a united states citizen, allen gross, illegally in jail. they had a sham, kangaroo court,

they sentenced him to many years in prison. why? because he wanted to bring communication equipment to the jewish community. so it's a lawless land. they'll give refuge to anyone. and he'll do whatever he wishes. >> let's get to another travis that you are deeply, deeply involved in right now. this has to do with the visit to cuba by beyonce and jay-z. you wrote a letter to the treasury department asking them to give you info about whether there was a license that allowed them to travel there. reuters reporting right now that the treasury did license that trip. and this is what the white house press secretary jay carney said about the trip. >> decisions made about cultural travel and academic travel are made by the treasury department, and i would refer you for specific cases to the treasury department. it is certainly been the case that under this administration we have eased the ability to travel to cuba for those purposes. but the decisions at the individual level are made at the treasury department not here. >> all indications are their trip was through this academic

cultural group, the kind that does make these accepted trips to cuba. what's your response to the administration? >> well, first of all, as recently as this morning they told us that they have, in fact, not confirmed with any news source what the source of the travel was. whether it was a cultural exchange, whether it was a licensed travel, or maybe they went through another country. so i know that reuters has been reporting it, but it will take them a few days to respond to our congressional inquiry which is kind of a farce in itself. it's very easy to check what kind of license. what this trip is about is that we're saying that no one is above the law, even if you are the diva beyonce, and that's wonderful that she's famous and rich, and jay-z, everybody loves him, too. terrific. but no one's above the law. >> but the law -- >> -- for everyone. >> but the law does let you travel to cuba under some circumstances, correct? >> yes. but if you saw the footage, and the photographs from their visit to cuba, it looks just like what

the cuban government said it was, it was a tourist trip where they were celebrating their wedding anniversary, and there are a lot of better places they could go where they're not feeding a monstrous regime because every dollar that is spent there goes to the castro regime so they can further repress the cuban people. i wish that they would have taken the time to meet with brave cuban leaders like the ladies in white who speak out in favor of human rights. in fact, there's also a cuban rapper who has been harassed for the lyrics and for the songs that he sings. liberties that we enjoy here, but that they are not celebrated in cuba in the least. so i wish that they would have a little more common sense and understanding and solidarity with the suffering of the cuban people, and they ate at great places and stayed at beautiful hotels, none of which the cuban people are allowed to eat or stay. were they able to afford it, which they can't.

i don't think it sends the right message to the suffering cuban people. they want freedom, and beyonce and jay-z are there to have a good time. they should go somewhere else. >> representative ileana ros-lehtinen, thank you so much for joining us this morning. appreciate it. >> thank you. >> ahead on "starting point" this morning a 7-year-old boy suffering from brain cancer has a day on the gridiron he will never forget. you're going to meet little jock hoffman and his -- look at that run! touchdown! coming up next. esses is our business. we've reduced taxes and lowered costs to save businesses more than two billion dollars to grow jobs, cut middle class income taxes to the lowest rate in sixty years, and we're creating tax free zones for business startups. the new new york is working creating tens of thousands of new businesses, and we're just getting started. to grow or start your business visit thenewny.com

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we first told you yesterday about this really wonderful story. a 7-year-old boy battling brain cans irand living a dream. >> jack hoffman ran 69 yards for a touchdown at the end of the university of nebraska's annual spring scrimmage. a crowd of more than 60,000 red-clad husker fans cheering him on. the place went wild. the entire cornhusker team celebrated with him in the end zone. now little jack has an entire nation of fans. he joins us this morning. we're thrilled to meet him along with his dad andy, via skype. jack, tell me, are you in first grade? >> yeah. >> now, how does it feel to run those 69 yards? did it feel great or were you scared? >> it felt great. >> you looked great, man you were fast. i'm wondering, andy, what advice did you give your son before he took the field? >> you know, it was -- there was a lot of emotion.

it was just a really exciting opportunity for jack, and for really the whole family. it was really just an incredible, incredible day. >> i heard you read don't fumble, don't fall down and don't run out of bounds. >> yeah. that was -- that was the advice we gave. you know, from our perspective, you know, we certainly weren't thinking that this is going to be just some big thing. i was worried about just these key areas. we were coaching him, stay in bounds, don't fumble, you know the biggest thing i said is don't stop running until you get to -- get across the goal line. and so, those were kind of the main points i guess we covered beforehand. >> you know, jack, you look real comfortable holding that pigskin. you look like you know what you're doing. jack, did you practice a lot? >> well, not -- >> you know, i think we all have the dream to run behind the corn

huskers line because they're some pretty big guys, jack. do you measure up? how high do you come up? to your waist, to their legs? how much bigger were they than you? >> they're pretty big guys, weren't they, jack? >> they were a lot bigger. >> a lot bigger. >> jack, tell us a little bit about how he's doing now. how his treatment is progressing, it's great to see him out there. this is all to raise money for cancer. tell us a little bit about how he's doing. >> you know, jack is doing good. you know, that was really the blessing about saturday is you know i looked out there, and here is the kid who's been through two brain tumor surgeries, years worth of chemotherapy. right now he's on a to-week break. we're looking to hopefully be done with chemotherapy in july. the hard thing about pediatric brain cancer is that the treatments are so archaic. jack is taking chemotherapy protocol that's 25 years old. and so, you know, it's been

around since 1985 and that's, you know, as of right now that's the best we can do for first line chemotherapy treatment. and so you know he's doing good. you know, but we still but we so go, and doctors have kind of prepared us this is a marathon, it's not a sprint. and, you know, it's just one of those things, you take it a day at a time. an mri at a time, and you know, you just thank the good lord along the way. >> i want you to pitch team jack foundation.org. people can go there, right? >> that's right. we started a new foundation, www.teamjackfoundation.org. trying to -- it's a really simple goal. we're trying to raise as much money as we possibly can for pediatric brain cancer research. we've teamed up with some great partners and involved with uplifting athletes, a national organization and tied in with the football program, and great opportunity. >> well, go jack.

go huskers. thank you for joining us. favorite video. >> thank you for having us. >> you are the best, guys, thank. >> coming up next, the grounded dream liner could be back in the air soon. that story when "starting point" returns. before rooftops were transformed into electrical generators... before an abandoned lot in brooklyn could become a vibrant neighborhood... and before hannah seliem could close her very first door to her very first bedroom... an architect, a developer, and our commercial banker, met over lunch and shared a vision. that's the power of connecting an idea to a community. that's bank of america.

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welcome back to "starting point." grounded dreamliner jets could be back in the air. faa is expected to give boeing the green light soon. all dreamliners were ordered out of the sky in january because of overheating problems with the battery. an airline worker in minneapolis is busted for stealing from checked bags. is he accused of stealing $85,000 from bags. he only stole from bags connecting through the twin cities. surveillance cameras exposed the crimes. his wife is also charged. and a beloved mouseketeer and inspiration is being remembered.

annette funicello starred in numerous beach blanket movies in the '50s. she died from complications of ms at 70 years old. ahead on "starting point," north korea warning people in the south to prepare to evacuate because of the threat of war. we'll get reaction from congressman peter king. two young brothers from florida allegedly kidnapped by their father have apparently turned up in cuba this morning, setting up a possible international dispute. live from havana, coming up. you're watching "starting point." weekend getaways just got better. well, enjoy your round! alright, thanks! save a ton on our best available rate when you book early and feel the hamptonality.

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welcome back. good morning. i'm christine romans. >> and i'm john berman. a desire warning from north korea, warning people to evacuate ahead of an all-out war on the peninsula. and live team coverage of all this wild spring weather. two brothers allegedly kidnapped by their father, turning up in cuba this morning. what will happen to them? we're live in havana. louisville the king of

college basketball. incredible game, incredible team and an emotional reaction from their coach. >> spontaneous emotion from that event today makes me as proud as any moment i have ever had in coaching. >> it's tuesday, april 9th, "starting point" starts right now. north korea, warning south korea to prepare to evacuate foreigners. >> the hostile rhetoric has japan deploying patriot missiles in three locations, forming a protective ring around tokyo. >> shut it down, on kaesong. the very symbol of cooperation that survives between north and south. it's interesting. the north koreans hedged the

announcement, saying they were temporarily suspending the manufacturing operations at that facility. and they were going to withdraw their 53,000 workers. but tonight, we know that they have not yet pulled out those workers, and so the almost 500 south koreans are still inside the facility as well. but it could come at any moment. now, north korea blames seoul and washington for its actions, saying that they were fomenting war on the korean peninsula and they had hurt the dignity of the regime by saying that north korea needed the cash from kaesong. this may make the larger community living on kaesong, northern side of the dmz a bit

unhappy with the north's decision. we talk about the low wages, at kaesong, but considering the alternative, it's a good job. a desirable. and this source of hard currency, the investment that is flowing in, it raises the standard of living in kaesong and this is shut down. this will have an impact. the people in kaesong will not be very happy about it. >> 13 of the 123 companies who are manufacturing at kaesong have shut down operations because they ran out of goods to process. now, if the facility is shut all the way down, it's going to hurt south korean businesses, but really would only be a ripple in south korea's economy, which is, in fact, the fourth large nest asia. for north koreans, it will be loss of jobs and a steady, dependable flow of hard currency. jim clancy, cnn, seoul. >> let's talk more about the increasingly tense situation with congressman peter king, a republican from new york.

a member of the intelligence committee and the homeland security committee and congressman king, you heard the warnings warning foreigners in south korea to get out. the threat of all-out war, you think americans in seoul, in south korea should be concerned? and how should they respond to provocation at this point? >> first of all, i would suggest that americans in south korea listen to the american embassy. a much better feel and read to what's happening, over all this say serious situation, we have to say it seriously. kim jong-un is moving and certainly he is speaking very aggressively. and he's taking actions such as moving missiles, he's also into the offices between the north and south, closed down industrial park, all of those are really unprecedented. and my concern is that unlike his father, who knew when to pull back, kim jong-un may not

know how to get back and a south korean president, president park, and i can't criticize her for this, she says she will retaliate if there is action taken by the north against the south this is a serious situation. no need to panic at all. give the administration credit for moving the b-2s, b-52s, the f-22s to move the anti missile batteries to the south pacific, but, again, japan setting up anti missile batteries, shows how seriously japan is taking this. >> if i'm hearing you correctly, it sounds like kim jong-un, his temperament makes you a little nervous? >> it has to. first of all, basically north korea is an organized crime family which is not a government, it's an organized crime family running an area, a territory. not even a real country. in comparison to other countries around the world, and obviously has some stability problems, and as his father did too. his father knew when to pull

back. 28, 29, 30 years old. not sure of his age and he has nuclear weapons and taking more and more, you know, bellicose actions and becoming much more outspoken, and he's actually -- the fact he's moving missiles and the fact he has slowsed down the industrial park and severing whatever remaining connections with south korea. this is all serious and it's hard to see how he will pull back from this. again, we have to take him seriously, we have to assume the worst if you will, but at the same time, not panic and not be overly provocative. >> it seems like what the japanese are doing, they are moving to defend themselves, but everyone cautious but wants this -- definitely wants a day where we don't have an escalation to the rhetoric. let's switch gears to american politics here. some of your colleagues in the senate are threatening to filibuster any gun control legislation and background check

legislation. what do you think about that? what would you say to your colleagues in the senate? >> i would say it's wrong. i believe we should have universal background checks, but even if i did not support that legislation, i would say let this come to a debate. an issue that's grabbed hold of the american people. an issue that has to be resolved. and even if it doesn't go down the way i want it to, the american people are entitled to a debate and me to use senate rules to block a debate on an issue of this important is just wrong. not like something is trying to be snuck through here. it warrants a full and open debate. universal background checks, i support them, but even if i didn't, i would certainly support having a debate, decide when to cut it off, almost makes it as if these senators are afraid of something. i don't know what they are afraid of. if they are so sure of their position, let it come to debate. >> peter king, thank you. 6 minutes after the hour.

warm, springlike weather on the east coast. a gorgeous shot of the washington monument in washington, d.c. lots of cherry blossoms in washington right now. nothing pretty about what's happening out west. take a look at this. hail, pelting parts of kansas. and more wild weather has mem r minnesota to utah bracing for snow. >> tornadoes in colorado. we have the storm covered from all sides. jennifer delaware gaddo in the severe weather center. jim, let's start with you, how much snow are we talking about out there today? >> could be a foot of snow here in the denver area. been coming down maybe 2 1/2 hours, you can see the streets are coated. plows have been by three times, as soon as they go by, covered again in snow. i would say we have about 2 1/2, three inches at this point. yesterday in the evening when this storm system came through, the temperature dropped 30, 35

degrees in an hour or two, and it kicked off tornado, akron, half of that town lost its power as we went through the shift. about 300 flights canceled. schools closed. but a silver lining here. we really need the water. had drought conditions for a long time in colorado. if you recall last year, the terrible wildfire season. every inch of snow we get in the spring helps put off fires and create better conditions and hopefully less fires come in the summer. christine, john. >> all right, jim spellman, thanks. how bad will the system get? jennifer delgado's job. how bad will it get? >> tracking showers and thunderstorms. looking at the radar right now, snow still coming down in denver and areas to the north, but heavier snowfall through parts of south dakota, a real mess in the southern part of that region as well into the northwest part

of minnesota, we are dealing with freezing rain and bait of sleet mixing through and showers and thunderstorms. a line of it making its way to chicago, and, in fact, chicago dealing with visibility due to fog. we're talking some of the areas will pick up a foot of snowfall. anywhere in purple, that is going to be the story today. when you add in the winds, vice liblt be pretty much zero in some of these parts. we're also tracking severe weather for today. we have our first moderate risk for oklahoma to texas. that means we will see the potential for tornadoes to possibly pop up today and we're also talking areas from st. louis down into southern parts of texas where that flight risk as well. really active today and hot over the east as well as the southeast. back over to you, kim. >> jennifer delgado, thank you. two missing florida brothers reportedly turning up in cuba this morning after allegedly being abducted last week by their own father. 2-year-old chase and his

4-year-old brother cole hakken in the custody of cub an immigration officers right now. they were taken from their grandparents's home by their father and taken with his wife to cuba. we have the latest developments from patrick oppmann. good morning, patrick. >> reporter: good morning, john. still trying to put together the pieces here. u.s. officials say they have not received confirmation that the hakken family is in cuba, but they've asked cuban officials for help in locating this family, help in returning them to the united states. cuban officials for their part maintain they have yet to receive a formal request. one of the many issues you have when you talk about cuba/u.s. relations. two countries that still don't formally have diplomatic relations, but it's not just that. these are countries that over the years have refused to extradite people who are wanted in cuba in the u.s., many.

american fugitives, black panther members, members of radical groups, that fled here, hijacked planes in the '60s and '70s. it seemed like every week people were hijacking planes to cuba. two countries that don't see eye to eye, one of the reasons why the hakken family could have decided to come to cuba and exploit the bad relationship here. talk about coming to tampa from an area like havana, 280 nautical miles, if the seas here very, very rough. if they came this way, it must have been a terrifying trip. developments on the nuclear front in iran. the government has inaugurated a brand new uranium processing facility. located in the country's central province of yaz. this hours after the u.s. navy released a laser attack weapon

that is being released to the persian gulf. the laser bringing down a drone this is meant as a warning to iran not to step up activity in the gulf if tensions over the nuclear program build up. a seventh death and three new cases of bird flu. thousands of birds slaughtered and poulty markets closed as they track the source of the information. this first time h 7 n 9 has been found in humans. no evidence it can be passed from person to person however. and casey anthony could lose the right to her own life story. today, a bankruptcy trustee will be asked for those rights. she owes nearly $800,000. anthony filed for bankruptcy earlier in year. tonight, one of president obama's favorite singers will take the stage during a star-studded tribute to memphis soul music at the white house. remember the night at the apollo theater? ♪

>> that's right. the real al green, seen performing at a capital records concert will be there. green will be joined by mavis staples and steve crawford. and justin timber lake will probably wear a suit and tie. cindi lauper, been harper and the alabama shakes will be there. it will be broadcast later on tbs. >> will the president sing? >> i suspect the answer is yes. i can't wait. >> step up, president obama. ahead on "starting point," victory so sweet. louisville fans have been savoring the taste all night long after beating michigan in the ncaa title game. live to atlanta on more of the cardinals' celebration. it was a big one. you're watching "starting point."

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the louisville cardinals national champs after a three-point nailing 82-76 victory over michigan. >> in the end it may have been a player who never set foot on the court. kevin ware showing walking tall doesn't always require a healthy pair of legs. joe carter live from the georgia dome in atlanta this morning. good morning. >> good morning, guys. yes, yes. that is a national championship game. great effort on both sides. a thrilling game. of course, we follow the kevin ware story all week. for a moment last night, a freshman named spike stole the show. spike aldrich scored 17, gave michigan the big lead. but then louisville got hot, luke hancock made four threes in a row. in the second half, louisville did as they have done all season. finished strong in big games. after the win, a great moment. they lowered the basket so the

injured guard kevin ware could cut down the net. rick pitino spoke about the ware story and how well this team handled it with our rachel nich nichols. >> you don't know sometimes. we have a lot of discipline in our program, and any time you struggle and you have to fight for things in your life, you become very close. and the spontaneous emotion from that event today, make his as proud as any moment i have ever had in coaching, to see the love of my players, for an injured player, to see the courage of the injured player, to say forget me, it's not about me. we have to win, just as a teacher of the game, it's the most special moment anyone would have. >> nice moment for them. obviously, congratulations to the men, now it is the women's turn. the louisville women's basketball team plays in the national championship tonight against uconn. coach rick pitino will make his best to make the trip to new

orleans to be there in person to celebrate with the women. obviously, a great run for this michigan basketball team, a very young team, the youngest team in the field to make it all the way to the national championship game. they did what many thought would be impossible. 20 areas later, the fab five back together, all under the same roof, celebrating a great time in michigan basketball. 20 years later, the fab five. chris webber, there he is. many speculated he wouldn't show up last night. but he did this year's team, a very bright future ahead. so many young players, 20 years later. the most famous names in michigan basketball. supporting what is michigan's future, michigan's future in basketball. someone said it's the fresh five, guys. >> michigan does have a bright future and rick pitino, an interesting future. promised his team if they won the national title, he would go out and get a tattoo. the team will hold him to that. interesting ink coming up in the next few days. watch for that on his arm or

tres chest. ahead on "starting point," brad paisley and ll cool j taking heat about their new song about racism. the reaction exactly what they intended. that's trending, next. and those are my final four picks. now over to you charles???? sir charles' single miles card left him blacked out. he's coming to us from home. that's gotta be traveling. now instead of covering the final four, he's stuck covering fourth graders. brick! bobby is 1 for 36. mikey? he keeps taking these low-percentage shots. and julio? i don't know what julio's doing. next time get the capital one venture card and fly any airline any time. what's in your wallet? can you get me mr. baldwin's autograph? get lost, kid. can you get me mr. baldwin's autograph? we believe it can be the most valuable real estate on earth. ♪

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welcome back. i'm christine romans. fox is threatening to go off air. the company that makes a small

antenna that you can plug into a smartphone or tablet and watch broadcast tv channels, aereo jeopardizes the way to collect broadcast fees. an estimated 10 million viewers get tv over the air. nature, climate change says global warming could double amount of turbulence that we experience on transatlantic flights. more car on dioxide in the air means a much bumpier ride. more turbulence means increased risk of injury and nor flight delays for rerouted flights and damage to the aircraft. turbulence cost the industry about $150 million a year. >> that to look forward to. >> exactly. news of margaret thatcher's death came as a real shock to cher fans. why do you ask? the #nowthatcher'sdead was being

red that now that chers dead. rip cher, i only wish i could turn back time. at least now we'll find out about life after love. but the rerest easy, cher fans. she is still around. >> brad paisley and ll cool j getting lots of attention with their new song, "accidental racist." ♪ red flag on my chest is somehow like a skeleton turned around ♪ ♪ and i'm just walking right in the room ♪ >> in the song, paisley sings about his appreciation for the confederate flag and its role in southern culture. and ll cool j also comes in. >> still ahead on "starting point," two candidates vy to

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welcome back to "starting point ". i'm john berman. >> i'm christine romans. >> a lovely beautiful springlike day. but out west, wild weather. a huge portion of the country, and you are wondering what the heck is going on. duststorm, hail in kansas and snow, lots of it, snarling traffic on the highways and in the air, reports at denver

international has canceled 300 flights already this morning. jennifer delgado tracking the system this morning. what is going on here? >> it takes a lot when denver cancels flights. with snow across the region. what is going on here, basically a classic spring setup. two air masses and it's causing snow on the north side and severe weather. and we're talking about a foot of snowfall possible. for areas including s.w.a.t. south dakota, nebraska and colorado. we have blizzard warnings in place. anywhere cnn ran. it will last through tomorrow. we will be dealing with wind gusts 40 to 50 miles an hour. snow coming down through parts of colorado and really good through south dakota as well as that wintry mix and then some rain on the warm side, spreading even into parts of chicago. as we go through the afternoon. storms firing up and some have the potential to produce

tornadoes anywhere in red from oklahoma down toward texas, that is our greatest risk and we're also talking a lot of big cities as well. and the slight risk category, including st. louis, kansas city to parts of texas and that means along with the tornadoes, we could see damaging winds and large hail and you just showed the video of the hail out of kansas yesterday. more could arrive. very warm temperatures, guys, that's the plus side for parts of the south and east. temperatures near 80 degrees. look how cold. 16 degrees in denver. >> we're 60 degrees warmer than denver. >> zoraida sambolin has the rest of the top stories. >> iran getting rocked by a powerful earthquake. a magnitude 6.3 quake struck in central iran. epicenter away from the key nuclear facility in bushehr.

the center for disease control opened up their emergency operations center in atlanta. they are doing so to moderate and coordinate a response to china's bird flu. they are working on china's officials for a vaccine. and a 4-year-old boy accidentally shooting the wife of a 4-year-old. he was showing off his gun collection to a relative and the 4-year-old entered the room, took a loaded gun off a bed and went off, killing 47-year-oldo sef even fanning. no charges filed there. lawyers for the national football league will be in a philadelphia courtroom today, trying to convince a federal judge to dismiss cases by nearly 4,000 former players, which accuses the league of hiding

information about the danger of head trauma. they want them to pay for medical monitoring for all players along with monetary damages. a kinder gartner missing a lot of school because of his haircut. the 5-year-old, ethan, was sent home monday and can't come back until he gets a different haircut. the haircut caused a disturbance. >> i have to take to get it shaved. because he has to go to school. >> the superintendent says the hair style was a distraction to students and violates district rules. >> can't he just comb it differently? >> district rules? >> what's wrong with a mohawk? >> you would think, right? if your kid wanted one, you would be okay with it, right? so should the school. they say all politics are local. a mother and son rather are

returning against each other today to be the town's next mayor. there they are. wendy casey and her son randall, they live in the same house. >> and running against each other. this is really serious business for the town of dixmore. having trouble finding money to fill the gas tanks in squad cars. joining me now is the mother in this case, wendy casey. thank you for joining he us this morning. the first question, and there are a lot of questions that everybody has about this. but how did this come to pass that a mother and son decided to run for the same office? >> i don't know. i decided to run four years ago, after the re-election of the current mayor. and my son had decided to run for trustee as a write-in candidate. he did not win. so he knew i was running, and,

you know, it really came to the point in september that i really knew that he was serious when he began to start collecting signatures. >> so here you are, faced with running against your son. you have to prove you are the better candidate. that can make it complicated around the house, i can imagine. is he your son, and you raised him, but you want to convince everyone you are the better candidate to run the town? >> exactly. it's been very hard in the house. you know, we just say good morning and good evening. this morning, i actually told him good morning, and good luck, and may the best woman win. >> that's nice. that's nice. i'm sure he appreciated that. you are getting along okay? >> we'll be okay after the polls close today at 7:00. >> this is a serious matter. this town, having a really tough time here. a lot of serious issues. are you worried that having a

mother and son is a distraction for what are serious problems in this town. >> the majority of the residents, they know who i am, very familiar with me. they are familiar with the pta, from all it, and they know that for me this is not a joke, and it's quite serious, like you said, our community really needs help. and our residents, it has gotten to the point, our residents do not want to come out and vote. because they are not instructing the current officials. broken promises, and they are frustrated. and it hurts. really hurts. >> no matter what happens at the end of the day when the polls close, we hope your 16-year-old

daughter can be the mediator in the middle so make sure everyone is happy tomorrow or the day after. thank you for joining us. >> we invited the son to come on too. he decided to pass on this. so there you go. not getting along perfectly well in that house. we'll see how it turns out. 37 minutes after the hour.car w teamed up with michael kors to raise money for world hunger. >> we sat down, just after the actress confirmed she is pregnant with her second child. >> i feel fantastic. this has been the biggest surprise of my life to tell you the truth. >> really? >> i was kind of past the point where this could be a reality for me, so it's been a big surprise and the most wonderful. >> is it a boy? >> i don't know. i don't know. but healthy. healthy, that's on my halle, as

it mean to be involved with the world food programme? >> it's so important what happens to the baby while they are in utteroutero. the first 100 days is fundamental. good nutrition is fundamental for your baby to develop properly and normally. >> michael, have you been involved with fighting hunger for a long time on the local level and now united nations. >> i am a guy that likes to see results. you see this is a solvable problem. the food is there, you can change someone's life immediately. >> $50 will feed a child for an entire school year. >> that's crazy. think about -- think about a cup of coffee. here in new york city, a cap chino is $5. that will feed a child in africa for a month. that's unbelievable.

we have never actually designed a product that was strictly designed for philanthropic purposes. >> i want the big reveal. >>ith the watch. have you a special name for it, right? >> this is the 100 series watch. >> ta-dah. >> and if you buy this watch, this buys 100 meals. and i know when i give, i want to know exactly where is my money going? people want to feel like, if i buy that watch, does it really translate to food and this does. and that to me is pretty amazing. >> what do you get out of this? >> i feel really good. that is so simplistic, we're helping others, but it gives me another reason to wake up. i'm a mom and that's first and foremost. it gives me another reason to exist, another purpose. and i know i'm helping one person every day in some way, that really makes me feel good. >> i have to say, hard to sit next to halle berry, but social

media, facebook, twitter, kors and berry hope to raise 500 million people with the global hunger campaign. also plan an on site visit with the food program that is scheduled to happen sometime next year this is the actual 100 series watch. >> his and hers. >> his and hers. and they each come in the gold and the silver and they retail for $295. they will be available at michael kors stores. every time you look at the watch and if you look closely there, is a map of the world on it, and you will be reminded that you paid for 100 meals for someone through the u.n. world food program. >> i like the his watch. may i? >> halle berry three months along. >> she called it the biggest surprise of her life. 46 areas old, looks spectacular, just a slight little baby bump

and -- the watch looks great, doesn't it? the doctor told her she was entering menopause. >> what? >> absolutely no idea. >> she looked graez, feels great and says she has never been happier. >> best of luck to her. >> this is really nice. man's version, very nice. >> go to michael kors. ahead on "starting point," truman capote's "breakfast at tiffanies" on broadway. we'll speak with george wendt of "cheers" fame. are you watching "starting point. you'll never go back to a regular manual brush. its three cleaning zones with dynamic power bristles reach between teeth with more brush movements to remove up to 100% more plaque than a regular manual brush. and even 76% more plaque than sonicare flexcare in hard to reach areas. oral-b deep sweep 5000 power brush.

life opens up when you do. the act of soaring across an ocean in a three-hundred-ton rocket doesn't raise as much as an eyebrow for these veterans of the sky. however, seeing this little beauty over international waters is enough to bring a traveler to tears. we're putting the wonder back into air travel, one innovation at a time. the new american is arriving.

welcome back to "starting point." today marks the anniversary of the bataan death march. as many as 11,000 american and philippines soldiers died after they were forced to walk in so-calleding heat for more than 80 miles. in today's human factor, dr. sanjay gupta speaks with a survivor. he turned personal tragedy into

joy for others. >> lester tenney arc long with his wife mary are packing boxes to ship overseas. they are founders of care packages from home. they send packages to service members in iraq and afghanistan. they have sent items to 150,000 troops. although it's a labor of love, more personal reason drives tenney. back in 1940, he enlisted in the national guard and transferred to the army division and ended up in the philippines. then japan attacked pearl harbor, one day later, japan invaded the philippines, the fighting became so one sided that the u.s. had to surrender and on april 9, 1942, american soldiers were brutally forced to march to a pow camp, 80 plus miles away in 100 degree heat with no food or water. >> it was called the bataan death march, not just because how many died, but because the

way they died. >> tenney says there are no words to describe what happened. >> if you couldn't take another step you were killed and they killed you for no reason, except for the fact that you did not move. >> tenney made it to the pow camp and was shipped to japanese coal mines and survived to the end of world war ii. >> a feeling of freedom you can't ever describe. >> now a retired professor of economics, he and his wife live in california. tenney had never stopped thinking of his days as a prisoner of war. the loneliness, the fear. that's why he started sending packages to the troops. >> they know where i've been, maybe they do, maybe they don't. but the one thing they do know, they do know that we care. >> at 92, lester tenney, one of the few remaining survivors of the bataan dait death march. how did he survive? >> my first thought was i can't die, because the japanese want

to kill me and they are working hard to do it, and if i die, then they win. and i was making sure they did not win. >> dr. sanjay gupta, cnn, reporting. >> we appreciate his stubbo stubbornness. >> amazing. ahead on "starting point," he spent 11 years as norm on "cheers," now george wendt back at the bar. but this time he owns the joint. his pivotal role in "breakfast at tiffaniesytiffany's."

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wrr. >> truman capote "breakfast at tiffany's" better known for the screen adaptation with katharine hepbu hepburn. but now it's on broadway. >> george wendt is the bar owner, and take a look as the two reminisce about holly. >> good to see that shirt. >> i loved her, but it wasn't that i wanted to touch her. i'm not crazy. i knew how it was, and i swear that never crossed my mind with holly. you can love someone without it being like that. just keep them a stranger, a stranger who sis a friend.

you know what i mean? >> yes. >> i had a chance to sit down with george wendt, norm, and cory michael smith and talk about their roles in this iconic play. george, you've been on broadway before what it was like jumping into this iconic work that's really a new project? >> well, i was floored by the script, because i was only familiar with the movie. and the script is so different in many key ways, a lot of it is the same, but there are some really key differences. and i also was just floored by the -- i read the novella at that point, and it's so beautiful. it's just an elegant, eloquent, just tragic love story, so -- i mean, i never understood the fuss about truman capote before. i knew he was sort of cute on the chat shows and everything, but i never read anything, and now i can't wait to read "in

cold blood." >> flat little bottom, any skinny girl that walks fast and straight. you think i'm around the bend? >> no, i just didn't know you had been in love with her. >> cory this is your first broadway show. you got this part after one audition? >> i did, yeah. >> what did you do in this audition to get the part so quickly? >> i don't know. i wish i could remember. the nice thing, british directors, they have a habit of having a conversation with you. you know, usually about the character of the play. which i always feel more comfortable with, and it feels a bit collaborative. >> a lot of water damage on the ceiling above my bed, and on evenings, i was certain was the shroud of turin. >> how exciting to be on broadway? ho hum, or every bit as awesome

as we assume it would be? >> it's really exciting. really exciting for my family, really exciting for teachers. to me, it feels a lot like doing another play in a larger house. it's not that it's more important to me. the work doesn' deserve any more attention than any other piece does. it's telling the story to more people every night. >> one thing different, are you on stage with -- >> with this guy. >> that's very exciting. more people may be as excited in a different way by the star of "game of thrones." >> you have an interesting back rub sce -- bathtub scene. >> we share a bathtub late in the second half. >> i'm wearing my birthday suit and bubbles. a beautiful part of the story. the entire play is about my love

interest in holly, and at this point, in the play, it's physically the closest we get to each other. but i'm just coming off an injury, and it's her caring for me and nurturing me. it's not sexualized. it's supposed to be very intimate, caring, and friendly. >> we talked about the film "breakfast at tiffany's" so iconic. you feel like you have to measure up to that? >> it's daunting. i don't feel like we have to measure up to the movie at all, well, for starters my character is not in the movie. >> you can't help but be better. that bartender sucked in the movie. you're awesome in the play. >> they cut him out. >> the pressure for me was alleviated. my role -- the role in the novella of fred and then the role that georgia park did in the film is so vastly different.

i don't feel like i'm living up to this kind of leading man quality that george had, he is frankly much more of an artist and very different kind of person. much less identifiable by common standards. so i think a lot of the pressure was coming in with emili clark and what she has done in her own way. >> thank you for coming in. good luck, congratulations. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> great interview. >> "starting point" back in a moment. f getting it done. you know how to dance... with a deadline. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle... and go. you can even take a full-size or above, and still pay the mid-size price. this is awesome. [ male announcer ] yes, it is, business pro.

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lennox. innovation never felt so good. celebrating in louisville right now. ncaa national championships. and congratulations to ashleigh banfield. she won running away on our brackets. chris cuomo, second. i finished in fifth right there. christine romans, where did you finish? >> i was down in the double digits.