cnn's john zarrella is in new orleans with the answer. hi, john. >> reporter: hi, carol.committee. some of the thunder was already stolen because before he testified, entergy, the utility company that he is the owner of issued a statement saying they found the source of the problem. rice reiterated that a minute ago during his testimony. they say they have isolated the problem to a relay. all during the course of the week we've heard a lot about what's called the vault. inside the box is what's called switch gear that controls the flow of lek tris tri from the main feeder lines to the switch gear and then out to the superdoisupe super dome. this relay tripped off opened for whatever reason, and that is what cut the power to one-half of the superdome during the third quarter of the super bowl game. the equipment has been removed. they're evaluating bringing in new equipment now, going to test out the new equipment. one of the things they did say of course is this piece of equipment that was in there, and actually it's new. it's only been in there six to eight weeks. it wor

john zarrella, thanks, john. power puzzle he calls it. >> the nfl commissioner roger goodell came out and said we will have another super bowl there. >>> 14 minutes past the hour. let's get you up to date on this morning's top stories. after nearly a week in captivity in an underground bunker, a 5-year-old alabama boy is reunited with his family this morning. little ethan spent the night in a hospital after an fbi raid freed him. the chald's kidnaper, 65-year-old jimmy lee dykes was killed in that rescue operation. ethan turns 6 tomorrow. >>> five baltimore firefighters are injured but they're very lucky to be alive this morning. a local station says they were among 100 firefighters battling this four-alarm fire aa lumber warehouse when several floors collapsed on top of them and trapped them in the blaze. they were rescued and taken to a trauma center. crews are still on the scene to knock down hot spots. >>> former presidential candidate rick santorum says the boy scouts of america may not survive if gays are a

cnn's john zarrella is also taking it all in at the winner's circle there. danica patrick coming in, what, eighth place. >> reporter: yeah, frederica what a terrific day today, jimmie johnson down there in victory lane talking to members of the media, winning his second daytona 500. as you mentioned, a great day for danica patrick, she was the first woman to win the poll position for the 500, the first woman today in 500 history to lead at least one lap and she had the highest finish of any woman in the history of the daytona 500, coming in in the top ten, finishing eighth. what a contrast to what we saw yoen yesterday on the nationwide race. more than 28 people injured in all. seven still at area hospitals today as the race here started. we did have an opportunity earlier in the day to talk to people who witnessed what happened yesterday. what they were telling us it happened instantaneously, no idea until parts were actually flying at them. interestingly enough, most of those people came back today and they said they had no qualms about coming back today,

cnn's john zarrella is taking it all in right near the winner's circle. so clearly, the race went on as scheduled. they cleared up that track. but many people are still nursing their injuries, right, from yesterday? >> reporter: yeah, that's right, frederica. there are still seven people in the hospital. of the 28 or more who were originally injured during the accident. the daytona 500, you can hear it, still going on here in front of me. and we are not far, just across the track from where that accident took place yesterday. one car being cut in two, part of one of its tires flying into the stands. and we had an opportunity today, we got here earlier, to talk with a couple of fans who saw what transpired. >> it was, like, a loud thundering, almost like an explosion, i don't know if it was the cable snapping or the motor ring from the car, but it was just -- it was nothing like i had ever heard before. it was like mayhem and then aftermath, you saw, like, the engine actually in the stands burning you and it was like you couldn't believe what you were seei

john zarrella, i am distracted. we just got word in about a u.s.eatest female skier in the entire world, she has been air lifted to a hospital after what is being described as a serious crash according to the u.s. ski and snow board association. the crash happened during the opening day of the super g event at the alpine ski world championships in austria. that is all we know. but lindsay von is spectacular. she won four world championships and won the gold medal in the 2010 olympics. our hearts go out to her, hopefully her injuries are not serious. when we get more information, we will pass it along. we will be right back. but there are some things i've never seen before. this ge jet engine can understand 5,000 data samples per second. which is good for business. because planes use less fuel, spend less time on the ground and more time in the air. suddenly, faraway places don't seem so...far away. ♪ suddenly, faraway places don't seem so...far away. for over 75 years people ...with geico... ohhh...sorry!. director's voice: here we go. from the top

john zarrella, cnn, miami. >> they took it off the wall? >> i know.the building owner would own it once it's on his wall. >>> when we come back, the son of the king of pop. we'll tell you about prince jackson's new job, when we come back. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] it was designed to escape the ordinary. it feels like it can escape gravity. ♪ the 2013 c-class coupe. ♪ starting at $37,800. ♪ to volunteer to help those in need. when a twinge of back pain surprises him. morning starts in high spirits, but there's a growing pain in his lower back. as lines grow longer, his pain continues to linger. but after a long day of helping others, he gets some helpful advice. just two aleve have the strength to keep back pain away all day. today, jason chose aleve. just two pills for all day pain relief. try aleve d for strong, all day long sinus and headache relief. >>> you might be seeing a lot more of michael jackson's oldest son prince. he's taking a job at "entertainment tonight." >> prince michael jackson taping his first interview about a remake of "the wizard o

i want to bring in chad myers and john zarrella. us about the group who is making the plans. i understand it's rich folks who have a dream, yes? possibly to make it happen? >> yeah. they are going to need a lot of money. that's for sure. inspiration mars foundation and the guy that's behind all of this is dennis tito. he was a one-time nasa jet propulsion engineer. he's made millions of dollars in the private sector. he was the first space tourist back in 2001 flying to the international space station on a russian rocket. that trip cost him $20 million. he's got deep pockets. to pull this off, they are going to need about $1 billion. they have a lot of fundraising to do. 501 days. they are not landing on mars. that's the key. it's a lot cheaper if you're just going to fly around and not land. a man and woman, preferably they'd like to send a married couple as well up to mars and, you know, there's a lot of risks, a lot of challenges to do this but they believe they can pull it off in 2018 when mars is about as close as it comes to e

john zarrella live in new orleans this morning. good morning, john. >> reporter: good morning, john, brooke. they don't know. it wasn't beyonce, wasn't a couple of other things either that they seem to have ruled out. we know that the city council's utility commission is going to hold an emergency meeting to launch its own investigation into the matter. that emergency meeting is going to be held friday. and so at this point, what we still have is a power puzzle. the night the lights went out at the super bowl is a story about, well, a few things, what went right. everyone remaining calm. >> i never met so many people so hospitable. >> what happened? video from inside the stadium control room show the super bowl's uh-oh moment. >> all right. we lost lights. all right. we're going to the manual override. >> and then the head scratching still unanswered question, what went wrong. here is what we know, kind of. smg, the company that owns and operates the super dome says the problem originated outside the stadium. >> truth is, the interr

here's john zarrella's report. >> reporter: mars.n there already, just ask the society who decades ago work order concepts for human missions. >> if the al po polo program hat been abandoned, the first children in high school would have been on mars by thousand. now. >> we'll be on our way by 9 turn of the century. i said that in 1973. took me 27 years to be approach wrong. i won't live to see humans on mars. i thought i would. >> reporter: but there's a chance. a long shot. that he will at least see humans fly by the red planet. millionaire dennis tito is leading a privately funded benefit to mars called mission for america. the jaw dropping seemingly outrageous undertaking would lift off in 2018 just five years from now when mars will be in spitting distance of earth about as close as ever gets. roughly 36 million miles. tito is no stranger to space flight. he was a nasa engineer and in 2001 became the first space tourist flying on a russian rocket to the international space station. >> it goes well beyond anything that i would hav

john zarrella is in mexico where this towed ship was supposed to head here.. >> reporter: what happened was initially they believed that progresso, mexico, the port is about 20 minutes from where we are, was going to be the closest place to bring it. but as the ship was without power, it began to drift and the currents were so strong in the gulf, it drifted about 90 miles north. so by the time the tugs got there, it made no sense to come down to progresso. made more sense to tour it back to mobile, alabama. carnival is saying it is going to be some time on thursday before the ship actually arrives, but u.s. coast guard, the captain of a coast guard cutter that is actually escorting the triumph said it could be as early as late wednesday night when they actually get close to mobile or to the port. so sometime late overnight hours, wednesday into thursday, or as late as thursday afternoon. >> you hear the tales of sewage dripping down the walls. what is carnival saying about that? >> carnival is saying in general, look, some toilets are working in the public ar

joining me now, john zarrella, live in progresso, mexico, where that ship was supposed to be towed until the currents started pushing it northward. john, i would not exactly call this full speed ahead. at six knots, when are they expected to reach the shores of alabama? >> reporter: well, you know, that was the problem, as you mentioned, we are here in progresso, because the ship was supposed to come here. but because of the strong currents, it drifted some 90 miles further north from its original position. by the time the tugboats got to it, it made more sense to bring it back to mobile, alabama. and right now, the timetable, as you mentioned at six miles, five miles an hour, would get it there some time on thursday. not sure if it's the afternoon, the morning, the evening, just depends on weather conditions and how much time those tugboats can make with the cruise ship. now, as far as the passengers on the ship, they are saying many of the things that you were reporting, the fact that many of the toilets are not working. that most of them are taking their mattresses outside and sleepin

john zarrella is in mexico, where the boat was going to be tugged by the jugboats. have to head to alabama now. >> reporter: we have to wait here, who know what the next twist or turn will be. what happened was the progresso, mexico, was the closestiumph"tr" while waiting at sea it drifted north. by the time the tugboats got there it was easier to not fight the turned and start towing the ship to mobile, alabama. it is, carnival says, moving under tug tow at about six knots and get there sometime on thursday, probably early thursday, so it made more sense, carnival decided, to go there. as you were saying, carol, the conditions for "the triumph" not good at all. we talked to one passenger on the ship, and she was telling us the crew is doing a good job, they're getting fruit, cereal, hot coffee but most of the people are sleeping outside, they took their mattresses outside to sleep jou side. the rausu wanlg smell in the hallway is terrible as well and the toilets are not working in most parts of the ship. we talked to a man whose wife is on the cruise ship. here is

john zarrella is live with me in miami and chad myers here with me in studio 7. so, mr.lla, let's begin with, you know, let's be clear, this is like a blink and you miss it kind of trip. they're not actually landing on mars. tell me what we do know about the mission. >> that's exactly what makes it doable. that's what dennis tito, the first space tourist, flew to the international space station in 2001 on a russian rocket, he's got deep pockets, multimillionaire, but will take a lot more than that. the foundation that they started, which is called inspiration mars, needs to raise about a billion dollars in order to pull this off. now, that's really not a lot of money considering that nasa's plans to land humans on mars would cost tens of billions of dollars. that's way out there. bottom line, 501 day mission, fly around mars, you're slingshoted back to earth, man and woman, a married couple is what they want. >> this millionaire you're referring to, he's not even the one who would go. he wants a married couple to go. why? >> they want a married couple to go and, in fact,

wolf. >> john zarrella from daytona beach, thanks very much. >>> oscar pistorius's bail conditions. he has to do at least for a couple of months. straight ahead. >>> with billions of dollars of federal budget cuts drawing close, will victims of hurricane sandy get hit? [ male announcer ] when we built the cadillac ats from the ground up to be the world's best sport sedan... ♪ ...people noticed. ♪ the all-new cadillac ats -- 2013 north american car of the year. ♪ for a limited time, take advantage of this exceptional offer on the all-new cadillac ats. >>> south african authorities are keeping close tabs on oscar pistorius. some of the top stories in "the situation room" right now. >> saying pistorius must undergo four random tests for drugs and alcohol to make sure he is complying with bail terms. he is charged with fatally shooting his girlfriend. he must check in with his probation officer twice a week. >>> the syrian regime says it is ready to talk with the country's armed rebels but that's drawing skepticism from the u.s. and the opposition. secretary of state john kerry says it'

here is cnn's john zarrella. >> wolf, it is hard to believe that ten years have passed since the columbiaennedy space center visitor complex, a memorial service and wreath laying. members of the family, friends and nasa officials were on hand. i had an opportunity to sit down and talk with commander rick husband's widow. the past ten years have been anything but easy. ". >> reporter: "colombia" was 200,000 feet up when the spacecraft began to fall apart. unknown to nasa and the team, the shuttle had been damaged. a chunk of foam had come off in liftoff and punctured the wing. at the command center, rick husband's widow was thinking the worse. >> i was thinking is that it? is that the end of rick's life. >> reporter: seven sastronauts died that morning leaving behind family and friends. in an instance, she was a single mom with two young children, and without rick, it was hard. >> god created families to have a mom and dad. and so when rick left, he was a great dad. an amazing man. it was challenging to raise them as a single mom. >> reporter: there has been healing evelyn says, but it is

>> john zarrella has been our rocket man. always has been, always will be. >>> jesse jackson jrs. have the details of how he spent his campaign cash. <ú>h we're in san francisco. <ú>h google's backyard for the bing it on challenge. [fight bell: ding, ding] what's your preferred search engine? search engine, uhh, probably google. if we do a side by side blind test comparison, and you end up choosing google, you get an xbox. i'll bet you the xbox, you bet me your son. well let's look up what you need. okay, i would do the left. yeah? what?! i am a daddy! bing wins it! bing won. bing did win. people prefer bing over google for the web's top searches. don't believe it? go to bingiton.com and see what you're missing. how do you keep an older car running like new? you ask a ford customer. when they tell you that you need your oil changed you got to bring it in. if your tires need to be rotated, you have to get that done as well. jackie, tell me why somebody should bring they're car here to the ford dealership for service instead of any one of those other places out there. they are going

cnn's john zarrella has more on the proposal. >> wolf, dennis tito has been involved in aerospace forcould be one of the greatest adventures that humans have ever undertaken. mars. we should have been there already, and just ask the head of the mars society who decades ago worked on concepts for human missions. >> if the apollo program had not been orphaned and abandoned the first children born orn mars would be entering high school about now. >> and just ask the last man to walk on the moon. >> we are going to be on our way to mars by the turn of the century, and i said that in 1973, and gave me over 27 years to be proven wrong. i want live to see humans on mars. i thought it would. >> reporter: but there is a chance a long shot that cernan will at least see the humans fly by the red pilot. millionaire dennis tito is leading a privately-funded mission to mars called "mission for america" and it wouldlift off in 2018, fife years from now, when mars would be in spitting distance of earth, and as close as it ever gets. roughly 36 million miles, and tito is no stranger to space flight. h

here's cnn's john zarrella. >> reporter: officials say that this was the most talked about 34 minutes of electricity. well, they may finally have an answer as to what knocked out the lights at the superdome. the mystery is solved, it wasn't beyonce or, heaven forbid, angry san fran fans that turned out the light. the who done it or what did it is a mystery no longer. >> through our own investigation, we have krased the cause of the relay device. >> reporter: the utility device to the new orleans city council new orleans during a hearing? >> reporter: it's designed to protect equipment in case power feeder cables fail. the relay is new. they first started using it in december and it worked fine during three other sporting events, including the super bowl. those events did not draw as much power. >> but for the super bowl, you know, i would be remiss if i didn't say there was not an increase in the amount of service that was requested. >> reporter: rice says they still don't know why it tripped. in a statement, the chicago company that makes the part said the outage was a result of the