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Notre Dame football player Manti Te'o speaks out on girlfriend hoax – George Howell reports
(CNN) - Notre Dame star linebacker Manti Te'o has again admitted to lying, marking at least the second time he has acknowledged knowingly spreading falsities in the saga of his fake dead girlfriend.
In an interview with ABC News' Katie Couric set to air Thursday evening, the Heisman Trophy runner-up says he fibbed to the media - albeit briefly - after learning that the death of supposed girlfriend Lennay Kekua was a hoax.
Te'o said he believed Kekua, whom he thought was his girlfriend despite never meeting her face to face, had died of leukemia on September 12 after a car accident left her hospitalized. But he received a call December 6 from the woman he thought was Kekua, and she said she was alive, he has said.
Te'o told ABC he felt he had no choice but to continue the ruse.
Today on "Early Start," CNN's George Howell reports on the latest in the Manti Te'o story.
READ MORE: In ABC interview, Te'o admits, again, to lying about fake girlfriend
MYB: Apple posts record profit, but stock tumbles
Christine Romans looks at why Apple shares are down 8% in the pre-market, despite Apple making $13 billion in quarterly profits, "the second biggest profit in American history."
All eyes on inauguration fashion as First Lady wows in red Jason Wu dress – Alina Cho reports
As expected, style and fashion at the inaugural ceremonies did not disappoint. The First Lady’s wardrobe was the talk of the town. All eyes were on Michelle Obama’s fashion forward choices and she may have outdone herself yet again. CNN’s resident fashionista Alina Cho has the details in the fabric.
Thom Browne was elected for the coat and dress the First Lady wore on inauguration morning, turning heads for choosing a designer known more widely for his menswear. Another surprise came at the grand inaugural ball. It shocked viewers and designer Jason Wu himself that the First Lady should choose a gown by him again. She went with Wu for the first inaugural ball four years ago. But Alina Cho sums it up rather simply. “At the end of the day, she’s a woman who wanted to feel and look great,” she says.
Great white shark "Mary Lee" enters NC's outer banks – OCEARCH Founder Chris Fischer on the shark's travels
“Early Start” first told you the story of great white shark when she got dangerously close to Florida’s Jacksonville Beach just a few weeks ago. In September, a group called OCEARCH pulled her out of the water near Cape Cod. They tagged her with a tracker and let her go, nicknaming her "Mary Lee."
"Mary Lee" has since traveled hundreds of miles north and now the massive shark is right off the coast of North Carolina’s outer banks, near Cape Hatteras. You can follow her travels anytime you want on OCEARCH's website. Chris Fischer, founder of OCEARCH who has been alerting authorities when Mary Lee gets too close for comfort, joins us on "Starting Point" this morning with more.
Fischer says OCEARCH’s primary purpose is conducting research regarding where sharks are breeding and where they are giving birth in order to protect those areas, but his duty also extends to sounding the alarm to the authorities when necessary.
“When you have the kind of data, when a 16-foot mature white shark that's over 3,500 pounds comes close to a populated area, I feel an obligation to call,” he says. “Yesterday she was very close to Ocracoke, North Carolina, either right on the beach right in front of it or actually inside the sound, nearby. A few hours later, she popped out off shore. She was very near there.” Fischer contacted authorities right away who then continued handling their own business there. “They were very excited about it”.
As for Mary Lee, she has been very busy in the past two weeks. “She’s been exploring the coast and going in and out and very near a lot of estuaries and river mouths,” Fischer says.
CNN Trends: Sasha's yawn goes viral
Trending on the web this morning are memorable moments from the president's second inauguration ceremony. One tender moment was of young Sasha Obama yawning during her father's speech.
Creating an historic moment: Presidential Inauguration Committee's Brent Colburn explains logistics
The focus all over the country today is on the inaugural ceremony and parade in Washington. Tonight it will be all about the parties. Big name artists including Katy Perry, Brad Paisley, Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys and John Legend are all expected to perform. But the celebration is somewhat scaled back from four years ago. The presidential inaugural committee is hosting just two official inaugural balls this year compared to 10 official balls in 2009. Brent Colburn is Communications Director for the Presidential Inauguration Committee. With more on the logistics of the festivities, he joins us on “Early Start” this morning.
Colburn describes the differences between the first and second inauguration’s programming. “Obviously second inaugurals are a little different than first inaugurals,” he says. “[They] tend to be a little bit smaller, but they’re a really important moment. It’s an important moment for the president to look back at where we've gone as a country, and for the country to look forward.”
Vision, unity should be themes in President Obama's inauguration speech – fmr. campaign messaging director Brett O'Donnell explains
In just a few hours, the country will watch as Barack Obama is inaugurated for a second term as President of the United States. Washington is abuzz in anticipation for the big ceremony and the president’s big speech as he embarks on the next four years in office.
Brett O'Donnell was the Messaging Director for John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign. In the last election cycle, he worked for both the Michele Bachmann and Mitt Romney campaigns. This morning, O’Donnell offers his thoughts on what the president has to accomplish in speech today.
O’Donnell says inaugural addresses are about two things. “They're about vision and they're about unity,” he says. “The challenge for the president is really to bring the country together, to sound a vision for the country that is eloquent and that will inspire Americans to come together and get behind him and get behind our elected leaders to work for the good of the country.”
Will President Obama's second inaugural address be memorable?Ana Navarro and Roland Martin weigh in
Washington is abuzz with Americans excited to see the president’s second inauguration festivities today. Many are speculating what President Obama might say in his speech. CNN Contributor and Republican Strategist Ana Navarro and CNN Political Analyst Roland Martin weigh in on what to expect from the president’s second inaugural address.
Cycling analyst Eustice weighs in on Armstrong-Oprah interview part one: ‘a brave first step’
For years Lance Armstrong cheated. For years Lance Armstrong lied. But the first time he came clean was in an interview with Oprah Winfrey broadcast on Thursday night. In the first of his two-part interview the disgraced cycling legend told Oprah that he was indeed involved in a sophisticated doping program where he had multiple blood transfusions in addition to using a “cocktail” of drugs, including testosterone, cortisone, human growth hormone and the blood booster EPO.
Armstrong, who was recently asked to return his bronze medal from the Olympics, was also stripped of his seven Tour de France titles after the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency raised accusations against him last October. This morning two-time U.S. professional cycling champion, cycling coach and analyst John Eustice weighs in on the first 90-minute interview and what we can expect to learn from the second installment set to be broadcast on Friday night.
Eustice comments on Armstrong’s responses and attitude during the first part of the interview with Oprah. According to Eustice’s knowledge of Armstrong, he will never express “weepy, I’m sorry emotion,” because he’s naturally a “tough, hard guy.” “For Lance, that was pretty good,” he says about how Armstrong came across to viewers. “But I think he made his best efforts to put the truth out there.”
Eustice considers this interview Armstrong’s coming to terms with his life after the fallout. “He tried to explain and admitted his own doping. He tried to explain the doping culture of, not only cycling, but I’d like to say for, professional sports. And I think it’s not what everybody wants, but it’s was a very, very good, and a fairly brave first step for him.”
MYB: Intel profit falls sharply
Christine Romans is minding your business with the latest on world markets and U.S. stock futures. “Intel, after the bell, had disappointing earnings report,” Romans says. “Its profit fell sharply.” It could direct trade in the morning.
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