Terror Fears Cloud Start of Olympics
CUOMO: Welcome back. Right now, you are looking at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. because we're waiting for President Obama to take the podium. And while we wait, instead of watching these guys, how about a little bit of the good stuff, all right? My favorite part of the show for me.</s>PEREIRA: We know.</s>CUOMO: We've been happy to tell you about a lot of big tips in restaurants around the country. Recently this one just may take the cake, all right. Here's what we got. Three young waitresses working the Saturday breakfast shift in snowy Caledonia, Illinois were folding napkins, organizing silverware and just talking about what they call life stuff. Take a listen.</s>AMY SABANI, WAITRESS: We were talking about school and braces and loans and everything that we can't afford.</s>CUOMO: Things that we all talk about, right? Need. Little did they know, a customer was listening. When she was done with her omelet, she asked the waitresses their names. She then took those names and put them on three checks for -- get this -- $5,000 each. That's right -- $15,000 for three young women just trying to get to the next stop. The waitresses, of course, were stunned.</s>SABANI: I work two jobs. I have a little boy at home, so maybe spend more time with him and do more things with him and get ahead of myself. And I hope that one day I have the amount to do the same thing for somebody else.</s>PEREIRA: Are you kidding me?</s>CUOMO: That's the dream. Just being able to get just a little bit ahead, just a little bit of help.</s>BOLDUAN: That really can make a difference.</s>CUOMO: It certainly did for them. The donor remains anonymous. She didn't want her name to be known. She even tried to pay for her $9 omelet on the way out which, of course, the ladies refused.</s>BOLDUAN: That's a good one.</s>CUOMO: And, you know, the message to them was, she's anonymous. The donor is anonymous. The waitresses say they hope that some day they're successful enough to help somebody out --</s>PEREIRA: And they can do the same thing.</s>CUOMO: -- in the same way. Because you know, it really is contagious. It's a big reason we do the good stuff --</s>BOLDUAN: We sure hope it's contagious.</s>CUOMO: -- is taking that stuff --</s>PEREIRA: The bad stuff sure is.</s>CUOMO: Right -- one step out of the ordinary can often be the extraordinary for people and certainly we see that here. Of course, very few have $15,000 to drop on a situation like that. But it doesn't have to be the $15,000.</s>BOLDUAN: Right, it's not the $15,000.</s>CUOMO: Very often, it's just taking that opportunity to help somebody in a way they weren't expecting. It can really be contagious.</s>PEREIRA: I love it. This is so great. That was a really good one, Chris, thank you.</s>CUOMO: Good, good stuff. All right.</s>BOLDUAN: Right.</s>CUOMO: A lot of news this morning as well. So we give you to the "NEWSROOM" and Miss Carol Costello.</s>CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you very much. "NEWSROOM" starts now. Good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thanks for joining me this morning. Topping the hour, security scares in Sochi. The last of the Olympic athletes are arriving amid new terror concerns. The Department of Homeland Security now says a terror plot could begin in a U.S. airport inside of an innocent looking tube of toothpaste. Washington this warning, airlines say terrorists could hide explosive materials there to detonate in flight or once they arrive at the games. Just minutes ago we heard from America's top Olympic official in Sochi.</s>SCOTT BLACKMUN, CEO, U.S. OLYMPIC COMMITTEE: The safety and security of our athletes and our whole delegation is always our primary concern as the team behind the team here on the ground. We, as we always do, work very closely with our state department, our state department is in very close contact with the local authorities, and you know, we react to situations as they arise. But we also have a lot of planning exercises in advance and know these games are no different than any other games in that respect.</s>COSTELLO: CNN's Nick Paton Walsh is in Sochi, he has more for you.</s>REP. PETER KING (R), NEW YORK: Any type of explosive, concealed explosive can be extremely damaging. It could be enough to bring a plane down.</s>NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Airlines with direct flights to Russia on alert this morning. The Department of Homeland Security issuing another terror bulletin warning about the possibility that explosive materials could be concealed in toothpaste or cosmetic tubes on flights headed to the Olympic Games in Sochi. The possible devices intended either to be detonated on the flights themselves or smuggled into the Olympic village. Former presidential candidate Mitt Romney who organized the 2002 winter Olympics discussed this threat with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.</s>MITT ROMNEY, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: A real grave concern to hear a report of this nature. And you basically want to know more. Are we going to put in place immediately restrictions on any kind of tubes or any kind of cosmetics going in flights towards Russia?