[John Berman, Cnn Correspondent:] Good morning, everyone. I'm John Berman.
[Brooke Baldwin, Cnn Correspondent:] Good morning. Happy Friday. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Soledad is off today.
[Berman:] Hello, there.
[Baldwin:] Hello!
[Berman:] Our STARTING POINT today is a CNN exclusive. Conservative Ohio senator, Rob Portman makes a stunning reversal on gay marriage, and he's talking to only our Dana Bash.
[Baldwin:] And then, not just one, but two Carnival cruise ships in trouble this morning. Folks, this is the fourth time the company has had problems in a month. This morning, we're asking, are the ships safe? Also, a developing story, a suspect in that deadly attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi from last September, this morning, behind bars. Could we finally learn more about what sparked the violence that killed four Americans?
[Berman:] And a disturbing video of a four-year-old attacked by a dog in a terrifying moment all caught on camera.
[Romans:] Plus, it's now a 10-day winning streak for the Dow. It's not just markets seeing a boost, it's turning more Americans into millionaires.
[Berman:] It is Friday, March 15th, and STARTING POINT begins right now. And our STARTING POINT this morning is a CNN exclusive. The gay marriage movement getting an unexpected lift from a most unlikely backer, one of the leading conservative voices on Capitol Hill. Republican senator, Rob Portman of Ohio, is reversing his position on the issue after his son revealed that he is gay.
[Baldwin:] CNN's chief congressional correspondent Dana Bash landing this exclusive TV interview with the senator. She joins us live from Washington this morning. Dana bash, a lot of questions for you. Dana Bash, let's just begin with the fact that this wasn't easy for the senator, I imagine.
[Dana Bash, Cnn Chief Congressional Correspondent:] It was not. I can tell you that for sure it was not easy. But this kind of thing happens all over America all the time. Even in conservative homes. Sons and daughters come to their parents and reveal that they're gay. The difference here, of course, is that this father is a U.S. senator with a megaphone and a vote to try to give his gay son more rights. He invited us into his office yesterday to tell us this dramatic news.
[Bash:] You probably recognize Ohio Senator Rob Portman from his tireless campaigning for Mitt Romney. Even on Romney's short list for vice president. He's been a leading Republican voice on the economy for four decades.
[Sen. Rob Portman,  Ohio:] We need to spur economic growth and create more jobs.
[Bash:] Now the prominent conservative from Ohio will be known for something else, changing his hardline position against gay marriage, which he revealed to CNN, and the very personal reason behind his reversal.
[Portman:] I'm announcing today a change of heart on an issue that a lot of people feel strongly about. And it has to do with gay couples' opportunity to marry. I've come to the conclusion that for me, personally, I think this is something that we should allow people to do, to get married, and to have the joy and the stability of marriage that I've had for over 26 years. I want all three of my kids to have it, including our son who is gay.
[Bash:] That unexpected revelation came from Portman's 21-year-old son Will two years ago.
[Portman:] My son came to Jane, my wife and I, told us that he was gay. And that it was not a choice. And that, you know, he that's just part of who he is and he's been that way ever since he could remember.
[Bash:] What was your reaction when he told you?
[Portman:] Love. Support, you know, 110 percent.
[Bash:] Surprised?
[Portman:] Surprise, yes.
[Bash:] You had no idea?
[Portman:] No idea. Yes. And, you know, again that launched a process of rethinking the issue.
[Bash:] Until now, all this was secret to most, but not everyone. You were vetted to be a vice presidential candidate. Did you tell Mitt Romney that your son was gay?
[Portman:] Yes, of course.
[Bash:] And how did he react?
[Portman:] I told Mitt Romney everything. That process is intrusive, would be one way to put it. But no, yes, I told him everything.
[Bash:] You think that was a deal breaker?
[Portman:] No. No. I really don't.
[Bash:] How can you be sure?
[Portman:] Well, because, you know, they told me.
[Bash:] Portman was never outspoken on gay marriage, but he consistently voted against it, supporting a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, the Defense of Marriage Act, and a bill prohibiting gay couples in Washington, D.C. from adopting children. What do you say to a gay constituent in Ohio who says I'm so glad that he changed his position but why did it take him learning that he has a gay son? Why didn't he as my representative care about my rights before that?
[Portman:] Well, I would say that, you know, I've had a change of heart based on a personal experience. That's certainly true. I'm on the budget committee, the finance committee for reasons. Those have always been my primary issues and my focus. So, now it's different. You know, I hadn't expected to be in this position. But I do think, you know, having spent a lot of time thinking about it, and working through this issue personally, that, you know, this is where I am for reasons that are consistent with my political philosophy, including family values, including being a conservative who believes the family is a building block of society. I'm comfortable there.
[Bash:] You know, a cynic might look at this and say, he's a politician. Why is he doing this now, when he found out two years ago?
[Portman:] Well, two things. One is I'm comfortable with the position. And it took me awhile to, you know, to rethink things and to get to this decision.
[Bash:] The second reason, the Supreme Court. Which will soon hear a pair of gay marriage cases, and Portman expected that to generate some questions about his position.
[Portman:] And I thought it was the right time to let folks know where I stand so there was no confusion so I would be clear about it.
[Bash:] I asked senator Portman whether he is going to go beyond this public announcement and actually become an activist lobbying his Republican colleagues to support gay marriage, too. He said probably not. He'll probably stick with the economic issues that drove him into public office. But, Brooke and John, he also said that he may not have to say much more than he has. At least to make his conservative colleagues think twice about their opposition to gay marriage.
[Berman:] This was so interesting. Rob Portman is a senator, really one of the best on his feet in the entire Congress. But he looked a little uncomfortable there, even nervous talking about it, and I understand he has spoken to many people over the last two years, sort of helping him through this evolution, including Dick Cheney?
[Bash:] He did. Dick Cheney, of course, famously has a gay daughter. He was the highest ranking Republican ever to have a gay child. And, the two of them have been friends for a long time. And I asked him about that. He said not only did they speak he went to go see Dick Cheney, talk to him, ask him for advice, and Cheney's advice was follow your heart. He said that's exactly what he's doing.
[Baldwin:] We talked a lot recently about the evolution of different members of Congress, and also recently Bill Clinton on a different, you know, when do you ever have a former president asking the Supreme Court to overturn something you signed being DOMA, and he cited the interview how Chelsea Clinton and her gay friends helped him evolve in his stance. And here you have Senator Portman with his son who you mention two years ago came out so this is really personal for a lot of these politicians.
[Bash:] It is. It just is a reminder that politicians are people, too. But also the fact that, you know, that society obviously is evolving. And frankly, in the past couple of years, it sort of happened in warp speed, obviously people in the gay community think that they have a lot of work to do, still. But the fact that you have somebody like rob Portman, who you mentioned he's a little uncomfortable. He was. He not with talking about how proud he is of his son but just talking about such a personal issue. He is a Midwestern guy with Midwestern sensibilities, and the idea of talking about anybody's sexuality, never mind his son's, in public, was something that was very odd for him and you could tell. He's very press savvy and he was he was nervous, understandably so.
[Baldwin:] Dana Bash, great interview. We thank you so much. We'll talk a little bit more about it at the top of the next hour.
[Berman:] Great interview. Seven minutes after the hour. Our other top story this morning, not one, but two Carnival cruise ships having trouble this morning. Can you believe it? At this hour the carnival Legend is experiencing propulsion problems in the Caribbean and cannot operate at full speed.
[Baldwin:] And the carnival Dream is stranded at port, this is in St. Maarten, with generator problems there. Those passengers are waiting to be flown home. Cristina Puig live in Miami with the developments there. Cristina, good morning.
[Christina Puig, Cnn Correspondent:] Good morning, Brooke. That's right. Delta chartered flights are scheduled to begin flying out of St. Maarten with 4,300 of those passengers on an hourly basis. One of the first flights scheduled to land in Orlando around 10:00 a.m. And, as you might imagine, many of those passengers are just anxious to get home.
[Puig:] For some passengers, it was a cruise that didn't live up to their dream. And to some of us their plants sounded a note of deja vu clogged toilets, interruptions to elevator service, power outages. It was the same cruise line, Carnival, but a different ship than the one that left passengers at tea for several days with no air conditioning, and unsanitary living conditions. But the problems on the cruise liner Dream were nowhere near as nightmarish as those aboard the Triumph just a month ago.
[Kris Anderson, Carnival Dream Passenger:] Our toilets weren't working and the water rose up, like you would at home, if the toilet was clogged. The water would start to rise up to the top of the bowl.
[Puig:] The carnival says the Dream got stuck in port in St. Maarten's when the backup emergency generator malfunctioned during a routine inspection. The company issued a statement saying at no time did the ship lose power and the ship's propulsion systems and primary power source was not impacted. The statement also said all guests are safe and comfortable with only periodic interruptions to elevators and rest room services for a few hours.
[Anderson:] They thought it was something minor, ended up being something more complicated, which is why we're still here. As far as the power outages go, I mean, I didn't notice at first.
[Puig:] The latest aborted voyage comes on the heels of the debacle involving carnival's Triumph cruise liner that spent five days adrift at sea. Attracting worldwide attention as passengers posted picture after picture of the unsanitary and altogether unpleasant conditions on the ship.
[Christopher Muller, Boston University:] This is a management problem. They're doing something wrong with preventive maintenance. Carnival has so many working ships that to say that the fleet is in distress is maybe a little bit broad. But clearly something is not working right.
[Puig:] Ironically, just one day before Dream's problems, carnival had announced it was conducting a comprehensive review of its entire fleet. The cruise line was quick to offer its Dream guests a refund for the three days the cruise was cut short, and 50 percent off a future cruise. Now this makes four ships altogether that have had problems in the last month. As we mentioned the Legend and the Dream on Wednesday, and on Saturday, Elation apparently had some steering problems. And of course we all remember the Triumph watching it be towed back into mobile, Alabama, after those passengers were stranded at sea for five days. Now Carnival's CEO Gary Cahill said yesterday that they do have comprehensive programs in place to inspect all of their flights, which consist of 23 ships. Brooke?
[Baldwin:] Christina Puig, thank you. As you point out, at least it's stuck in St. Maarten.
[Berman:] I guess it's not the worst place to be stuck in. But four ships, that sure seems like a lot in a month. The question is, what is going on with these Carnival vessels? We're going to be joined by maritime lawyer Jack Hickey for his perspective on all these cases.
[Baldwin:] Now a Jumbo-tron collapses at a popular festival? Christine Romans has that and the rest of the top stories. What?
[Romans:] This happened during preparations for the Ultra Music Festival in Miami. Two people in critical condition this morning after that Jumbo-tron fell on top of workers trying to hoist it. In all four people were hurt. The festival is still scheduled to go on this afternoon. But part of the park will be closed as investigators look into exactly what went wrong there. Developing this morning, sources tell CNN a man suspected of being involved in the September 11th attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi is now being held in Libya. The FBI has reportedly interviewed the suspect in the presence of Libyan authorities. We're told the suspect's name is Faraj al Shibli. He was detained within the past two days and had recently returned from a trip to Pakistan. President Obama says Iran is more than a year away from developing a nuclear weapon but that doesn't mean he's going to let it happen. In an interview with Israeli television the president downplayed differences with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Iran's nuclear program. Obama will meet with Netanyahu next week during his first visit to Israel since becoming president.
[Barack Obama,  President Of The United States:] What we're going to be doing is continue to engage internationally with Iran, understanding that we've set up the toughest sanctions ever. It's having a significant effect. If we can resolve it diplomatically, that's a more lasting solution. But if not, I continue to keep all options on the table.
[Romans:] Meantime the Pentagon says an Iranian fighter jet targeted an unarmed U.S. predator drone over the Persian Gulf this week. All right, intense moments in a Senate debate on a possible assault weapons ban. California Senator Dianne Feinstein taking on Texas Republican Ted Cruz after he lectures her about the constitution.
[Sen. Ted Cruz,  Texas:] It seems to me that all of you should begin as our foundational document with the constitution.
[Sen. Dianne Feinstein,  California:] I'm not a sixth grader. Senator I've been on this committee for 20 years. If you want to lecture me on the constitution, I appreciate it. Just know I've been here for a long time. I come from a different place than you do. I respect your views. I ask you to respect my views.
[Berman:] Senator Feinstein later appeared on "THE SITUATION ROOM " to discuss the situation.
[Feinstein:] Well, I just felt patronized. I felt he was somewhat arrogant about it. And you know, when you've come from where I've come from and what you've seen, and when you found a dead body and your put your finger in bullet holes you really impact the realize of weapons.
[Romans:] A reputation for feisty behavior in committee hearings says no one doubts Senator Feinstein's sincerity or her passion. You're looking live inside the Vatican where Pope Francis is meeting with the full College of Cardinals including those who were too old to take part in the conclave. The Pope offered a message of encouragement to his spiritual brothers.
[Pope Francis:] In these days we have noticed the effect and solidarity of the universal church, and also the interests of so many people who may not share our faith. Nonetheless, they respect it and admire the church and the Holy See.
[Romans:] The event included a misstep, literally. Pope Francis stumbled as he walked down steps to thank the dean of the college of cardinals, cardinal Angelo Sodano. The pontiff quickly recovered though.
[Baldwin:] That was a great
[Berman:] I've done that like 10 billion times.
[Romans:] Last night the papal apartment was unsealed after Francis celebrated a mass at the Sistine chapel. There you go. Every step, every step is being watched these days as he begins his first days as pope.
[Berman:] Christine Romans, thank you. Ahead on STARTING POINT, the Triumph and the Dream, Carnival Cruise facing a nightmare. So how liable is the company for all the growing troubles on these ships?
[Baldwin:] We're going to talk about that. Also a tenth record day for the Dow with the blue chip index soaring today. Should you start buying or selling? We'll ask. You're watching STARTING POINT.