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American Morning

Egypt Uprising; U.S. Evacuation from Egypt; The "New" Nevada

Aired January 31, 2011 - 08:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour here now on this AMERICAN MORNING. Thank you for being here on this Monday, January 31st. I'm T.J. Holmes.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kate Bolduan, in for Kiran Chetry this morning. Thanks for joining us, everybody.

It is 8:00 a.m. on the East Coast and 3:00 p.m. in Cairo. And we're waiting to see what's going to happen now. And early curfew is kicking in right now. The army on the street, choppers in the sky, and thousands of protesters refusing to budge.

HOLMES: Families say they are running out of foot. There has been looting and chaos in the streets. A lot of stores, gas stations and banks are shut down right now. And some people are just too afraid to go out.

BOLDUAN: And some are trapped. Help on the way for American citizens who want to get out of Egypt. Charter flights are taking thousands of Americans out of Cairo today. The State Department just told us 42 people are already out, thousands more want to join them.

HOLMES: We're going to talk about the chaos we're seeing out in the streets. We have seen security forces, police officers as well out there trying to defend those streets. But also, you see armed citizens out there taking it upon themselves to protect their own neighborhoods.

BOLDUAN: And some, when he's talking about armed citizens, are armed with clubs, tire irons, even swords.

Frederik Pleitgen witnessed some of this. He is live in Cairo with us this morning.

Hi, again, Frederik. How do things look in the streets now?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you were talking about, Kate, that curfew that's supposed to go into effect pretty much right now. And if I look out our window, it doesn't appear as though many people are actually adhering to that. There are still thousands of people in the streets. And just a couple of hundred yards away here in Tahrir Square, there are several thousand people there, of course, protesting against Hosni Mubarak and his government.

And, by the way, just a couple of hours ago, he swore in a new government with a new interior minister, who, of course, is in charge of the police force. At the same time, you were mentioning before, that situation on the street is still very difficult. A lot of people armed out there trying to defend their property.

And I spoke to people yesterday who say they were shot at by someone from a stolen car. And so that car itself was stopped by a military vehicle firing as well.

So, a very difficult situation for people outside of the city center here in Cairo. And, of course, for tourists, the best thing to do right now is stay indoors, Kate.

BOLDUAN: And you've been there from very early on, Frederik. What are you seeing in terms of -- if there's a change in tone and feeling on the ground, among the protesters? Is their message changing? How have you seen it change? We're now on the seventh day here.

PLEITGEN: Well, you know, it's interesting that you say that because it's changed in a sense that people feel more emboldened. When I got here first, you know, it was still quiet. No one here really thought that the change could be as fundamental as it already has been. People were still afraid to go out and demonstrate.

And then we had that pivotal day last Friday where you had those massive street battles going on. And what the people who are protesting noticed then was that the government here in this country is not invincible. They were being shot at with tear gas and rubber bullets as well, but they were still beating the security forces back. And, at the end of the day, the police had vanished from the streets and it was only the military that was left, which had come in, and which was really on good footing with the protesters.

So, right now, this protest movement, even though we are going into the seventh day and they're going to have to be in it for the long run, they say they're willing to stay out here for as long as it takes until Hosni Mubarak steps down. So, certainly, there is no indication that the movement is in anyway waning. And it seems to be growing stronger by the day, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Well, and you'll keep watching it. Stay safe, please, Frederik. Thank you for your hard work and your great work out there. We'll check back in with you. Thanks so much.

HOLMES: And we do have several correspondents there in Cairo, one of them being our Nic Robertson. We're waiting to hear from him, waiting to get him on the line. He's telling us about some new developments that are taking place where he is, that includes the army firing machine guns. And that's all we have from him right now. We're waiting to get more details. As soon as we get him on the phone, we'll bring him to you live.

Let me just turn to Ed Henry now who's live at the White House for us.

Ed, hello to you once again.

The White House, the administration is having a difficult time at times at least because a lot of people are asking a direct question: are you with the protesters or are you with Mubarak? And it's not that simple.

ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It's not. There's a nuance to it, obviously. But this balancing about is getting tougher and tougher for the U.S. you can feel the pressure, the intensity on this White House.

And, yesterday, when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton took the extraordinary step of appearing on all five U.S. morning Sunday talk shows, she seemed to be edging at least towards the protesters and against President Mubarak. There's been frustration here at the White House when you talk to senior officials in terms of President Mubarak, ever since the early part of the weekend on Friday when President Mubarak gave that speech where he seemed to dig in rather than embrace reform, President Obama had that half hour phone call later that evening with President Mubarak.

And over the weekend, you can see that shift. After 30 years of U.S. administrations in both parties sticking with President Mubarak because of his help on Iran and Mideast peace, you could see Secretary Clinton saying it's time for reform. She talked about an orderly transition and that President Mubarak had to embrace reform.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: We do not want to send any message about backing forward or backing back. What we're trying to do is to help clear the air so that those who remain in power, starting with President Mubarak, with his new vice president, with the new prime minister, will begin a process of reaching out, of creating a dialogue that will bring in peaceful activists and representatives of civil society to, you know, plan a way forward that will meet the legitimate grievances of the Egyptian people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: You can hear, for example, one of the opposition leaders, Mohamed ElBaradei criticizing the U.S., saying it's a joke to suggest President Mubarak could somehow embrace reforms, that it's time for him to go.

But as you noted at the top, T.J., this is a difficult balancing act for the White House because if President Mubarak were to step down now, and that's a big if, they don't know who's going to fill that vacuum. Could ElBaradei really step up and run the country, bring stability? Or would Islamic extremists step in and all of a sudden, bring even more instability than we're seeing right now?

That's why this is such a difficult choice for this White House right now -- T.J., Kate.

HOLMES: All right. Ed Henry for us at the White House -- Ed, we appreciate you.

And we just want to turn now to our Nic Robertson. You told about he was in Alexandria for us -- another hot spot. Even though so much has been on Cairo, Alexandria has seen some heavy protests as well.

Nic, hello to you. Tell us this new development and what you are seeing on the streets now.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): But, T.J., in the last sort of 20 or 25 minutes, there's a crowd of about 2,000 to 3,000 protesters moving through the streets. They're chanting for the overthrow of President Mubarak. An army armored personnel carrier came racing into the central square, in the middle of the city, very close to where the protesters were, they were firing its heavy machine gun, a 60-cal machine gun. It makes a very loud, intimidating noise.

It wasn't firing directly at the protesters, what it appeared to be doing is chasing away a group of protesters who gathered near one of the city's hotels. This is the first time that we have seen the army take such an aggressive position, if you will, around protesters. This was an effort to intimidate and scare back the protesters who were near the hotel. It wasn't clear what their intentions were.

But the army, until now, has generally sat at the side of the road, guarding government buildings, not taking actions such as driving at high speed, firing heavy machine guns, T.J.

HOLMES: Nic, was this the only army presence that you saw there? Was this armored personnel carrier or is there much more presence, and this is the only one that was acting in such a way?

ROBERTSON: There's presence in other parts of the city, not so far away at all. Quite heavy presence around some government buildings. But this one was acting alone and it appeared to be acting to defend the hotel from the possibility of a small group of protesters broken away who were perhaps potentially threatening the hotel.

It's really unclear as to exactly what precipitated it. But it's the army's action. We've seen them so far on the street corners guarding government buildings. And people, when you asked them, protesters, say they're not sure if the army is really with them or with President Mubarak.

So far, the army has taken a very neutral position. This is the first time we've seen the army sort of take an offensive position with so many protesters around. So, it does sort of show perhaps a slight shift in the army's position, a growing confidence maybe about where they are and what they are doing. This is unfamiliar terrain.

So, this does seem to be a subtle shift in the pattern of events that we're witnessing unfold here, T.J.

HOLMES: All right. Our Nic Robertson for us in Alexandria -- Nic, we appreciate you as always. Any more developments, by all means, let us know. We'll get you back on the line.

Well, coming up, we're going to be talking to the former U.S. ambassador to Egypt and Israel, Daniel Kurtzer, about how this could transform the region and what it means for Israel.

BOLDUAN: And also ahead: House Speaker John Boehner says he cries because he cares so much. But there is one thing he really doesn't want to talk about.

HOLMES: Also coming up a little later for you, a Facebook face-off -- Mark Zuckerberg and the actor who played him in "The Social Network."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: We've all seen him get a little teary, but new House Speaker John Boehner, he didn't cry or even bat an eye when he was asked about smoking.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS: Why don't you stop smoking?

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Oh, why do we bring this up again? You know, smoking -- listen, it's a bad habit, but I have it. And it's a legal product. I choose to smoke. Leave me alone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: That is straight forward. Speaker Boehner also didn't apologize for getting a little emotional at times.

And you won't see former President George W. Bush on the campaign trail any time soon. In an interview with C-SPAN, the former president says he's sworn off politics for good.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are through with politics?

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Define that. How far would you go?

BUSH: Well, I don't want to go out and campaign for candidates. I don't want to be a perpetual money-raiser. I don't want to be on these talk shows, giving my opinion, second guessing, you know, a current president. I think it's -- I tell people that one of the interesting, you know, sacrifice -- I don't think you sacrifice to run for president, but to the extent you do as you lose your anonymity. And I like the idea of trying to regain anonymity to some extent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Good luck with that one.

Since leaving the White House, former President Bush has given just a few interviews, and most of them, of course, to promote his memoir, "Decision Points" -- T.J.

HOLMES: Kate, we turn back to Egypt now.

And a lot of people are wondering exactly what's going to happen in the region. Can what we saw happen in Tunisia end up happening in Egypt and other places in that region? And what is the impact going to be on Israel?

We're joined by the former U.S. ambassador to Egypt and Israel, Daniel Kurtzer. He joins us this morning.

Sir, we appreciate you being here.

And, is the worst-case scenario a power vacuum where Hosni Mubarak leaves office and we don't know who is going to end up in power after that?

DANIEL KURTZER, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO EGYPT AND ISRAEL: T.J., I think that's exactly right. Every side right now is faring over the edge of an abyss in which there are only dangers. I think the demonstrators themselves don't have an idea of what follows. The government in Egypt certainly has not taken a decision of whether or not to crack down or to yield.

And I think the administration, as you've been reporting all weekend, is unclear about which camp it wants to be in. And that's largely because there is no leadership right now to this movement in Cairo. And we saw last week where the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist elements have tried to become kingmakers by throwing their support behind Mohamed ElBaradei.

So, there's a great deal of uncertainties and it's time for a very careful judgment rather than a rush to judgment.

HOLMES: And you mentioned there that the administration doesn't know what camp they want to be in. Is that really it? Or do they just have to be careful publicly about hinting at which camp they might want to be in?

KURTZER: Well, the administration, thus far, has done a very good job, I think, of trying to balance the various imperatives of American policy. We do support movements toward Democracy. We have argued for years in Egypt and elsewhere for the expansion of political and economic freedoms. On the other hand, we have a very solid ally in Egypt over the past 30 years.

An ally that has cemented a peace treaty with Egypt and supported the peace process and helped us achieved our interests in the region. And I think the administration is trying to find the right place to be here but is uncertain as to whether or not it can maintain that position. And I think, so far, they've done a pretty good job. It's only going to get harder in the days ahead.

HOLMES: If things do change in Egypt at the top and suppose whoever gets in there that's not necessarily a friend to Israel, who is Israel's next best friend in the region, if we can call it that?

KURTZER: Well, I don't know if we can speculate yet that that kind of change will take place in Egypt. After all, a lot of this conflict in Egypt has been personalized to Hosni Mubarak, the president, but there is a system, and the system very much rests on the legitimacy of the military as a kind of Praetorian Guard for the system. And there is no indication that the military is going to allow a fundamental change in policy, a turning away from the peace treaty.

Israel, as you know, also has a treaty with Jordan, its neighbor to the east, and has had relations, although not formal diplomatic relations with a number of other countries in the region. So, I'm not sure yet we've seen the pillars of this peace relationship shaken. And I would be very surprised if with see a successor government, especially, one which is underpinned by the military, turn away from what is become a fundamental aspect of Egyptian policy.

HOLMES: Well, last thing to you, sir, we have seen these demonstrations and they have been massive in the streets, but at the same time, there are 80 million people in Egypt. Is it possible, in your opinion, there still are a lot of people there who are supportive of Hosni Mubarak?

KURTZER: There's no question about it. And I think part of what we see in Mubarak's apparent defiance of the demonstrators is a belief that he is speaking above their heads to the majority of Egyptians who value stability and who don't want to see the country turn into chaos. It's hard to measure that in a society where you don't have an open political system, but I would also suggest that we keep an eye on that large mass of people outside of Cairo, outside of Alexandria, on whom the regime is resting right now, placing its bets to be supportive for a return to stability, even if it's a stability that opens up the possibility of political change.

HOLMES: All right. Former Ambassador Daniel Kurtzer. Sir, we appreciate your time. You enjoy the rest of your day.

KURTZER: Thanks, T.J.

HOLMES: All right. Kate.

BOLDUAN: Still ahead, oil shock. Egypt controls a vital artery for the region's oil. Investors are worried violence could stop shipments and that could mean even higher prices at the pump, unfortunately.

But next stop, Facebook co-founder, Mark Zuckerberg and the actor who played him in "The Social Network" meet up for the first time on camera, and it got interesting. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: All right. Twenty-one minutes past the hour. Now, it is the award season. We had another one last night. Did you see this, the SAG Awards?

BOLDUAN: I did not.

(CROSSTALK)

HOLMES: "The King's Speech," I understand, was a big winner last night. I did see the movie, at least, though. Colin Firth, you see him there. He won for Best Actor. The cast also won for Best Movie Ensemble. So, maybe, some were thinking this movie has the nod against "The Social Network." "The Social Network" won some other award. I can't remember --

BOLDUAN: Oh, my gosh. The Golden Globe.

HOLMES: Yes, the globe. Natalie Portman also won for best actress for "Black Swan."

BOLDUAN: Such a great movie.

HOLMES: I haven't seen that one.

BOLDUAN: A little disturbing. Stays with you definitely.

HOLMES: All right. We have the Oscars coming up in about four weeks now, but this was a nice moment from last night. Everybody just loves Betty White. She won the Best Female Actress in a comedy --

BOLDUAN: Look at her.

HOLMES: In a TV comedy series. She has a show on TV land called "Hot in Cleveland." There she is. Eighty-nine years old and hotter than ever. She called this one the biggest surprises she ever had in the business. Congratulations to her.

BOLDUAN: Congratulations to her. So, what is wrong with Ozzie Osbourne? There could be many answers for that one. The happy metal madman postponed a concert in Reno, Nevada last night. The concert's promoter blamed a sudden illness but did not say what made poor Ozzy sick. The show has been rescheduled for April. Osbourne is 62 years old. He is due to appear in a Super Bowl commercial with who else? teen idol, Justin Bieber.

HOLMES: Perfect combo. Also, some of you who got to see this over the weekend, but it was Zuckerberg versus Zuckerberg on "Saturday Night Live." The Facebook founder appeared on the show. He met up against Jesse Isenberg, who, of course, the Oscar nominated actor who plays him in "The Social Network."

BOLDUAN: Are you following this?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you two not met?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Awkward.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I'll be going.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. It's good. I really liked you on "60 Minutes."

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks, man.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you ever end up seeing the film "The Social Network"?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. I did.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cool. Thanks. What did you think?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was interesting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: OK. That was odd. That was a little strange.

BOLDUAN: Awkward. I think that sums it up pretty well.

HOLMES: Zuckerberg doesn't do a lot of TV. He doesn't grant a lot of interviews. We have from a good source who was there that he wasn't really up on the whole camera thing and how it really went. He was just kind of there. So, it was cool to see those two standing side by side.

BOLDUAN: Sure. I love anything that includes Andy Sandberg.

HOLMES: All right.

(LAUGHTER)

BOLDUAN: Because you're following this as well.

All right. All right. Coming up, crude oil prices under pressure due to the tensions in Egypt. This is a story we've been following all day. And it's not what a fragile world economy needs right now. Stephanie Elam coming up next. What it all means for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: The tensions in Egypt impacting oil prices. Stephanie Elam is "Minding Your Business" this morning, and she's joining us now. Why, oh, why, Stephanie?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, there are few things that are going on. Mainly, it's the fear of something happening to the Suez Canal or to the Sumed pipeline, right? So, let's take a look at a couple of maps here so we can show you exactly what we're talking about. The Suez Canal, you see it there in red, that little strip of land there, which is actually water, obviously. That is where they would trunk down or ship down 1.8 million barrels a day. That (INAUDIBLE) float to there in 2009.

But there's also the Subed pipeline which also carries about 1.1 million barrels a day. So, this is a very important region, and this is why so many people are looking at this because of this unrest takes over and actually spreads it could upset the shipment of oil through there because if they can't go through there, they actually have to go around all of Africa and that would take 6,000 miles to do that, and obviously, that would add a lot of time to the transport of that.

Now, we are hearing tales that there are people who are being delayed. Shippers are getting through the canals. The difference though is not because of any disruption because of the unrest, it's because of communication upset. So, it's having a harder time these companies are having a harder time to confirm that these are actually the shippers who say they are trying to get through. So, that's one thing we're keeping our eyes on. The other thing here is the market here in the United States.

If you've looked at what's been happening since the end of august, we really had a nice run-up on the Dow. It's been a nice little move, and some people have been saying, you know what, this could be the correction that everyone is saying we may need to kind of get things in line, align the spine of the markets a bit here because we did see a selloff a bit on Friday. We lost more than 1 percent on Friday on the Dow. But, right now, we're looking for a flat opening here in the United States. It's just really the fear of the unknown that is causing this upset. There's nothing that has really happened as of yet.

BOLDUAN: Is it on a daily basis that we're going to be watching this fear have effects on the market or we're looking kind of long term how this would effect?

ELAM: Right now, it's the daily fear.

BOLDUAN: Right now. ELAM: That is what you're going to see playing into it. As things look better, then you'll see things calm out. If things look like the less certain, then it'll get worse there. So, that's the real fear here is that it could -- because remember, most of the world's oil does come from the Middle East and then has to get everywhere else by shipping.

HOLMES: And important to note as well. We're not getting our oil from Egypt. Most of their oil is used domestically.

ELAM: And they're one of the top 30 producers of oil in the world, but yes, most of theirs they use within their own country.

HOLMES: All right. Stephanie, we appreciate you.

ELAM: Thanks, guys.

HOLMES: Thank you much.

(LAUGHTER)

BOLDUAN: Thanks, Steph.

HOLMES: Stories that are making headlines right now. You do know that the effort is under way to get Americans out of Egypt. Well, we do have confirmation that at least one charter flight has taken Americans out of Egypt and that flight has landed in Cyprus 42 on that flight, and we're now getting information that another 177 more Americans are on their way to Athens as we speak. Hundreds more are scheduled to board flights today, and the State Department says some 2,400 total Americans have signed on to get on one of those charter flights out.

And we have some live pictures from Cairo, from the streets. You can just see the mass of protesters there again today. And an early curfew in effect right now in Egypt after days of bloody riots and protests, but as you can see, protests continue right now. Organizers say they will hold a million man march to demand freedom and a change - freedom, change, and a new president.

HOLMES: A lot of people were commenting about how the police were absent from the streets over the weekend. It seemed like they just pulled out altogether. Some are saying this is the result, looting at chaos in parts of Cairo.

So now citizens are taking it upon themselves to ban together and protect their own neighborhoods. Private citizens have grabbed anything they could final, baseball bats and sharpened pipes to protect their neighborhoods.

BOLDUAN: And fighter jets buzzed protesters who refused to go home. Our Ivan Watson said the jets were so low he could see the cockpits from the ground. The military also firing warning shots, but some protesters actually walked towards the sound of the gunfire.

HOLMES: And we told you there is a curfew that's been in place over the weekend in Egypt. At 4:00 is when people were supposed to be off the streets. That was moved up to today to 3:00. So that curfew just kicked in a short time ago there, but people continue to defy it.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely. And Anderson Cooper was in the middle of a massive rally in Cairo featuring an appearance by opposition leader Mohammad ElBaradei.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, "AC 360": Sunday night, the sixth day of protests, and Liberation Square was once again filled.

COOPER (CROSSTALK): They are calling for freedom and change and justice. Those are the words I'm hearing a lot. They are saying their demands have not changed. They want Mubarak out.

COOPER (voice-over): Defying Mubarak, defying the curfew, thousands showed up shouting into the night.

COOPER (on camera): What is so remarkable for those of us who have reported from Egypt over the years is before any time you brought out a camera police would be all over you and stop you from shooting, checking your papers. We have a camera out, nobody is stopping us. People are voicing their opinion.

COOPER (voice-over): There is no one organizers of the protests but Mohammad ElBaradei showed up to try to talk to the crowd. ElBaradei is over there. The crowds rushed forward and ElBaradei spoke through a bull horn.

MOHAMED ELBARADEI, NOBEL LAUREATE (via translator): Today you are an Egyptian demanding your rights and freedom and what we started can never be pushed back.

COOPER: His words were eloquent, but few heard what he said. The noise in the square was simply too great.

COOPER (on camera): What is your message to president Mubarak? What is your president to president Mubarak?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He should leave tonight.

COOPER (voice-over): Soldiers on tangs watched and waited. There were no police to be seen in the square on this night.

COOPER (on camera): Are you scared to be here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. I'm not scared. There are millions here. What am I scared of?

COOPER (voice-over): There is no telling how much longer this can go on for. Six days into the crisis and there is still no clear way for it to come to an end.

(END VIDETAPE)

HOLMES: Our Anderson Cooper will be live from Cairo this evening for "AC 360." That's 10:00 eastern time right here on CNN.

BOLDUAN: And still ahead, a mom who could go to jail for sending her kid to a better school. CNN education contributor Steve Perry has this one and he is a little fired up about it. It's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: This is our generation's "Sputnik moment." President Obama said that last week about the need to out-educate and out- innovate other countries. But can we do it if our kids can't make the grade in science.

According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, just 34 percent of fourth graders tested at a proficient level in science. And it gets worse with age, unfortunately -- 30 percent of eighth graders and 21 percent of 12th graders were proficient in the subject.

What is going on and what needs to be done? Joining us for this edition of "Perry's Principles" is CNN education contributor Steve Perry. So Steve, what is going on here? I was reading in international testing of 15-year-olds we rank 23rd in science. That is pretty startling.

STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR: What is going on in America we don't actually begin teaching science as a standalone subject until somewhere around the sixth and seventh grade, and we therefore quell the natural curiosity many of our children have.

If you look at my kids, many boys in particular, who are seven, eight, and nine years old, they have a real interest in science, whtehr it be paleontology, oceanography. And then girls who want to be pediatricians or dentists. And we see children have a natural interest in science, but we don't focus on science in our classrooms.

Typically what happens in the primary grade you have one teacher who teaches all subjects all day to 20 something children. That is one of the major reasons why we as a country we are losing our footing.

BOLDUAN: So what can be done practically speaking? Being realistic here, what can be done and needs to be done to get our students to be better in science so we have another great generation of doctors and scientists to take us forward?

PERRY: We need to expose our children to science early. Science in many ways is almost a different language. You have to learn some of the rote learning that is required to pick up the discipline. We can offer science earlier. There are books in many bookstores, 101 science experiments. We can do that in our homes as parents as well as in the classroom. The primary schools can do more, the elementary schools can do more to expose children to science in the schools.

BOLDUAN: We have to do more, absolutely.

I want to quickly change subjects and talk about a story I couldn't believe when I was reading it. A mom could go to jail for sending her students to a better school. What is going on here?

PERRY: What is going on is we as a country have lost our way. When a parent can be arrested and charged with grand larceny for stealing a public education, we have lost our way.

Last week we talked about potentially grading our parents. Here are some parents actually going the extra mile to send their child to a better school. The Supreme Court has found over and over again that separate but unequal education is in fact unconstitutional. We have found through mountains of research that education is the single greatest indicator of a person's quality of life.

And still we are saying if you are born in the wrong zip code you cannot -- cannot go to a better school. You can only go to the sorry school in your neighborhood.

BOLDUAN: You can understand the legal grounding of you have to go within your home district. It seems the focus on what is right and what is wrong is seemingly a little off target here.

PERRY: No doubt. We are not looking at the bigger picture here. It is a public education. Everyone who pays a tax or buys anything pays into it. We have federal funds and state funds that go to local public schools, not just property taxes. And so we need to make it possible for children to choose a school.

We need to look honestly at open choice and vouchers. We had a conversation on Friday which will appear soon with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, and he and I had a conversation about what we need to do as a nation to make sure children have access to quality education now, not waiting for school reform which can take four, five, six, seven, ten years, the entire life of a children educationally, but right now.

There are good schools that could grow into great networks if we monetize or therefore turn the waiting lists into opportunities for those schools and those children.

BOLDUAN: So much to talk about and pretty controversy topics, but very interesting and need to be talked about. We'll talk more about this with you in the future. Thanks so much, Steve Perry.

PERRY: Thank you so much.

BOLDUAN: T.J.?

HOLMES: All right, we had another storm maybe of historic proportions possibly bearing down on the Midwest. Our Rob Marciano is along next to tell us we're about to see something that we have not seen in at least ten years. It's 42 past the hour.

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HOLMES: Good morning to you, Chicago, Illinois, 21.

BOLDUAN: Good morning. Is it a good morning, question mark? HOLMES: Yes it's a good morning. It could be a good morning. Good morning with an exclamation point -- exactly.

BOLDUAN: Exactly.

HOLMES: 21 degrees there. Don't worry, it's going to warm up to 24 a little later. But that is the least of your problems. A storm is brewing.

BOLDUAN: It is winter but this could actually be a very big storm even for Chicago, who is used to bad weather. Rob Marciano is in the Extreme Weather Center with more on that. Hey, Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey, guys. You know, if they get six, eight, ten inches of snow in Chicago it's a pretty big deal.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

MARCIANO: I know, we've been talking about feet of snow with this latest round of storms that have come across the northeast but just getting ten inches in Chicago, that's a big deal. I think we we're going to see much more than that.

A fairly complex situation coming together but one thing is for sure drastically cold air driving down to the south, some energy coming out of the southwest and from the south, the Gulf of Mexico, we've got a little bit of moisture.

So those three things coming together is going to make for a pretty big event. And this is just kind of the pre-shows; there's a little bit of rain heading across some of the south, a little bit of snow heading across parts of the upper Midwest. A couple of inches on the ground from Minneapolis with this, so if you're traveling through that airport it could be some issues.

As far as what the warnings and watches are spelling out for accumulations that we expect to see and for the most part the snows will begin tonight and last through tomorrow. In some cases last through Wednesday, eight to 12 inches in Oklahoma City, same deal in Kansas City and six to 10 St. Louis. Dallas at some point will see probably about an inch of snow.

But 12 to 18 inches is what we're forecasting for Chicago. Some isolated areas will see higher amounts than that. Maybe as much as two feet and blizzard conditions with wind whipping around off Lake Michigan at times over 30 miles an hour with blinding snow.

So by the way I believe United is waiving change fees if you want to change your flight over the next couple of days. If you are flying today out of Atlanta, you'll see some delays. The snows in Minneapolis will continue for the next couple of hours and the snows are increasing in Denver.

And the temperatures are going to be dropping as well. Drastically cold air, 10 to 15 millibar high drop down to the south, 30 for a high in Denver, but you'll be colder than that. And this will be pretty much instigating and pushing the lovely temperatures that were here over the weekend out to sea.

All right. Here is how the storm are going to shape up. In comes out of the four corners, it dives down to the south. The pink is the mix, the ice that's the ribbon of really dangerous weather that will encompass parts of the Ohio River Valley and parts of the northeast as well. Notice how it kind of noses into the northeast. You'll see snow changing to sleet and freezing rain, eventually rain; on the backside we'll see snow.

But Chicago, Detroit, northern Indiana will be in the brunt of this for the longest period of time. And that's where the dangerous snow totals will pile up. T.J., Kate, back up to you.

HOLMES: All right, I'm looking forward to it. Rob, appreciate you this morning. Talk to you again, soon.

BOLDUAN: Thanks Rob.

Americans are being urged to leave Egypt as soon as possible but how do they get out? What the State Department has planned for their rescue -- next.

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BOLDUAN: Cairo's main airport is in a state of chaos this morning; thousands of tourists and business travelers from around the world, jamming the terminals to keep away from the protests and try to get out of the country. The State Department has sent in charter flights. Americans are already being evacuated in some cases to safe haven destinations like, Istanbul, Turkey and Athens.

HOLMES: Well, the State Department is busy right now trying to get Americans out. Jason Carroll has been watching this for us this morning. We are getting more confirmations of more Americans hopping those flights getting out.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's going to be a lengthy process, but we do have some updated numbers coming to us from the State Department --

HOLMES: Yes.

CARROLL: -- 42 Americans have already been evacuated. They have now landed in Cyprus. That happened this morning, also 177 Americans have already departed from Cairo and they are now headed for Athens, so a bit of updated information there.

Also the State Department spokesperson telling us that the U.S. will have enough flights to evacuate all the American citizens who are stranded. There are no hard numbers at this point in terms of the numbers of those who want to get out. There are an estimated 52,000 Americans registered with the embassy in Cairo, but with western carriers suspending flights many U.S. passengers were wondering how in the world they were going to get out, many of them jamming into the airport.

One of them, Laura Murphy, a Nile River cruise passenger told CNN that she feels safe but she feels trapped.

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LAURA MURPHY LEE, AMERICAN TOURIST IN EGYPT: You cannot get away by water. You cannot take public transportation because it's been deemed unsafe and you cannot fly.

So apparently there are over 50,000 Americans in Egypt, some of whom may be flown out of the major cities, but those of us who are not in Cairo or Alexandria are trapped right now.

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CARROLL: Right. Well, you heard Laura Murphy talk about those 50,000 Americans. Of those 50,000 in Egypt, there are 380 government employees at the U.S. embassy in Cairo and 760 spouses and children living with them in Egypt.

The other Americans trying to get out could be the some 1,100 American students studying in Egypt. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton weighing in on the crisis on NBC's "Meet the Press."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Thankfully we do not have any reports of any American citizens killed or injured. We want to keep it that way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: Well, obviously, Internet interruptions in Egypt are making it extremely difficult for Americans there to get information about evacuations. But the State Department spokeswoman says "The word is still getting out."

The U.S. also considering sending charter flights to other Egyptians cities, such as Luxor but you can imagine with all the chaos and confusion going on there this is going to be a lengthy process. We are hearing estimates it could take several days up to a week to get all of the Americans there who want to get out to get them to safety.

HOLMES: Yes, State Department officials says they will run those charters until they get every American out that wants to get out.

CARROLL: Absolutely.

HOLMES: So that's good news for some families and the folks there. Jason, we appreciate your time.

BOLDUAN: Thanks Jason.

HOLMES: Well, coming up, we are talking you about Las Vegas. What does Las Vegas need to thrive? Well, casinos, of course, but maybe not. New industries that could open up doors in Las Vegas.

Our Tom Foreman's "Building up America". He is up next.

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HOLMES: Oh, Vegas. When you think Vegas, what comes to mind?

BOLDUAN: He loves the song.

HOLMES: Don't answer that out loud. But you think oftentimes, some people go to these hotels, casinos, around the clock gambling. But the recession has actually had a pretty deep impact on that gaming industry.

BOLDUAN: Now officials in Nevada are thinking outside the Strip if you will in an effort to make the state more economically diverse.

Tom Foreman has more in this "Building up America" report.

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TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Call it bad luck, but the recession has hammered Nevada's top industry of tourism, bringing 14 percent plus unemployment and untold problems. Just ask working folks like this cab driver, Lance Olivea.

LANCE OLIVEA, DELUX TAXICABS: We have the highest unemployment, we have the highest foreclosures and the highest bankruptcy. It has been running like that for almost two years now.

FOREMAN: Just ask politicians like Senator Harry Reid.

SEN. HARRY REID (D), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: We don't have on the Las Vegas Strip any major construction projects. And that's the first time in decades that's been the case.

FOREMAN: Can you make up for that with these new industries?

REID: Well, we can really do a lot toward making up for it.

FOREMAN: He is talking about the hottest new game in town, economic diversity. Business and education leaders are meeting to consider ideas that have helped other troubled states. Film and video production, Internet firms -- they are recruiting more high tech and green energy companies through aggressive tax breaks convinced a broader economic base will protect them from the instability of being a one-industry state.

ROB LANG, BROOKINGS MOUNTAIN WEST: There is a core industry in tourism that can continue expand but it won't grow at the rate it did over the last several decades.

REID: These little baby steps are going to get us so we can take bigger strides later on.

FOREMAN: And they are building their corner of America with the hope that little gains over time can offset even the biggest losses.

Tom Foreman, CNN, Las Vegas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BOLDUAN: An early curfew is in effect right now in Egypt. The army on the street, choppers in the sky and thousands of protesters refusing to budge.

HOLMES: Here we are now on day seven of these protests, showing no signs any time soon of stopping. And now we are hearing a million- man march is planned for tomorrow on Tuesday.

But the pictures you're seeing now, people once again in the streets. Not a lot of talk or report today, at least, of violence taking place in the streets even though we did see clashes over the weekend over the past several days.

But again people continue to call for President Hosni Mubarak to step down. He has shown no signs that would indicated that he would do such. People are really asking for better in their lives.

The curfew started just -- what is this, help me do my math here -- at 3:00 local time in Egypt.

BOLDUAN: An hour ago.

HOLMES: About an hour ago.

So the curfew kicked in at 3:00. The curfew was 4:00 over the past several days but today they moved it up an hour earlier, at least. No indication yet of people or at least from some of the pictures we are seeing that they are going to respect this curfew any more than they did over the past several days.

BOLDUAN: If you just look at those pictures right there. You can just see a mass of people in the streets. They're only saying that they're running out of food at the same time and looting and chaos has paralyzed the city.

A lot going on; we're following it all.

But let's continue now with "CNN NEWSROOM" with Kyra Phillips. Just right now -- thank you.