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Egypt Erupts; Chaos in Cairo; Millions Affected by Midwest Snowstorm; Snow Chills Airline Profits; Collateral Damage in Cairo; State Dept. to U.S. Officials in Egypt: Get Out of Egypt Now; Australia's Cyclone Damage

Aired February 03, 2011 - 06:00   ET

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


KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. Ahead on AMERICAN MORNING, Egyptian soldiers now standing between pro and anti- government protesters in Tahrir Square, Egypt, trying to keep the peace following a day of unprecedented violence and bloodshed. We're live in Cairo bringing you all of the latest developments as they happen.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: And it seems that no one is able to escape the violence, including a number of journalists. Several of them attacked including our own Anderson Cooper. You'll see the dramatic footage.

CHETRY: We're going to take a quick break. AMERICAN MORNING starts in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: It's a day of bloodshed and a night filled with gunfire. The heart of Cairo looking like a war zone on this AMERICAN MORNING.

And good morning, thanks so much for being with us today. It is Thursday. It's February 3rd. I'm Kiran Chetry.

HOLMES: And hello to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes. Things changed in Egypt yesterday. And it was a night of bloodshed and violence and a fiery uprising in Egypt in Tahrir Square. Let me tell you the new developments that we're getting this morning.

We're seeing that the military is stepping in and do something that many were hoping they'd step in and do yesterday. That is, separate the pro and anti-government demonstrators. So now, the military is actively getting involved and stepping in.

Throughout the night, let's show you what happened. There was gunfire, all night long, after a day of violence. And reports are more than 800 people have been injured in the fighting in the clashes yesterday. Egyptian television saying that five people were killed. You can see in some of the video we're showing you now, the fires were burning in Tahrir Square. Protesters throwing gas bombs, homemade gas bombs on each other. The Egyptian museum, a lot of people are nervous about the antiquities in there being looted, damaged or destroyed. You're seeing again, once again, some of the fires burning down on the square. Also the State Department, the U.S. State Department, issuing a new warning to Americans there, via Twitter, telling that all remaining U.S. citizens who want to leave should report to the airport immediately saying that further delay is no longer advisable. Everyone appears to be at risk, including a number of journalists, among them our Anderson Cooper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): I was shooting this video on my flip camera so as not to attract too much attention. Suddenly a man jumped out of the crowd and tried to grab Neil's camera. That's when all hell broke loose.

(on camera): Hey, calm down. Calm down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no!

COOPER (voice-over): We only had a block left to go when another guy came up and punched me in the head.

(on camera): I've been hit now like 10 times.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you all right?

COOPER: Yes. The Egyptian soldiers -- the Egyptian soldiers are now saying --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: So it's just a snippet of what it was like for reporters there. It was also very violent. More than 600 people injured. Some -- four, at least confirmed killed in that. And this is interesting, Egyptian's prime minister actually apologized for what happened saying this is a fatal error. And when investigations reveal who was behind this crime and who allowed it to happen, I promise they'll be held accountable and will be punished for what they did. That was regarding the attacks on the protesters yesterday.

Well, it's certainly been a stunning 24 hours in Cairo. Arwa Damon joins us live on the phone now from the Egyptian capital.

And, Arwa, we saw this yesterday. We were reporting on this live as it was happening. The military by all accounts just standing by and watching the clashes take place yesterday. Today, they're now separating the two sides. What has changed?

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, from our vantage point, we do see a handful of foot soldiers who have basically placed themselves in front of that makeshift metal barricade that the anti- government demonstrators set up after they managed to push the pro- government demonstrators out of the square. But they are still not taking an active role in trying to bring about any shape or form of stability.

Just in front of that barricade, both sides around, a few dozen from each side throwing rocks back and forth at each other across an empty parking lot. Still a very, very tense and uncertain situation there. We've been speaking to a few residents of the capital who have not been involved in the demonstrations there, basically saying that they have barricaded themselves at home under makeshift self-imposed house arrests. They're absolutely terrified about heading out.

This has truly shocked the entire nation, with few Egyptians really recognizing what is happening to their own country. One woman we were speaking to yesterday, she has a 19-year-old son. She's a human rights activist and she was saying this is our fault. This is my generation's fault because we failed to stand up to Mubarak when we should have. We compromised good governance for the sake of stability. And now it is our youth that are paying the price for that mistake. She said that she fully supported the demonstrators what they were trying to do, saying that it was the people on the streets that would have to win. That would be the only fair outcome of it.

CHETRY: And, Arwa, as we look ahead to today, there have been some opposition groups who have been invited to the table to try to talk about this. But what progress, if any, may we be looking toward in terms of getting some of this unrest under control?

DAMON: Well, at least three of those opposition groups are actually now refusing to take part in these talks, citing the violence that happened overnight, saying that it is entirely unacceptable. The issue here is that there is not one group that is actually leading this demonstration. Remember, this is a demonstration that began across Twitter, across Facebook. It was the youth of Egypt that went out into the square and from there it took on a life of its own. Truly transcending all levels of Egyptian society.

When we speak with the demonstrators themselves, they are not looking towards one specific leader, one specific opposition groups. So even if the opposition were able to somehow broker some sort of a deal with the government, that would not guarantee an end to these demonstrations.

Many Egyptians are just fighting. They're shocked. They're in horror what is happening. Some of them agreed that change needs to come but they're questioning the cost that it is having on the entire nation. The number of casualties that we're seeing, last night, we tried to get out to a hospital. Even the hospital situation was very tense itself. The walking, wounded people with head wounds, burn wounds, stab wounds, many of them saying that they were going to be heading right back to the square as soon as they were released from the hospital. The country really bracing itself today for maybe more of what happened yesterday, if not worse.

CHETRY: Wow. That's unbelievable. Arwa Damon for us. We will, of course, keep an eye on it as we have these live pictures and we have you there. Thanks so much for joining us.

HOLMES: Well, in many respects, you could call Egypt, the entire country a museum. Just priceless artifacts and treasures all over that country that are now becoming collateral damage in this uprising. Take a look here again. Some of these pictures you have been seeing but there's been looting at the Egyptian museum that's down there right in Tahrir Square. There are King Tut sculptures that have been smashed and so many other artifacts that have either been stolen or damaged.

Coming up in about 15 minutes, we are going to talk to one very nervous Egyptologist about just what is at stake.

CHETRY: Also, another anti-government protest under way right now in the Middle East. Thousands have turned out for a so-called day of rage in Yemen. President Ali Abdullah Saleh tried to head off the unrest saying that he will not seek re-election after more than three decades in power, similar to what Hosni Mubarak said. In Egypt, however, that was not acceptable as we've seen from those demonstrations. That didn't work in Yemen either. As you can see, demonstrators were upset, again, issues like poverty, lack of political freedoms. There's a large pro-government rally, though, also taking place in Yemen's capital. International correspondent Mohammed Jamjoom joins us now live from Yemen. He's going to be doing that at the bottom of the hour. Actually we'll check in with him to see what's going on there.

HOLMES: All right. Let's start to weather. Other big stories we've been watching for the past several days.

A huge storm affected just pretty much all of the country. About 100 million people in this country in some way, form or fashion were affected by this thing. It's still having an impact in several parts of the country even though the snow is starting to move out and maybe the ice moving out. But the cold now moving in, going to be with us for a while. Wind chill advisories are now in place for at least a dozen states.

One state that was hit particularly hard, Oklahoma. There's a state of emergency there. Take a look at this. That is one picture you saw, a truck there overturned. The temperature there has gone down to three degrees with a wind chill of 18 below in Oklahoma City, shattered its record snowfall rate by almost a foot.

Turn to Chicago now. O'Hare airport recorded 20-plus inches of snow. Lakeshore Drive still a parking lot. Still shut down. People just had to abandon their vehicles. They're seeing, would you believe, hurricane-force winds there.

Also, take a look. The crews, they're trying their best in other places to keep the power on or get it back on. Hundreds of thousands of people in this country are without power today. Two hundred thousand alone in the state of Ohio. Tens of thousands, no power in Chicago. The Red Cross is stepping in. They say they've opened up about 70 shelters across the Midwest.

And this snow accumulating. It's getting on top of a lot of buildings. We've seen a number of roof collapses, in Massachusetts especially. But take a look at this one. This is a commercial building in the town of Easton. The roof and walls caved in. Yes, we caught it on camera if you can believe that. You can see the roof, the wall caved in there. This is Triton Technologies. Workers, there were about 100 in there before it collapsed. They heard the cracking and had the presence of mind to get out. Everybody did get out of there safely.

CHETRY: Speaking of getting out, there are a lot of people still trying to get out and get to where they were trying to go because of all of these flight cancellations. A lot of air travelers spent an uncomfortable night at Chicago's major airports. Airlines nationwide cancelling more than 6,000 flights. That was yesterday alone. More than 14,000 canceled for the week.

Rob Marciano joins us live at O'Hare International Airport. So the weather may have moved out but they're still dealing with the nightmare there.

Hey, Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Chicago is a city struggling to get back on its feet today. And, of course, if you don't live in Chicago, you probably have traveled through it at some point. Chicago O'Hare one of the busiest airports in the world. Yesterday, 2,200 flights canceled here, 400 in midway and they held to expand that schedule later on today. They usually get about 2,300 flights that fly through here. So there were a handful of flights that took off and landed yesterday.

Looking at the cancellation board, well, it's just that. It's a cancellation board. But if you're flying to Tokyo, Puerto Vallarta (ph), Shanghai or Anchorage, those flights are going out this morning.

This afternoon, once other planes come in from other destinations, they'll be able to expand their schedule more rapidly. The airport just opening up really. We're seeing more employees than we have passengers. We hope that that trend of seeing more passengers begins to pick up later on today.

As far as the rest of Chicago is concerned, CTA, they're still running the buses, they're running the trains, although it's a little bit slower and obviously lighter. School closed for a second day in a row. That hasn't happened since 1999. Secondary roadways still really haven't been plowed very well yet. And parking lots haven't been plowed at the schools. Also, temperatures are bitterly cold.

It's four degrees out right now with wind chills of minus nine, so that is dangerously cold temperatures. And there are still some people without power across Chicago and about 8,000 people without power this morning. To not have it would be a dangerous situation, that's for sure. I'm happy to be inside today, as well. Back to you guys in New York.

CHETRY: I don't blame you especially after having to be out there yesterday, Rob. Thanks So much.

Time to bring in Jacqui Jeras so she can give a sort of an update on where this is headed. We know it's out of here, but how long are these extreme temperatures going to be in place, Jacqui? JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, pretty much at least into the early part of the weekend, guys. And sometimes it can actually be almost more dangerous right after the storm because, you know, the snow has stopped and people think everything is OK. But the roadways are still going to be very, very dangerous. It's going to take a while, by the way, to shovel up that 26 inches of snow and we're seeing midway had nearly 21, almost 20 in Milwaukee. Fort Wayne, Indiana, just over a foot and Cedar Rapids had about 9.5 inches of snowfall. And with bitter cold temperatures and wind chills, the dangerous levels really gripping all of the country except Florida at this time. You know, it's going to take a long time for all of that snow to melt.

Now, we've got new concerns at this hour with the arctic air in place. Conditions are right for winter weather across parts of the south. Look at this, we've got winter storm warnings from Brownsville to Houston, all the way up to central parts of Mississippi. Expecting to see some freezing rain here, some snow and some sleet. In fact, we can even see up to an inch in the Houston area by tomorrow morning. So lots of airport delays can be expected in the northeast because of wind. Still playing catch-up, like Rob said, in Chicago. And then our wintry conditions across parts of the south. So we've got a long way to go, guys, before things start to improve. The best news is, is that at least there's no more snow coming down across parts of these blizzard areas.

CHETRY: We'll take it. That's all we sort of hope for this winter so far. Thanks, Jacqui.

HOLMES: Thanks, Jacqui.

CHETRY: Well, coming up on AMERICAN MORNING, no smoking outside. A major city one step closer to a ban that some say goes too far and some say it's about time.

HOLMES: Also, with all this weather and all these cancellations, it is costing these airlines a lot of money. Tens of millions of dollars. Will that translate into higher prices for you?

CHETRY: Also, a key Senate vote on the repeal of President Obama's health care reform law. We're going to get the details on the feisty debate, and who may have broken with their party.

Fourteen minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Welcome back. Seventeen minutes past the hour right now.

An outdoor smoking ban in New York City. This is something they've talked about for a while. But the city council has now voted to outlaw smoking in city parks, on city beaches. Mayor Michael Bloomberg says he will sign that bill. The ban will take effect 90 days later as they're going to be putting up these signs and violators would face fines of up to $50. Critics Civil Liberties people saying the ban is too intrusive. HOLMES: All right. Well, you've heard about thousands and thousands of flight cancellations over this holiday. It seems like we had a new storm every single week. That is cutting into airline's profits.

Our Christine Romans is "Minding Your Business" here with us this morning.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

HOLMES: Hello to you. It doesn't seem like airlines have been rolling in dough for a long time. They certainly have. They can't afford this.

ROMANS: Well, they've been rolling in our baggage fees for the last year and that's allowed them to come back to profitability. But this time of year, it's already kind of tough for them to make money, so you throw in one big winter storm and they could lose millions of dollars. You'd throw in three, four, five of them, they'd lose tens of millions of dollars. So we're watching what this could do to the airlines who have so gingerly returned to profitability. It could hit them pretty hard this quarter.

When you look at the number of flights canceled, 52,742 flights canceled since December 1st. That's from FlightStats. That's an amazing number. That's five percent of all flights, so epic winter weather clearly wreaking havoc in the airline system. And, you know, it's the worst winter for cancellations in five winters so this will hurt the bottom line.

Delta, this is how it could sack revenues for delta, $75 million hit to the fourth and first quarter earnings. For United, maybe a $10 million hit to fourth quarter earnings. But, look, you know, maybe unless you're a shareholder in these companies, you don't care much about how they're going to get hit, you just know that you'll get hit in the pocket. So what does it mean to you? Well, it means that maybe later on, they could try to raise fares to try to boost their profitability for the end of the year. They already have been raising fares.

Did you know that they have already had three fare hike attempts so far in 2011? It's only February. They have two in December. Just yesterday, we're going to the American is raising $4 to $10 round-trip fares. United, everyone else jumped on board. United dropped a $6 fuel surcharge but then adopted the $4 to $10. So, watch, you're going to see fares going up.

I would say that Southwest, AirTran and Frontier did not match at least yet that recent fare hike from yesterday according to fare comparison. So we'll keep watching. But profit tip, you could see fares go up later down the road.

HOLMES: And they haven't done it yet, why not?

ROMANS: Raising fares?

HOLMES: Yes. ROMANS: Oh, they have. They've tried three times and they've said -

HOLMES: Some said - AirTran, you said -

ROMANS: Oh, they haven't.

HOLMES: (INAUDIBLE).

ROMANS: No, they haven't. Because they're - I mean, look, they know that people are looking on the sites and trying to find the cheapest fare, so they want to try to be the cheapest. They're the low cost carriers. They're trying to stay cheaper to get the volume.

CHETRY: Yes. And they can get an $800 ticket off of somebody.

ROMANS: That's right.

We're also watching oil prices at $90 a barrel, this is when they start putting on those fuel surcharge. That's a quarter of - a quarter of their cost of oil, so we'll watch that too.

HOLMES: Christine, you answered it all. We appreciate you.

ROMANS: You're welcome.

HOLMES: Check in with you again.

CHETRY: Still ahead, protests in Egypt, threatening some of the world's most priceless artifacts right now. We saw the pictures of the back and forth between the protesters happening right outside of the museum in Cairo, dozens of icons damaged or stolen by looters.

We're going to be speaking with an - speaking with an Egyptologist coming up next on just how significant this is and how they're preventing future damage.

HOLMES: Also, 170,000 homes without power in Australia after a Category 5 storm. This has the potential to make already a dire situation much worse.

It's 20 minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Twenty-four minutes past the hour now.

A lot of the violent images we've been seeing in Cairo's Liberation Square were actually playing out directly in front of the Egyptian Museum, and this museum contains priceless artifacts, many of them thousands of years old, some already damaged or stolen in the uprising.

HOLMES: And that looters have smashed a couple sculptures of King Tut. That number right now is at least 70 other ancient artifacts have been damaged. Our reports of historic dig sites being looted, hearing that Egypt - Egyptians themselves, though, some of them getting together, they're banding together to try to protect these sites on their own.

Dr. Bob Brier is an Egyptologist and spokesman for Mummies of the World, that's the largest exhibition of mummies and related artifacts ever assembled, is now in Milwaukee. He is here with us. Sir, good morning to you.

DR. BOB BRIER, EGYPTOLOGIST: Hi.

HOLMES: Is the country itself, Egypt, is it fair to say the whole country is pretty much a museum?

BRIER: Yes. It's a vast outdoor museum and it's very difficult to protect all the sites.

CHETRY: And so what we're hearing now is there was a press release that went out from one of the directors of the museum areas there. And he said everything is OK except this one museum in Cairo, the one that we've seen the pictures of where the looting took place. And he also said that the 70 artifacts damaged can be put back together.

Is that painting too rosier of a picture of what's going on there?

BRIER: It certainly not true to all the monuments will say, you know, anytime you have looting and things like that, the monuments are in peril. And some of the wooden objects can be put back together again. They'll never be the same as they were before.

You know, the Tutankhamun objects, they were preserved for 3,000 years in the tomb. They were safe in the museum and then they're smashed. That's a tragedy and it's going to be very difficult to put that back together again. I think the mummies are even worse. You know, mummies were damaged and that's much more difficult to repair. It's a human body, how do you do it? You can't just glue it back together and put paint on it so this is a real tragedy.

HOLMES: So in the live pictures we have been seeing from Tahrir Square and we hear so many journalists referring to, yes, you see the museum there and into the left this and that. We hear this museum all the time. What exactly is in that museum? What are some of the treasures in the museum that's really at the epicenter of all these fighting?

BRIER: The Egyptian Museum is like Egypt's Smithsonian. It's their heritage. You have 5,000, 6,000 years of history. You have the gold mask of Tutankhamun. You have all kinds of fabulous artworks, but also you have the pharaohs. There's actually the body of Ramesses the Great, for example, who is probably the pharaoh of the Exodus. It's the only face from the Bible you'll ever be able to see. I mean, that's the order of magnitude of the treasures and imagine if that goes up in flames.

CHETRY: I'm just confused about why it's not better protected. Why - why was that not protected? How could it be so easy to get in there and smash through a case and grab one of these priceless artifacts?

BRIER: Well, it's an older museum. The building itself is more than 100 years old. It's vast areas, it's got natural lighting. Sky lights you can get in through. And it's not high-tech. It's not fancy glass cases like we're used to, you know, Plexiglas and stainless steel. It's all wooden cases, things like that. So it's not a high-tech museum. It's got fabulous treasures, but it's not a modern museum.

HOLMES: Does the everyday Egyptian recognize and treasure these items and what they have in that country the same way that you or the rest of the world actually views these items?

BRIER: I think, you know, when we saw those films of the Egyptians linking arms to protect the museum, I think that's - that's a good sign. People really know this is their heritage. They're trying to protect it.

You know, I get word from the south in Luxor, which is south of Cairo, that the locals came out on the West Bank where the Valley of the Kings is, where all the tombs are, and they were protecting their own tombs. It was - it was the locals who came out to protect their heritage.

So I think the average Egyptian really wants to protect this thing, you know, but it's not going to be easy.

CHETRY: Right. And I know you're hoping that what took place is just a wake-up call and that this will cease to happen and they'll get more serious about protecting these areas.

BRIER: Right.

CHETRY: Dr. Bob Brier, I know this is a tough time for you. I mean, this is what you do. This is your passion. I hope that things get better there. Thanks so much for joining us this morning.

BRIER: It's a pleasure.

HOLMES: Thank you, Dr. Brier.

CHETRY: Well, it's 27 minutes past the hour. The State Department warning Americans leave Egypt immediately now that protests have taken a new and violent turn. How many have left and how many are still left behind? We're going to get more on a rescue mission that has a brand-new urgency this morning, live from Washington.

HOLMES: And you've been hearing for a week now about the possible domino effect. Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan, now Yemen. We've got a live report from there coming up getting close to the bottom of the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

CHETRY: It is 6:30 here in New York.

We have some breaking news in Egypt right now and the entire Middle East. We're getting reports from "Reuters" this morning that a Hezbollah militant reportedly escaped from prison. He's convicted of plotting terror attacks against Egypt. He was sentenced, in fact, last April to 15 years in prison. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had previously confirmed that the militant was part of the cell that was trying to smuggle weapons through Egypt to the Gaza Strip.

But, again, this happened over the weekend, prison break. And now, confirmation that a Hezbollah militant who was actually convicted of plotting terror attacks is among those who escaped. We'll continue to follow breaking news on that and get more information for you as we get it.

Meanwhile, bullets are flying again this morning. Soldiers and tanks are moving into position between pro and anti-government protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square. The military largely stood by as we saw yesterday as these bloody -- as these protests took bloody and deadly turns that, again, today has said to have changed -- T.J.

HOLMES: Kiran, as we know, the State Department has been telling Americans, if you want to get out of Egypt, we will provide a flight for you. They've been running these chartered flights for Americans, telling them, advising them, you might want to get out of there. Now, they're changing the message a bit.

Our foreign affairs correspondent, Jill Dougherty, live from the State Department this morning.

Jill, always to good to see you. Ad they sent out a tweet, of all things, but how are they necessarily changing the message, a little more urgency to it now?

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Right, they're urging people to get out. Now, one of the problems was there are curfews. And so, the question was, when -- you know, how quickly could they get to the airport. But now, it's daytime, and they are urging Americans, who do want to get out, to go to the airport.

They can simply go there. You know, some people have registered and said, I want to get out. There about 3,000 people overall who have said that they wanted to get out of the country on these evacuation flights. They've taken out roughly 1,900.

So, there's still more, of course. There are roughly 50,000 Americans, but not all of them want to get out. A lot of them live there, et cetera.

But the people who do want to get out, go to the airport. They'll have flights as they have, roughly four flights a day. They can change that. They're evaluating as it speaks.

And also, T.J., they have sent extra consular officials to help people with paperwork and to get them out of these locations, usually in Europe.

HOLMES: Jill, also, what has been the level of communication between Hillary Clinton -- direct communication between Hillary Clinton, the secretary of state, and the leadership in Egypt?

DOUGHERTY: The most important call she made was yesterday in the afternoon. She was speaking with Vice President Suleiman. And that is when you saw the height of the violence yesterday.

She was calling it a shocking development. She urged the government to investigate and hold account of all the people who are doing that. And then also an urgent request that they begin negotiations with the opposition.

You know, everyone here, T.J., I think at the State Department really realizes that this could get really bad. It's already bad, but things really could get ugly and worse. So, that is the urgency right now that you feel in this building.

HOLMES: All right. Jill Dougherty for us from the State Department -- Jill, thank you as always -- Kiran.

CHETRY: Well, the ripple effect of the uprising in Egypt is spreading across the Arab world. Yemen is holding its own so-called day of rage. Yemen's capital, Sana'a, is the site of dueling demonstrations earlier today. Thousands of people marched against the government, at the same time there was a huge rally supporting the president who has already promised not to run again when his term is up.

International correspondent Mohammed Jamjoom is there right now. We understand the protests have largely dissipated for the day. What is it like there now?

MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, Kiran, the protests were largely peaceful in Sana'a. We attended first the anti-government demonstrations. And then we went to the pro-government demonstration.

Right now, the mood on the streets is quiet. You'd hardly know that these protests actually took place earlier. But we're hearing some opposition members that there are protests being planned for the next few days or possibly, or maybe next week. There really is a momentum building here among the opposition for the government to try to sustain this movement.

As you said earlier, President Saleh here yesterday basically ceded to the demands of the opposition. He said that he would not run for reelection in 2013. He said that he would not try to appoint his son as the successor and he would not try to appoint himself president for life.

Nonetheless, even though he caved in with those demands, many of the people we spoke with at the anti-government demonstrations today said they had had it. They want to see regime change by any means. This is their moment. They want people to go out into the streets and ask for their rights. And they were really wanting more economic opportunity. They were really wanting more human rights and they were quite angry at the government.

At the pro-government rally, a lot of supporters of President Saleh. And we've seen any time there's been a huge rally against the government the last couple of times it has happened in the past week, there's been a concerted effort by the government here to try to stage rallies showing support for the president as well. And to that end, that was successful today because when we went to the pro-government rally, which is just a couple of kilometers away, they were actually saying, the supporters there, that they were angry with the president for ceding for those demands, but they did support him and they would like to see him be president indefinitely -- Kiran.

CHETRY: Mohammed Jamjoom for us in Yemen this morning -- thank you so much.

HOLMES: Well, coming up next on this AMERICAN MORNING, we know the House voted to repeal the president's health care reform law, but the Democrats were not having any of that in the Senate. But Republicans say the fight is not over yet.

CHETRY: Also, someone in the Chicago mayor's race is making headlines for something that she said. It's not Rahm Emanuel.

Thirty-six minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Checking out some politics now.

And Republicans are saying this is just of the beginning after Senate Democrats shot down an attempt by the GOP yesterday to repeal the new health care law.

HOLMES: Yes, many Democrats, including President Obama say, yes, this law can be improved but repealing it is not the way to go.

Jim Acosta live for us in Washington.

Jim, good morning to you.

And, you know, this is playing out just like everybody thought it would be. It's a waste of time to repeal it in the House because it doesn't have a chance in the Senate.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: T.J., Kiran, yes, they had success over in the House but not so much in the Senate. Republicans in the Senate finally got a crack at repealing health care reform -- they had hoped that some Democrats would break ranks.

But take a look -- even though all 47 Republicans voted for repeal, not one Democrat crossed party lines to scrap health care law. A big majority of senators did agree to get rid of one bit of law that would have burdened small businesses with extra paperwork -- but the rest of what the president's opponents call "Obamacare" still stands.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

SEN. ORRIN HATCH (R), UTAH: Yes, we were unsuccessful today but we do know where everybody stands. It destroys jobs. It increases health costs, raises taxes and threatens the liberty all in the name of one of the greatest expansions of federal power in our nation's history.

SEN. RICHARD DURBIN (D), ILLINOIS: Each of the critics on the Republican side of the aisle of what they call government-administered health care, government-administered health insurance, every single Senate Republican critic is currently protecting his or her family with government-administered health care. In other words, what's good enough for their family shouldn't be good enough for the rest of America.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

ACOSTA: Now, the fact that the Democrats stood their ground was a little surprising because there are a few on the side of that aisle who are vulnerable in 2012 when those elections come up. But both sides concede that this law will ultimately be decided by the Supreme Court. We've been hearing all week.

Well, get this, one Democratic Senate, Bill Nelson, wants the Congress to call on the Supreme Court to look at this law right away. And he's getting some support on the Republican side. We'll have to see how that one plays out, guys.

CHETRY: There was a little bit of bipartisanship, though, right? Both sides agreeing on that measure that a lot of people said was going to make it difficult for businesses. It was the 1099 form?

ACOSTA: That's right. Yes, they got 81 votes for that. And even though this amendment was introduced by a Democrat, Debbie Stabenow, who, by the way, has a pretty tough race coming up in 2012, it was originally a proposal from a Republican senator. So, there was a little bit of bipartisanship yesterday. You had to look pretty hard to find it, but it was there.

CHETRY: All right. Jim Acosta for us in Washington -- thanks.

HOLMES: Thanks, Jim.

During the campaign season, you hear candidates oftentimes attack each other for a number of reasons. You don't oftentimes hear them accusing the other of being on crack. That is literally what happened in Chicago.

We're talking about the former senator, Carol Moseley Braun -- she was attacking another candidate, community organizer Patricia Van Pelt Watkins.

Now, Watkins has admitted that in the past, she has had a drug problem when she was a teenager, but she's been actually clean for decades and she never was on crack. But Carol Moseley Braun was being attacked by Watkins and then she shot back and she said, and I quote, "She was strung out on crack."

Now, the other candidate has demanded an apology. Moseley Braun issued an apology. But as both of these two go back and forth, Rahm Emanuel is running way ahead in most of the polling there. CHETRY: Well, NASA astronaut, Captain Mark Kelly will attend this morning's national prayer breakfast in Washington. The husband of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, he's going to leave her side where he's been since the shooting, to deliver the closing prayer at the breakfast. President Obama will also speak. It's been a national event -- an annual event in Washington for the past 58 years.

HOLMES: And Alaska Republican Joe Miller may have lost the race, but he's got some money to spend according to some paperwork he had to file. He has some $825,000 left in his campaign account. You'll remember, Miller, of course, won the Republican primary but then lost the general legislation to the write-in candidate, Lisa Murkowski, a Republican as well. Miller says he does not know what he plans to do next, but he could be seeking office.

CHETRY: Well, still to come this morning, the big storm finally cleared out, finally went out to sea. But we're still feeling the impact all over in the way of flight cancellations and power outages, of just a big mess to clean up. We're going to check in with Rob, coming up.

HOLMES: Also, we're going to check in in Australia where some are comparing the cyclone hitting that part of the world to Hurricane Katrina.

It's 43 minutes past the hour.

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HOLMES: It's about quarter of the top of the hour here on this AMERICAN MORNING. Live picture outside. Columbus Circle here in New York City with the backdrop of Central Park. Woke up this morning to cold temperatures, but at least, it wasn't snow or sleeting for the first time, it seems, in quite some time. Going to get up to 30 degrees a bit later in New York.

CHETRY: Downright balmy, we'll take it.

Meanwhile, in Australia, what a mess. They're assessing the damage from cyclone, Yasi. This is a category 5 cyclone, the size of Italy. Ripped its way through coastal 180-mile-an-hour winds, knocked down trees, and ripped a roof, softened some structures in Queensland. Authorities say that, luckily, it hit where there weren't a lot of people because the damage could have been much worse. Here's what cyclone Yasi looks like from a tanker ship off the coast of Queensland. The cyclone comes just after the record-breaking and devastating floods also hit that continent.

HOLMES: Back here at home, rain, melting snow, led to some pretty serious flooding in Providence, Rhode Island. Yes, flooding, snow, sleet, ice, you name it. Folks there, some even had to be rescued from their vehicles by a raft, as you see in this picture, but the flooding there has made direr conditions as can you imagine. Look at that picture once again. This is how they had to be brought out, but it's made a mess weather. You name it. We've gotten it all, it seems, like, this past week or so. CHETRY: Yes, and things are slowly getting back to normal for the nation's airports this morning. Many people, though, still may not get out for days because of all of the backups. The storm grounding 14,000 flights this week, so far. Rob Marciano is live for us at a very, very busy hub, O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. How's it going today?

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Normally busy, right? Today, not so much, but encouraging signs that it will be busier today than it was yesterday. Only 100 flights or thereabouts flew out yesterday. Normally, as you mentioned, one of the busiest airports in the world, but the blizzard shutting this place down yesterday. Virtually, a ghost town with 2,200 flights canceled alone. Most flights this morning canceled again because the flights didn't get in yesterday.

So, we're hoping that as we go through the later morning and afternoon, we'll start to see a little bit more in the way of departures and arrivals, expanding the schedule slowly. They're clearing the runways as best they can. They've done that with the taxiways and all the other -- other arteries that feed into this place are a little bit struggling as well. Also struggling are the temperatures. Schools are closed for a second day in a row here because, well, they got to still clear some snow, but also, it's dangerously cold outside.

Two degrees right now outside these doors at O'Hare. Wind chill minus 11. Here's what it feels like, feels like minus 15 in Minneapolis, feels like minus 15 in Des Moines. Wind chill advisories are out from the Canadian border all the way down to the Mexican border. That's how cold this air mass is. As a matter of fact, it's so cold that deep into Mexico, it's cold enough for snow. So, whenever that happens, you're like, oh, goodness, this could be trouble.

And, yes, well, it's going to be trouble. For the upper Texas coastline in through parts of Southwest Louisiana, winter storm warnings have been posted for all the disturbance that is going to run over top of this cold air and that includes the cities of San Antonio over to Houston. Houston could see one to two maybe three inches of snow and sleet tonight into tomorrow. Come on. Similar numbers getting into Southwest Louisiana as well.

So, this winter storm or winter storm situation, I should say, is not over yet, when you're talking about that kind of wintery precipitation down across parts of the south. Of course, the blizzard is gone, but in the wake of it, dangerously cold air behind it. And with that said, it's nice to be indoors today. But folks who are in this building right now are frustrated to get out.

They didn't bring any cots. There weren't that many people that slept overnight, but there have been a few, and there have been a few travelers that have been coming through here to, hopefully, get on a flight, but I think they'll have better luck later on today. Guys, back up to you.

CHETRY: All right. Rob Marciano for us this morning. Hopefully, we'll be on their way soon. Thanks. HOLMES: We're going to keep a close eye and bring you these stories that we are keeping a close eye on this morning, including what's happening in Egypt. And after sitting on the sideline yesterday during the violence, the military getting involved today.

Is there rocket fuel in your drinking water? There are new rules to make your tap water less toxic. Dr. Gupta fills us in. We're going to check in with Sanjay coming up.

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CHETRY: When I saw this next story, I thought what a nightmare. You're trying to prepare for college.

HOLMES: Oh, this is horrible.

CHETRY: You're cramming for these ACTs or, you know, those entrance exams you have to take. One college, actually, one school said, I'm really sorry, seniors, but we've lost your test scores. Yes. It was actually happening to 100 high school seniors in Oakland, California. Could their college dreams be up in smoke? Their ACT scores never made it to the universities that they applied to that they were hoping to attend.

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DONNA NGUYEN, STUDENT: Now, I'll never know. And then, having to hear that I have to take the test again, another four hours on my Saturday, that's very sad.

JACKIE LIN, STUDENT: UC (ph) said they're not going to receive any -- taking any scores for a February 12th. And all other colleges are just saying, we'll think about it.

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CHETRY: That's a nightmare. I mean, their actual college admissions are at risk because of an error not on their part.

HOLMES: What happened?

CHETRY: I guess, this is what happens when everything is computerized. That on one small, little error, I guess, wiped those results, but an ACT spokesman says, don't worry, kids, you can actually take the exam again.

HOLMES: There's no record of their scores somewhere?

CHETRY: And they'll have to hope that the colleges on top of this extending application deadlines are, you know, considered late applications for these kids.

HOLMES: I wonder if -- I probably shouldn't even put this out there, but is there cause for legal action on the part of these kids?

CHETRY: Or can't you just estimate. You know, I think, I really felt so strong in the math portion. Let's just say --

HOLMES: That's brutal. Hopefully, they can find a way to resolve that issue.

Here's another, the Virgin Mary, usually when you hear her story on the news about it, it shows up on a piece of toast or candy or pancake, whatever it is. This time, there is a statue of the Virgin Mary that some say appears to be crying. The statue is in the back of a shop in Redding, Ohio. Where else would it be? Believers and nonbelievers now have been flocking to the store, what do you think?

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I believe it's true. They were there. I mean, I saw them. They were actually -- it's true. And it's lower than -- I mean, I would imagine it's a miracle.

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CHETRY: You actually do hear about this happening a lot. Actually, the owner originally wanted to keep it secret, fearing that the statue would then stop crying if too many people came to check it out themselves.

HOLMES: They'll be flocking now. We'll see if the tears keep falling. Your top stories coming your way right after a break.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been hit now like two times.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you all right?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Egyptian soldiers -- the Egyptian soldiers are doing nothing.

CHETRY (voice-over): It was chaos in Cairo. Our own Anderson Cooper, as well as many other reporters under attack. This morning, the city wakes up after a deadly night of clashes. And the big question today, will the chaos continue? And will troops step in to help this time? Ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

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