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Egypt's "Day of Departure" Protest; Journalists Under Attack in Egypt; Crisis in Egypt; Chicago Still Digging Out; Democratic Dominoes in Mideast?; State of the Job Market; Unrest in Jordan; Stop Slouching!; Vanishing Oysters
Aired February 04, 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: Ahead on AMERICAN MORNING, the uprising in Egypt. Huge crowds gathering again right now in Cairo for what they're calling a "day of departure" protest. Plenty of soldiers in riot gear are on hand as well, setting the scene for what could be another day of confrontation.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Also, Chicago, just one of the places where they are still digging out after a deep snow, but in Chicago, the snow is so deep people can't even find their cars. (INAUDIBLE) Hurry up. Yes, another storm is coming.
CHETRY: Astronaut Mark Kelly facing a dilemma, fly the final space shuttle mission or stay home to be with his wounded wife, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. His decision is about to be announced.
HOLMES: Also, they're not just betting on who's going to win the Super Bowl. They're actually betting on what color Gatorade will be dumped on the winning coach, even how long the national anthem will take. Millions of dollars at stake on Sunday.
CHETRY: On those side bets.
And the world is running out of oysters. That story next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Good morning. They are bracing for chaos as once again, the streets are packed in Cairo, Egypt. A "day of departure" they say it is, but they're not going anywhere until the president does on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Hello, everybody. And happy Friday to you, wherever you may be. Glad you're right here with us on this February 4th. I'm T.J. Holmes.
CHETRY: I'm Kiran Chetry. First, we're checking out the latest pictures on this "day of departure" in Egypt as it's being called. Protesters are hoping that today will be the day that Hosni Mubarak, leader for 30 years, leaves office and the people have not left Cairo's Tahrir Square all night. Thousands of people packed-in shoulder to shoulder. One of our sources there who's been there every day says that he has never seen this many people gathered.
And you're looking right now at video that the Egyptian government doesn't want you to see. Over the past 24 hours, it's become nearly impossible for journalists to do their job. Many have been detained. Some have been beaten, harassed. Our former colleague, Christiane Amanpour, who herself was chased out by an angry mob did have a chance though to sit down with Egypt's new vice president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CORRESPONDENT, ABC NEWS: Just to make it clear, you will not order the military to evacuate them from the square?
OMAR SULEIMAN, VICE PRESIDENT OF EGYPT: We will ask them to go home. But we will not push them to go home.
AMANPOUR: Never?
SULEIMAN: No way. No way. And I hope that they will recognize that they are not doing well for their country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: She also had a chance to speak to Hosni Mubarak who said that he cannot leave, that if people think he can just leave the country they don't understand the way Egypt works.
The fight continued yesterday despite the military finally stepping in. Protesters were throwing rocks and trying to protect themselves with shields that they made out of scrap metal and wooden planks. And the big question is, will more of this fighting erupt as the crowds gather again today?
HOLMES: Well, a lot of people certainly hoping the answer to that question is no. They don't want to see more scenes like those you just saw and also like this one. We do want to warn you some of this video is a bit graphic but it certainly helps tell the story of just what's happening there in Egypt.
So this is a picture, we can show you now. Go ahead, and roll this video. But this is a fire truck, a fire truck mowing down some of the protesters and continues. Certainly happens quickly there in the video, but you saw that big red truck go through and you see the aftermath here. But just down on the streets, it has been chaos in so many ways. Hard to describe, hard to report as well because, as you know, many of our journalists have been threatened. Many of them having a tough time doing their jobs, but just takes you down there and gives you an idea of just the chaos that ensues down on the streets.
CHETRY: So we're seeing just how dangerous it's been. It's also been the case for people trying to tell that story, like our colleagues like Ivan Watson who is in Cairo for us this morning. Tell us a little bit more about what it's like there now. IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kiran, after two days and two nights of fierce, bloody, deadly fighting around Tahrir Square, which has been a symbol of defiance of opposition to the presidency of Hosni Mubarak for days now, now it appears the authorities have loosened some of the restrictions, have restored some order by bringing in soldiers at the barricades, outside the barricades that encircle this patch of territory, and they seem to have kept the pro government supporters who've been attacking this place, from fighting, at least since sunrise this morning.
And now what we have, it is Friday, the day of prayer in the Muslim world, and the opposition has been able to successfully and peacefully congregate here by the thousands and kneel in the square behind me and conduct their prayers. And immediately afterwards, the crowd began chanting, "the blood of the martyrs will not be forgotten." And then they started "he leaves, we don't leave" chanting that -- chanting "revolution, revolution until victory." They completed their prayers just a few moments ago and they're now moving around actively here.
Now, we are able, as journalists, to operate freely and without the threat of attack within the confines of this opposition-controlled square in the center of Cairo, but we have been systemically attacked over the past two days and nights when we step foot outside of here where the supporters of the government have gathered.
We do get reports that there has been a rival demonstration today. This one called the Friday of farewell or the "day of departure" by the opposition. At another mosque at another part of town, supporters of the government have been congregating to conduct their own demonstration and prayers for what they have called a day of loyalty. Showing you some of the schisms right now, in Egyptian society, that have been so bloody for the past 48 hours, but thankfully, during this holy period of prayer, have been peaceful, if only for a few short hours -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Ivan, you mentioned safety within the confines of where you are at the pro-democracy demonstrations, but just tell us what it is like right now for you and for fellow journalists out there? Are you fearing for your safety today?
WATSON: Well, we were able to leave our hotel and enter here from a checkpoint at the barricades at one end that was controlled by Egyptian soldiers and by the opposition demonstrators. They are running their own security. And we felt safe with them. The new soldiers that have been brought in by the Egyptian military have been civil. They check our passports. They are not threatening in any way. And we have not seen the pro-government supporters who have been so brutal, not only against Egyptian and foreign journalists from countries like Poland, Russia, Turkey, Sweden, France, Brazil, the U.S., the United Kingdom and on and on, dozens of attacks over the course of the past 36 hours.
But they've also attacked and detained human rights workers as well, working with undercover security officials from the government and despite that, the Egyptian government has denied that there was any systematic campaign to attack independent observers. In fact, they have denied claims by these demonstrators that the government has been behind the attacks on what had been, up until two days ago, a peaceful demonstration here in Tahrir Square -- Kiran.
CHETRY: All right. We'll check in with you throughout the morning, now afternoon there. As you said, the prayers just ending and the crowds gathering and milling about in the square this morning. Ivan Watson for us, thanks so much.
Also right now, in Egypt, as we've just heard from Ivan about the journalists, they have been the targets of violence and they say it's a systematic targeting. Egyptian state media reporting the military has just recovered 18 journalists who were captured by, quote, "thugs" and brought them to a safe haven. Now CNN has not been able to confirm those reports, but for the second time in just two days, CNN's Anderson Cooper was attacked, he says by pro-government demonstrators, punched in the head by angry mobs, at least 10 times on Wednesday. Yesterday, his car was targeted and the windows were broken. No one was hurt in that incident.
But it's not just western journalists who are being singled out. If you take a look at all of the media outlets with reporters who have come under attack as they've been trying to report the story in Cairo. They're from Canada, from Turkey, Russia, France, even the Middle East, and that had Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaking out on this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: This is a violation of international norms that guarantee freedom of the press, and it is unacceptable under any circumstances.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: We want to turn now to the White House and our Kate Bolduan who is there for us.
Kate, good morning to you. We know Egypt and the U.S. talking behind the scenes. The U.S. and the president, I should say President Obama, saying the transition must begin now. Now, is he and the administration as nuanced on the phone and behind the scenes talks as that public stance is?
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're hearing from administration officials that the conversations are very candid and very frank. But publicly what we're hearing and privately what we're hearing, you know, kind of behind the scenes and on background is very calculated, very careful statements from this administration, from this White House. And what we're hearing most recently is that this White House and the Obama administration is very carefully ramping up the pressure here, trying to get that orderly transition of power that we've heard so much about, under way and under way immediately.
Vice President Biden spoke over the phone to the Egyptian vice president yesterday. And in a read out of that phone call, I'll read you just part of it, it says that Vice President Biden urged that incredible, inclusive negotiations begin immediately in order for Egypt to transition to a democratic government that addresses the aspirations of the Egyptian people.
But so far, because President Mubarak perhaps is digging in his heels, wanting to stick with his own timeline because we have seen violence has continued to unfold on the streets, possibly a combination of both, that dialogue that we're hearing about, this negotiation between all parties involved, it seems to be slow to start at best. One senior official has told my colleague, Elise Labott (ph), over the State Department, they're basically saying that both sides here need to roll up their sleeves and get going with these negotiations. But still, again, T.J., the White House not publicly coming out to call on President Mubarak to step down, walking a very fine line saying that they want him to move aside sooner rather than later and reiterating their position that the future of Egypt needs to be decided by the Egyptian people.
HOLMES: But, Kate, one thing they don't mind saying publicly is you need to stop cracking down on journalists.
BOLDUAN: Absolutely. They came out very strong yesterday, Robert Gibbs. We didn't get a lot of on camera with Robert Gibbs yesterday because of travel, but Robert Gibbs said that the president was briefed specifically about those reports of journalists being attacked and he called them himself. He called it the systematic targeting of journalists and said that it is completely and totally unacceptable and that the Obama administration is saying -- is calling that any journalist being detained should be released immediately. You can be sure they're watching that very close. Robert Gibbs may be offering a not so subtle hint when talking about these reports of attacks on journalists saying the whole world is watching the actions in Egypt -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Kate Bolduan this morning for us from the White House. Kate, thanks as always.
CHETRY: As Kate just said the world is watching and the events in Cairo continue to reverberate across the Arab world as well. We're also keeping an eye on demonstrations today on the streets of Jordan. We're getting a live report from Amman coming up a bit later in the hour.
HOLMES: Also, still dealing with the aftermath of a big storm that hit this week, Chicago still digging out from the storm and drivers right now, playing a bit of a hide and seek with their vehicles. They can't find a lot of them. They're being reunited slowly but surely but so many cars were left parked on Lake Shore Drive, they just got snowed in, stuck there. A lot of them had to be towed away. A lot of them were stranded there for hours, even a day or so. Some people giving the city some high marks for handling all this during this blizzard.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Being a surreal experience, I think it's kind of just hitting home now actually what happened. I think the city's handled it pretty well, though. I have to be honest. I mean, it was such a crazy cluster on Lake Shore.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Yes. You're seeing some of that crazy cluster there. What the city did, had it to tow some of those vehicles away but they've created a registry on-line so people can actually look up their cars and figure out which yard to go to to be reunited.
CHETRY: What a mess. And, you know, the Super Bowl is this Sunday in Dallas. They got hit with a snowstorm yesterday that shut down the airport for a while. They're dealing with a mess. This whole week-long party before the Super Bowl has been brought to a standstill with the weather.
Jacqui Jeras is in the extreme weather center for us in Atlanta. So, they have temperatures in the teens still. And what are they going to do Sunday? Can they clear up these parking lots in time?
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: That's a good question because everything is snow covered right now. I mean, this fresh snow coming down in Dallas.
Take a look at what's going on at this hour. At last check, five inches on the ground, five inches. That is a whole heck of a lot of snow for Dallas. A winter storm warning is in effect. A really heavy band is moving through the area, and yes, this isn't going to clear out of here probably until the noon hour or so and that's, you know, the cleanup, of course, to go longer than that.
We've got major problems also going on in San Antonio, as well as into the Houston area. Houston, basically most of the interstates are not moving at this hour. Ice covered roads as this winter weather continues to move on into that area as well. We're looking at icy conditions for Louisiana, Mississippi. Corpus Christi, international is closed because of the freezing rain and ice and that storm system is going to be on the move, guys. It's bringing rain to the southeast. It's going to be heading up the coast and bringing some very wet weather as well. And guys, yes, a little more snow possibly, at least upstate for you.
CHETRY: Bring it on. We're ready for it. We wouldn't know January and February without it now.
HOLMES: Please speak for yourself.
JERAS: This one will be easy. This one will be easy.
HOLMES: All right. Jacqui, thank you this morning.
Well, of course, we know the world and the region watching what's happening in Egypt but, it seems a lot easier to bring down a president than a king. We'll explain.
CHETRY: Also, astronaut Mark Kelly, big dilemma on his hands, of course, to stay by his wife's side, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, as she recovers from the shooting or return to space to command the final mission of the space shuttle. We're going to find out what his decision is today.
HOLMES: And we told you there were thousands of jobs available at Google. But there are tens of thousands of people who want them.
It's 14 minutes past the hour. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, 17 minutes past the hour.
As you know, the entire world and certainly the region watching what's happening in Egypt right now. In particular, Jordan in the region, keeping a close eye. They've had protests there that seem to be gathering some momentum. Jordan's King Abdullah tried to diffuse the situation there. Fired his government, appointed a new prime minister, but is that going to be enough?
From Amman, Jordan now, please welcome Salameh Nematt, a Jordanian political analyst and also international writer for "The Daily Beast." Sir, thank you for spending some time with us. Would you say - and is it fair to say that the people of Jordan are directly taking their cues from the people in Egypt?
SALAMEH NEMATT, FORMER WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, AL-HAYAT: Yes, I think Egypt has a major influence on public opinion throughout the region, including Jordan. Protesters here have been watching the Cairo protests. They're taking their cues from their tactics as well.
Of course, today is a major day in Cairo and it is a major day here. However, the difference is, is clear, in Jordan the protests have been muted because of the king's preemptive move if you like to dismiss the government, appoint a new one, designate to affect immediate economic and political reforms and, of course, a lot of people want to give the new government a chance to work.
A lot of skeptics out there, the Islamists and other opposition groups insist that they will continue to protest, but I think the - the riots have faded and that today, in particular, the weather is pretty cold and rainy, and I doubt there will be too many people on the streets.
HOLMES: Well, sir, the other part, and this is probably a major difference as well, it seems that so much of the anger on the street in Egypt is directed at their head of state, the president, President Mubarak. In Jordan, is it a little different in that people's anger is not directed at the head of that country, the king? Do they still view him with some reverence?
NEMATT: That is correct. The criticism is targeting the government - the successive governments, even parliament. The king himself has been immune so far, at least there's nobody directly holding the king responsible for the actions of the government. However, we've heard the Islamic movement now asking for the prime ministers, for the governments in Jordan to be elected directly by the people or by parliament. In other words, they want a change in the constitution that allows the king to appoint the government. But this is only opposition by some leaders in the Islamic movement. So far everybody's content to have the king affect the change from above, kind of perestroika rather than something that would be forced upon them by popular uprising.
HOLMES: And, sir, is there any fear as well of an overnight change? Meaning overnight reforms? Are people wanting instant change and some they actually prefer to have incremental change?
NEMATT: Yes, a lot of people want instant change, which is not exactly practical considering that you - you need some kind of a consensus between the leadership, the government, the parliament, civil society, forces, political parties, and there has been an effort in the past, which is a national agenda, kind of road map for political and economic reform that was drawn out five years ago. This national agenda has been frozen, has been put on the shelf. Perhaps now the new government will pick up this agenda, update it, and perhaps in view of the king's directives for immediate reform, probably begin to introduce these reforms to parliament and get them underway as soon as possible.
HOLMES: And one thing here, finally, sir, if you can wrap this up for me fairly quickly, there's been so much talk of how significant Egypt is to the United States, the aid between the two countries. How significant is Jordan in that region to United States as well?
NEMATT: I think Jordan is very important as a moderating force in the region. Jordan has played an important role in the - in the international war on terrorism, intelligence cooperation as well as Jordan's leadership playing a role in moderating the Palestinian leadership's position towards re-launching the peace process. So, Jordan is important in the region and the model that it represents remains important for - for the United States and its allies in the region.
So, I think, you know, the situation in Cairo is casting a dark shadow now over politics in Jordan. That's why it is very important what happens in Cairo in the next probably 24 or 48 hours, whether the protesters, you know, gain more ground or whether the whole process is aborted.
HOLMES: All right. Well, protests there as well, but certainly taking on a different tone from what we're seeing in Cairo. Salameh Nematt, sir, we appreciate you taking the time with us. You enjoy the rest of your day.
NEMATT: You're welcome.
HOLMES: All right.
NEMATT: Thank you.
CHETRY: So we just heard a little bit more about the impact the Egypt protests are having, the movement there in places like Jordan. And more winds of change blowing across the Arab world. We're getting a live report on what is happening in Amman, Jordan, for today's protests and unrest.
Also, Sea World opening a new killer whale show, nearly a year after one of its trainers was tragically killed by an orca. We're going to tell you what's different about the park's new attraction.
Twenty-three minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: New this morning, Mark Kelly, the husband of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords appears to be leaning towards serving as commander for the final flight of the shuttle Endeavour. Look at Christine's nodding and saying I told you. T.J. and I thought there's no way.
HOLMES: We're talking - when we're talking about this. These guys are just built differently -
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. They train their whole life for that.
HOLMES: -- for this stuff.
ROMANS: It's the final mission. I can see the allure if he decides to go that way, I see the allure.
HOLMES: Maybe he does.
CHETRY: But you can also see how it's a gut-wrenching decision and -
ROMANS: Yes, absolutely.
CHETRY: -- Politico this morning is reporting that Kelly will make the final announcement or make the announcement at a press conference, at NASA press conference today.
CNN had a chance to catch up with Kelly yesterday after the National Prayer Breakfast. At that time, he just indicated that the decision to fly in April depends on some other folks as well, and there's a bunch of considerations. One is that a lot of the training will be in Houston where Gabrielle Giffords is recovering, so he would be with her there. And the other question is will the mission get delayed like it often does because of weather or other considerations and will she be further along in her recovery?
ROMANS: And so many have said that she's the kind of person who would probably be saying go for it. Go, go, go.
HOLMES: Go, go, go.
ROMANS: But we don't know what she's saying, if she's saying anything behind the scenes. HOLMES: Tough call.
ROMANS: But they're both very - they're both the kind of people who are just incredibly exceptional people. Maybe she would want him.
HOLMES: Tough, tough call, though.
All right. For you fans of the Sea World killer whale show that's been pretty much gone for the past year, well, it is coming back. This is about a year now after a trainer was killed by a six ton orca in Orlando. You might remember that. Dragged the trainer underwater and she drowned.
Well, this new show is not going to have any of the trainers in the water. They'll be required to stay on a stage, a new show is going to feature fountains and some huge LCD screens behind the show. And, again, all the trainers will stay out of the water.
CHETRY: Well, talk about job competition, Google announcing it received more than 75,000 job applications worldwide last week. That's 15 percent more than its previous high set back in 2007. Last month, you'll remember the Internet giant announced it was hiring more than 6,000 employees this year. So 6,000 jobs, 75,000 applicants -
ROMANS: That's why networking counts.
CHETRY: Long odds but good luck.
ROMANS: But if you think, if you're the hiring manager sitting there with just this sea of applications, you're going to hire somebody you know or who knows somebody you know who you know what kind of achiever they are, what they can perform, you know, what kind of sales they can bring in. So that's one of those things that - that really helps.
You know, I talked to somebody at Google who had - that person hiring a couple years ago, 4,000 applications she had to choose from, all of them rock stars, all of them rock stars. They chose somebody internal at the company.
HOLMES: Wow.
ROMANS: Interesting, right?
Anyway, today we're going to learn more about the jobs market situation in January. We know there's been a lot hiring in the tech kind of companies. What will the overall hiring picture be? It looks like maybe 148,000 is the estimate for jobs created. Guys, that's not enough - that's not enough to eat into that big sea of jobs we lost during the - the great recession. That's what it looks like when you can see just the kind of ground we've made over the past year. That last little yellow bar is the forecast for the month of - for the month of January.
This has been the missing link, 19 months into a recovery, why haven't we seen more jobs created? We've got manufacturing activity at the strongest in seven years. We've got consumer spending starting to return, remember frugal fatigue we were talking about. You've got commercial lending starting to thaw. But jobs and the housing market have been these two links that have not come back. And, you guys, jobs and your house, this is what you feel the job is the engine of your personal economy and the house is what you live in. So this is why so many of you tell us you don't feel like this economy is coming back for you.
And I wanted to make a quick note here on the - on the jobs market, the housing market for veterans. One number I've been watching in the housing and the jobs report in particular, is the unemployment rate for Iraq War veterans. It's higher than the national average. It's almost 12 percent. It's a problem.
You've also got a report from RealtyTrac in "USA Today" that 20,000 veterans active duty troops and reservists who took out some special government loans to help them pay their housing bills, lost their houses last year. So you've got a kind of crisis over here in our nation's -
CHETRY: Yes.
ROMANS: -- military in terms of - of their personal finances.
Holly Petraeus, the wife of General David Petraeus, is going over to the Consumer Financial Protection Agency to sort of work on these kinds of issues. But we'll be looking for more of those details in this report as well.
CHETRY: It's very important.
ROMANS: It really is.
CHETRY: They need a little more support, absolutely. Christine Romans for us -
ROMANS: Sure.
CHETRY: -- this morning. Thanks.
HOLMES: Thanks, Christine.
ROMANS: You're welcome.
CHETRY: Well, they're packed tight into Cairo's Tahrir Square again right now, maybe the biggest crowd that we have seen yet. Will it erupt in violence or will this protest remain peaceful today? We're going to update you on the Egypt crisis next.
HOLMES: Of course, this is not the only place we're keeping an eye on protests today. But some look a little different. We'll take you to Amman, Jordan, live.
We're on the bottom of the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Thirty-two minutes past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Live picture of downtown Dallas -- the Big D. They have been trying their best to party, but it's hard to do it with all that snow coming down. The Super Bowl coming up there in just a few days, and it has been a mess this week.
CHETRY: They're not used to this. They can't even clear it out of the parking lots. I mean, they're below freezing, they're in the teens overnight, and just getting walloped.
Jacqui Jeras, though, pointed out, pretty funny that the people that are coming to the game, the Packers and Steelers fans, they'll be right at home. They're used to this weather.
HOLMES: It's not a big deal at all. But the folks in Dallas and a lot of folks trying to get to the game, you know, the airport was closed there for a little while one day, it's nasty. Look at that. This is still happening for some folks stuck -- still trying to get around on some of the roads. It ain't happening.
CHETRY: No. Just not used to that.
Well, right now, it's 33 minutes past the hour.
We want to get you updated on the uprising in Egypt right now. Here's a look. You're looking at what might be the biggest crowds we've seen so far over the past few weeks in Tahrir Square overflowing. A sea of protesters all gathered for what is being called the "day of departure." Protesters are hoping today will be the day Hosni Mubarak, leader for 30 years, leaves office.
HOLMES: Our Frederik Pleitgen is there for us once again live in Cairo.
Fred, hello to you. There were some questions yesterday, given the crackdown on journalists, whether or not we would be able to get a live signal out, be able to talk to our reporters. So, it's good to be able to talk to you now.
So far, today, large crowds, but are we seeing those clashes and that violence we've seen over the past 24, 48 hours?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To get rid of Egypt's president. Here is a country where the average age, the median age of Egypt is 22 and the ruler --
HOLMES: It's appears we're listening to a different feed here and that's not our Frederik Pleitgen. We're trying to get him back up on the line.
But, again, you see the sea of folks here. And, again, we're hearing that they're bunched in there almost shoulder to shoulder by some accounts from some of our reporters. But not seeing the clash, not seeing the violence. Also, the military has stepped in. Security forces have been able to step in and screen people a little better and take a little better control of the situation at Tahrir Square where so much of the violence has taken place.
And we have not seen pro-Mubarak protesters, pro-Mubarak protesters come in, which many feel were responsible for a lot of the violence we've seen over the past 24, 48 hours. We'll try to get Frederik Pleitgen up and a report from him.
We've been telling you about the journalists as well. We didn't know, again, this morning, we didn't know whether or not we'd be able to give you a live picture and hear from our reporters because journalists literally were beaten, trying to be silenced or trying to silence them two days in a row.
Our Anderson Cooper was one that came under attack once again by some pro-government demonstrators. Egyptian state media, military saying it secured 18 journalists captured by thugs and took them to a safe place. So, you're hearing them at least report that many of the security were taken to journalists into custody for their own protection.
But CNN could not independently confirm that report.
CHETRY: Yes. That's where it's a little unclear, the police rounding up the journalists, many pro-Mubarak supporters said to be police, were the ones that many of the reporters recounted were the ones that attacked them. So, still some questions here on what exactly is going on.
But also, the White House reportedly is discussing a plan to have Mubarak resign immediately. "The New York Times" is reporting that plan would immediately put Vice President Omar Suleiman in charge of transitional government. Now, the White House would not confirm this, but it has said that the future of Egypt has to be decided by the Egyptian people.
Yesterday, our former colleague Christiane Amanpour got a chance to talk to Hosni Mubarak and he said, "I can't just leave. I want to give up power. I want to leave. But I can't leave the country." And he said that it's just not something that would be good for anyone.
So, he doesn't appear to be budging on his point of view, which is -- yes, I will leave, but not immediately.
HOLMES: We'll see what happens with him, says the chaos would get worse if he left. Can't imagine anything worse than what we've seen on the past couple days.
Well, still to come on this AMERICAN MORNING: can you imagine the weather situation getting any worse for some parts of Australia? Well, it did. We'll take you there.
CHETRY: Also, stop slouching, stand up straight. Posture, according to a new study, can speak volumes about your potential for success in the work place. Are we standing tall enough, nice enough?
HOLMES: Yes.
CHETRY: Great. We're going to try to hold this position.
We'll be back. Thirty-seven minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: What was Tunisia, then Egypt, Yemen, and now, Jordan with its own wave of unrest.
HOLMES: Yes, demonstrations this week happening in the capital of Amman. The king there, King Abdullah II, has fired the government, appointed a new prime minister -- but is that going to be enough?
Our Rima Maktabi is live for us in Amman.
Rima, hello.
RIMA MAKTABI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello. The demonstrations here are happening. The scene is so different from what we're seeing in Egypt or what we've seen in Tunisia. Some people are still happy. Mostly Islamist parties and Muslim Brotherhood, they still want the new prime minister to step down and they need or want a new person.
But Jordan looks stable. It looks strong monarchy so far and totally a different scene. Demonstrations are peaceful here and you hardly see any police or riot police around the demonstrations. It was small today as you see, it's quite rainy. The weather is really cold here, and it was about several hundred demonstrators.
HOLMES: All right. Our Rima Maktabi, we appreciate the update from you from one more place people are watching in the region, Amman, Jordan. Thank you so much.
And still to come on this AMERICAN MORNING: We're keeping an eye on, yes, once again, another winter storm. These temperatures in Texas are going to be frigid. Thank goodness, the Super Bowl is being played inside. Our Jacqui Jeras is coming up next.
CHETRY: Also, how long will Christina Aguilera hold the last note when she sings the anthem at the Super Bowl? Millions of dollars are riding on that and other side bets, some unusual ones this year. We'll tell you about it, coming up.
Forty-one minutes past the hour.
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HOLMES: About a quarter to the top of the hour here on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Have troops and supply ships now moving in after a devastating cyclone struck northeastern Australia. Dozens of homes have been wrecked or damaged. They are still assessing all of the damage there. This was a category 5 storm, 170-mile-per-hour winds. This hit the same area, Queensland -- you've been hearing that name plenty in the past few weeks, because the same area that's been hit by flooding.
At least one person killed, two missing in this latest storm. Many people, though, they say survived because they did listen to the warnings and got out before the storm.
CHETRY: And a rare sight, snow south of the border. Check out this dusting amid the palm trees. This is in Juarez, Mexico.
Even a little is too much there. They had to close the schools. The buses stopped running. Cars were skidding off the streets.
The temperature: nine degrees. That's the coldest they've seen in Juarez in 60 years.
HOLMES: Also, a scene out of Birmingham, Alabama. Not used to seeing this type of weather either. Cars trying to make their way along -- this guy might be late for work this morning.
CHETRY: But he has the right idea. Going nice and slow. Better safe than sorry.
HOLMES: Yes. You're supposed to be safe, but others tell you not to be out on the road anyway. But if you're going to be out there, just look how they tried to make their way. Again, south not used to a whole lot of snow and get ice every now and again, but people trying to make their way there in Birmingham.
CHETRY: I like that, though. I mean, it always drives me crazy just because you have an SUV, just because it's four-wheel drive doesn't mean you can speed down the west side highway in the snow.
HOLMES: Yes, it does.
CHETRY: No, it doesn't.
HOLMES: No, really, it does.
CHETRY: Unfortunately, end up upside down on the guard rail.
HOLMES: It comes with our vehicle. It says specifically in our instructions we can do this. I drive a big truck.
CHETRY: Our minivan just doesn't say that.
Forty-five minutes past the hour. Let's get a check on this morning's weather headlines. Jacqui Jeras is in the weather center. So, we were seeing them plodding along in Alabama, six degrees in Juarez, now Dallas, ok? Dallas getting hit twice.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's terrible. And I'll settle your argument, by the way. Go ahead and do it if it's snow, but if it's ice, don't do it. How about that? Just can't drive in that stuff. And it is snow in Dallas. Take a look at some of the pictures that we have from you. You know, the real heavy stuff has come in in the overnight hours and early this morning. We've got as much as five inches on the ground now.
This has really been an unprecedented week for Dallas. This is your second wallop, and, of course, you know the Super Bowl taking place this weekend. I guess, the one good thing you can say is that a lot of the people who are there visiting, from what, Green Bay and Pittsburgh, hopefully, can handle driving in that kind of snow. The heavy band is over with in Dallas. Looking for snow to continue throughout the morning. Houston is another problem area, by the way.
You've got a lot of freezing rain. We're hearing the interstates are just not passable at all. Stay home there today. Dallas love field. The runways are closed here now as well as Corpus Christi. It's the snow in Dallas. It's the freezing rain in corpus, and all of that liquid is spreading off to the east now, and we're seeing freezing rain across parts of Louisiana as well as into Mississippi.
Other airport delays expected today. In addition to Texas, we're expecting low clouds in Atlanta and Chicago still a little catch-up. You've got some blustery conditions there today, and so that's blowing the snow back over some of the runways, and that's going to be a problem. Flood watch is in effect for you in Atlanta. This is going to be moving up the coast, so expect this to push into the mid- Atlantic and the northeast by tomorrow, and this is really the only game in town.
Most of the rest of the country dealing with some pretty decent conditions. The arctic air is still in place. The big focus of temperatures below average down here, about 30 degrees below where you should be. In fact, you know, Dallas should be around 57 for this time of the year. Try 30 degrees below that at 27 today -- T.J. and Kiran.
CHETRY: Bad timing. Bad timing for all the people there coming in.
JERAS: What a bummer, right?
CHETRY: Before the week to party before the Super Bowl. At least, it's being played indoors.
HOLMES: Indoors.
JERAS: That's true.
HOLMES: All right. Jacqui, we appreciate you.
Folks I'm going to tell you the key to getting ahead in whatever business you are in.
CHETRY: Stand up straight.
HOLMES: Very simple something you can do right now. Stop slouching. There's a new study out from Northwestern that says the less you slouch, the more powerful you will feel and also the more powerful you will be perceived. They did an experiment and found that the better posture suggests that you are a better leader and has an affect on the way you feel about yourself, but as well, it affects how people view you. So, it could be the key to moving up the ladder.
CHETRY: It's also just good for you, in general, to sit up straight. It's better for you.
We are wondering where all the oysters have gone. Researchers say that the oysters are disappearing from coastlines around the world, partially, because of overharvesting, also because of disease. A study by marine scientists at the University of California Santa Cruz found 85 percent of oyster reefs and beds have vanished over the past 20 to 130 years, and its put them on what they call on the brink of functional extinction worldwide.
HOLMES: Also, something this morning that will get you talking, something that's a bit controversial, and something parents might not want to hear. Your kid might not be suited to go to college. We're going to have a debate about a controversial new Harvard study.
CHETRY: Kenneth Cole has not been a stranger to controversy in the past. He's been very out front on certain social issues, but he seemed to cross the line, put his foot in his mouth. There's been outrage over a tweet that used the Egypt crisis to plug his spring collection.
HOLMES: Also this morning, people have been waiting for somebody besides AT&T to offer that iPhone. The wait is almost over. Verizon's going to offer it in about a week, but hold on. We've got a problem you need to hear about first. It's ten minutes to the top of the hour.
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CHETRY: Fifty-three minutes past the hour. Experts figure about $10 billion will be bet -- 10 billion -- bet on Super Bowl Sunday. Half of those wagers will have absolutely nothing to do with points, spreads or even football. They'll be proposition bets. For example, you can wager on how many times the Fox announcers will mention former packer, Brett Favre's name. Don't make that a drinking game.
You'll be very ill very fast. The over/under is 2.5 or who will the Super Bowl MVP thank first after the game? Who will the MVP be, but who will they thank first, his coach, ten to one odds, his family four to one odds or God, that's a three to two favorite. And you can even bet on how long it will take for Christina Aguilera to sing the national anthem. The over/under is 1:54.
HOLMES: Way over.
(LAUGHTER)
CHETRY: You're right.
HOLMES: Way over.
CHETRY: You could also --
HOLMES: That's just so wrong.
CHETRY: Or maybe that's how long she'll hold the last note in 1:54. Now, the over/under for that is 6 seconds. Yes, a bet that comedian, Jimmy Kimmel, may be planning to place. Check this out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY KIMMEL, COMEDIAN: I am going with the under. I'm going under seconds. I think she's going to do it on --
(APPLAUSE)
KIMMEL: Every person I talk to thinks she'll go longer to show off because it's the Super Bowl, but I say no, I don't think Christina Aguilera is a show off. Do you hear that, Christina? I don't think you're a show off.
(LAUGHTER)
KIMMEL: And only a show off would sing the word "Brave" for more than six seconds.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: OK. She can go, though. I mean, I would like to hear her sing longer than two minutes out there, but no, Super Bowl, it's always fun. Bring in Jason Carroll here. This is always fun. The Vegas is the place to be. Guys prefer to be in Vegas actually betting on everything from the coin (ph) flip to the first may.
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: T.J., that's just because you love Vegas. Any excuse for you to go to Vegas.
HOLMES: It's a lot of money involved in it's toned (ph) economy.
CARROLL: Yes, that's true. That's true. Actually, the local impact in Arlington alone some are estimating could be as much as $600 million made just from this day alone. So, but you can't talk about football without throwing in a few interesting stats. Here's the bottom line. More and more out there are watching. This past season was a runaway hit. Each game had almost 18 million people watching, and if you just look at Super Bowl viewing, the audience has quadrupled since the mid-1960s.
Last year over 106 million people watched, making it the most viewed TV event in history. All that popularity coming at a high cost. This year's Super Bowl ads run $3 million for a 30-second spot. That sounds expensive. Apparently, it's worth it. Advertisers know they can reach out not only to a large number of men, but women, too, who are now watching in higher numbers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a social thing, and you want to be involved in a social thing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because of very attractive football players like Miles Austin.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because like a culture behind it. You know, it's a Sunday thing. Definitely like an American sport.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: So, what's behind all the football fever? It goes beyond the bowl. Take a listen to one expert.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK WALLER, NFL: There's now in this country and around the world. So little that people can huddle around and our kind of word is it's America's last campfire.
LINDA KAPLAN THALER, MARKETING EXPERT: This is an event that everybody is part of, and you're not going to watch -- you know, you're not going to DVR it. It's very, very immediate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: Some companies don't need to buy a Super Bowl ad in order cash on the day. Sunday is traditionally one of the busiest pizza buying days of the year, along with the day before Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. Retailers also looking for a Super Bowl bounce in flat screen TV sales in anticipation for the big day. Now, I already told you what the -- that last year was the most watched TV event in history. You know what the second-place finisher is?
CHETRY: Was it "Mash"?
CARROLL: Oh, yes. Very good.
CHETRY: It's a "Mash," right?
CARROLL: Good job. It was the final episode of "Mash" 1983, 105.5 million people watched.
CHETRY: We weren't born yet, but we heard it was a good show.
(LAUGHTER)
CHETRY: Jason Carroll, thanks so much.
HOLMES: Thanks, Jay.
CARROLL: You bet.
CHETRY: We're going to take a quick break. Your top stories are coming up in two minutes.
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