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CNN Saturday Morning News
Latest News From Egypt and the U.S.; Vincent D'Onofrio Speaks Out Against High-Powered Weapons; Weather Predictions for Super Bowl Sunday; Quick Recipes for Game Day
Aired February 05, 2011 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone.
We are getting conflicting reports about an assassination attempt on Egyptian vice president -- the new vice president, Omar Suleiman. But the Egyptian government is denying the attack -- details ahead.
Meantime, Tahrir Square in Cairo is tense but calm right now. Moments ago a brief standoff between troops and protesters, but it ended quickly without any violence.
And here at home, the Super Bowl, well, it hasn't even begun yet but six people were injured when ice fell from the roof of Cowboys Stadium. One man was hit in the head, another in the shoulder. None of those injures, we're told, are life threatening.
The high in the Dallas area today -- a balmy 42 degrees. It's early and we're on it.
From CNN Center, good morning, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye. This is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It's February 5th. So glad you're with us. It is 9:00 a.m. on the East coast, 4:00 p.m. in Egypt.
Let's start with some of the new developments out of Egypt this morning. Protesters are gathering again in the main square, the same place they've been now for 12 days. Also, there is one the most recognizable members of the opposition, Mohamed ElBaradei. He announced this morning that he's now part of a group of ten that are leading opponents of the government who say they represent anti- government protesters.
We have conflicting reports, as we said, that there was an assassination attempt on the new Egyptian vice president. Several people were killed in that attempt, we're told, but there's no word that the V.P. was injured. Vice President Omar Suleiman is supposed to meet with opposition leaders today.
Speaking today in Germany, Secretary of State Clinton said the transition needs to get under way but admitted that it will take some time. We'll hear more about what Secretary Clinton and President Obama are saying about all of this later in the hour. Time now for the weekend wheel, the stories you need to know to get your day started right. Falling ice is putting a chill on pregame Super Bowl festivities at Cowboys Stadium. Gusty winds blew those big chunks of ice from the roof on Friday injuring at least six people. Officials hope the ice will melt, of course, before tomorrow's game between the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Meteorologist Karen Maginnis' forecast is less than three minutes away, so we'll have the very latest on what you can expect for game day.
A mailman in Guilford, Connecticut is getting a hero's treatment after helping to save an elderly woman's life. Paul Jarret noticed the mail was piling up in one mailbox along his route.
He also saw the Meals on Wheels deliveries piling up at the front door, so he called police. Well, inside the house there was an 88- year-old woman who had fallen and could not get up.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL JARRET, SAVED WOMAN'S LIFE: I opened up the box, her mailbox. I noticed she hasn't picked up her mail all week. So at that point I thought things didn't -- you know, I was a little concerned.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Well, a little concern goes a long way. The woman had been stuck for three days and was badly dehydrated, but the good news is, she's OK now.
Penelope the snake has been found safe and sound, in case you were worried, riding a train in Boston. The nearly three-foot long boa constrictor was actually missing for a month
I remember we told you about this story a while ago -- before someone noticed her earlier this week. When she disappeared from around her owner's neck last month, workers couldn't find her anywhere, but now, I guess she's been recovered.
Watch when you're going. A 10-year-old boy in Italy recently learned that the hard way. Watch this. He was so engrossed playing his hand-held video game that he fell on to the tracks, look at that, while walking along a subway platform.
Lucky for him, no inbound train. Very lucky. But there was an observant policeman who quickly pulled that little boy to safety. Boy, that video is scary.
Here's a lesson for would-be criminals. If you think something might be illegal, well don't call 911 and ask if it is. Case in point, this call to the Farmington, Connecticut Police Department. Listen.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
CALLER: I was just growing some marijuana. I was just wondering what -- how much, you know, trouble you can get into for one plant?
911 OPERATOR: Depends on how big the plant is.
CALLER: It's only a seedling.
911 OPERATOR: Well, it's possession.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
KAYE: Yes, hi. I need some help. Oh, boy.
Police tracked the call to Robert Michelson, where they found a small amount of marijuana and equipment to grow it, just like he told them he had. He's now charged with illegal cultivation, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Stressed out by heavy snowfalls? Well take a look at what happened to this building in Easton, Massachusetts, Wednesday. The roof buckled under weight of the snow. Watch it, wait for it. Oh yes, there we go. Employees got out safely before the collapse, luckily
A similar story in suburban Indianapolis yesterday. The building that houses an auto parts store collapsed under the weight of ice and snow. Two workers who were inside at the time also unhurt.
And falling chunks of ice injured six people at Cowboys Stadium yesterday. It's the site of Sunday's Super Bowl game between Pittsburgh and Green Bay.
Let's get your Super Bowl forecast. Meteorologist Karen Maginnis here with us, and that ice, I guess, was melting, but hopefully we won't see more of that, even though we do want the temperatures to warm up.
KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, and that is the unfortunate part is as it warms up, that begins to slide off, because you know, it's grabbing all that heat. But in the forecast, not necessarily for Super Bowl Sunday, but as we go towards the middle of the work week, we're looking at yet another icy situation, maybe ice or snow.
Let's get through Super Bowl Sunday. I'll tell you, it's going be mostly cloudy. We could see a rain-snow mix or maybe some sleet and snow mixture. Temperatures supposed to make it around 42 degrees. I think that will be brief, if it does make it to that temperature
But we're looking at kind of a raw day in the forecast. And here's what's going on as we look outside a little further towards the north. Areas of low pressure moving right across the -- pretty much the Tennessee Valley.
Going to pull through the Appalachians on the northern edge of that. We're looking at some sleet and some snow in places like Nashville. Also into Louisville. But it will be the Eastern Great Lakes that will see the most significant snowfall, three to six inches
Let's take you outside. We want to show you what's happening in Dallas right now. Well, the sun is shining. The temperature is quite cold. We are going to struggle to make it to around 40 degrees for this afternoon. Bundle up.
And as I mentioned, it's not going to be very long. So enjoy the quote-unquote "nice weather" while it lasts, Randi. Temperatures in the 20s next Wednesday.
KAYE: Oh, boy.
MAGINNIS: Yes.
KAYE: All right, thank you, Karen.
Checking developments this morning in Egypt. A new government opposition group has formed. Also Secretary of State Hillary Clinton confirms there has been an assassination attempt on Vice President Omar Suleiman, but the Egyptian government is denying that.
To help us sort this all out, Frederik Pleitgen is in Cairo for us. And Fred, good morning. What can you tell us about this?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the assassination attempt indeed is still being denied by the Egyptian government. Also, I just spoke to one of those opposition leaders who actually was just in talks with Omar Suleiman, the vice president of Egypt, of course, at this time, and he said that there was no mention in those talks of this assassination attempt.
He said the vice president looked fine. So it looks as though if this attempt happened, it didn't do very much damage to Omar Suleiman.
Meanwhile, the protests here obviously are continuing. I would say at this point there's about 4,000 to 5,000 people on Tahrir Square. And they're obviously still chanting that they want Hosni Mubarak to go.
But what I'm hearing from opposition leaders who were in talks with the Mubarak government, apparently there's an absolute stalemate at this point. The Hosni Mubarak government under no circumstances will he leave office immediately, Randi.
KAYE: And Fred, what about this new opposition group that we're hearing about this morning?
PLEITGEN: Well, you know, these opposition groups, they're more sort of get-togethers and sort of smaller gatherings than they are real opposition parties. These groups are sort of more committees, and Mohamed ElBaradei is a member of one of them, as is Amr Moussa.
It's very difficult actually, to determine who these people actually speak for. I was on the Tahrir Square a little earlier and someone told me about this new opposition group, one of the leaders there, but then a lot of the protesters who were fighting on the front lines said they don't want anyone to represent them at all.
So right now it's very, very difficult to determine who actually speaks for this massive opposition group that's obviously out there on Tahrir Square. The normal opposition parties here in Egypt, they certainly don't. I spoke to one of their leaders just a couple of minutes ago and he said, "I don't speak for people who are out on that square. I can mitigate between them and the government." But that's pretty much all they can do.
So right now, it's a very, very difficult situation. The thing I keep hearing from people who are sort of trying to negotiate here is that first of all, it's very difficult to determine who's negotiating with who, and second of all, it is really a very difficult process in that the Mubarak government obviously says, "Under no circumstances will Hosni Mubarak step down," and the people on Tahrir Square say, "If he doesn't step down, we're staying" -- Randi.
KAYE: Hopefully it will get sorted out sooner rather than later. Frederik Pleitgen for us in Cairo. Thanks, Fred.
He's a Hollywood star not known for making political statements, so we'll tell you why actor Vincent D'Onofrio was inspired to make a new ad for stricter gun control.
And why Sarah Palin says she's no Ronald Reagan.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back. Twelve minutes past the hour.
Astronaut Mark Kelly is a go for launch. Kelly is married to Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who is recovering at a Houston area rehabilitation clinic. There was speculation that Kelly might skip his mission but he says he and Gabby are both ready to go.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK KELLY, NASA ASTRONAUT: I have every intention that she'll be there for the launch. I've already talked to her doctors about it. So there should be -- there really shouldn't be any reason why she can't go to the launch.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Isn't that amazing? Commander Mark Kelly will resume his flight training on Monday for the space shuttle "Endeavour's" scheduled launch April 19th. It's the next to last shuttle flight on NASA's launch schedule.
It's been almost a month since the gunman fired 32 bullets in Tucson, killing six and wounding 13 including the Congresswoman. Next week, expect a blitz over social media networks urging support for a ban on large capacity magazines like the kind used in the Arizona shooting.
As CNN National Correspondent Susan Candiotti reports, a normally non-political TV star is now joining the debate.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 911, There was shooting at Safeway. SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Police say accused Arizona shooter Jared Loughner chose a high-capacity magazine to unload 32 rounds at 19 victims, killing six. He was tackled while attempting to reload another 30 rounds. How did it affect you when you heard what happened?
VINCENT D'ONOFRIO, ACTOR: It just keeps you thinking, how's it going to stop? What are we going to do to help the law enforcement control this kind of stuff?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Action.
CANDIOTTI: Actor Vincent D'Onofrio is joining the debate over re-instating a ban on those high-volume magazines. One of the veteran stars of TV's "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," D'Onofrio is making, for him, a rare jump from fantasy to politics.
D'ONOFRIO: Call your elected officials in Washington, D.C.
CANDIOTTI: D'Onofrio is taping a political ad urging the public to back proposed legislation to stop the sale of those magazines.
D'ONOFRIO: I don't mind everybody owning guns. What I think -- it's freedom. I think that's what this country is all about. But it's ridiculous to think that they can out-arm the people that are supposed to be serving and protecting us.
CANDIOTTI: Why did you tap Mr. D'Onofrio for this role?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because well-recognized figures are powerful messengers in this environment. And he can be a very powerful messenger.
CANDIOTTI: The Citizens Crime Commission of New York, a nonprofit public safety group, is producing the ad. Its president, a longtime gun control advocate argues there's no legitimate need for a 30-round magazine.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's knock it down to ten rounds, which is where it's been. Which is more than enough for self-defense, more than enough for hunting purposes, and more than enough for any civilian use.
D'ONOFRIO: Look, this is how I feel about it. I feel it's a choice. Are you going to be on the good guys' side or are you going to be on the bad guys' side? I think it's really that simple.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He doesn't know who the good guys are. The good guys are all of us.
CANDIOTTI: Gun rights advocates argue a high-capacity magazine ban will prevent potential victims from protecting themselves.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It might take five to ten rounds just to stop one attacker. What do you do if there are several?
CANDIOTTI: The makings of a fiery political battle this year, and a typical "Law & Order" story line.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Let's talk Super Bowl here. It's all about watching the game, right? Well, we'll show you some quick and delicious Super Bowl recipes. You'll be done cooking them in really just about ten minutes.
We're getting ready here. That's probably why you've heard some sizzling in the background from my microphone all morning. Mmm. We can't wait for this. All coming your way next, great recipes. Stick with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Looking' pretty chilly there in the Dallas area. Actually, in Arlington, Texas, as they're getting ready for the big Super Bowl tomorrow.
A lot of you probably getting ready for the big game tomorrow as well -- Super Bowl XLV -- you invite friends over, and now you've a big dilemma, probably, right? Do you go just chips and dip, or maybe you want to go full out?
Well, we thought we would help you this morning. We asked Chef Gary Donlick to show us how to make a few super-quick dishes for your Super Bowl crowd. Gary is the executive chef at Bistro Niko here in Atlanta. And thanks for joining, us, Gary.
GARY DONLICK, EXECUTIVE CHEF, BISTRO NIKO: Great to be here.
KAYE: Our studio has never smelt better, so --
DONLICK: I bet.
KAYE: So these are really quick dishes that your friends will think you've worked on all day, right?
DONLICK: This is for someone who doesn't want to show up to the party with just a bag of chips and dip.
KAYE: Well, I love this.
DONLICK: Literally they take no time. It's just a matter of getting the right ingredients.
KAYE: OK, well, take us through. Let's start with the first one. I know you've done a little bit of prep work here, but tell us what you're making here.
DONLICK: We have a shrimp that I've kind of butter flied. And it's a large shrimp, that's just peeled, deveined, marinated with garlic, lemon, olive oil.
KAYE: Mmm, that's why it smells so good.
DONLICK: Kind of like a scampi. So, I'm doing a finger food. So I put it on a little skewer, a little bit of olive oil.
KAYE: That's the sizzle we've been hearing all morning.
DONLICK: That's the sizzle.
KAYE: And you just let that sit in there for a little while?
DONLICK: And we're just going to basically brown both sides.
KAYE: And then they come out looking like this?
DONLICK: They come out looking like this, and I made a little tomato salad with it. And that tomato looks really intimidating, but it's basically peppers and onions I sauteed. I put some tomato in with it.
And the thing that makes it a little different -- I put a little orange peel in there. So you get a little orange and you're like, "What is that in there?" Orange and tomato is a very good combination. Put some capers, olives, whatever you like, you know
And just, the point is, it's not the salsa out of the jar. It's something -- you put some time and energy into it.
KAYE: Right, do a little something fresh.
DONLICK: Everybody likes shrimp scampi, tomato; put a little orange with it.
KAYE: So we'll let those cook, if you don't mind.
DONLICK: Absolutely.
KAYE: And go on to this avocado, which just looks -- do you want to turn that down?
DONLICK: I'll turn this down, OK. The next thing I made -- I made crispy chicken tacos with guacamole. So, avocados -- the Super Bowl is the biggest time of year for avocados.
KAYE: Those are always a trick to cut the right way.
DONLICK: They are. You've just got to find one that gives a little bit under the skin. You just take your knife, roll it around real easy.
KAYE: Wow.
DONLICK: Separates on its own.
KAYE: Getting the pit out, that's always my challenge. Oh! Fancy little trick.
DONLICK: Then to dice it, you dice it right in the skin. You just carefully go one way, turn it, go the other way.
KAYE: And then you put it all in this -- the bowl there?
DONLICK: And then take your spoon, scoop it right out.
KAYE: Oh, it scoops out just like that.
DONLICK: So it's all diced, ready to go.
KAYE: And then what do you do with that?
DONLICK: Next is lime. Lime is very important. So lime -- if you cut it this way and squeeze it, you ruin -- you basically break your hand. So you cut a little bit off center. And it cuts through all those segments that are hard to get.
KAYE: OK, and then you squeeze that in?
DONLICK: And then we give a little juice. See all the juice comes out easy? Salt, a good pinch of salt.
KAYE: OK. And then what do you do? Smash it all together?
DONLICK: Cilantro.
KAYE: You can tell I'm a big chef in the kitchen. Is that the right lingo? Smash?
DONLICK: Smash is the lingo. We use that all the time.
KAYE: OK, good. See?
DONLICK: Onion, tomato, whatever you like.
KAYE: All right. And then you mix it all.
DONLICK: Give it a nice mix. And if the avocados are ripe, they'll break down.
KAYE: Oh, that looks so good.
DONLICK: Simple, simple, simple.
KAYE: And when you're done with smashing --
DONLICK: With smashing --
KAYE: It's going to look like this here, which is in the middle?
DONLICK: It's going to look like that.
KAYE: So that only took us a minute maybe.
DONLICK: Very easy, very easy.
KAYE: You mix it up like that, and then, so -- but the chicken tacos might take a little bit longer.
DONLICK: The chicken taco is basically chicken that -- I put a little spice on it. I like chili powder, I put a little coriander. You know --
KAYE: So it's just diced chicken or sliced chicken?
DONLICK: Sliced. You slice it lengthwise in strips. Put a little oil on it, let it marinate, put a little salt. And the roll-up is the key. You just -- very easy -- roll it up. And you see I have these skewers here. Buy these little nifty skewers--
KAYE: You put it all in order. And what kind of spice did you put on it?
DONLICK: I put chili powder.
KAYE: Just chili, OK.
DONLICK: I put a little paprika, I put some coriander, cumin, things that you would put in chili, I thought of. You know, chili flavors.
KAYE: Right.
DONLICK: And then --
KAYE: Well, those look a lot better than a bag of chips.
DONLICK: And basically, you're just pan frying them.
KAYE: OK. More sizzling.
DONLICK: You put it in there. GBD -- golden, brown, and delicious, both sides. And the thing that's nice about it is you can use corn if you like --
KAYE: And it comes out looking like this?
DONLICK: Corn or flour tortillas. You take the little skewers out. The way you know they're done is when you cut them.
KAYE: Oh, and look at the display. You can bring them over there; bring them to your friend's house.
DONLICK: You know they're done. You trim them up a little bit, make them look pretty.
KAYE: Mmm. Those do look delicious.
DONLICK: And they are. Dip them in a little guacamole, you're ready to go.
KAYE: Very nice. All right. So while that sizzles, we have one more quick little recipe.
DONLICK: One more quick little recipe is the --
KAYE: Should I turn this down while we're -- OK.
DONLICK: Yes, we're going to turn this -- actually we'll just flip it over. It is the smashed loaded mashed potatoes. The reason I call them smashed -- I basically took red potatoes, I quartered them, I boiled them in some water for about 15 to 20 minutes until they're fork tender.
Then I drained the water and I add everything you would add to a loaded baked potato. I put sour cream, I put a little butter. I put cheese, a couple different cheeses, and you know, you just kind of work it together. And if it gets a little thick, put a little milk on it.
KAYE: And then on the side I see, you have a little something special.
DONLICK: This is for the Super Bowl treat. I made the -- these are bacon lardons.
KAYE: Bacon lardons.
DONLICK: I took some slab bacon, cut it real thick. In a saute pan, I put a little bit of water in it to start it.
KAYE: Look at that.
DONLICK: You get some of the fat out of it so it's not all greasy. Cook them until they're golden brown. And that's what I like to finish with, it's kind of the treat of the day, you know. Super Bowl is not about watching calories.
KAYE: All right, so can we hand some of this out --
DONLICK: I think we should.
KAYE: Because these guys all look hungry. Our whole team here looks really hungry. I would -- what can I taste? I just want to see how these recipes --
DONLICK: The guacamole. Try the guacamole.
KAYE: OK. I'll get one taste of the guacamole. I have a spoon right here.
DONLICK: They say the Super Bowl is the largest day for avocado use in the --
KAYE: Mmm.
DONLICK: I don't know how many hundreds of pounds of --
KAYE: That is delicious. Can I just hold that bowl?
DONLICK: Of course. KAYE: I'm going to keep that bowl right here. It's my breakfast. Wow. And -- these are -- you expect, would go over pretty well.
Most people think that you've been in the kitchen all day. And we just, in about, what -- five, six minutes' time, you just basically did three different recipes?
DONLICK: That's it. You know, it's not about the frozen shrimp cocktail ring you buy at the store. I mean, it's just putting a little bit of thought, a little bit of energy into it.
Tortilla shells are available everywhere. Guacamole, I mean, it's the simplest thing. And once you make it, people are like, wow.
KAYE: Yes. I'm like, wow, right now.
DONLICK: You really put some energy into it.
KAYE: I'm going to steal one of these shrimp, too, and we want to thank you so very much for coming in and cooking with us this morning. Like I said, it's never smelled so good in here.
Gary Donlick, executive chef at Bistro Niko here in Atlanta, thanks again. And of course, you can get all the recipes if you just go to CNN.com. You'll find them all there. And they're really good.
A look at today's top stories, next.
KAYE: Checking top stories for you now.
It's much calmer in Egypt today than we've seen over the past few days, but President Obama is pressing Egypt's leaders to begin the transition to a new government now. The administration calls today's expected meetings with opposition leaders a positive first step.
Also in Egypt, foreign terrorists are being blamed for blowing up a critical gas pipeline that services Jordan and Syria. The attack happened earlier today in the northern Sinai town of Al Arish.
Outsourcing is a cheaper option for many businesses. But in this weekend's "YOUR BOTTOM LINE," hear how one woman says, keeping her work in-house turned out to be a profitable move. Here's CNN's Stephanie Elam.
