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American Morning
Talks Underway in Egypt; Obama and O'Reilly Showdown; Gas Prices Continuing to Increase; Christina Aguilera's Mishap at the Super Bowl; Two Arrested in Ohio Frat Shooting
Aired February 07, 2011 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. For the first time in almost two weeks, relative quiet in Cairo. The beginning of life slowly starting to return to normal. The big question, will the Muslim brotherhood be a part of the new government?
Also, you may already notice, you may have noticed, you are paying for it. Gas prices heading upward. What's behind this and how far up could they go? We'll tell you on this AMERICAN MORNING.
And hello to you all on this hangover Monday, February 7. A lot of people dragging today because of the Super Bowl. we, however, are not on this AMERICAN MORNING. Hello to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kiran Chetry. Yes, filled by chicken wings and ready to go. Had a great time yesterday.
HOLMES: I had a slab of ribs myself.
CHETRY: Protein keeps you going.
And what we're talking about of course is the Super Bowl. What would it be without a malfunction? When you think Christina Aguilera you think maybe a wardrobe malfunction could happen, but it wasn't there. She was dressed to the nines. The only problem was she forgot a few of the words to the "National Anthem." So she says she got lost in the moment. If you didn't hear it yet, we've got it for you.
HOLMES: Also this morning, it's that storied 3:00 a.m. phone call but Sarah Palin said the president got the phone call but he let the machine get it. We'll explain her latest salvo toward President Obama.
CHETRY: Quickly first we'll get you updated on Egypt two weeks into the uprising. We're slowly seeing signs that life may be returning to normal in Cairo at least for now. Egypt's Vice President Omar Suleiman opened talks yesterday with members of six opposition groups, including the banned Muslim Brotherhood, a group that has no love for America.
But President Obama is refusing to single out any faction for criticism, instead focusing on the need to keep negotiations moving forwards.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I think that the Muslim Brotherhood is one faction in Egypt. They don't have majority support in Egypt.
BILL O'REILLY, FOX NEWS HOST: They --
OBAMA: But they are well organized, and there are strains of their ideology that are anti-U.S. What I want is a representative government in Egypt, and I have confidence that if Egypt moves in an orderly transition process, that we'll have a government that we can work with together as a partner.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Protesters continue to pack Tahrir Square, but this time relatively peaceful. No firebombs, no rock-throwing. Also, banks in Cairo reopened for a few hours yesterday. People were allowed to withdraw cash. Some gas stations are back open. They were closed, as well.
But not everybody is rebounding so fast. The stock market remains shut down. Many shops and malls are still closed this morning because of fears of looting.
With Egypt's government in talks with opposition groups, the Obama administration is maintaining a delicate balancing act. At 7:15, coming up in just about ten minutes, we'll talk about the challenges facing the White House with Daniel Kurtzer, the former ambassador to Egypt and Israel.
HOLMES: Also, Sarah Palin is making some of her first comments about Egypt, not talking about what she would do but saying what the president is doing wrong. She says we need to know more, need to know what America stands for and then we'll know who America stands with. She says the president is dropping the ball right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH PALIN, (R) FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR: It's a difficult situation. This is that 3:00 a.m. White House phone call. And it seems for many of us trying to get that information from our leader in the White House, it seems that that call went right to the answering machine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: You may remember that 3:00 a.m. phone call. That is a reference to a campaign ad in the 2008 campaign season that questioned whether or not Obama was ready to be president.
CHETRY: Also new this morning, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is back in a London courtroom today. He's appearing at a two-day hearing to decide whether he'll be extradited to Sweden to face allegations of molestation and rape. Assange is out on bail and has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, saying that the relationships were consensual.
HOLMES: And one college student was killed and 11 others wounded when police say a couple of men walked in and started shooting at a frat party in Ohio. The student was from Youngstown State University. This was at an off-campus frat house for Omega. Right now the campus is remembering the victim, 25-year-old Jamail Johnson.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All he wanted to do was finish school and live like any other student, you know, be successful. Come back to the community, help whoever he could help. And for him not to be here now and for me to be talking to but this, it shouldn't be happening.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was a good young man who embraced the principles of our fraternity of manhood scholarship, perseverance and to uplift who is an innocent party, truly a victim in this circumstance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Again, taking a look at the Facebook page of Jamail Johnson, people remembering that student today. Police say the two suspects were actually kicked out of the party and came back a little while later shooting.
CHETRY: A freight train carrying 320,000 gallons of ethanol jumps the tracks sparking a huge fire. It happened in Hancock County, Ohio. Firefighters say that workers were on the train, two of them at the time. No one was hurt, though, although people had to be evacuated from at least two dozen homes in the area.
Officials say that three cars are still burning. They had some 200 emergency responders to that. They say that the fires could be out early this morning.
HOLMES: Also take a look at this. Indianapolis International Airport, a canopy over a parking garage collapsed. This happened Saturday night, sent ice and snow on to the cars below. Nobody injured here, thank goodness. Windshields of at least eight cars were shattered.
CHETRY: Five minutes past the hour.
(WEATHER BREAK)
HOLMES: Did you know "Huffington Post" was even for sale? Well, somebody just bought it. Christine Romans with us right now. Not just somebody.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS ANCHOR: AOL.
HOLMES: Yes.
ROMANS: AOL best known for "you've got mail" and the dial-up Internet business, something that they've seen their subscriber base decline and decline and decline. Now they are going for a bid to relevance, and that is buying content, among them now "Huffington Post," the most high-profile of their gambits. In fact, Arianna Huffington, founder of "Huffington Post," will be the director of all content now for AOL.
So take a look at how subscribership has dwindled at AOL and what they are trying to do -- 3.8 million subscribers. But they do have, you know, 110 million eyeballs who look at this, who look at AOL content, 250 million worldwide. And Arianna Huffington's "Huffington Post" went from a liberal blog five years ago to really something that has gained -- she's really become, I don't know, a thought leader on the left, but also you can get all kinds of content on there.
"Huffington Post" "Tech Crunch" and "Gadget Patch," these are all brands owned by AOL. Patch is really interesting, this local -- these local news sites. Kiran, you've got one in your town, too. There are 800 different local news sites where you type in where you live, and suddenly you get like your -- your little local newspaper right there.
I talked to Arianna Huffington earlier today. She's going to double down on video, wants more original reporting on the stories that matter, the stories of our time. She says she's going to put more flesh and blood on the economic data. So she's sleep deprived, announced that deal at midnight, but she's answering calls and talking to reporters this morning.
CHETRY: She's working off adrenaline.
ROMANS: She is. Someone earlier said she's up all night, I think she might be counting her $315 million.
So let's take a look here, a morning market check for you. For some alliteration, you see that Friday the Dow managed to stay above 12,000, NASDAQ up slightly, the S&P 500, as well. So we'll keep tabs on you for the next 2 1/2 hours until the markets open.
HOLMES: All right, when I say green bay packers, you automatically think?
ROMANS: Lambeau Field. Cold.
CHETRY: You don't think Bret Favre?
ROMANS: You know, Bret Favre has managed to put some asterisks behind his name in my book the last couple of years.
HOLMES: My goodness, Christine, didn't know it would turn into that.
CHETRY: He's not as big a hit with the ladies.
HOLMES: How about Aaron Rodgers, he doing anything for you? You don't know who he is.
CHETRY: He's dreamy.
ROMANS: No, I don't.
CHETRY: He's the new quarterback. He did great.
ROMANS: Come on, I go to bed at 7:00 at night. You think in the east coast I can watch a football game?
HOLMES: Some people -- there was a win in the Super Bowl. People were into it.
ROMANS: There was?
HOLMES: Not thinking Bret Favre anymore, maybe some of you will think Aaron Rodgers, because the young fellow last night put on a show and did something Bret Favre never did, leading his packers to a win over the Steelers last night. So the Lombardi trophy is going back to its rightful place in Green Bay. Steelers' turnovers really were the story last night, ended up in 21 Green Bay points.
But Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdown passes. But he was named the Super Bowl MVP. In Bret Favre's storied career, that's one award he has never won, Super Bowl MVP. The final score, Packers beat the Steelers 31-25. And that is your Super Bowl XLV.
CHETRY: Who did he thank first? I know he thanked the defense. I don't know if he thanked them first.
HOLMES: The bet was god, family, or teammates --
CHETRY: God, family, or coach were the big ones. But you're right, I think teammates, too. So I think -- I heard him thank the defense, which he should have since they picked off, too.
HOLMES: He also said he's going to Disneyland.
CHETRY: He did?
HOLMES: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
CHETRY: Well, there was nothing super about the big game for 400 ticketholders. They were fulfilling their football dreams, only to have them crashing down because of construction problems, not completed on six sections of seats making them unsafe. They told these 1,200 fans sorry, and 850 of them were relocated to -- they're saying equal or better seats, meaning that's the company line, but they're saying they had horrible seats. Then 400 were just left out in the cold completely.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm very disappointed. It's not the money. We came here for memories, and it's not happening.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No seats!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No seats.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They don't even have my row, let alone the section we're supposed to be in, 430a, row 31, the section is closed. We don't even -- UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We flew in all the way from Green Bay to be at the game. This is ridiculous, absolutely poor customer service. The worst thing you could ever see.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: You feel so bad for them, don't you?
HOLMES: Somebody's going it sue. They will.
CHETRY: They said they're getting three times the face value of the tickets. But you know how much more they go for. How many people buy Super Bowl tickets at face value, right?
HOLMES: It might not even out once you take your flight into account, hotel room, your food, your travel, it might not even be enough.
ROMANS: I want to know who's responsible? Is it the stadium, the NFL? Who messed up here? I mean --
HOLMES: We're going to get to the bottom of this one.
ROMANS: Seriously. This is primetime, this is the Super Bowl. You don't have a mess-up like that for the super bowl. Come on.
HOLMES: Nobody's taking responsibility just yet.
CHETRY: No one's taking responsibility.
HOLMES: Not yet.
CHETRY: The construction was delayed, and they didn't know when the game was. What are you going to do?
They also claim that they also claim that they had a ton of trouble getting through security checkpoints. They say that was mismanaged, as well, so a lot of griping about that. But they put on a good game, but getting there was not easy.
ROMANS: They're getting three times the face value of the tickets?
CHETRY: Yes, the face value.
ROMANS: That's not enough.
HOLMES: Last night, that wasn't the only screw-up.
CHETRY: She should have written it on her hand.
HOLMES: Poor thing, Christina Aguilera. I mean, this is the biggest stage are you ever going to have is to sing the "National Anthem" at the Super Bowl with 100 million people watching, and sitting quietly and watching her in that stadium. Everybody is trained on you. All you have to do is hit the right notes and say the right words.
Well, the notes were correct. The words were a little off. About the 50-second mark, she was supposed to say this -- "o'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming." Instead what came out was, "what so proudly we watched at the twilight's last --"
(LAUGHTER)
Take a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: OK, you know --
CHETRY: I love the players looking at one another. They stopped and --
ROMANS: We heard it 100 times, that's not that line.
HOLMES: Could we please give her credit. She did not skip a beat. She kept going as if she did not mess up a thing. A lot of people didn't realize, but the crowd acknowledged and were cheering as she hits the notes --
CHETRY: That's right. She said she got lost in the moment, released a statement. It was the most emailed and looked at, it was trending high all over the internet, the poor girl. But also she held the last night. There was a big over-under on that. For 11.5 seconds.
HOLMES: She was way over on the last --
CHETRY: No matter what word it is, she's got pipes.
HOLMES: She does.
And the Black-Eyed Peas, I don't know if you saw that show, some are criticizing their show. Some saying they actually made Christina Aguilera look good with their halftime show. A lot of negative reviews, some including folks in our newsroom, initially pointed out that the songs -- why were they singing old songs? They were some of their most popular songs. But some called the energy kind of flat. There were technical issues, audio problems. You name it. So --
ROMANS: They couldn't find their seats. You see, they just got off. They never came back from that.
HOLMES: At least the game lived up. The game was supposed to be the big show, so it was the big show.
CHETRY: Sure was. And this was one of the Super Bowl commercials that had people talking, the pint-sized Darth Vader, trying to harness the force somewhere. This morning we're learning more about the young actor. He's six-year-old Max Page. And he was actually born with a congenital heart defect. He spoke to reporters about the whole thing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAX PAGE, ACTOR: I starred on the commercial. I would just be thrilled to have a commercial I've never -- like a movie I've never even seen. I tried my best. And when I found the director, he said he has his own little move.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Good for him. He's adorable. I love that he's never seen "Star Wars." That's the best.
HOLMES: You might have a good understanding. You know what Darth Vader is, what the voice is. So that's so cute.
CHETRY: I know. And his doctors, by the way, say the prognosis is very good and that with care he can have a full life.
HOLMES: And he might have an acting career. But that one was great last night. His reaction after the car started was great.
Now we talk about the Steelers and the Packers going at it. But that wasn't the only showdown of heavyweights last night. Bill O'Reilly versus Barack Obama. We'll give you some of the highlights from last night's interview.
CHETRY: Also, Egypt's government now in talks with opposition groups. So what happens if the country's new government turns out to be anti- American? One of the many difficult to navigate issues as Egypt moves toward more independence.
Fifteen minutes past the hour. We're going to be speaking with Daniel Kurtzer coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Eighteen minutes past the hour now. With Egypt's vice president holding talks over the weekend with members of six opposition groups including the Muslim Brotherhood, that's a group, by the way, with anti-American views, the Obama administration finds itself in a very delicate situation this morning. We're joined now by Daniel Kurtzer, former U.S. ambassador to Egypt and Israel --
Ambassador, welcome, joining us from Princeton, New Jersey this morning.
AMB. DANIEL KURTZER, FMR. U.S. AMB. TO EGYPT AND ISRAEL: Good morning, Kiran.
CHETRY: So we're talking about Hosni Mubarak because the immediate resignation, which is what the protesters have been calling for, clearly isn't happening. Meantime, Suleiman, the vice president who there is a little bit of mistrust about, as well, among many of these protesters, held this meeting with the opposition groups. What do you make of how that meeting went and what happens moving forward?
KURTZER: We're in a very dangerous in a sense phase of this process because you've had the standoff now since Tuesday night when President Mubarak announced that he was not going to stand for re-election, but also that he was not going to stand down immediately. The army and the current government including Vice President Suleiman seemed to have lined up behind him, and yet the demonstrators are insisting still that President Mubarak step down.
The good news is that they at least launched this dialogue. But it's very uncertain as to how long the standoff can continue without one side or the other blinking. And right now, it's unclear which side will blink first.
CHETRY: There are some pro-democracy supporters who believe this is a stalling tactic, that the more, you know, this can stall and there are concerns about tourism dollars being lost and concerns about, you know, the unrest and the chaos that it will just sort of fall into business as usual except that it will be Suleiman instead of Mubarak. Your take?
KURTZER: Well, they're right to be concerned. You know, we've looked at a military over the last two weeks that has comported itself pretty well, holding back from firing, engaging in a bit of a dialogue. But don't forget the past 30 years, in fact, the past 58 years when this military held tightly on to all of the reins of society, political power, economic power, and constrained the development of civil society. So there is real cause here for some skepticism. On the other hand, the only real outlet for an outcome that could be peaceful would be if the military and the demonstrators found some common ground. And we're off to a very tentative start as of yesterday.
CHETRY: Meantime, back to the meeting that took place. And it's being billed as I guess some consensus by the varying groups. But one point to note is that the Muslim Brotherhood had a seat at the table, as well. They had anti-American views banned in Egypt for years. Is there -- should there be concern that they may have a seat at the table, or is this a good thing?
KURTZER: Well, Kiran, as I've said on this program a couple days ago, there should be concern about the Muslim Brotherhood. They're not a liberal, democratic, peace-seeking organization. They have had a very singular goal since their founding in 1928. And that's an Islamist state. Now for tactical reasons, they've joined this -- the demonstrations. They've joined this dialogue. And I think both the government in Egypt as well as outsiders ought to at least explore whether or not that tactical flexibility can carry forward. But I think one needs to do so with a great deal of caution in dealing with this organization.
CHETRY: All right. Ambassador Daniel Kurtzer, great to get your take this morning. Thanks so much.
KURTZER: Thanks, Kiran.
CHETRY: T.J.?
HOLMES: Well, astronaut Mark Kelly is set to fly again. And today is a big day for the shuttle commander. We'll tell you why. Also, former President George W. Bush had to suddenly cancel a trip because of a threat of legal action. We'll explain that as well.
It's 22 minutes past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Twenty-five past the hour. Welcome back to this AMERICAN MORNING.
The Super Bowl, of course, was the big show last night. But there were a couple of side shows including the one between President Obama and FOX News' Bill O'Reilly. Now some hard-hitting questions, what do you expect in that interview between those two? Our Jim Acosta live for us in Washington, D.C.
Jim, good morning to you. Set this up for us, first of all, because it hasn't been the best relationship between the White House and FOX News over the past couple of years. So why was this interview put together in the first place?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's probably pretty smart politics, T.J. Keep in mind the president is going to run for re- election next year and there are a lot of people who watch FOX. So this was an interesting exchange. They touched on Egypt and health care, of course. And then one of the more testy exchanges was over the tension between big business and the White House.
Keep in mind the president is going to give a big speech over at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce later this morning. So it's no surprise that this tension came up during the interview. Bill O'Reilly asked Mr. Obama about a comment made in the "Wall Street Journal," an editorial in that newspaper that said the president is a, quote, "determined man of the left."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL O'REILLY, FOX NEWS: Do you deny that you're a man who wants to redistribute wealth?
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Absolutely.
O'REILLY: You deny that?
OBAMA: Absolutely. Bill, I didn't raise taxes once. I lowered taxes over the last two years.
O'REILLY: But the entitlements --
OBAMA: I lowered taxes for the last two years.
O'REILLY: But the entitlements that you champion do redistribute wealth in the sense that they provide insurance coverage for 40 million people --
OBAMA: What is absolutely true is I think in this country there's no reason why if you get sick you should go bankrupt. The notion that that's a radical principle, I don't think the majority of people would agree with you on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: So the president is talking to FOX News. He's going to the Chamber of Commerce. He is definitely courting Republicans these days. And remember, the two teams in the Super Bowl last night, Green Bay and Pittsburgh, hail from states that are traditionally Democratic, but elected Republican senators in the midterms -- T.J.
HOLMES: The back and forth about moving left, but they also talked about the president may be moving toward the center.
ACOSTA: Right. That has been a big narrative here in Washington the last couple of months after the president cut that tax deal in December, you'll recall, and brought on Bill Daley as his new chief of staff last month. There's been a lot of talk in Washington about whether the president is moving to the center for his re-election campaign. And O'Reilly asked him if that's what he's up to.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL O'REILLY, FOX NEWS: You're the same guy.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm the same guy, and my practical focus, my common sense focus right now is how do we out innovate, out educate, out build, outcompete the rest of the world. How do we create jobs here in the United States of America? How do we make sure that businesses are thriving, but how do we also making sure that ordinary Americans can live out the American dream because right now they don't feel like they are?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: There were other highlights on Egypt. The president did not give a timetable for when he'd like to see Hosni Mubarak step aside. But Mr. Obama did say rather definitively that Egypt is not going back to what it was. And surprisingly, the president did not offer up a Plan B of his health care law as struck down by the Supreme Court. So there were some, T.J., some surprises last night in that interview -- T.J.
HOLMES: Yes. And I don't know if you can get a bigger audience for an interview than the one they got last night. Jim Acosta, appreciate you as always in Washington. Thanks so much.
Kiran?
CHETRY: All right. Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING, Egypt's government talking with opposition groups, taking the first step toward a transition. But there are new concerns about the Muslim Brotherhood having a seat at the table. We're going to get that story after a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CHETRY: Welcome back on this Super Bowl Monday. It is February 7, there's a live look outside at Columbus Circle this morning. Going to be a bit of a rainy day in the Big Apple. We're going to check in with Rob Marciano in 15 minutes to get the rest of the forecast for the country.
Meantime, good morning. Thanks so very much for being with us, I'm Kiran Chetry.
HOLMES: Hello to you all, I'm T.J. Holmes. Tell you what we're keeping a close eye on this morning. Demonstrators are back in Tahrir square in Cairo. A tense couple of days over the past couple of days. You hear gunfire in this video. Still has been relatively calm over the past couple of days compared to what we have seen in recent - in the recent past two weeks. The government has started talks with six opposition groups. Some concessions may be made.
CHETRY: Terrible shooting rampage that left a Youngstown, Ohio, a Youngstown State University senior dead. Police making two arrests now. it happened Saturday afternoon at an off campus frat party. Police say the two suspects were kicked out of the house and then later came back with guns and started shooting. 11 other people were hurt. No charges have been filed yet.
And astronaut Mark Kelly is resuming his training today. He, of course, the husband of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. He is set to command "Endeavor" shuttle's final flight that's coming up in April. He had a tough decision to make, as you know, whether or not he was going to go through with this mission. It would mean he would have to leave his wife's side for a while during the actual mission. And also for some of the training. He says Giffords would support his choice.
CHETRY: Egypt's government is now talking to opposition leaders, and there are signs of life returning to normal in Cairo, at least for now. So some are wondering whether or not Egypt has actually turned a corner in the crisis.
Our foreign affairs correspondent, Jill Dougherty, is following that up for us this morning, live from Washington. Good morning to you, Jill. I want to start with Egypt's vice president. He had a meeting yesterday with members of the opposition, including the Muslim Brotherhood. Did anything significant come out of that meeting?
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, that's - that's the question because a lot of attention is being paid to the Muslim Brotherhood. And the concern is that they have been considered an extremist organization. They actually were banned by the Egyptian government. And there are people who are nervous about them in Egypt, but also in the United States.
And President Obama was asked about that yesterday in a TV interview. And essentially he said, "look, they are one of many groups, they are not the majority opinion." He didn't say, and this is definitely true, that they are very well organized politically. And he said that there is strains of -- of anti-Americanism. But he also said there are a lot of secular groups, other groups that could balance them out.
But one thing that's happening with these talks is the opposition really wants to make sure that the vice president is really dealing with them, and this is not just a smokescreen for things to continue as they were.
CHETRY: Right. And you know, the diplomacy is so delicate, you really got to thread that needle. The Obama administration is in bit of damage control mode after some comments from the White House envoy to Cairo. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRANK WISNER, WHITE HOUSE ENVOY TO CAIRO: And the president must stay in office in order to steer those changes through. I therefore believe that President Mubarak's continued leadership is critical. It's his opportunity to write his own legacy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: So there you hear as we said the special envoy saying Mubarak staying in power is what the administration wants. Meantime, you had secretary of state Hillary Clinton who had to sort of walk those comments back. What happened?
DOUGHERTY: Yes. It's really delicate. And a lot of attention - he was the man who was used as the special envoy. But very quickly after he came out with those comments, you had statements coming from the State Department and then Secretary Clinton herself said he did a great job. He no longer is the special envoy. And those were his personal views and opinions.
But that said, there were other U.S. officials who said actually he does represent some of what the opinion is by the administration. But not all. Perhaps he just went too far, Kiran.
CHETRY: Interesting. All right, Jill Dougherty for us this morning. Thank you.
HOLMES: Also this morning, I'm sure you may have noticed, the average price of a gallon of regular gas has gone up. It is now at an average of $3.13. That's almost two cents higher than it was two weeks ago, of course. Crude prices are going up. The price of crude has gone up 20 percent since this time last year. Future of it is uncertain. Some are predicting it's going to continue to rise. Others say it's going to come down.
CHETRY: And boy, the hits keep coming for Lindsay Lohan. Prosecutors in L.A. reportedly gearing up to charge the actress with grand theft felony as early as today. She's accused of swiping a $2,500 necklace from a pricey Venice boutique last month. She was seen on the store surveillance tape wearing the necklace. And her reps are denying any wrongdoing, claiming that the necklace was on loan to her.
And you know, she got in a bit of trouble for apparently taking somebody's coat out of a nightclub. And the problem is is she is photographed so much by the paparazzi that they saw the necklace on her in one of those snaps.
HOLMES: Well, it sounds like it might have just been an honest mistake.
CHETRY: I'm sure it was a misunderstanding.
HOLMES: All right. Nobody misunderstood this. We've been talking about football highlights today. We thought we throw in a basketball highlight. They're going to rerack this and let you see it again. But if you didn't see. This young fellow grabs the rebound, turns, and takes a heave-ho. 90 feet later, swoosh. This is at a high school. I believe this is in, yes, California. A high school junior, sunk the shot. Now, I wished I had more drama I could give you with the shot -
CHETRY: Right. This was right at the buzzer, right at the tie?
HOLMES: The buzzer.
CHETRY: It would have made the game -
HOLMES: No.
CHETRY: A come-from-behind win.
HOLMES: No, they won by 17 anyway. They were blowing the team out. It was just a nice little highlight we thought we'd show you.
CHETRY: 69-52. But you're right, to add insult to injury, the guy just lobs it and of course that goes in, too.
HOLMES: This is too easy.
CHETRY: Not fair.
HOLMES: Too easy, is it not?
We're going to turn back to the football highlights. We're going to head live to Dallas where they are still, many are still celebrating and meanwhile, of course, in Green Bay, they are all doing a collective Lambeau leap.
CHETRY: Wow, I didn't even know one existed. You'll show it to me a little later. OK.
President Obama not playing favorites at the White House Super Bowl party. He had beers served from both states. And there was even something for independents to drink. We're going to tell you what's on the menu. They had quite a gathering yesterday at the White House.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Well, like so many Americans, President Obama had people over to the house last night for the big Super Bowl party. The menu for the 100 or so guests was a tailgater's dream, they had bratwurst. They had kielbasa, cheeseburgers, deep dish pizza, buffalo wings. All healthy fare. OK. Hey, once a year, I guess, you can splurge. AS for the beer, the president served Yuengling Lager and - let me see this Yuengling Lager and Light, both of them brewed in Pennsylvania. And Hinterland Pale and Amber Ale, both from Wisconsin. There was also White House Honey Ale for the undecideds in the crowd. There you go. Pittsburgh's big beer is Icy Light, you know, iron city. So I got confused there.
HOLMES: All right. We will turn back to the game now. Green Bay pulled off the victory last night, 31-25. The game was up in the air almost to the very end. But quarterback Aaron Rodgers, a big story. He's the Super Bowl MVP, three touchdowns, no interceptions last night to get the Packers their fourth Super Bowl victory, their first victory since 1997.
I want to bring you back a guest I had on at the end of last week, John Wertheim, senior writer for "Sports Illustrated" and co-author of "Sportscasting: The Hit Influences on How Sports are Played and Won." Hey, good morning to you. Once again, thanks for braving the cold for us again.
Let's start with Aaron Rodgers, is he no doubt the story of the Super Bowl? Even heard some of the guys on ESPN, one say this will go down as one of the best performances in Super Bowl history. Was it that good?
JOHN WERTHEIM, SENIOR WRITER "SPORTS ILLUSTRATED": It was that good. And the numbers don't tell the whole story. A couple of dropped passes probably dropped them. Big pressure game. Remember, this is the guy who they brought in to replace the great Brett Favre. This was just a tremendous performance. Accurate passing, a lot of passing. The game was up in the air - literally, not much rushing in this game. But no, Aaron Rodgers, well-deserved MVP, not a lot of contention on that one.
HOLMES: Not much rushing in the game. And I bet Pittsburgh at one point wished they hadn't rushed at one point in the game their running back. Mendenhall, was that the play of the game at the beginning of the fourth quarter when he coughed up the ball?
WERTHEIM: Everything looked like it was suddenly going Pittsburgh's way. That was a big, big fumble. And, you know, you hate to pin one game like that on one play. But that - that one does stand out definitely.
HOLMES: Two-point conversion as well by Pittsburgh. It was a thing of beauty but it got the game close once again and it looked like, OK, here we go. How big of a call was that and did it look like at that point, OK, Pittsburgh might be all right?
WERTHEIM: Yes, exactly. It was really a game of runs. Pittsburgh runs this funky bootleg, they get the two-point conversion. Suddenly they're trailing, but it's one touchdown, and they're right back in it. And it was a funny game in terms of that. They set up for the one last drive. Ben Roethlisberger down by six. And sort of has the storybook tableau. They just didn't get it done on that final drive.
And in the end, you know, Green Bay, the odds makers were right. Green Bay walked away the winner.
HOLMES: We remember the kind of year that Ben Roethlisberger, the other quarterback, the Pittsburgh quarterback, had. How it started out with sexual allegations of an incident that happened during the off season. How big of a disappointment did it appear this was for him afterwards? In some ways, a lot of people felt for him because it sounded like he really wanted to bring this championship back home.
WERTHEIM: Yes. And you know, apart from the narrative, if Ben Roethlisberger gets it done on that final drive, that will make his third Super Bowl championship, third in five years. And you win three Super Bowls, you're pretty much in the Hall of Fame. He's setting up, two minutes to go. A legacy-defining drive. Again, in addition to this whole narrative of this season, suspension, and he just didn't get it done. I mean, in a strange way, it's going to be a long - the season started difficult with difficulty for him. And I think it's going to end with difficulty, too. It's going to be a long off season for Ben Roethlisberger, thinking about that last drive.
HOLMES: All right. Well, you might get an offseason now, finally. The Super Bowl is over. John Wertheim, we appreciate you dealing with the cold temperatures for a couple of times for a couple of reports during the Super Bowl.
But, thanks so much. You enjoy the rest of your day.
WERTHEIM: You, too, thanks.
HOLMES: All right. Kiran.
CHETRY: Still ahead on AMERICAN MORNING, listen up all you baby- boomers, find out why employers may want you. We've talked before about how it's difficult for people that are a little older to get a job. Now, that might be changing.
Also, a stormy start to the week across the south. Rob's going to be here with the travel forecast right after the break. Forty-five minutes past the hour.
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HOLMES: About 13 minutes until the top of the hour. Did you catch the Super Bowl? Did you catch the Puppy Bowl? The seventh year -- I've never caught one of these.
CHETRY: I know. You're a cat person, right? They don't do a cat bowl, you know why? Because they do not listen. They're not obedient and they're not trainable.
HOLMES: Yes. He looks like he's following instructions.
(LAUGHTER)
CHETRY: These are the 47 rescued puppies of all different breeds. And after all the adorable action, it was C.B., a 16-week-old Shih Tzu/Beagle mix who was declared the MVP -- Most Valuable Puppy. And there's some hijinks going on. I don't know if you caught some of that.
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CHETRY: Forty-nine minutes past the hour. Let's get a check at the morning's weather headlines.
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Well, ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING, you're not going to believe what drug traffickers are doing now. Allegedly using airline employees to get narcotics into the country. An exclusive report coming up.
CHETRY: Also he's back. The Old Spice man in the saddle again with three new ads debuting starting today. Isaiah Mustafa is going to be joining us in the house in the next half-hour of AMERICAN MORNING. We also are getting some really interesting behind-the-scenes video of just how these commercials are produced. One take, maybe. Fifty-one minutes past the hour.
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HOLMES: All right. We're about five minutes to the top of the hour here on this AMERICAN MORNING. We told you a short time ago, more and more companies starting to hire out there. You might be surprised of who they're focusing on hiring.
Our Christine Romans here. This is good news for some.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: For some. Boomers, this one is for you because for two years now, we've been talking about how you've got a decade or so left to go until retirement. You've probably got less money in your house, right? You've probably got fewer retirement funds, and you're worried your age is working against you in the job market.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has actually seen a jump in age-related complaints since the start of the recession. But as the economy recovers many people are saying things are looking up for boomers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
E. VON MCCANTS, JOB SEEKER: I'm not trying to move up the ladder.
ROMANS (voice-over): V is a 27-year Telecom veteran with an MBA, a baby-boomer who's been looking for a job since July.
MCCANTS: If I had to describe how it's been going, well, it's not been very fruitful.
ROMANS: She's followed all the advice about networking, the resume, and online job searches.
MCCANTS: I spend a lot of time looking at jobs. Looking and saying, is this something I really want to do? Do I have the skills that this employer is looking for? ROMANS: The good news for Vaughan, the jobless rate for boomers is actually lower than the national average. The bad news, once out of work, it's harder for a boomer to get a job.
Men aged 50 to 61 are 39 percent less likely to get a job each month than younger workers. Women, 18 percent less likely. For even older workers, that number jumps to 50 percent.
Glenn Grossman found himself in Von McCants' position about 10 years ago.
GLENN GROSSMAN, FOUNDER & CEO, DINOSAUR SECURITIES: I actually had no real opportunities. I got very depressed about it and, you know, you got to take control.
ROMANS: Now he is the one hiring. With his background in finance and accounting, he started Dinosaur Securities, pun intended.
(on camera): You've got basically four generations at work here, that are working for you then. Is that right?
GROSSMAN: I think more generations. Twenties, thirties, forties, fifties, sixties, seventies.
ROMANS (voice-over): Yes, it is hard to be an out of work boomer. But he says ideas, contacts, and sales are what counts, not age. Emphasize that.
GROSSMAN: It's not about age. It's about working. And just forget about you know, gender, age, anything like that.
ROMANS: Recruiters see better days ahead for boomers. Boomers have experience and less turnover.
FORD MYERS, AUTHOR, GET THE JOB YOU WANT: And that means less cost for the employer. So it's good to have adult supervision around the office and employers are finally beginning to realize that.
All right. So let's start over again.
ROMANS: Von McCants is an adult ready to supervise again.
It's a new year and I feel like, OK, it's a new year and a lot of new things are going to happen.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right. Glenn Grossman of Dinosaur Securities, I mean, he's hiring people all the time. He likes people in their 20s because they have a lot to learn. He likes people in their 70s, because they've got a lifetime of mistakes that they've made and they've learned from those mistakes . Mistakes, he says, are so important.
And baby boomers and generations older than that, get that. Baby boomers also offer stability. That's what you have to play up if you're a boomer on the job market. Also, we talked to a bunch of people who are career counselors and they say, don't -- you know, this whole overqualified. Overqualified is a euphemism for overpaid. Do not go out there and look for the job you had before.
Glenn Grossman was a suit. He says that he was a suit on Wall Street. He found himself downsized, outsized, out. He was out. And he had to remake himself. That's often what you have to do. You have to remake yourself.
But employers, according to Ford Myers, who we profiled for here -- the career coach -- employers are starting to see, hey, wait a second. You know, I need somebody who's got contacts, who's got proven sales results, who wants to work hard and stability, isn't going to be jumping around over the next 10 years, wants to stay here and work for me.
CHETRY: So, quick question though about this. When you say you have to forget what job you used to have and how much money you used to make, can you move up faster by getting your foot in the door as a boomer, meaning, OK, pretend you used to be a Wall Street.
Can you come in at a lower level and find yourself promoted quicker or not?
ROMANS: That's a good question and it's unclear because we're really in unchartered territory here, you know? And for in many cases, people just need to get in there, get the job. If you're good, if you've got results, if you've got contacts, if you've got ideas and you can get sales, the sky is the limit.
HOLMES: All right. Christine, thank you this morning.
ROMANS: Sure.
HOLMES: Quick break. We're going to reset at the top of the hour. Stay with us on this AMERICAN MORNING.
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