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Source: Hagel to Be Nominated Tomorrow; Missoni Plane Missing for Two Days; Syrian President Gives Rare Speech; Egyptian President Weighs In on Syria; Tension Along India-Pakistan Border; Woman, Two Men Found Dead in Colorado Home; Movie Theater Suspect Due in Court; Jobs for People with Asperger's; NHL Reaches Tentative Agreement; High School Player Hits Amazing Shot; Bizarre Brazil Jailbreak Plot Failed; Avoiding Another Superstorm Sandy

Aired January 06, 2013 - 14:30   ET

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

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: It's 2:00 p.m. in the east, 11:00 a.m. in the West Coast. I'm Martin Savidge in for Fredricka Whitfield. If you are just tuning in, thank you very much for joining us. These are the top stories we're following right now in the CNN NEWSROOM.

We have just learned that President Obama will nominate Chuck Hagel to be defense secretary. That will happen tomorrow. The former senator from Nebraska is a Vietnam War hero. He served on Capitol Hill for more than a decade. But his confirmation process won't be smooth sailing. Hagel angered some lawmakers for supports talks with Hamas and opposing sanctions on Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: This is a controversial pick. He's an antagonistic figure when it comes to the state of Israel. It's the signals you're sending to Iran at the worst possible time and to our allies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: Hagel also would face tough questions about his opposition to the successful 2007 troop surge in Iraq.

It's been two days since his plane vanished and the fate of famed fashion designer Vittorio Missoni is still unknown. Missoni, his wife and four others boarded a small plane on a resort off of the Venezuelan coast that was on Friday, but never made it to their destination outside of Caracas.

So far, search crews have not spotted any signs of a crash. The Missoni Fashion House is known for its high-end label of knit wear, but it also produces a more affordable clothing line for Target.

Now to Syria where President Bashar Al Assad made a rare speech and was in rare form today as he blasted the opposition and defiantly resisted international calls for him to step down.

CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom joins us live from Beirut. Mohammed, you know, this was Al-Assad's first speech since June. What was his message? MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Martin, his message was very similar to what we've heard from him whenever he's spoken as rare as that has been in the past couple of years.

Today, he remains entrenched. He remained defiant. He defied international calls for him to step down. He also blamed what was going in Syria on a foreign conspiracy, called the opposition terrorists and traitors even denied that there was a revolution going on in Syria.

He said that what was going on Syria wasn't so much a fight between the government forces and the opposition, but rather a fight between Syria, the homeland and its enemies. And here's more of what Al-Assad had to say specifically about that point.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT BASHAR AL-ASSAD, SYRIA (through translator): This is a conflict between authority and power or between the enemies of the homeland. This is a conflict between those who wanted to take revenge against the people, to fragment Syria. Those are the enemies of the people and the enemies of God. And the enemies of God will go to hell.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JAMJOOM: Martin, this was a speech that was staged to look as though Assad had a lot of support, it was at an opera house in Damascus, you saw the crowd punctuating his remarks with cheering, chanting at times, with our hearts and souls we will sacrifice for you.

Towards the end of the speech, Bashar Al-Assad said that he was offering an initiative for peace in Syria. He said that there should be a referendum for a new constitution and perhaps an amnesty for prisoners there.

But he also said he wouldn't negotiate with terrorists and that means that he won't negotiate with the majority of the opposition -- Martin.

SAVIDGE: You know, Mohammed, this was a speech that certainly had been highly anticipated by the international community and even a sense that maybe there would be some major give on the part of the president, that didn't happen. So what's the reaction both from the international community and from the opposition?

JAMJOOM: Well, Martin, the opposition said what we expected them to say, which is that they won't take part in any kind of a negotiation with a government that has Al-Assad still in it. They also said that in order to start any kind of process, Al-Assad must step down.

We spoke to George Subright. He is with the Syrian National Coalition, the opposition bloc. He told that among other things Al- Assad repeated the same words and the same concepts from the past two years of the Syrian revolution.

Unfortunately, he didn't tell the truth about what happened in Syria. Who bombed the bakeries? Who bombed the petrol stations? He said that his government can deal with the political solution in Syria.

But if this kind of government can deal with the political solution, why did he wait for two years to announce this solution? We also heard from British Foreign Secretary William Hague and he struck a note of skepticism on Twitter he called Al-Assad's speech hypocritical.

And he said death, violence and depression engulfing Syria are his own making speaking about Al-Assad, empty promises of reform fool no one. This is very much like what else we're hearing from the rest of the international community.

We must add one more thing, Martin. During his remarks today, we heard from opposition activists that shelling was still going on in various parts of Syria. Since then we've heard at least 55 people killed today in Syria.

And in the seven months since Al-Assad gave his last public remarks, tens of thousands of more Syrians have died as a result of the conflict there -- Martin.

SAVIDGE: And now with his speech, no indication the killing is going to come to an end. Mohammed Jamjoom, thank you for joining us.

Egypt, of course, now weighing in on that war in Syria, Wolf Blitzer, anchor of THE SITUATION ROOM asked Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy what he thinks the next step should be when it comes to Syria. Here's part of that inclusive interview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT MOHAMED MORSY, EGYPT (through translator): The Syrian people with its revolution movement, the bloodshed should stop. They move to a new state. They have an independent parliament and government according to will and then they decide what they want against those who commit crimes against them. It's the Syrian people who should decide.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: Watch Wolf Blitzer's full interview with Mohamed Morsy on "THE SITUATION ROOM" this week.

And a tense situation today along the India/Pakistan border, at least one Pakistani soldier has died in the conflict that's flared up in the Kashmir region. There are conflicting reports of that incident both sides blaming the other.

I spoke to our producer in Pakistan earlier and she reports that Pakistan is saying Indian troops crossed into Pakistani territory.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHAAN KHAN, PRODUCER: As far as the Pakistani military is concerned, they have reacted in the sense that they have obviously made this public. Apparently according to a Pakistani military official, the two countries have hot lines set up between them, that includes the military as well as the diplomatic officers and those conversations are expected to happen in the coming days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: The Indian defense ministry says the Pakistani troops opened fire first on Indian posts in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir.

We know more now about that standoff yesterday at a home in Aurora, Colorado. Two women and two men, including the alleged gunman died in the incident. Police say a woman who escaped from the house told them that she had seen three bodies inside.

Authorities also tried to subdue the suspect with tear gas. Ultimately, he died in a shoot-out with police. Aurora, of course, is where James Holmes is said to have opened fire last summer in a movie theatre killing 12 people.

And Holmes is due in court tomorrow for a hearing to determine whether there is enough evidence to try him for more than 150 crimes in that theatre massacre. The charges include murder, attempted murder and weapons violations.

Prosecutors are set to call scores of witnesses, including shooting victims. Holmes' attorneys are expected to argue that their client has diminished mental capacity. The hearing could last all week.

For people with autism, trying to integrate into the working world can be a challenge. In a minute, we'll meet a man who is trying to create jobs that will help people do just that. We'll tell you why his mission is personal.

Also, mysterious cat wanders into a Brazilian prison. We'll tell you why that has prison officials really worried.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: A German company is hiring people with Asperger's syndrome to test software. The company hopes to help people who face challenged integrating into the working world and our Fred Pleitgen explains it was a personal decision for the company's founder.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How much is 4,343 times 1,234?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's 5,359,262.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the late 1980s, the movie "Rain Man" showed a worldwide audience that people with autism not only had deficits, but often also huge talents.

While Hollywood may have oversimplified the issue, there are links to the real world. Because of their condition, people with autism often have trouble integrating into the working world. Now a Berlin company wants to give people with a form of autism knows as Asperger Syndrome new opportunities.

The firm is Auticon and it's training dozens to become software testers. Philip Von Der Linden is one of the new hires. He says it is the first time he truly feels valued as an employee.

PHILIP VON DER LINDEN, SOFTWARE TESTER TRAINEE: That is what makes life valuable, to be need and if what you can do is appreciated, and if what seems to be a weakness is turned into an asset.

PLEITGEN: The management at Auticon said they found that some people with Aspergers have a knack for finding patterns and flaws in gigantic calculations. And that makes them perfect them software testers. Owner Dirk Mueller Remus founded the company when his own son was diagnosed with Asperger's.

DIRK MUELLER REMUS, AUTICON: Our guys have a lot of skills and in concentration, analytical, logical thinking and things like that. And we are sure about that industries, the I.T. industry will have benefits.

PLEITGEN: But only about 15 percent are employed in the private sector according to the German government. That's largely because of their difficulties with social interactions. That's why Auticon has job coaches to help employees with customer relations. Something psychologists say is key trying to give Asperger autism a chance in the working world.

ISABEL DZIOBEK, FREE UNIVERSITY BERLIN: They do look at the essence that people with autism have and try to construct work to basically develop work conditions around that so that the autistic individuals can use their skills at the same time reducing social demands.

PLEITGEN: In the movie "Rain Man" the character skills are used to make lot of money gambling in Las Vegas. Auticon's goals are more down to earth, not only making a profit, but they say making a difference in the lives of their workers. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: OK, now a version of that concept that began in Europe has been brought to America. Tim Hanson founded Specialisterne Minnesota. It is a foundation that's dedicated to finding work for people with autism.

He's in Minneapolis. Tim, Specialisterne is Danish, is that right for the Specialists, that's what I'm being told. I'm wondering how are you translating this concept here in the U.S. and what is the quote- unquote" autism advantage?"

TIM HANSON, FOUNDER, SPECIALISTERNE, MINNESOTA: Well it's a great question, Martin. We're translating the Danish model to a capitalistic system here in the United States and the model is that we provide the supports that are necessary for these very bright individuals to get a job and keep a job.

The advantages to autism are just as were described earlier in the segment. The ability to process large amounts of information accurately, to do so in a short period of time and to do that repetitively. These are characteristics that are very much sought after in the high-tech and I.T. industries.

SAVIDGE: I mean, it's a very exciting concept. I'm wondering what's your sales pitch to companies? I mean, when you go to them, to try to explain the advantage? I mean, what do you say and what's their reaction when it comes to employing people with autism?

HANSON: That's a great question. You know, the sales pitch is this -- are you looking for individuals who have these skills? When you have an unemployment rate in I.T. under 3 percent, the answer is always yes.

Don Morton at Microsoft in Fargo, North Dakota said that was a big challenge for them, finding individuals with these skills. And so we present them with the opportunity to bring these individuals in, to do this work, this very important work, software testing as an example.

And we provide the supports for them. These individuals are our employees. So the employer or the contracting company isn't responsible for their employment. We are and since we understand autism, we understand both the benefits to it as well as the challenges. We're able to provide the supports and the structure that are necessary for these individuals to be successful on the job site.

SAVIDGE: As we mentioned, you know, this seems to have begun in Europe and I'm wondering what inspired you to bring it over here in the first place.

HANSON: Well, it's a pretty good story. I was meeting with a potential client in California, Oakley Sunglasses and Chris Bite who is the VP there heard that I had a son with autism and he sent me an article from "Wired" magazine that described Specialisterne.

You know, the internet is great thing, if you want to track somebody down, you can. Through the article, I was able to track down Torkel Son, who is the founder of Specialisterne. It was operating successfully in Denmark. I got a hold of him and said we have to do this through the United States.

And through salesmanship or persistence, we were able to convince him to allow us to expand that company into the U.S. We're pretty excited. We're opening our first location in Fargo, North Dakota, here this spring.

SAVIDGE: You should be excited. It really is a wonderful thing. Tim Hanson, thanks very much from Specialisterne. We enjoyed talking to you and we wish you every success with the program. Thanks.

Every once in a while, there's a moment in sports that takes on a life of its own, we'll the story behind this incredible shot coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: While you were sleeping, a tentative agreement today was worked out between the National Hockey League and its players association. It could have the players back on the ice in a matter of days.

But both sides still have to ratify the ten-year deal. The players and owners agreed on a $60 million salary cap, revenue sharing and limiting players' contracts to seven years. That agreement would end a 113-day lockout.

Some things in sports just can't be explained, only appreciated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To see one go in. That's a deep shot off the back side. Nice save by three, my gosh, I don't believe that!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: Gabrielle Gary of the McCutcheon High Mavericks chased down a loose ball in an effort to get it back into play. She hit a really an improbable three-pointer. She went on to hit six more legitimate three-pointers to lead her team to a win. Gabrielle is now something of a celebrity in Lafayette, Indiana. Good for her.

Then there's this, Brazilian prison officials say that they have foiled a bizarre jailbreak plot. Prison guards became suspicious after they spotted an oddly-shaped cat entering the prison after they caught it they found it had a cell phone, drills, assorted batteries and two saws taped to its body.

Officials say they don't know who the cat was supposed to be helping. But it's probably the prisoner with all the cat chow in his cell.

Superstorm Sandy is something that nobody wants to relive and if an elaborate $20 billion plan is put into effect. No one may ever have to.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: President Barack Obama signed into law on Sunday, a $9.7 Superstorm Sandy aid package. Meanwhile, the clean-up from Superstorm Sandy labors on across the northeast and part of that work includes a plan to prevent the next flooding disaster. One idea, a $20 billion system of barriers, here's CNN's David Mattingly.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When Superstorm Sandy hit Breezy Point, New York, ocean waves crashed on to city streets and brought houses off their foundations. The only option residents had was to head to higher ground.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They were sitting ducks. There was nothing they could do except run.

MATTINGLY (on camera): How high was the water right here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The water would be probably six feet above our heads.

MATTINGLY: Six feet?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Above our heads, 12 feet, say.

MATTINLY (voice-over): Malcolm Bowman is an expert on the dangers of a storm surge hitting New York. Surveying the damage, he reveals that everything we see left by Superstorm Sandy is a bitter contradiction, apparently inevitable, yet tragically preventable.

(on camera): How do you stop something like that?

MALCOLM BOWMAN, STORM SURGE RESEARCH GROUP: You can't stop it except if you're going to build some kind of regional protection system for metro New York.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Bowman leads the Storm Surge Research Group at Long Island's Stony Brook University. The group promotes a plan called the outer harbor gateway. An elaborate system of barriers and causeways that would virtually flood-proof much of metro New York, all for billions less than the cost of the damage done by Sandy.

BOWMAN: The barrier itself across the 5-mile opening to New York Harbor would cost about $13 billion. In addition, the sand berms on both sides on the Sandy Hook side and the far Rock Away side would need to be built up for another $5 billion. So for $20 billion, we could have complete protection for New York harbor, including the three major airports.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): A $20 billion project that would take decades to complete, compared to the $30-plus billion needed right now to fix New York's storm damage. It's hardly a radical idea or a new one. Similar barriers already exist in Stanford, Connecticut and Providence, Rhode Island, massive barriers are also in operation in Europe.

BOWMAN: People ask me, if the Dutch can do it, if the Russians can do it, why can't we?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: Higher temperatures rising seas, global warming, they're all affecting weather systems around the globe. Massive storms seem to be far less rare events. Are we ready for what Mother Nature has in store? CNN Presents "The Coming Storms, tonight at 8:00 Eastern.

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