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American Morning: Wake Up Call
Sandusky Home is Near a School; Gingrich Stays on Message; Accused Norway Shooter Faces Families; Child Sex Scandal Hits The Citadel
Aired November 14, 2011 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: New details involving Jerry Sandusky, the man at the heart of the Penn State child abuse sex scandal. Plus, we reveal a link between Sandusky and the judge who gave him bail.
Herman Cain's wife agrees to talk on camera about the sexual harassment allegations against him.
And take a look at this. Brazilian forces invade a slum controlled by drug traffickers. They even brought in military assault vehicles.
This is A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.
(MUSIC)
ROMANS: And good morning. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL for Monday, November 14th. From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Christine Romans. Carol has the morning off.
Here are your top stories this morning:
Un-occupy. Cities around the country telling protesters your time is up. Police in riot gear facing off protesters in Portland after cops dismantled their camps. Protesters in Denver, Detroit and other cities are being told to go home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I will continue to fight for the American Jobs Act so that we can put our people back to work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Talking business in paradise. President Obama hosting Asia-Pacific leaders in Hawaii saying jobs are job number one, and also getting tough with China and Iran. The president saying no options are off the table as new details come out about Tehran's nuclear program.
Jerry Sandusky's neighbors now fearing for their safety after two cinder blocks were thrown through the accused pedophile's window. Penn State trying to move on after an emotional Saturday, but questions remain about how the former coach could allegedly get away with these alleged crimes for so long.
Let's go to first check of today's weather. Rob Marciano is in Atlanta.
Good morning, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Christine.
We do have a threat of severe weather across the Midwest today. We'll start with that on the radar. One tornado warning as we speak. So, we'll get this one out of the way. A rural area of central Illinois, but Coles County is under a tornado warning here for the next half an hour as this cell moves off to the east-northwest at about 50 miles an hour.
So, it's a quick mover and it's radar-indicated. And there you see the wider shot of the radar, showing the rainfall more downright moving across Indiana and through Ohio, western Pennsylvania. This will stay mostly south of Chicago and should stay mostly to the west at least for the daylight hours of the I-95 corridor.
But look at that with the warm temperatures: 76 degrees in Memphis, 84 in Dallas, get into the mid-60s in New York City. Yesterday, parts of Chicago got up to 70 degrees with gusty winds. So, definitely a tale of two types of weather.
We'll talk more about the cold air that's expected later in the week, and flight delays later on in the program, Christine, if you are traveling on this Monday morning. Back to you.
ROMANS: All right. Thanks, Rob. We'll check in with you in 15 minutes.
MARCIANO: OK.
ROMANS: In cities across the country this morning, many are asking if time is up for the occupy movement after some violent clashes over the weekend.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
ROMANS: There was another tense standoff in Portland yesterday. Police in riot gear trying to clear the streets after protesters were kicked out of their camp and then their tents were torn down. Many ignored a midnight Saturday deadline to get out.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
ROMANS: And that's Denver where two police officers were injured and 17 protesters were arrested this weekend as officers cleared out tents and even put out a campfire near the civic center. Police say the protesters were blocking side walks and were warned to leave.
And in Philadelphia, Mayor Michael Nutter says he is beefing up the police presence near the occupy Philly camp after a woman record she was sexually assaulted there. The mayor saying there are now serious health and safety issues at the occupy camp there.
President Obama talking tough on Iran as he hosted the leaders of 18 Asia-Pacific nations of the APEC summit in Hawaii, saying no options are off the table to keep Iran from building a nuclear weapon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: They are engaging in a series of practices that are contrary to their international obligations and their IAEA obligations, and that's what the IAEA report indicates. So, what I did was to speak with President Medvedev, as well as President Hu, and all three of us entirely agree on the objective, which is making sure that Iran does not weaponize nuclear power and that we don't trigger a nuclear arms race in the region. That's in the interest of all of us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: That's the president speaking from Honolulu last night. It was his first chance to address a new IAEA report on Iran's secret effort to develop an atomic weapon.
Pennsylvania's governor says the Penn State child sex abuse scandal should change the way cases are handled across the entire state. There's a reason ousted coach Joe Paterno isn't facing criminal charges right now. In 2002, he told school administrators about a report that former defensive coach Jerry Sandusky was seen sexually assaulting a boy in a locker room shower. That's all he was required to do under Pennsylvania law -- tell the people in charge and let them decide whether to contact police.
Governor Tom Corbett told NBC that that just isn't good enough. He says by law, someone in Paterno's position should have to call the cops himself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. TOM CORBETT (R), PENNSYLVANIA: Should the law be changed? Absolutely. I know that members of both parties, Republican and Democrat, have already introduced measures to make that change. We have to make sure --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Corbett is on the Penn State board of trustees, which fired Paterno last week. He also began the investigation against Jerry Sandusky when he was state attorney general. Sandusky is accused of sexually abusing eight boys over a 15-year period.
As for Jerry Sandusky, he is out on bail, and neighbors, especially parents, say they are afraid. His home, way too close for comfort to a school.
CNN's Mary Snow has more from State College.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When he was charged with 40 counts of sexually abusing children, Jerry Sandusky was released on $100,000 bail. One condition, the former Penn State defensive coordinator was told not to go near children.
But take a look where his house is located.
(on camera): This is the playground for Lamont Elementary School. Right over here is Jerry Sandusky's house. And from his back porch, he has a clear view of it.
(voice-over): The administrators at the elementary school say local police reached out to them following Sandusky's arrest. The district superintendent is quoted saying the school which runs through the second grade "has taken additional administrative action to ensure our children are safe."
To be clear, Sandusky has never been accused of harming random children. Rather, he is alleged to have molested young boys after developing close relationships with them through Second Mile, the charity he founded. Sandusky has maintained his innocence.
The road to his home is blocked off and private property signs on his lawn went up this weekend after police say a cinder block was thrown through a window.
Nearby neighbors question why he is out on bail.
MELISSA ANDERSON (ph), NEIGHBOR: It baffles my mind.
CARL ANDERSON (ph), NEIGHBOR: I think presumption of innocence, we all believe in that, and we do, in this country, but I think there's a level of protection that a neighborhood and a community is entitled to.
SNOW: Melissa and Carl Anderson have two little boys. Carl was such a fan of Sandusky's at one time, he had an autographed limited edition copy of Sandusky's book "Touched."
C. ANDERSON: It alternates between anger and sadness really. It really is a loss of kind of a community -- wholesale community innocence.
SNOW (on camera): Have you seen more police here in the last week?
M. ANDERSON: Yes.
SNOW: The Andersons, for one, want to see a stiffer bail. And now, a new revelation about the judge who set the bail. The judge's law firm listed her as a volunteer for Second Mile.
CNN's legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin:
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: The judge certainly should have raised the issue, disclosed her connection to Second Mile so that the parties in the case could decide whether they wanted to ask her to recuse herself.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: With the focus on the Penn State scandal and what school administrators didn't do, a South Carolina military college is now coming under fire for not doing more to stop an alleged child molester. Louis ReVille, an alumnus and ex-counselor at the Citadel's camp for young boys is now charged with sexually abusing five boys. The academy says they got a report that he invited teen campers into his room to watch pornography as far back as 2007. The school couldn't corroborate the story, and so didn't pursue it.
Just two days after the debate in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Republican presidential contenders are getting ready for the next one. It's this Saturday in Iowa.
CNN's chief political correspondent Candy Crowley shows us where things stand now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: The thing about the primary season is there's always another debate, which is handy if you messed up a previous one.
SCOTT PELLEY, CBS NEWS: Governor Perry, you advocate the elimination of the Department of Energy. If you eliminate the Department of Energy --
GOV. RICK PERRY (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm glad you remembered it.
(LAUGHTER)
PELLEY: I've had some time to think about it, sir.
PERRY: Me too.
CROWLEY: Following Wednesday's brain freeze heard around the world, Rick Perry went into comic crisis control. If you step in it, joke about it.
DAVID LETTERMAN, COMEDIAN: Number four --
PERRY: I had a 5-Hour energy drink six hours before the debate.
LETTERMAN: Oh, no.
CROWLEY: Perry's gaffe may be Gingrich's gain. The former speaker's numbers are up. Up enough to suggest he may be the next "anybody but Romney" candidate. And if Gingrich falls short of the gold, what about silver?
This caught our ear.
DEBATE MODERATOR: Based on the arc of this campaign and perhaps what you've heard tonight, would you care to evaluate Governor Romney's ability to think outside the box and change United States national security or foreign policy perspectives?
GINGRICH: No. No.
(LAUGHTER)
DEBATE MODERATOR: You said so last night.
GINGRICH: We're here tonight talking to American people why every single one of us is better than Barack Obama, and that's the type --
(APPLAUSE)
CROWLEY: So Newt had the opportunity to take a swing at Mitt and passed. Vice President Gingrich, anyone?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right. Herman Cain's wife is speaking for the first time since sexual harassment allegations surfaced against the candidate. Gloria Cain on FOX News saying her husband would have to have a split personality to do the things that were said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GLORIA CAIN, WIFE OF HERMAN CAIN: To hear such graphic allegations and know that that would have been something that was totally disrespectful of her as a woman, and I know that's not the person he is. He totally respects women.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: At least four women have now accused the GOP frontrunner of inappropriate behavior during his days at the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s. Two have come forward in public, but Cain has denied all of the accusations.
OK. That picture there is what this next tease is about. Still to come, the man accused of the deadliest attack in Norway since World War II due in court today. He'll be in shackles in front of the judge, but could he be released?
Shrimpers still struggling after the BP oil spill, and lining up for more money from the oil company. But many of them may now be on their own.
And get building. Boeing books the largest plane deal in history, and it could be a multibillion dollar jolt to the American economy.
It is 12 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: It's 15 minutes after the hour. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.
Here's what's all new this morning:
Standoffs over the weekend at a number of occupy movement locations. In Portland, Oregon, more than 50 arrests. Police in riot gear faced off with protesters for hours.
In Denver, at least 19 arrests as police tried to clear furniture, tents and protesters from a camp near at the civics center.
This is something like a movie. Thirty-nine-year-old Jerry Ramrattan is standing trial this weekend in New York. He is accused of sexually assaulting his ex-girlfriend Seemona Sumasar and framing her for a string of robberies last year, putting her behind bars for seven months. She's expected to take the stand later this week.
BP says new rules are in the works to help shrimpers rebuild their businesses after last year's Gulf oil spill. That means those who filed claims now will get more money soon, but it's not good news for everyone. Those who already filed claims and received cash are not eligible for this new larger settlement.
A successful takeoff from Kazakhstan. A Russian Soyuz rocket carrying one American and two Russian astronauts took off for the International Space Station during a blizzard last night. It's expected to dock on Wednesday.
And in sports, a major upset for the Atlanta Falcons right on their home turf yesterday. In overtime, New Orleans Saints John Kasay kicked a 26-yard field goal that gave the Saints a 26-23 victory. It ended the Falcons' three-game winning streak.
All right. Let's get a check of today's weather, and the pronouncer for the kicker.
Rob, did I say his name right?
MARCIANO: I think you got that one. Yes. What's sad is I live in Atlanta, and I turned it off when they went into overtime. I went on to something else.
Anyway, bigger upset might have been in Seattle and the Ravens there. Anyway, good day for football. And, you know, in some spots, it felt like it was more like ready for the first day of spring training with temperatures well up and over 20 degrees above average in some spots. If you are traveling, these are the highlights at airports where we think we may see some delays.
Good news. No red on the map. So, Chicago, you'll see maybe delays up to an hour. Probably less. Morning showers. I think most of the rain will stay south of you and east.
Detroit will get most of the rain, and severe thunderstorms potentially in Cincinnati. Cleveland and Denver also seeing some wind. Big-time wind yesterday in Denver as the storm exited the rocky mountains. It's making its way into the Ohio River Valley, and that's one of the spots where we expect to see some severe weather. But ahead of that the warm air is going to really pump up temperatures out that way.
Here's your radar right now. And that rainfall for the most part will stay west of New York and D.C. and Philly area until later on tonight.
And there's your highlighted area for seeing severe weather today. We still have the one tornado warning that's out until -- for the next 15 minutes for Coles County in east central Illinois.
More weather updates, and, guess what, a lot of us e-resorts opened up this past weekend, Christine, and they had fresh snow to do that. We'll run down with numbers in about 15 minutes.
ROMANS: All right. Thanks, Rob. Talk to you soon.
MARCIANO: Thanks, Christine.
ROMANS: The accused Norwegian gunman back in court today. It will be Anders Behring Breivik's first public court appearance since July's terror attacks.
Zain Verjee live in London with the story and some other international headlines for us.
Good morning, Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Good morning to you, Christine.
Yes, Anders Behring Breivik will be making his first televised appearance. Now, what we're going to see -- and this is the big deal. We're not actually going to see the proceedings in the court, but there is going to be a moment where the families of the victims that he killed are going to be able to watch him coming into the court in cuffs.
The reason that the authorities decided not to make any of the proceedings until now public or even show him because they were afraid that maybe he's got colleagues or other people out there and may use the TV to signal to them in some kind of way. They also didn't want him to have a stage to glorify and justify his actions. He killed 77 people in a shooting rampage in Norway that was on Utoya Island, as well as in a bomb attack.
So, this is going to be a really emotional moment for a lot of the families who lost their loved ones.
The point of this is that the judge at the end of it, Christine, is going to make a decision on whether to keep him in jail until the trial, which is supposed to start in the spring.
ROMANS: Certainly a tough moment certainly for all the families as this continues to play out.
VERJEE: Yes.
ROMANS: All right. Thanks so much, Zain Verjee. Talk to you soon.
All right. Coming up, the economy is down, the housing market is bust. Yet, executives at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, they get paid multimillion-dollar bonuses. We'll tell you what lawmakers, rather, are doing to block those bonuses.
And it's that time of year. Holiday shopping is already underway. I'm not kidding. But before you whip out the plastic, choose wisely. I'm going to tell you the best credit cards to use this season to get the most bang for your buck.
Twenty minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: A surge in stocks at the closing bell on Friday. All three indices up after a rocky week. The Dow rising 259 points Friday. The market rally after Italy and Greece move closer to getting their financial crisis under control. Both of them have new prime ministers now.
Aircraft giant Boeing inked a record deal. Emirates placed an order for 50 -- 50 -- Boeing 777 jetliners at a Dubai air show yesterday. That's worth a cool $18 billion, and it is the biggest sale in Boeing's history. The new planes will be delivered in the year 2015.
A big push to block some big bonuses. Lawmakers are ramping up efforts to suspend multimillion-dollar bonuses for executives at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The heads of these companies are expected to receive an extra 2 million bucks. The troubled companies have lost money this year. They're already propped up on the $170 billion bailout -- wow -- footed by taxpayers, of course.
It could be another volatile week for Wall Street. Investors, of course, are keeping a close eye on the European debt crisis. How many times have you heard us say that?
There has been some political process -- progress, rather -- but more wild swings are likely.
Let's bring in Carter Evans for more on this, live at the NASDAQ.
You got two new prime ministers. You got some excitement that Italy is now under the leadership of someone who knows how to make tough international business decisions, Mario Monti. Maybe some of the uncertainty is behind us now, but now a lot of hard work to do. That's probably why stocks are going to swing, right, Carter?
CARTER EVANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. So, investors have a lot of hope, but, you know, hope is never really a good component of anyone's financial plan. That shouldn't be a word that you are using. So, yes, there's still a lot of uncertainty here. Yes, we have some good people coming in, or at least that's the perception. But we still have a really long way to go.
And don't let last week's numbers fool you. It's not all of a sudden all good over in Europe. Yes, we have new prime ministers in Greece and Italy, but we don't have a plan yet. We don't have a plan that everyone approves of and that everyone agrees with, and that's what we're waiting for right now.
So, until we get that, I think you can expect these wild swings to continue probably for quite some time.
ROMANS: All right. You got to tell me this one. Best credit cards for holiday shopping. You know, I like to say the best credit card for holiday shopping is left in your pocket, if you don't have the money to pay it off.
OK. Beyond that, what did CNN money find for the best cards for the rewards and paybacks for holiday shopping?
EVANS: Right. So, you go to CNNMoney.com, they got a list of all these credit cards, what they offer, what the catches are, how much they cost.
I mean, what it really comes down to is it depends on your situation. Do you carry a balance? Which you shouldn't, you should try to pay it off every month. If you do pay it off every month, you might want a rewards card.
If you carry a balance, then you're probably looking for low interest rate. But make sure that you're not getting a promo rate that ends in a couple of months.
Some cards offer huge discounts as well if you purchase within their network of retailers. So, for example, AmEx has a rewards site, and if you have an AmEx card and you make a purchase here at Banana Republic or Sony or Cuisinart, or any number of retailers on that site, you can get a 20 percent discount.
Now, if you pay off your card every month, rewards cards are great. The Capital One cash card, you get 1 percent back on everything, and then a 50 percent bonus at the end of the year, and the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, you get 50,000 points just for signing up after you spend something like $500 or $1,000.
But don't just go for the promos. Make sure these cards are good for you all year round.
ROMANS: All right. Check out CNN Money so that you can read the whole story if you want to know more. Sounds great. Thanks, Carter.
Coming up, a tent faceoff in Portland. Police in riot gear clashing with occupy protesters. Now, some say enough is enough, and they are calling for an end to this occupy movement.
Another university wrapped up in a sex abuse scandal, this time at a military college. Questions: did school administrators really know about this? And when? And why didn't they do something to stop it there?
It's 27 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): A plan in the hands of the Taliban. The group claiming it knows exactly when and where Afghan leaders will gather for a critical meeting. A potential blueprint for an attack. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Good morning, everyone. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP call for Monday, November 14th. I'm Christine Romans. Carol has the morning off. Here are your top stories this morning.
Occupy showdowns across the U.S. cities across the country telling Wall Street protesters, hey, your time is up. Police in riot gear facing off its protesters in Portland after the cops dismantled their camp. Protesters in Denver, Detroit, and other cities, all being told to go home.
The man accused in that Norway bomb attack and shooting rampage, he is due in court this hour. Anders Behring Breivik is charged with killing 77 people. This is his first court appearance in person. Also on hand, families of many of the victims. Breivik has pleaded not guilty.
Another child sex scandal at a U.S. college. This time, the Citadel in South Carolina. It allegedly happened in 2002 at a summer camp at the school. Skip ReVille is a Citadel alum who was a camp counselor at the time. He's accused of inviting two campers up to his room to watch pornography. The Charleston Post and Courier reported that ReVille faces at least six more charges in other cases.
Let's get a check of today's weather. Rob Marciano in Atlanta. Good morning, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Christine. As mentioned earlier, the broadcast, (INAUDIBLE) opened this past weekend, and we had a clinch (ph) across parts of the Colorado Rockies. A list of some snow reports. Not only in Colorado, but Utah. Brighten, should be spelled with an o, but nonetheless, I put a snow so you'll take that snow birth as well.
Steamboat Springs, 6.2 inches. It did come with some wind. Check out some of these numbers in the front range of the Rockies. Frisco, Colorado, 115-mile-an-hour wind. That's near Keystone and Breckenridge. Love the pass over there by the Eisenhower Tunnel. A 100-mile-an-hour wind gust, and Aspen Spring seeing 87.
So, the good stuff did come with a pounding as far as the wind is concerned. All right. That storm is moving off to the east, and it's kind of dragging the front from the Rio Grande up through the Ohio River Valley. That's your focus for seeing potentially some severe weather today. Mostly in the form of some damaging winds and maybe some hail. Isolated tornadoes possible
Ahead of it, it will continue to be toasty. Got up to 70 in Chicago yesterday. Seventy-six degrees expected in Memphis today, 64 degrees in New York City, and 70 degrees in D.C. So, holding on to summer, I guess, for another couple of days. That slow-moving front will move off to the east in the New York City area by tonight and tomorrow morning. We'll talk more about flight delays in about 15 minutes -- Christine.
ROMANS: You love to report when those ski resorts start to open. You love it.
MARCIANO: Yes. Start early.
ROMANS: I see it. All right. Thank, Rob.
In cities across the country this morning, many are asking if time is up for the occupy movement after some violent clashes over the weekend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You may be subject to the use of force including chemical agents and impact weapons.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: There was another tense standoff in Portland yesterday. Police in riot gear trying to clear the streets after protesters were kicked out of their camp and their tents were torn down. Many ignored a midnight Saturday deadline to get out.
In Denver, two police officers were injured and about 20 protesters were arrested over the weekend as officers cleared out tents and put out a campfire near the civic center. Police say the protesters were blocking side walks and had been warned to leave.
And in Philadelphia, Mayor Michael Nutter said that he's beefing up the police presence near the Occupy Philly camp after a woman reported she was sexually assaulted there. The mayor saying there are now serious health and safety issues at the camp.
President Obama saying China needs to act like a grown-up nation now and play by the same rules as everyone else.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Most economists estimate that the RNB is devalued by 20 to 25 percent. That means our exports to China are that much more expensive and their imports into the united States are that much cheaper. Now, there's been slight improvement over the last year, partly because of U.S. pressure, but it hasn't been enough. And it's time for them to go ahead and move towards a market-based system for their currency.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Obama met one-on-one with President Hu as he hosted the leaders of 18 Asia-Pacific nations in Hawaii.
Pennsylvania's governor says the Penn State child sex abuse scandal should change the way cases are handled across the entire state. There's a reason ousted Coach Joe Paterno isn't facing criminal charges right now. In 2002, he told school administrators about a report that former defensive coach, Jerry Sandusky, was seen sexually assaulting a boy in a locker room shower.
That's all he was required to do under Pennsylvania law, to tell the people in charge and let them take over and decide whether to contact police. Governor Tom Corbett told NBC that just isn't good enough. He says, by law, someone in Paterno's position should have to call the cops himself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. TOM CORBETT, (R) PENNSYLVANIA: Should the lobby change? Absolutely. I know that members of both parties, Republican and Democrat, have already introduced measures to make that change.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Corbett is on the Penn State Board of Trustees which fired Paterno last week. He also began the investigation against Jerry Sandusky when he was state attorney general. Sandusky is accused of allegedly sexually abusing eight boys over a 15-year period.
Tribal elders in Afghanistan will meet Wednesday in Kabul to talk about their country's fate, but they could be in danger. The Taliban might have gotten hold of their secret security plans. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Taliban say they've obtained confidential security information about a forthcoming meeting of tribal elders to be held in Kabul here at the request of Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, later on next week. They print it out on the internet, and they claim it's a leak from inside the Afghan government.
Now, I should point out the Afghan interior ministry rubbish this claim saying the documents are fake and an example of Taliban propaganda. And ISAF/NATO don't seem too worried, pointing out that actually the Taliban have pledged to do whatever they can to disrupt this vital meeting, but it is an exceptionally important event later on this week.
Community leaders from across Afghanistan coming together to discuss what kind of permanent presence the U.S. military could have inside Afghanistan, and perhaps, even discuss whether a peace deal with insurgency, elements of the insurgency here is at all possible. Now, it isn't clear whether these documents are the real deal at all or not, but whatever is the case, they point to this continuing information war between the insurgency and coalition forces here.
ISAF say this is because the Taliban can't win on the battlefield, and they're resulting to information warfare, but the Taliban and so (ph) Afghans point out this is, perhaps, a sign of more sophisticated tactics, and, indeed, if these documents are real, which is not clear if they are, better intelligence by the insurgency who, in this case, could perhaps have obtained what should be some of the Afghan government's deepest secrets.
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Kabul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right. Just nine days now until the deadline. Still no deal. You're looking at a live picture at Capitol Hill, and the so-called Super Committee remains deadlocked on a deal to cut at least $1.2 trillion from the nation's deficit. Another downgrade of the U.S. credit rating looms if they can't reach a deal by the 23rd.
But partisan politics is still in the way. Committee members saying they are still hung up on basic issues like tax increases and entitlement reform.
Just two days after the debate in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Republican presidential contenders are getting ready for the next one. It's this Saturday in Iowa. CNNs chief political correspondent, Candy Crowley, shows us where things stand now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: The thing about the primary season is there's always another debate, which is handy if you messed up a previous one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Governor Perry, you advocate the elimination of the Department of Energy. If you eliminate the Department of Energy --
GOV. RICK PERRY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Right. You remembered it.
(LAUGHTER)
PERRY: I've had some time to think about it, sir.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Me too.
CROWLEY: Following Wednesday's brain freeze heard around the world, Rick Perry went into comic crisis control. If you step in it, joke about it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Number four.
PERRY: I had a five-hour energy drink six hours before the debate.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, no.
CROWLEY: Perry's gaff may be Gingrich's gain. The former speaker's numbers are up. Up enough to suggest he may be the next anybody but Romney candidate. And if Gingrich falls short of the gold, what about silver? This kind of caught our ear.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Based on the ark of this campaign and perhaps what you have heard tonight, would you care to evaluate Governor Romney's ability to think outside the box and change United States national security or foreign policy perspectives?
NEWT GINGRICH, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No, no.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You said so last night.
GINGRICH: We're here tonight talking to the American people about why every single one of us is better than Barack Obama, and that's -
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
CROWLEY: So, Newt had the opportunity to take a swing at Mitt and passed. Vice President Gingrich, anyone?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right. Be sure to tune in to "State of the Union" with Candy Crowley every Sunday beginning at 9:00 a.m. eastern.
The Ron Paul camp accusing CBS News of arrogance and thinking it could choose the next president. The campaign is furious over the fact that Congressman Paul who is running third in the polls got less than 90 seconds of air time in a 90-minute debate.
Michelle Bachmann's campaign also accusing the inet of bias saying it accidentally received an e-mail proving that they were boxing her out of the debate. Debate moderator and CBS Evening News host, Scott Kelly, said they tried to be fair with all of the candidates.
All right. It's 40 minutes past the hour. Let's get a check of what's coming up in the top of the hour in "American Morning." Alina Cho joins me now. Good morning, Alina.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Chrisitne. Good morning to you. Coming up in about 20 minutes on "American Morning," we will talk to a Penn State grad who's a member of Jerry Sandusky's foundation, Second Mile. He says there's a message for an entire generation in this sex abuse scandal. Something he says in society that allowed this to happen, and he says that has to change.
We'll also speak with Congressman Bobby Rush who serves on committees that oversee the NCAA. He called the NCAA ruthless and compared it to Al Capone and the mafia. We're going to ask him about last Saturday's game in State College P.A. and the effort to prevent another Penn State.
And a memorial service will be held today in New York for Evelyn Lauder. She's the woman who made it OK for American to talk about breast cancer. She's the co-creator of the Pink Ribbon campaign. We're going to be talking to the president of Este Lauder about her legacy, and Christine, as you all know, at 8:40 a.m. eastern time, I'm going to try to break a world record live on the air. So, we will see you at the top of the hour.
ROMANS: And it's not skipping rope. That's the only hint I will give. You have to come back at 8:40, everyone, to see what Alina is going to do to try to get in the record books. Thanks, Alina.
CHO: You bet.
ROMANS: Still ahead, Syria getting a warning from its neighbors. Stop the bloody crackdown on your citizens.
Shrimpers still struggling after the BP oil spill Saying their lives were ruined. Why some are now getting new help from the oil company and some are out of luck.
And remember the marine who asked J.T. to the marine ball? Well, guess what, the dance happened. Did he keep his date?
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ROMANS: Forty-two minutes after the hour.
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ROMANS: Good morning, everyone. Forty-five minutes past the hour. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL, and here's what's all new this morning for you.
Standoffs over the weekend at a number of occupy movement locations. In Portland, Oregon, more than 50 arrests. Police in riot gear faced off with protesters for hours. In Denver, at least 19 arrests as police tried to clear furniture, tents, and protesters from a camp near the Civic Center.
BP says new rules are in the works to help shrimpers rebuild their businesses after last year's gulf oil spill. That means those who file claims now will get more money soon, but it's not good news for everyone. Those who already filed, they already received their claim, they got their cash, they are not eligible for this new larger settlement.
Aircraft giant, Boeing, inked a record deal. Emirates placed an order for 50 Boeing 777 airliners -- jet liners at the Dubai air show yesterday. That's worth about $18 billion. That is the biggest sale of Boeing's history. The new planes will be delivered in 2015.
In sports, a big win for the New England Patriots. Quarterback, Tom Brady, throwing three touchdown passes silencing the New York Jets with a 37-16 win last night. This was the first home loss for the Jets.
Let's go check of today's weather. Rob Marciano is in Atlanta. Morning, Rob. Good night for Tom Brady.
MARCIANO: Yes. Must have been a heck of a second half. I went to bed after the first half, which was boring. Good morning, Christine. A little action on the radar this morning. We had a tornado warning earlier out for central parts of Illinois. That's been allowed to expire, but there may be more on the way, especially across Central Illinois heading into Indiana. That's where you see the cluster that's most intense right now.
A little bit more in the way of a gentle light to moderate rain across parts of Ohio heading into Western P.A., and this will reach its way towards the northeast. Mostly staying south of Chicago, but a couple of showers there may instigate a delay this morning. Detroit, the heavier rain delays possible there and Cincinnati. Cleveland wind, and the winds from Denver, that's strong moved of over the weekend.
The front itself extends all the way down to the Rio Grand where we expect to see a threat for severe weather as well. Ahead of the front, it will be quite toasty again. Summer-like across the northeast. 64 in Boston, 64 in New York, and up to 70 degrees in D.C.
A lot of folks were starting to scratch their head thinking, is this November over the weekend? Chicago got up to 70 as well, but as we all know, it's almost Christmas, so those numbers will come down soon -- Christine.
ROMANS: All right. Thanks, Rob. Talk to you soon.
Unrest in Syria. Tens of thousands of protesters poured into the streets yesterday waving Syrian flags and holding pictures of the country's president. It was a rally to protest an Arab league vote to suspend Syria's membership. Zain Verjee live in London on this story and other international headlines. Good morning, Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Christine. I was just monitoring a press conference just a short while ago from Syria's foreign minister, (INAUDIBLE), and he basically said that Libya's scenario would not be repeated in Syria. He also said that the fact is that Russia and China back Syria, or they would not vote for any kind of military action to be taken on Syria and the U.N. Security Council.
Also, you'll remember because the Arab league suspended them over the weekend from that little group, there are all these major protests and some foreign embassies were attacked, and Syrian foreign minister said that he was sorry. The reason that Syria's been kicked out temporarily from the Arab league is because they promised they would stop the crackdowns, and they didn't.
The crackdowns just continued in places like Homs and Hama. So, the situation on the ground really hasn't changed. They haven't pulled the troops out. They haven't pulled that tanks out. They said they would, and they didn't.
Also, 18 Syrian officials have been targeted with new sanctions, and the international community is hoping that that will at least put the squeeze on the top people that really matter a bit harder, but we'll see -- Christine.
ROMANS: All right. Also today, more hearings involving that U.K. hacking scandal. Bring us up to speed on that.
VERJEE: Yes. This is a big one. There was so much public outrage when journalists were accused essentially of illegally hacking into phones of individuals, of celebrities, and eavesdropping on them just to get a good story. At the heart of all of this is the accusation that James Murdoch, Rupert Murdoch's son, is the head of News International, was running this mafia style operation and that he knew what was going on.
Now, he says he didn't know the extent of what was happening, but the question is, is there going to be a smoking gun e-mail or something that's going to be produced that tie him to the fact that he knew what was going on and the -- how widespread it was at the time? You've also got celebrities, Christine, that will be testifying, Hugh Grant, J.K. Rowling of the of the "Harry Potter" series who also said that they have been targeted.
The police, too, are in the firing line here because they're accused of taking bribes from journalists to give them the story and then of bungling up the investigation -- Christine
ROMANS: All right. Zain Verjee around the world for us. Thanks, Zain.
Still to come, he is sticking -- she is sticking by his side. We're going to hear from Gloria Cain speaking out for the first time about the sexual harassment scandal surrounding her husband.
And he is a man of his word. Justin Timberlake keeping his promise to a marine. He escorted her to the marine ball. Why he says he was almost brought to tears.
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ROMANS: All right. Fifty-three minutes after the hour. Welcome back to A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. You just knew comedians were going to have a field day with Rick Perry's hiccup during last week's debate. Take a look at how "Saturday Night Live" handled it.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All three now, ready? Commerce -- oh, God. I only know one now.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maybe you have it written down in your notes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good idea. I'm such a messy Marvin. All right, guys.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Make it stop. Somebody make it stop.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Really trying here, guys. I don't know what --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All his cards are blank.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No peeking.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look, Maria, can we just move on? I mean, I want to be president, but not like this.
(LAUGHTER)
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ROMANS: Oprah wins a special Oscar. Plus, we have a tale of two Justins this morning. Dave Levine as the executive producer of "Showbiz Tonight" on HLN. He's on the phone. Dave, first, let's talk about Justin Timberlake making good on his word to a marine.
VOICE OF DAVE LEVINE, HLN'S "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Absolutely, Christine. You can definitely say that this Justin is a man of his word. Let's take a look back in July. That's when a member of marines went on YouTube and started posting videos asking various stars to come with them to the marine corps ball. You may remember Mila Kunis who was co-starring with Justin Timberlake was invited, and then, Cpl. Kelsey De Santis did the same thing. Let's take a look at how she invited Justin.
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CPL. KELSEY DE SANTIS, INVITED TIMBERLAKE TO BALL: So, Justin, you want to call out my girl, Mila. Well, I'm going to call you out and ask you to come to the Marine Corps ball with me on November 12th in Washington D.C., and if you can't go, all I have to say is cry me a river.
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LEVINE: Well, obviously, she got to Justin because Saturday night, Justin Timberlake was a man of his word. He attended the Marine Corps ball in Richmond, Virginia, and looks like they had a really, really good time. What was really striking, Christine, was how moved Justin was by this because on Sunday, he wrote a lengthy, lengthy letter on his Web site. I just want to read you one of these quotes because it really is amazing.
He says, "To all of you that serve every day for us insuring our freedom, I say my deepest gratitude to you. I met so many of my heroes from Michael Jordan to Michael Jackson, and nothing makes me feel more honor and pride than when I get to meet one of you." And he said, "Last night changed my life, and I will never forget it." How about that guy, Christine? Give it up for Justin.
ROMANS: Wow! That's amazing. All right. Sounds like he was really moved and a man of his words. Nice to see. All right. Thanks, Dave. Talk to you soon.
LEVINE: OK, Christine. Thanks.
ROMANS: That's it for this Monday edition of A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. "AMERICAN MORNING" continues right after the break. Hey, have a great day, everybody.
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