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American Morning: Wake Up Call

NYPD Moves in on Wall Street Protesters; Sandusky: "I've Horsed Around with Kids"; Sandusky: "I Am Innocent"; Study: Stem Cells Reverse Heart Damage; NBA Players' Union Rejects Deal

Aired November 15, 2011 - 05:00   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news for you this morning: the eviction of New York's Zuccotti Park now under way. Police are moving in. The mayor saying the people in the tents have got to go for now.

A medical breakthrough, reviving a part of your heart that's dead. A stem cell treatment that has the potential to extend or save the lives of millions.

And target: Target. Tens of thousands of employees upset they will have to miss Thanksgiving, so Christmas can start early for shoppers.

This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.

(MUSIC)

COSTELLO: And good morning to you. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL for Tuesday, November 15th. From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello.

Here are this morning's top stories:

Breaking news to tell you about: Wall Street protesters told to pick up their tents and leave. The New York Police Department moving in to kick them out overnight, as cities across the country begin to say the camps are too dangerous and too disgusting.

We will take you live to Lower Manhattan to Zuccotti Park, in about 60 seconds.

Ex-Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky admitting to showering with young boys but denying he's a pedophile, saying he's only guilty of a serious lapse in judgment. He spoke for the first time since he was arrested and we'll have more on that for you in a moment.

Herman Cain has his own "oops" moment. He gives a shaky answer to reporters about President Obama's Libya policy that included a very long pause. The campaign saying it was taken out of context and blaming a lack of sleep, but critics saying it's another sign he's clueless on foreign policy.

Let's head to Atlanta and get a check of today's weather. Meteorologist Rob Marciano in the house.

Good morning, Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.

Some rough weather yesterday across the midsection of the country. We have one report of tornado and some hail and wind. Today, that focus is going to be sliding in the south. But the system itself is pretty big.

Here's the radar. And it shows you, that it stretches into the Northeast. It will affect some of the areas north and east into New England, and slicing back through Texas. And that's where we are seeing the severe weather right now. Severe thunderstorm watch in effect for parts of south central Texas, mostly in the form of gusty winds and some hail. A few severe thunderstorm warnings now.

And then more gentle rain moving across the Allegheny and over top of the Appalachians in through Upstate New York and eventually into New York and I-95 corridor later on today as that front pushes off to the east. There's your threat for severe weather across parts of Louisiana, mild ahead of the front. Temperatures will be slow to come.

Sixty-seven degrees in D.C. and 64, so still relatively mild in New York. But later on the program, about 15 minutes, we'll talk about how much cooler it's going to get once this front comes through.

Carol, back up to you.

COSTELLO: So, it will really seem like actual November.

MARCIANO: Yes, get you in the mood for Thanksgiving.

COSTELLO: Oh, yes, that's a good way to look at it. Thank you, Rob Marciano.

MARCIANO: You bet.

COSTELLO: More about that breaking news now.

A very tense situation in New York's Zuccotti Park, home to the original Wall Street protesters. Police moving in overnight to kick them out. But the mayor claims it's only temporary. The mayor's office tweeting very early this morning that occupants of Zuccotti Park should temporarily leave and take their tents and tarps. And that they can come back after the park is cleared.

One protesters posted they are too big to jail on the "Occupy New York City" Web site. The protesters calling it an NYPD raid on their Web site. This comes two days before protesters threatened to shut down Wall Street on Thursday to mark the two-month anniversary of the movement.

Poppy Harlow is in Lower Manhattan now.

Poppy, are things peaceful?

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM (via telephone): Carol, I'm having a hard time hearing you, but I assume you're asking what is happening down here. This -- tension has escalated. I've been here since 1:30 in the morning when I got a call from a protester who told me that the police were evicting them from the park. I came down here immediately.

What I'm standing in now, you're looking at your screen is hundreds of protesters, supporters of the movement who have come down there. We're on Pine and Broadway, just a few blocks from the New York Stock Exchange, and about a block and a half from Zuccotti Park. You've got protesters on one side.

Take a look this. You have also a number of New York City police officers in full raid gear. This barricade is where the dividing line is.

Carol, what happened was that the protesters were woken up in the middle of the night, about 1:00 a.m. by police officers and they were told the city needs to clean the park. They were given a flier of Brookville Properties and the city of New York, Brookville Properties who owns the park, saying there's an increased health and fire hazard from them being here. We need to clean the park. You can come back a few hours.

But the sentiment down here, Carol, by the protesters I've spoken with is that they do not believe that they will be allowed back in the park to protest in the way that they had before. We're told they won't be able to bring in tents. They will not be able to set up and live there, if you will.

So, this is a huge sea change in the movement. But I will tell you, I was walking down Nassau Street, very close to the park. And all of a sudden, about 200 protesters came running towards me. There was this increasing momentum in the last hour or so. And right now, they are deciding whether they're going to stay here or whether they're going to move elsewhere.

But it has gotten increasingly intense in the last hour or so, which is interesting to see as people will start funneling in here, time to go to work. We are in the middle of Manhattan, down by Wall Street. As the sunrises, it's going to get very, very busy down here.

COSTELLO: Poppy, just to be clear, Zuccotti Park itself, have the protesters cleared out of that park?

HARLOW: Yes, completely, Carol. We were actually able to make it into the park. It took us three hours to get past the police barricades. We had not been allowed in whatsoever.

In the last 20 minutes, we made it past the police barricade into Zuccotti Park. I don't know if we have footage for you. But we'll get it for you within the hour so you can see.

The park is completely cleared out. There are no tents whatsoever. All that is left are New York City cleaning crews sweeping up. I saw piles of clothes and tents. Remains of what was "Occupy Wall Street." All the protesters were out of the park.

I saw a number of protesters who were basically handcuffed with plastic restraints on their arms behind their back. They were lined up. They were being processed by police and loaded onto a New York City police bus.

As I attempted to talk to them, a police officer moved me aside and said you can't speak to them right now.

One of the protesters was complaining. She said she hadn't been read her rights. But I got to tell you, Carol, everything looks very orderly down there.

As you can hear right now, one of the police officers next to me is on his megaphone asking the crowd to move to the side of the street. He is saying once the park is cleaned that the protesters will be allowed back into the park, Carol. It sounds like within the next hour or so these protesters will be allowed back in the park. But they are told they cannot bring tents, et cetera, to set up there and live there as they did before, Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Poppy Harlow, we'll check back with you at -- well, probably about 30 minutes past the hour.

Poppy Harlow reporting live from near Zuccotti Park in Manhattan today.

Former Penn State football defensive coach Jerry Sandusky publicly speaking for the first time since he was accused of sexually assaulting young boys who he was supposed to be helping.

Sandusky says he did shower with young boys, that he horsed around with them, but he is not a pedophile. He was on the phone speaking to NBC's Bob Costas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JERRY SANDUSKY, CHILD SEX ABUSE SUSPECT (via telephone): I say that I am innocent of those charges. I could say that, you know, I have done some of those things. I have horsed around with kids. I have showered after workouts. I have hugged them and I have touched their leg without intent of sexual contact.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The attorney also spoke to our Jason Carroll. He called his client just a big overgrown kid.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I want to wait before we go to that because that's different. But even just in talking about the showering, I think a lot of people have trouble with the idea --

JOE AMENDOLA, SANDUSKY DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I agree.

CARROLL: -- of a man showering with a young boy. What are your thoughts on that?

AMENDOLA: I wouldn't do it. I'm sure you wouldn't do it.

CARROLL: I would not.

AMENDOLA: I would feel uncomfortable doing it. But Jerry did that.

But that's a far different thing than saying he got showers with kids than saying that he committed these other acts which the prosecution has alleged he did. I mean, what's going to come out in this case is that Jerry did get showers with kids.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Sandusky, accused of 40 counts related to child sex abuse, charges that carry a total of more than 400 years in prison. The attorney also said he's also hoping to identify and interview one of the alleged accusers and the Penn State coach that allegedly witnessed Sandusky of abusing that boy.

Herman Cain's taking another foreign policy stumble. His response totally fell off the rails when he was asked about President Obama's Libya policy. He was talking to editors and reporters at the "Milwaukee Journal Sentinel."

Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HERMAN CAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: President Obama supported the uprising, correct? President Obama called for the removal of Gadhafi. Just want to make sure we're talking about the same thing before I say yes, I agree, I know I didn't agree.

I do not agree with the way he handled it for the following reason -- no, that's a different one. I got to go back and see -- got all this stuff twirling around in my head. Specifically, what are you asking me, did I agree or not disagree with on what?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Later on, Cain tried to explain why he appeared to get all mixed up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAIN: I mean, they asked me a question about Libya, and I paused so I could gather my thoughts. You know, it's complimentary when people start documents my pauses. It's one thing to document every word. It was a pause. That's all it was. Good grief!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Critics have been all over Cain's grasp on foreign policy. He also recently said he was concerned that China is trying to develop nuclear capability when, in fact, China is one of the world's oldest nuclear powers.

We're going to take you back live to Zuccotti Park near Wall Street. As you can see protesters have filled the streets. That's because police have asked them to leave Zuccotti Park so that they could clean the park which city workers did. We saw them power washing the park grounds there a short time ago.

Protesters fear that police are not serious about allowing them to go back to Zuccotti Park to set up their tents and tarps to stay there overnight. Police insist they're being honest.

So, we're continuing to watch this tense situation in Lower Manhattan. We'll have more when WAKE-UP CALL returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: And you're looking at live pictures in New York City. These are pictures of protesters from the "Occupy Wall Street" movement earlier this morning, about 1:00 a.m. Eastern Time to be exact. New York City police asked protesters to clear out of Zuccotti Park so they could clean it. The protesters did that.

But thousands of protesters have joined the cause because they fear they will not be allowed to go back to Zuccotti Park.

So, this, I believe, is at Pine and Broadway. Protesters gathered there, thousands of them, although you can't see them in this picture. Police are pushing them out of that area to get them out of the street so that traffic can move.

We're following the story. Poppy Harlow is on the scene. She says there's been dozens of arrests. She sees protesters in handcuffs. We'll check with Poppy in just a few minutes.

But just to keep you updated, no reports of violence, but we have reports of arrest.

This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. Here's what's all new this morning:

Former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky speaking out, says he's not a pedophile and that he simply around with the boys. Sandusky's charged with 40 counts related to sexual abuse. These are his first public comments since the scandal broke.

A promising new study is out. Researchers found that heart damage may be reversible with stem cell therapy and without dangerous side effects. Sixteen patients underwent the procedure and showed major improvements in their heart functions.

In money news, the Transportation Department is cracking down on lengthy tarmac delays. The agency slapped American Eagles Airlines with a $900,000 fine for keeping hundreds of passengers on 15 flights stranded on the runway for hours in May. A new rule caps tarmac delays at only three hours. It's the first time this rule has been enforced.

In sports, no deal for the NBA, and this could mean no season at all. The players' union turned down the league's latest offer in a dispute over collective bargaining, calling it unfair. The union says they're planning to file an antitrust suit against the NBA.

Now, let's get a check at today's weather. Meteorologist Rob Marciano in Atlanta.

Good morning, Rob.

MARCIANO: Hi again, Carol.

Threat for severe weather today across Texas, moving into Louisiana and points to the East, but mostly staying down to the South. Here it is highlighted graphically for you. We have one report of a tornado yesterday across Illinois and several reports of some wind damage and some hail. But the focus today will be across southeast Texas. We do have a severe thunderstorm watch that's posted for parts of the Hill Country in south central Texas. But damaging winds and large hail possible across the I-10 corridor eventually moving east of New Orleans.

Here is the watch I spoke of, south of San Antonio, or west, I should say, of San Antonio, as that cluster of thunderstorms makes its way off towards the east, most of some heavier rains, and some hail and some gusty winds with those.

And the north side of this front stretches all the way to the Northeast. And that's going to bring eventually some rain to the I-95 corridor, although right now for the most part is dry.

Low clouds, though, in New York City later on today. Expect some delays because of that action. D.C. and Philly, if you are traveling, rain as well. So, yesterday, we were all clear as far as travel conditions are concerned. Today, a little bit more of a mess.

And as we mentioned earlier, some cooler air coming in behind this. On average, 10 to 15-degree drop as to what you're seeing right now. So, cool down coming, Carol. Be prepared.

COSTELLO: We're ready for it. We are. We have the winter coats out.

MARCIANO: Atta girl.

COSTELLO: Thanks, Rob.

MARCIANO: You bet.

COSTELLO: A first in the Arab world. Jordan's king appears to urge the embattled Syrian president to resign. King Abdullah saying that's what he would do if he was in Bashar al Assad's place. This comes during Syria's bloody crackdown on antigovernment protesters which the United Nations says has claimed more than 3,500 lives.

Zain Verjee joins us live in London with more on this.

Good morning, Zain.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Good morning, Carol.

Dozens more have killed in yet more clashes in a brutal crackdown by the Syrian government. This comes a day after the king of Jordan, King Abdullah, said that Bashar al-Assad should step down.

This is a really big deal. This is the first Arab leader that's come out and said something like this so explicitly. He said this: "I would step down and I would make sure whoever comes behind me has the ability to change the status quo that we're seeing."

Now, that comment was preceded by the Arab League taking action. A lot of people thinking this is an organization that's essentially toothless. But they surprised everyone over the weekend by moving to swiftly temporarily kick out Syria from the group.

At the same time, Carol, the European Union is pressuring Syria and targeting sanctions on at least 18 senior leaders of this country.

So, the heat is on. And the question is: what will Bashar al- Assad do? Will he step down? Is this going to be the writing on the wall? And will more Arab leaders jump on the bandwagon here and ask for him to step down -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Well, what we're all thinking: this is sort of how Libya went. So, everybody is worrying, if this -- if Assad refuses to step down, might some sort of military action be taken?

VERJEE: Well, it's interesting because Syria's foreign minister, Walid Moualem actually spoke at a press conference. And he said essentially that Syria is no Libya. He also said that over at the Security Council, you've got the Chinese and the Russians that would never support military action against Syria.

So, you know, that's what he says. Who knows what will happen. Everything in the Arab Spring has been so unpredictable. We all say, won't happen, can't happen, and then it does. So, we'll just have to wait and see.

COSTELLO: Zain Verjee live in London, thanks so much.

Still ahead, what would you do if your boss said you had to work on Thanksgiving? Well, one worker is mad he's launched an online protest and he's not alone. Tens of thousands of people have joined him.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Twenty-three minutes past the hour. Welcome back to A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.

This next story is sure to create a buzz around the office. A Nebraska man is protesting his company's plan to open on Thanksgiving. And it's not just any company. Boy, has he managed to find support.

Christine Romans joins me now.

Christine was hot about this this morning. We were talking about it before we went on air.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Full disclosure, because I've worked an awful lot of Thanksgivings, a lot of Thanksgivings. So I feel like everyone should know that when I do this story.

OK. A guy named Anthony Hardwick who lives in Omaha works at Target, started a petition a couple of weeks ago on change.org. It's a Web site. You can put petition on there.

He said that he resented the fact that he was going to have to go in at 11:00 at night on Thanksgiving in order to work at Target, a ten-hour shift on Thanksgiving Day. As you know, everyone from Target, to Macy's, to Gap, to Kohl's, to Toys "R" Us and others are opening earlier and earlier and earlier so that they can get you for Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving for your shopping.

Last year, 22 million people, Carol, went and actually spent money on Thanksgiving late at night to buy things, to buy holiday presents. This guy says, look, he wants to have Thanksgiving dinner with his family, that it's just not fair. It's not right to make retail employees work on the most important retail spending day of the year.

And this guy has 79,000 people, Carol, who have signed up and say it's just not right.

COSTELLO: Well, let me play devil's advocate for just a moment. That means -- I know, all of these people are shopping on Thanksgiving Day, which is odd to me because I would rather be with my family, too. I also am working on Thanksgiving Day.

What's so wrong about wanting to stay home with your family? And I'm talking about why do people have to shop on Thanksgiving Day? Why? Why is it necessary for stores to open up on a holiday?

ROMANS: I have always been surprised by how this hype machine gets bigger and bigger and bigger every year where these holidays -- I mean, there's Black Friday and there's Cyber Monday and there are other holidays before that. And there's actual shopping on the actual holiday.

But people do it, Carol. And that's what really surprises me. Millions and millions and millions of people, consumerism is part of their holiday, whether it's Thanksgiving or Christmas or New Year's or whatever. And this guy is just one lone voice in Nebraska is saying, come on, do I really have to work -- do I really have to work on Thanksgiving?

By the way, I will say that target -- we have a call in to Target for more comment, but they will pay time and a half on Thanksgiving and regular pay on the day after.

There are plenty of people on the day after Thanksgiving and there are plenty of people who are saying, look, there's 9 percent unemployment. A lot of people would love to have that problem. So, interesting debate.

COSTELLO: I know. But it just goes back to the same question I have. Why do stores insist on opening up on Thanksgiving Day? Or even on Christmas Day some are opening up now. It's crazy.

ROMANS: Carol, you know why, to make money. To make money, and people reach in their pockets and they give the money.

COSTELLO: I know. I get you. And I know it's 9 percent unemployment. But I hate I'm working on Thanksgiving Day, too.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: Christine Romans, thank you so much. I'll see you in a bit.

Still ahead on your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL, what's got Herman Cain stumped? We'll tell you the question he just could not seem to answer.

And former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky is speaking out for the first time since the sex abuse scandal broke. We'll tell you what he's saying, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Breaking news for you this morning. A very tense situation right now in New York's Zuccotti Park, home to the original Wall Street protests. Police moving in overnight to kick the protesters out of the park. They're now rounding up and arresting protesters.

The city says those protesters can go back to Zuccotti Park after the park is cleaned, but of course, the protesters don't believe them. Poppy Harlow live in Lower Manhattan. Well, I said things are tense. Tell us how tense, poppy?

HARLOW (on the phone): Very tense, Carol. Since we last spoke half an hour ago, the situation escalated. The most that I've seen it all night, they've been down here about 2:00 a.m. What is interesting now and what you're looking at on your screen is that police have completely cleared out the protesters from Broadway, about a block and a half away from Zuccotti Park.

Right now, they're telling me and everyone we need to move off the corner. So, we're going to try to move and talk as well. Traffic is now moving through, Carol, on Broadway, but there was a lot of resistance. We saw a number of confrontations between police officers and protesters trying to move the protesters out of the streets. Police say, if you do not move out of the street and allow traffic to go through, you risk being arrested.

So, police now clearly in control of the situation down here. Carol, I was in Zuccotti Park about 45 minutes ago, it's completely clearly cleared out of protesters. They were just finishing cleaning. Almost no sign of Occupy Wall Street. They had removed all of the tents, all of the clothing, all of the food, the makeshift kitchen, and they were finishing up cleaning. So, it's going to be interesting to see.

I would expect in the next hour or so it will be fully cleaned. And as the city has said, they will allow protesters back in the park. We're going to want to see if and when that happens. What protesters have also been told, though, and this is why, Carol, they don't believe it, is that they will not be able to bring in tents, for example, and set up shop there.

And they believe they won't be able to stay overnight there and camp out there as they have been doing, Carol. The situation has escalated. And as I'm watching out, there are cops running down Broadway and still trying to block protesters away from walking into the park.

COSTELLO: Poppy, as I'm looking at these pictures, I see many of the protesters shooting footage, for lack of a better term, with their cell phone cameras.

HARLOW: Yes.

COSTELLO: So, for police this must be kind of a frustrating thing to do.

HARLOW: It's a very good point, and it's really interesting observation, the citizen journalism down here, if you will. Obviously, we've been live tweeting through all of this all night, but so, just the average people down here. There's been a huge conversation going on on Twitter. A lot of live blogs.

There are a lot of photographers down here, people with their own video cameras documenting this situation, which is just the reality of modern day media and journalism as we know it. They're documenting all of this. I tried numerous times to talk to police officers. I still have not gotten a clear answer of why, for almost three hours down here, we were not allowed past the police barricades, even as spread (ph) into the Zuccotti Park.

Eventually, about an hour ago, I was allowed past, but as far as I could tell, we were the only journalists that were allowed in the park, and we were only allowed there for about ten minutes until we were told to clear out, but absolutely, people down here are documenting each and every minute of this.

COSTELLO: Poppy, I am just curious because, you know, a couple months ago, the mayor wanted to clear out Zuccotti Park for cleaning, and he didn't do it then. He changed his mind. So, what changed in the ensuing months that police decided now was the time to do this?

HARLOW: I wish I had an answer for you. No one I've spoken with knows why this came now. What we do know and what we have seen is a flier from Brookfield Properties which owns Zuccotti Park along with the city of New York that says that they have determined that there's an increasing health risk and fire hazard to the protesters in the park. They called on them to clear out.

They said they would be allowed, as I said earlier, to return to the park but not with all of the belongings, if you will, that they had before. Why this came now? No idea. From the reporting I've done down here and from what we've seen, there has not been any escalated tension in recent days. So, it's interesting timing.

And Carol, it came in the middle of the night. I got a call at 1:30 in the morning from a protester who we've been in touched with, woke me up out of bed who said you've got to come down here. We're surrounded by police, and they're waking up (ph) obviously. I live just a few blocks away. We came right down, but I do not think that this was expected at least at this point in time.

COSTELLO: The other question I have is, could they have decided to do this now because there have been violent incidents reported at other occupy movements, like the one in Oakland, California and the one in Philadelphia. There hasn't been that kind of violence associated with the Occupy Wall Street protesters in New York, but do they fear that?

HARLOW: That's a good question. I wish I could get that answer from a New York City police officer down here. We've been trying to talk to them. They have not been talking to the press. I'll keep asking that, but that could be the case. I just don't have any confirmation of whether that is the cause or why this is the timing.

I'm just told by a source that we're with that one of the top ranking police chiefs in New York has just arrived down here on the scene, the chief of department -- four stars? Four-star chief of The NYPD, apparently, the only one. So, we're going to attempt to talk to him and find out why this happened now.

COSTELLO: OK. We'll spring you. Go get him, Poppy. Thanks so much. Poppy Harlow reporting live from near Zuccotti Park in New York.

Is the media making much ado about nothing regarding Herman Cain's response to President Obama's handling of the Libyan conflict? This is what the Republican presidential candidate said when editors of the "Milwaukee Journal Sentinel" put that question to him yesterday. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HERMAN CAIN, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Libya. President Obama supported the uprising, correct? President Obama called for the removal of Gadhafi. I just want to make sure we're talking about the same thing before I say yes I agree or no, I didn't agree. I do not agree with the way he handled it for the following reason. No, that's a different one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Hours later Cain had this to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAIN: It was a pause. That's all it was. Good grief!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: "Washington Post" political reporter, Nia-Malika Henderson joins us now by phone. Good morning.

NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, POLITICAL REPORTER, "THE WASHINGTON POST": Good morning. How are you?

COSTELLO: I'm good. So, you know, it's the Republican primary that just keeps on giving. That's all I can say this morning. What's really important, was this just a long pause as Herman Cain said? Was he just exhausted or did he truly not know, you know, how Libya went down?

HENDERSON: Well, it -- as I was listening to that clip, it really was a long pause. And it did seem like didn't quite know what he was talking about and he couldn't quite get his thoughts together. Of course, later in that interview -- the whole interview is 30, 40 minutes. Later in the Libya segment, he actually does have a pretty coherent answer on Libya.

But I think what we're seeing is that a lot of these Republican candidates, there are two of them specifically, Rick Perry and Herman Cain, are having trouble passing the commander in chief test. We saw Perry, of course, in that CNBC debate not seeming to know his own plans for the federal government agencies.

And then, here, with Herman Cain, appearing not to quite be sure of his own stand on Libya and how he felt about the president's approach. So, that's the problem. You know, the press, of course, is pouncing on this, because it comes at a time when Herman Cain is really struggling under the sexual harassment allegations, and his support has seemed to be cratering.

COSTELLO: Well, yes. Let's talk about that because a new "Washington Post"/ABC News poll shows Cain is losing support. His unfavorable rating among Republicans has more than doubled in recent weeks.

More republicans also see the sexual harassment allegations against Cain as a serious matter, 64 percent compared to 37 percent just days after the allegations first surfaced. I guess, many analysts must be wondering, you know, is Cain pretty much over?

HENDERSON: Yes, that's the question you're going to get all day today and probably for this week. It was a question raised about Rick Perry last week after he had that flub in the debate. And I think the question is if -- how can he climb out of what looks like a tailspin? And I think in some ways, people looked at this, Republicans looked at this, and maybe they didn't know what side to take.

Were the women correct? Was Herman Cain correct? But in terms of his handling of it, universally pan by Republicans and Democratic strategist who I've talked to, he just didn't pass muster in terms of handling this. There are some flip flops in terms of his responses. And he just seemed to be caught flat footed in terms of dealing with this.

And of course, the presidency, being the commander in chief, is one crisis after another. So, in some ways, again, that commander in chief test, people feel like he failed it in even dealing with these sexual harassment allegations.

COSTELLO: And Nia, something else I'm curious about because you always hear when the media criticizes this candidates that, one, the media is just posing a bunch of gotcha questions and the media is like piling on, you know, because we're the lame stream press and we want these candidates to lose simply because they're Republican.

And the other thing, the other way that Perry and Cain seem to be digging themselves out of the hole is by using humor. So they attack the media, they use humor, but are voters tiring of that?

HENDERSON: Yes, and I think one real, you know, evidence of that is Newt Gingrich doing so well on these issues because he has been so competent, so proficient in answering questions, tough questions, about very complicated issues. Also, he has played the media card, attacking the media for asking gotcha questions and trying to get Republicans to go against each other.

But I think we're at a moment -- the Iowa caucuses are January 3rd. People are starting to get serious about this race and really figure out who can they imagine against Barack Obama on stage in October, in November, in these debates that will lead up to this election. Who can they imagine standing toe-to-toe with Obama and really making the case for Republican presidency?

COSTELLO: Nia-Malika Henderson from "The Washington Post," thanks so much for joining us this morning. We appreciate it.

Be sure to tune in to CNN next Tuesday night at eight o'clock eastern, CNNs Wolf Blitzer is set to host the GOP candidates in Washington for a fresh new debate. One of the main topics, national security.

Forty-one minutes past the hour. Let's get a check of what's coming up at the top of the hour on "American Morning." Christine Romans is here to share that with us. Good morning.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. Ahead in 20 minutes on "AMERICAN MORNING." Unoccupied. We're watching the scene in Lower Manhattan right now as the NYPD clears out and cleans up Occupy Wall Street camps there. We're going to speak to an officer about why police across the country decided enough is enough and why now is the turning point.

We're going to speak to a sportswriter about the dirty side of college sports, you know, scandals affecting big-time programs across the country, including, of course, the most shocking and most resented Penn State. There's new fallout to report to you this morning for the school, for the decades-old children's charity, and for a football icon.

And the 1,000 places you need to see before you die. The book that took people off the beaten path. It's back with an updated version. Globe Trotters, get ready for a new list of musts. We're going to talk to the author and tell you a few of the places you need to be.

That's it, but right now, we're back in 20 minutes with "AMERICAN MORNING." Back in two minutes with A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. 5:42 a.m. in the east.

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COSTELLO: It is 46 minutes past the hour. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. Here's what's all new this morning.

Former Penn State coach, Jerry Sandusky, speaking out saying he's not a pedophile. He simply horsed around with the boys. Sandusky is charged with 40 counts related to sexual abuse. These are his first public comments since the scandal broke.

A promising new study is out. Researchers found that heart damage may be reversible with stem cell therapy and without the dangerous side-effects. Sixteen patients underwent the procedure and showed major improvements in their heart functions.

LAX is about to earn the title nation's busiest airport during Thanksgiving week, this according to Orbitz. The travel companies ace the rankings on ticket sales. Rounding out the top five busiest airports, O'Hare in Chicago, Orlando International, San Francisco International, and Logan in Boston.

In sports, no deal for the NBA -- excuse me -- and this could mean no season at all. The players union turned down the league's latest offer in a dispute over a collective bargaining agreement calling it unfair. The union says they are prepared to file an antitrust suit against the NBA.

Let's get a check of today's weather and head to Atlanta and Rob Marciano. Good morning.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, Carol, you know, you kind of got your wish early in the program. You're talking about how, you know, stores shouldn't open on these big holidays. Well, now, you know, the NBA's big games on Christmas Day, we have that day off from basketball. Enjoy.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: A good way to look at it.

MARCIANO: Or head to the stores and shop.

(LAUGHTER)

MARCIANO: Good morning again. Hey, listen, if you are traveling to the stores or traveling just about anywhere today, there's an issue from the northeast back through the southwest. Here's a radar from this elongating frontal system which down to the south just creating some headaches as far as severe weather, severe thunderstorm watch out for South Central Texas in the next couple of hours.

That severe threat will move into Southeast Texas and Louisiana throughout the day today. Not so severe, but it will be wet and kind of dreary, and this is heading over some cooler air. So, eventually, from D.C. up through Boston, you'll see some rain, certainly some low clouds and on the dreary side.

We might see some delays because of that as well, the New York metro through D.C. But once this front comes through, we'll dry it out. But with that dry air will come a price. Temperatures will easily drop 15 to 20 degrees below where they are right now. So good- bye Indian summer and hello the middle of fall and get you in the mood for Thanksgiving and all the good things that come with that. Carol, back to you.

COSTELLO: OK. I'm ready. Thank you, Rob.

MARCIANO: There you go.

COSTELLO: A group of researchers are real curious about why parts of China's desert is etched with white designs. They're so big you can actually see them from space. They're just weird. So, let's bring in Zain Verjee. She's live in London to explain it all.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And you and I both like this kind of really weird stuff, Carol. So, let's take a look at some of these pictures that you can see from space. This is somewhere in the heart of China's Gobi Desert. It's actually in an area where China tests its military space and nuclear hardware, according to analysts.

Is this china's area 51? Or, Carol, could this be UFOs? Well, we don't know, but all we know is this. These are these white designs that are about a mile long, 3,000 feet wide. Many analysts observing these images have been saying that maybe the Chinese military have constructed these pictures and structured these grids, actually, so that they can use them for target practice, because if you look closely around this area, there are structures that have been destroyed.

And apparently, in one of the photographs, you can actually see an aircraft that's landed right in the middle of part of that grid. So, I don't know, Carol. What you think, UFOs? COSTELLO: I don't know. China's version of crop circles? I don't know.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: I like to think --

VERJEE: Crop grids.

COSTELLO: Crop grids, right. I like to think UFOs just because it's fun.

VERJEE: Me, too. We'll look out for an alien or something in there. But still, it's a compelling story because, you know, it does point to China's testing of its own military hardware and how they do it.

COSTELLO: Very strange. Zain Verjee, thanks for enlightening us, at least, a little bit.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: A late night show of force at Occupy Wall Street. Police in riot gear move in with a message. We'll take you to Manhattan next and your Wall Street live in a few minutes.

And, you ever say to yourself, I wish I could get someone just to do those mundane tasks in life for me? Well, there's an app for that. Stand by.

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COSTELLO: Seven minutes until the top of the hour. Are you having some trouble assembling the furniture? There's an app for that. Need someone to pick up the groceries? There's an app for that, too. It's called Task Rabbit, and it's the latest trend in tech. A digital twist to paying your neighbor to mow your lawn. CNNMoney tech reporter, Laurie Segall, is here to tell us all about it. Laurie, this sounds fantastic this Task Rabbit?

LAURIE SEGALL, TECH REPORTER, CNNMONEY.COM: I know. Listen, it's what we've all been waiting for. It's really a simple way to outsource your errands online to people in your community. So, what you do is let's say you don't have time to pick up the dry cleaning, you post the task on Task Rabbit, you say, I'll pay someone $20 to pick up my dry cleaning.

Then, all of a sudden, you have people in your community who are called pat rabbit bidding on doing that job for you. So, some people might try to charge you a little bit more, some people might charge you a little bit less, and you get to pick the person who's right for the job. Everybody has reviews. People are, you know, more active than others.

So, it's a really cool way to kind of outsource your work. And then, on the other way -- on the other side, you've got people who really want to make an extra dime. So, you know, they're in the neighborhood, and they're running odd jobs for people for, you know, quite a bit. So, it actually -- it works pretty well for the community.

COSTELLO: How much money could you make being a task rabbit, so to speak, as in the rabbit that picks up the stuff for those people who don't have time?

SEGALL: Yes. You know, you can make -- I mean, some people who do this for an income, for their main source of income, they make up to $5,000 a month, which is quite a bit of money when you think about it. $5,000. So, the average task, and that can be anything from house chores to spring cleaning, to walking the dog, picking up groceries, it's about $45.

Now, depending on how much you do it, you can make a good amount of money. We followed around a girl name Susie who's a musician, and in her free time, she's a task rabbit. So, what she would do is, you know, go run errands for people, and she said it's just enough to cover the grocery bills for the month, just enough to kind of take the edge off. So, depending on how much you use it, you can make a good amount of money.

COSTELLO: That's insane. So, I guess, I have two questions then. So, how can you make sure that it's safe to be a task rabbit? And is this service available nationwide?

SEGALL: You know, it's a great question. Safety is always a concern. And what we're seeing in tech are all these trends of people turning offline. You know, this sense of let's try to get this community back. So, let's have apps that let us share our apartments, our cars. There's an app in development right now that people are sharing their bathrooms. You know, the trend is going crazy, but the idea is who are we sharing with?

You know, Airbnb, which is an apartment sharing site, they recently took a hit when a homeowner's place was completely ransacked after someone used it. So, I mean, to their credit, they're offering a $50,000 insurance policy, but, you know, at the end of the day, safety is a big concern, and you need to do your homework. Task rabbit says they vet people, but you've got to be careful on this kind of service.

COSTELLO: All right. Thanks so much. That's really interesting. We appreciate it.

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: For more about what's hot in tech, you can check it out. It's easy. Just go online. Laurie's tech column on CNNMoney.com/technology or you can follow Laurie on Twitter @lauriegallcnn.

That's it for this Tuesday edition of A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. "American Morning" continues right after a short break. Have a great day, everyone. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)