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American Morning: Wake Up Call
Who's Commander-in-Chief Material?; New Sandusky Allegations; UC Davis Paying Medical Bills; TSA Screening Changes
Aired November 23, 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: Who is commander in chief material? GOP candidates display their foreign policy chops in a rare D.C. debate.
New developments in the Penn State sex abuse scandal, maybe the most shocking yet. Was Jerry Sandusky abusing little boys as the grand jury was investigating him?
And spy mall. Malls planning to track every step you take this holiday season using your cell phone.
This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.
(MUSIC)
COSTELLO: And good morning. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL for Wednesday, November 23rd, from the Time Warner Center in New York. I'm Carol Costello.
Here are this morning's top stories.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't want a law that says, after we lose a major American city, we're sure going to come and find you. I want a law that says, you try to take out an American city, we're going to stop you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Newt Gingrich challenging Ron Paul over the Patriot Act. The new co-front-runner still getting high marks in his first debate with a bull's eye on his back. We'll have more of the highlights ahead.
It's going to be a messy one. Delays and more delays expected on one of the busiest travel days of the year. The East Coast being soaked. And avalanche warnings? Yes, in the Pacific Northwest.
U.C.-Davis trying to make good after police were caught on tape pepper spraying peaceful occupy protesters, now promising to pay medical bills and drop charges against students who were arrested.
How would a President Bachmann, Romney or Gingrich handle a nuclear Iran or an unstable Pakistan? We found out last night at the big CNN national security debate. The candidates got at it in the shadow of the White House.
Here are the highlights.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
REP. RON PAUL (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think the Patriot Act is unpatriotic because it undermines our liberty. I'm concerned, as everybody is, about the terrorist attack. Timothy McVeigh was a vicious terrorist. He was arrested.
I have a personal belief that you never have to give up liberty for security. You can still provide security without sacrificing our Bill of Rights.
WOLF BLITZER, DEBATE MODERTOR: Do you want to respond, Mr. Speaker?
GINGRICH: Yes. Timothy McVeigh succeeded. That's the whole point.
(APPLAUSE)
GINGRICH: Timothy McVeigh killed a lot of Americans. I want a law that says you try to take out an American city, we're going to stop you.
(APPLAUSE)
BLITZER: Is it OK for Muslim-Americans to get more intensive pat-downs or security when they go through airports than Christian- Americans or Jewish Americans?
HERMAN CAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No, Blitz. That's oversimplifying it. I happen to believe that if you allow our intelligence agencies to do their job, they can come up with an approach.
I'm sorry, Blitz. I meant Wolf, OK? Blitz, Wolf.
BLITZER: Thank you, Cain.
JON HUNTSMAN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We haven't done a very good job defining and articulating what the end point is in Afghanistan. I think the American people are getting very tired about where we find ourselves today.
BLITZER: I'm going to let Governor Romney respond.
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let me respond. Are you suggesting, Governor, that we take all our troops out next week? What's your proposal?
HUNTSMAN: Did you hear what I just said? I said we should draw down from 100,000 troops. We don't need 100,000 troops. Many of them who can't even cross the wire. We need a presence more akin to 10,000 to 15,000.
REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R-MN), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: President Ahmadinejad came to the general assembly. He said that he wanted to eradicate Israel from the face of the earth. He has said that if he has a nuclear weapon, he will use it to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. He will use it against the United States of America.
And that's why President Obama has failed the American people. He has changed the course of history because at the time when we needed a leader most, we didn't have one.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
COSTELLO: So which candidate will you be talking about today? "The Best Political Team on TV" filed their scorecards. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: For the most part tonight, we saw a lot of what we've seen in prior debates. Everyone trying to say Newt's a smart guy, right?
BLITZER: He didn't get a lot of break (ph). He got a little bit, but not much.
I was expecting frankly some of the so-called second-tier candidates to go after Newt Gingrich because he has emerged at the top. He's one of the front-runners, he and Romney, according to national polls, and the polls in Iowa, even in New Hampshire, South Carolina, both of them are doing really, really well. So, I thought maybe we would see a little bit more from Michele Bachmann, for example, or Rick Santorum, or some of the other canned candidates. Huntsman going after Newt Gingrich, and Romney for that matter, but you didn't see a lot of that.
DAVID GERGEN, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Ron Paul, as I should tell you, John, he continues to speak well for the libertarians. And he -- you can see them on Twitter tonight, they're all out there cheering him on because they thought he was strong tonight. But at the same time, I think when Gingrich came back and Romney, they really speak for the majority of the Republican Party.
ARI FLEISCHER, FMR. BUSH W.H. PRESS SECRETARY: You know, what's fascinating when you look at all of these debates, John, is the Republican Party, it's supposed to nominate the most conservative this year against Barack Obama, the biggest outsider you get. But who's leading? The biggest established figures, Mitt Romney and arguably Newt Gingrich. Who's not getting traction? The ones who's taking the toughest, most conservative positions, Rick Perry. No-fly zone over Syria, Social Security is a Ponzi scheme, send Congress home, cut their pay.
I mean, the typical things that you think are red meat just aren't working this year. And the one with the biggest thought in the debates, Newt Gingrich, is the one who's propelled himself back from the depths.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
COSTELLO: And here we are at CNN. We're gearing up for a new round of debates. So mark your calendar. Thursday, January 19th, CNN and the Southern Republican Leadership conference will host a town hall debate in Charleston, South Carolina. South Carolina will hold the first in the south presidential primary two days later on January 21st.
Let's head to Atlanta now and get a check of the weather.
Thanksgiving is shaping up to be kind of a nasty day in places.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, the day before Thanksgiving is. Tomorrow's a little better. You know, we're going to be making progress. So glass half full, right, Carol? Think about it that way.
In the later in the day that you travel today, by the way, also the better the weather is going to be. Now, your traffic might be more congested but the weather is going to be better.
There you can see our big storm system across the east, showers and some thundershowers in the southeastern part. And in the northern tier, yes, we're dealing with some pretty heavy snow across parts of Upstate New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and into Maine. Looking at maybe six to 12 inches for the most part. That front's going to sweep through.
And by this evening, almost everybody's going to be done with the rain and the snow, great weather across the nation's midsection. So, it should be good for travelers there. In the Pacific Northwest, your storm really impacting you in the morning.
And it's a cold front, Carol, but not all that bitter. Still not bad with highs in the 60s across the plains.
COSTELLO: OK. I'm looking at a glass half full.
JERAS: Good.
COSTELLO: It's Thanksgiving. Yes.
JERAS: I know.
COSTELLO: Jacqui Jeras, thanks so much.
If you haven't left yet, you're already late. That's right. As we've saying, it's Thanksgiving Eve, and we all know what that means. It's one of the busiest travel days of the year. But with high gas prices and pricey plane tickets, Amtrak is adding trains for what could be a banner week.
Our Ted Rowlands is live in St. Louis and he is ready to ride the rails.
Ted, can you hear me? Ted? Ted? Oh, Ted.
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I don't hear anything off air.
COSTELLO: I don't think Ted can hear me.
ROWLANDS: Well, we are at -- we're in St. Louis right now. And we're going to be traveling from St. Louis to Chicago. Normally, of course, we'd go to an airport on this day, the busiest travel day of the year, but instead of talking to angry airport passengers, Carol, we've decided to take the train and talk to some of these folks -- 42.5 million people are going to be taking the train, and we're going to be taking the train along with them.
We're going to use this little backpack thing here. This will enable us to go live from inside the train. So, for the next few hours, it's a 5 1/2-hour train ride. We're going to be on the train reporting, talking to people about al kinds of things -- from the super committee to why they chose the train and where they're going.
So, we're hoping our technology works. And we're hoping to meet some great people on the train -- 42 million people traveling this week. But only about 1 million of them take the train.
We did sort of a cost analysis on this trip from St. Louis to Chicago. And it's a little cheaper, actually. We found a round-trip ticket from St. Louis to Chicago, runs you 80 bucks. It costs you about 100 bucks to drive in gas alone. So, it's economical.
And we're going to find out firsthand why people -- there's some folks right there getting ready for the train. Why people take the train. And it should be an exciting couple hours coming up in our first report will come next hour during "AMERICAN MORNING" -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Ted, can you hear me? I don't think Ted can hear me.
ROWLANDS: Yes.
COSTELLO: Oh, you can hear me?
ROWLANDS: Oh, I got you now. I got you. I didn't have you earlier.
COSTELLO: I know you didn't. But I'm glad.
ROWLANDS: Wait, the train's leaving.
COSTELLO: Go ahead, get on the train, Ted. Don't miss it. Don't miss it. We'll check back with you later.
ROWLANDS: No, I'm just kidding. It doesn't leave for another half hour. I'm just kidding.
COSTELLO: I was going to say, you're going to get on a train full of Thanksgiving travelers, and you're going to talk about the super committee?
ROWLANDS: No -- well -- yes, I doubt it. I doubt people are really going to care about it. But we're going to talk about everything.
First of all, not a lot of us take the train very often. It's something you think about. But who actually does take the train? So we'll talk to people about whatever they want to talk about and get a feel for it all.
COSTELLO: All right. Thank you, Ted Rowlands.
ROWLANDS: If the super committee comes up, we'll talk about it.
COSTELLO: Thank you so much.
I'm just saying that we'll probably talk about the super committee at my Thanksgiving Day feast, and my family looks at me and says, please be quiet. We want to talk about something happy.
But maybe Ted will have better luck on the train. We'll check back with him.
All right. In other news, U.C.-Davis -- they're in full on -- actually, they're in full damage control mode this morning. That's what I'm trying to say.
The university held a town hall meeting last night in front of about 1,000 students. The chancellor Linda Katehi offered to cover the medical expenses for protesters who were blasted with pepper spray in a video that went viral. She stressed that students have a right to demonstrate peacefully.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LINDA KATEHI, UC DAVIS CHANCELLOR: I am requesting that those charges against the students who have been arrested be dropped, that any medical expenses incurred by any students involved will be refunded, and that I have requested an advisory panel to examine the events that took place and that these reports directly to the U.C. President Mark Yudof.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Two officers and the chief of campus police are off the job after the pepper spraying. The chancellor who is trying to hang on to her job also said she wanted police to remove tents, but she did not approve of the use of force or any arrests.
Jerry Sandusky's days as a free man may be numbered. This morning, sources say Pennsylvania Child Services is now investigating two new cases of alleged child sex abuse against the former Penn State coach. These complaints only filed within the past 60 days, which means these accusers are still minors and that the alleged abuse happened while the grand jury was investigating Sandusky.
Yesterday, Sandusky's lawyer told ABC News that he would not be surprised if his client went to jail if prosecutors brought new charges.
Still to come, caught on camera -- terrifying moments when a helicopter runs into trouble and crashes. And even though the pilot was tossed out like a rag doll, he survived.
New developments in that SAT cheating scandal. Investigators locate more students they say were paying people to take their college entrance exam for them.
And before you tie up your holiday shopping list, the list of the most dangerous toys has been released. We'll share.
This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. It's 12 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Fourteen minutes past the hour.
Here's what's all new this morning.
Eight Republican contenders faced off in the shadow of the White House at last night's GOP national security debate. The evening's hot topics were the Patriot Act, immigration and securing our borders. It was Newt Gingrich's debut as the party's front-runner. And some analysts say he seemed appealing and positive.
The SAT cheating scandal widens on Long Island. Thirteen more students now facing charges. Nine are accused of paying people to take the SAT and ACT tests in their place. Four others are the alleged test takers. Police say they accepted up to $3,600 to scam the system.
So far, 20 people have been called in the cheating probe since the story broke in September.
Listen up, parents. Before you start your holiday shopping, make sure you check the annual "Trouble in Toyland" report. It details the dangers in some children's toys. They found choking on small parts is still the leading cause of toy-related deaths. And many toys contain high levels of toxic chemicals.
Also, the report reveals what hazardous toys are on the shelves right now.
Let's head to Atlanta and check in with Jacqui Jeras.
Good morning, Jacqui.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey, good morning, Carol.
We're checking on things in the airways at this hour. So many people are going to be flying today. But, you know, AAA says 4 percent more people are going to be driving.
So, as we take a look at our flight explorer, look at all the planes in the air already this morning. The good news is no travel delays being reported by the FAA, at least not at this hour.
However, with rain up and down the east coast, we do expect to see some delays in places like New York City, also into Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, we're concerned about some flooding in that area. And then we're also going to see some potential delays, even in places like Atlanta because the cloud cover is going to hold on at least through the early part of the day.
As we take a look at your Thanksgiving, turkey day itself here, Carol, look at that. Things look better. Much, much better, in fact. Things clear out across the east. The Midwest looks great. Just a little bit of trouble as our next front comes into the Pacific Northwest for tomorrow.
So get through today and things are looking a lot better. If you're home today, Carol, right? What a better day to stay in with the rain and cook your turkey. Get things started.
COSTELLO: All right. Advice taken. Jacqui Jeras, thanks to you.
A dramatic helicopter crash in New Zealand overnight. Stunning video now. The chopper's rotator blades clipped a cable while putting up a Christmas tree. And as you can see, it sent the helicopter spinning wildly out of control before the copter slammed into the ground. The chopper's tail actually snapped completely off.
Miraculously, the pilot jumped from the helicopter cockpit. He's OK, and so is everyone nearby. Pretty amazing.
Three American college students arrested during the uprising in Egypt will face more questioning this morning in Cairo. U.S. embassy representatives are expected to be on hand. The students shown on Egyptian state television are accused of lobbing Molotov cocktails at police during the violent protests.
One of their moms is speaking out. She says her son is the type of kid who would get involved but not one who would get violent.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOY SWEENEY, DERRIK SWEENEY'S MOTHER: He is a very passionate person. He believes in democracy. He stands -- he believes in standing up for what you believe in, standing up for what you feel is right. And that's the kind of person he is.
So, are we surprised that he would go down there and stand up for what he believes in? No.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: It is the fifth day of violence in Egypt. Bloody clashes between police and protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square this morning. Demonstrators again are throwing those Molotov cocktails. They're throwing rocks. Cops hitting back with tear gas and rubber bullets.
This just days before the parliamentary elections take place. So let's head live to Cairo and check in with Ivan Watson. Good morning, Ivan.
IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
It's a violent morning here in Tahrir Square. We just came from the street that is the main battleground between the demonstrators and the riot police now going into the fifth day. Tear gas thick in the air. Kids refusing to back down until they're overwhelmed by the gas. And then periodically, these momentary lulls in the fighting.
I actually saw riot police, young people also crying from the tear gas, embracing and kissing some of the street kids who were fighting them. And then moments later, the rocks and the tear gas canisters were out in the air again.
Last night, the head of the ruling military council, he announced that he had accepted the resignation of the civilian government here, the prime minister, that he was going to push forward presidential elections. But that doesn't seem to be satisfying the people who gathered in Tahrir Square behind me by the hundreds of thousands into the early predawn hours.
Take a listen to what one of them had to say about the ruling military council.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They don't even care. They just want them gone. You know. That's how big of a thorn he is in the people's hearts. They just want him gone. You know, no matter the costs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: He's talking about the Marshal Mohamed Tantawi, the general who was Hosni Mubarak's defense minister who has been leading this ruling military council that's been governing the country for the last eight months.
Carol, one final point to make here, we're not seeing a presence among the throngs of people in Tahrir Square of the powerful Muslim Brotherhood. They have held back from joining in yesterday's million- man march, reportedly because they helped reach a deal with the ruling military council to push up the date of those presidential elections for this summer -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Ivan Watson reporting live from Cairo, Egypt, this morning -- thank you.
Still ahead on A.M. WAKE-UP CALL -- a couple of U.S. malls are going to great lengths to figure out how, where and when you shop, and they're hoping you and your mobile phone will help them figure it all out.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Stocks slip as investors remain worried about the Eurozone and U.S. economic growth. The three major indexes in the red. The Dow dropping 54 points and the S&P and the NASDAQ closing down for the fifth day in a row.
Could America's biggest banks handle a stock market shock like the one in '08? That's what the Federal Reserve wants to know. And U.S. shopping malls reveal plans to track your every move.
CNN's Nina dos Santos joins us live in London with more on these stories.
So, Nina, let's start with the banks. Are they really ready for this kind of test?
NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Carol, that's the big question, really, isn't it? We're going to be seeing 31 of these banks, the largest institutions in the United States would also have a huge bearing on the financial industry in places like London where I am. If you remember what happened with Lehman Brothers, we all know that whatever happens in the United States is particularly significant for Asia and also Europe.
Thirty-one banks are going to be subjected to these tests by the Federal Reserve which will essentially evaluate whether they'll be able to cope with another Lehman Brothers-like situation which prompted the onset of the credit crunch. What are they going to be facing?
Well, on the one hand, they're going to be having to simulate a major financial meltdown in the world's finance industry, see whether they can cope with that, and also keep capital buffers. So, essentially the amount of money that they have in their vaults and on their balance sheets and about 5 percent even in the face of unemployment that could be at about 13 percent. That's one of the things that they're going to be having to test for. And also crucially, they will be testing for a potential meltdown in the Eurozone debt situation.
We have had our banks here in Europe tested but not for that particular last point, Carol.
COSTELLO: Got you. OK, let's switch to shopping malls. They actually want to track shoppers by following their mobile phone signals?
DOS SANTOS: Yes. This is a particularly interesting story. You'd also think that it's perhaps one that could have some serious repercussions for privacy here. What we're going to see it during Black Friday, which is obviously an enormous time for U.S. retailers. Traditionally, it's called Black Friday because that's the time when they actually start making a profit or come into the black. And they've been making a loss up until then.
Two shopping malls in the United States owned by the same company, but one of them is in southern California. The other one is in Richmond, Virginia. They're going to be monitoring exactly the mobile phone signals of their shoppers to see which stores they go into. Say, for instance, one will go into, say, a department store and then afterwards into a coffee shop. They're going to be monitoring exactly where they go, what they buy. They have stressed, though, it's going to be done anonymously.
But you'd have thought, you know, if two shopping malls are doing it in the U.S., maybe we'll see others after Black Friday.
COSTELLO: I think so. If they think it can make them more money, why not?
Nina dos Santos reporting live from London, thank you so much.
It is the busiest travel day of the year, but many can expect to deal with more than just traffic. How about rain and snow? Yee-haw! We'll have the latest live from our severe weather center.
Plus, pepper sprayed by campus police. Now, university officials are trying to make amends with student protesters.
It's 25 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Major new developments in the Penn State sex abuse scandal. Two new alleged victims, possible evidence that Jerry Sandusky was preying on children during the grand jury investigation.
This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.
(MUSIC)
COSTELLO: And good morning to you. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL for Wednesday, November 23rd. I am Carol Costello.
Here are this morning's top stories:
GOP candidates facing off at CNN's national security debate last night, focusing on how to handle Pakistan, a nuclear Iran and protecting our borders. And the candidates were unanimous in their opposition to cuts to the nation's defense budget.
Former Los Angeles police chief, Bill Bratton, will lead an investigation into that pepper spray incident at UC-Davis. The university held a town hall meeting last night. Chancellor Linda Katehi also promising to pay medical costs for the students who were pepper sprayed in the face. Two officers and the police chief have already been put on administrative leave.
The holiday travel rush is on, and you can expect a few changes with security at the airport. The TSA has modified some of its policies and will do fewer pat-downs on children. And those children under 12 won't have to take off their shoes at checkpoints. In addition, those full-body scanners have new privacy filters that show generic images and not a detailed outline of the body.
Let's head to Atlanta now and get a check on the weather and something that really will slow you down, maybe today, if you're traveling.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. If you're traveling by air, even on the roadways, you know, you've got to slow it down because the roads get slick and your visibility is much worse, and that's going to be the rule on both coasts of the country today.
As we talk about airports there, Carol, take a look at our flight explorer today, and this will show you all of the planes that are in the air as we speak, and there are about 1,300 of them already this morning in the five o'clock hour. Now, at peak times, we'll usually see somewhere between 5,000 and 6,000. So those planes, the numbers are going to be increasing throughout the day, but you can see the showers and the snow certainly impacting travel across those areas today.
Where are we expecting delays? Well, take a look at the list today. Major delays potentially over an hour for Boston and New York. D.C. metros, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Charlotte, should stay under an hour. Seattle expecting heavy rain and wind that's mostly in the morning. And then, San Francisco looking for some major delays this morning as well.
Smooth sailing across the nation's midsection. That's where the best weather is going to be. A great day maybe to go out for a jog, Carol, before you have that big meal tomorrow.
COSTELLO: I think I'll do that.
JERAS: All right. I think I will, too.
COSTELLO: Good for you. I like that. Thank you, Jacqui.
From Pakistan to the Patriot Act, the republican candidates vying for the top elected jop in the land squared off at the national security debate on CNN. Our foreign affairs correspondent, Jill Dougherty, joins me live by phone from Washington. So, Jill, this was their 11th major showdown. What are some of the big moments?
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (on the phone): First, I wanted to say, Carol, good morning. The dynamics for this debate shifted. You know, every week, it seems there's another leader in the polls and that means that each of the candidates was trying to distinguish himself or herself from the pack.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DOUGHERTY: With eight Republicans on stage, President Barack Obama got a few nicks.
RICK SANTORUM, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If you like what Barack Obama has done to our economy, you'll love what he's done to our national security.
DOUGHERTY: But these candidates had the knives out for each other.
MITT ROMNEY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Are you suggesting, governor, that we just take all of our troops out next week? What's your proposal?
JON HUNTSMAN, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Did you hear what I just said? I said we should draw down from 100,000. We don't need 100,000 troops.
DOUGHERTY: There was heated debate on whether the post-9/11 Patriot Act should be extended.
NEWT GINGRICH (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: All of us will be in danger for the rest of our lives. This is not going to end in the short run, and we need to be prepared to protect ourselves.
REP. RON PAUL, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You can still provide security without sacrificing our bill of rights.
(APPLAUSE)
HUNTSMAN: I think we have to be very careful in protecting our individual liberties. We forget sometimes that we have a name brand in this world.
DOUGHERTY: Should specific ethnic or religious groups in America be profiled for security screenings?
BLITZER: Who would be profiled?
SANTORUM: Obviously, Muslims would be someone you'd look at, absolutely. Those are the folks who are the radical Muslims or the people that are committing these crimes.
PAUL: That's digging a hole for ourselves. What if they look like Timothy McVeigh? You know, he was a pretty tough criminal.
DOUGHERTY: In the midst of a heavy debate, a light moment.
BLITZER: Is it okay for Muslim-Americans to get more intensive pat-downs or security when they go through airports than Christian- Americans or Jewish-Americans?
HERMAN CAIN, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No, Blitz. That's oversimplifying it. I happen to believe that if you allow our intelligence agencies to do their job, they can come up with an approach. I'm sorry, Blitz, I meant Wolf, OK?
(LAUGHTER)
CAIN: Blitz, Wolf.
(LAUGHTER) DOUGHERTY: And what about aid to Pakistan?
REP. MICHELE BACHMANN, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I also think that Pakistan is a nation -- it's kind of like too nuclear to fail.
GOV. RICK PERRY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Until Pakistan clearly shows that they have America's best interests in mind, I would not send them one penny. Period.
BACHMANN: With all due respect to the governor, I think that's highly naive.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: So, Jill, Newt Gingrich was ahead going into last night's debate. Did he deliver?
DOUGHERTY: Well, you know, I think he presented himself as a professor which, of course, he is in real life. And, so, he came across as kind of the person who knew what he was talking about in kind of a historical way. And he was tough on strengthening the Patriot Act but compassionate on immigration reform, so it doesn't tear apart families.
So, in that sense, he balanced things. And also, don't forget he is a very experienced commentator. He has been on TV and everywhere for years and years. So, he's very good at talking off the cuff.
COSTELLO: He is indeed. Herman Cain, let's talk about him for just a bit. This was his chance to sort of redeem himself after that big Libya he gaffe -- that big Libya gaffe he made before the debate. Did he redeem himself?
DOUGHERTY: You know, he didn't make any major mistakes other than, of course, getting Wolf's name slightly wrong, but, in that effort, he sounded a bit tentative. In fact, there were several moments where he seemed to be saying, well, it depends. And in these debates, you really have to come out slugging and get to the point quickly, and sometimes, he didn't.
COSTELLO: Well, I was sort of thinking that maybe this was a debate where it was better that he kind of laid low and wasn't the center of attention. There are many more debates to come, right?
DOUGHERTY: Well, there are, and that's true, that you know, it's easy to, you know, make a gaffe, and especially on something where Cain does not have a lot of experience in foreign policy. So, he would tread carefully. And even people who do, you know, when you get into a debate, it can happen. So, yes, it is slow but steady, I guess, you'd have to say, Carol.
COSTELLO: Maybe so. Jill Dougherty, thanks for joining us this morning. We appreciate it.
And at CNN, we are gearing up for a new round of debates. Mark your calendar. Thursday, January 19th, CNN and the Southern Republican Leadership Conference will host a town hall debate in Charleston, South Carolina. South Carolina will hold the first in the south presidential primary two days later on January 21st.
UC-Davis in full-on damage control mode this morning. The university held a town hall meeting last night in front of about 1,000 students. Chancellor Linda Katehi offered to cover the medical expenses for protesters who were blasted with pepper spray in a video that went viral and stressed that students have a right to demonstrate peacefully.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LINDA KATEHI, UC DAVIS CHANCELLOR: I am requesting that all charges against the students who have been arrested be dropped, that any medical expenses incurred by any students involved will be refunded, and that I have requested an advisory panel examine the events that took place and that this panel reports directly to UC president, Mark Yudof.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Two officers and the chief of campus police are of the job after the pepper spraying. The chancellor who's trying to hang on to her job also said she wanted police to remove the tents, but she did not approve of the use of force or any arrests.
Jerry Sandusky's days as a free man may be numbered. This morning, sources say Pennsylvania Child Services is now investigating two new cases of alleged child sex abuse against the former Penn State coach. These complaints only filed in the past 60 days, which means these accusers are still minors and that the alleged abuse happened while the grand jury was investigating Sandusky.
Yesterday, Sandusky's lawyer told ABC News that he would not be surprised if his client went to jail if prosecutors bring these new charges.
Three American college students arrested during the uprising in Egypt will face more questioning this morning in Cairo. U.S. embassy representatives are expected to be on hand. The students shown on Egyptian state TV are accused of lobbing Molotov cocktails at police during the violent protests.
One of the mothers is speaking out. She says her son is the type of kid who would get involved, but not one who would get violent.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOY SWEENEY, DERRIK SWEENEY'S MOTHER: He is a very passionate person. He believes in democracy. He believes in standing up for what you believe in, standing up for what you feel is right. And that's the kind of person he is. So, are we surprised that he would go down there and stand up for what he believes in? No.
(END VIDEO CLIP) COSTELLO: Crowds gather again in Cairo's Tahrir Square for a fifth day this morning. Egypt's health ministry says 30 people have died and more than 1,900 have been hurt in the brutal pre-election crackdown.
The father of a man accused of plotting terror attacks in New York says the charges against his son just don't add up. Juan Jose Pimentel spoke to CNN on the phone from his home in the Dominican Republic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUAN JOSE PIMENTEL, NYC TERROR SUSPECT'S FATHER (through translator): He didn't change. He kept on being a normal person. Four years ago, when he was already a Muslim, he was right here where we are now visiting along with his brother. His brother's idea was that coming here was going to help him leave that religion.
His brother would tell me that that religion is bad. It's for Arabs, for crazy people, for terrorists, and such, and he had gotten into that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: The man's son, Jose Pimentel, is accused of being an al Qaeda sympathizer who wanted to kill New York City police and U.S. troops with homemade pipe bombs. Pimentel allegedly told police he was an hour away from completing his first bomb when he was arrested.
Forty minutes past the hour now. Let's get a check on what's coming up at the top of the hour on "American Morning." Alina Cho is here. Good morning, Alina.
ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: Hey there, Carol. Good morning to you. Coming up in about 20 minutes on "American Morning," even more shocking allegations against former assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky, from Penn State. Was he preying on little boys while the grand jury was investigating sex abuse allegations? We'll speak to the reporter from the paper that broke the story.
Let's go to the scorecards. Who won last night's GOP national security debate? Did Newt Gingrich beat the heat of being on top? The best political team will weigh in live including last night's moderator, Wolf Blitzer, or Blitz, as Herman Cain called him.
And a telescope that will allow NASA to look back in time, maybe all the way to the big bang, but can we afford it? Scientists are hoping Congress thinks it's a good idea.
We'll have those stories and much more coming up at the top of the hour. But first, this is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. We're back after a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Forty-five minutes past the hour. Here's what's all new this morning.
Eight Republican contenders faced off in the shadow of the White House at last night's GOP national security debate. The evening's hot topics were the Patriot Act, immigration, and securing the borders. It was Newt Gingrich's debut as the party's frontrunner, and some analysts say he seemed appealing and positive.
A cosmic close call. NASA says a chunk of space debris is no longer a major threat to the International Space Station. Earlier, the crew planned to hunker down in the Soyuz vehicle attached to the station, but that's no longer necessary. The debris, which is actually a piece of a Chinese weather satellite, just passed by safely.
Listen up, parents. Before you start your holiday shopping, make sure to check the annual troubled in Toyland report. It details the dangers in some children's toys. They found choking on small parts is still the leading cause of toy-related deaths, and many toys contain high levels of toxic chemicals. Also, the report reveals what hazardous toys are on the shelves right now.
In sports, it's all about family and football. San Francisco 49ers coach, Jim Harbaugh, will battle it out on the gridiron with his older brother, John, who is the Baltimore Ravens' coach. Sibling rivalry happens on Thanksgiving, and it's a first in the NFL. But, of course, before you watch that game, watch the Detroit Lions take on the Green Bay Packers. I had to get that in, Jacqui.
JERAS: Of course you did. And I'll get in that I'll be cheering for the Vikings at the game on Sunday. There you go.
COSTELLO: Oh, you're a brave soul.
(LAUGHTER)
JERAS: A good day to watch football today. Shame there's not a good game going on because it's a lousy day out there for so many people. Take a look at the radar. Up and down the east coast, it's just soaked in. In I-95, it's going to be one of the worst quarters to travel at least for the morning hour. So, looking at D.C., already starting to dry out.
Philadelphia, a flood advisory in effect, so make sure you don't drive through those water-covered roads. The front's going to sweep through later on today, and everybody should be done with the precip by the evening. So much better weather around the corner, but the pacific northwest stays pretty socked in, Carol.
COSTELLO: Good -- well, sort of good news, I guess.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: Yes. Jacqui Jeras, thanks.
It's one of the busiest travel days of the year, and if you're headed to the airport, pack your patience, as they say, as long lines are expected to be the norm and not the exception. George Howell is live at Atlanta's airport. So, George, how's it looking this morning?
GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, how about some good news here from Atlanta? First off, as you heard, there is some weather that passed through the region overnight. That weather no longer a factor. And right now, travel moving along quite fine here at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
We went inside. No wait at the security line. Great news for passengers traveling through here. Also, when you go inside, you find a few lines that are longer here and there, but really, the story of the hour, it's pretty open. Open season right now here at the airport. And again, the busiest passenger and operations airport in the world.
Some 240,000 people here at this airport on any given day, 60,000 workers here. It's like a small city. And overall, they're expecting at least 3.4 million people to fly here over the next few days for Thanksgiving as opposed to driving. So, the good news from Atlanta right now, if you're getting a head start, an early start, it is open season. So, a good time to fly here, Carol.
COSTELLO: Yes. If you were smart enough to book early, but many of us, including me, were not. Thank you very much. We appreciate it. I know you're going to be there all day. And it will probably be much more crowded later. Thanks so much, George.
We are working several developing stories for the top of the hour. Three American college students accused of throwing Molotov cocktails during protests in Cairo are set to be interrogated in Egypt today.
And when we come back, Angelina Jolie explaining why she thinks she's lucky to be alive. It's 49 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: If you are dreading the get-together with some of your not-so-favorite relatives this Thanksgiving, here's Jay Leno to help you get through the holiday.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAY LENO, HOST, THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO: Are you all ready for Thanksgiving?
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
LENO: See, I love watching the audience when I ask that question. Guys go, I don't know, honey, are we ready?
(LAUGHTER)
LENO: Well, here's some good police work. Officials in New York City have arrested an al Qaeda sympathizer for allegedly planning a terrorist attack. You know, I hope al Qaeda gets the message. If we want to be terrorized over Thanksgiving, we have our relatives come visit us, OK? That's how we do it. Yes, well, thank you very much.
And Martha Stewart invited the "Today" show into her home this morning to show them how to prepare a Thanksgiving turkey. Some people say her methods are kind of unorthodox. Here, take a look.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, boy, turkey day is the most fun day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You want a little salt and pepper on that?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Here's a fabulous trick I learned over at UC-Davis.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: All righty then. Let's check our entertainment headlines now, shall we? HLN "Showbiz Tonight" executive producer, Dave Levine, joins me by phone from New York. Good morning, Dave.
DAVE LEVINE, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, HLN "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" (on the phone): Hey, Carol, good morning. And that kind of inspired me, but first, I wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving to you. I know it's not till tomorrow.
COSTELLO: But I'll take it, Dave. Happy Thanksgiving to you, too. Let's talk about --
LEVINE: What a thanksgiving it's going to be for J.R. Martinez. Wow!
COSTELLO: Yes. I was going to mention him.
LEVINE: Last night on "Dancing with the Stars" on ABC. Carol, if anybody had ever said to me at the beginning of the "Dancing with the Stars" season that it would come down to this, a war hero-- an Iraq war hero versus the brother of Kim Kardashian, I would have said, are you nuts? But that's what happened.
And it was a real nail-biter right down to the end, Carol. It was unbelievable. It was kind of like watching the World Series with the bases loaded, bottom of the ninth, who's going to hit that homerun, two men out. It came down to J.R. Martinez and rob Kardashian after Ricki Lake was voted off.
They both had to dance it off, and they both scored perfect scores. So, in the end, it was America that voted. And America voted J.R. Martinez. And what a story he has, Carol. I mean, it's unbelievable. Let's not forget his life totally changed in 2003. He was a United States army infantryman who was deployed in Iraq.
He was driving a truck. He hit a land mine. He was burned over 40 percent of his body. We were with J.R. last night. He was so inspirational, Carol. He talked to "Showbiz Tonight" about what it was like to make it through this. Listen to what he told us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J.R. MARTINEZ, "DANCING WITH THE STARS" WINNER: That's how life is. Sometimes, things that you want are going to be thrown at you. Some things you don't want are going to be thrown at you, but you have to be willing to step up to the challenge. You have to maintain a positive attitude, be patient and just fight.
And understand and believe that if you do those things, good things will come to you. And one day you, too, will be able to hold your own personal trophy. So, I think that's the biggest thing that we've been able to prove this whole ten-week, you know, journey that we've been on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVINE: Carol, what an amazing inspiration this guy is. And don't forget, he beat out -- he's now the biggest celebrity -- and he beat out all the other celebrities. Of course, he beat out Ricki Lake. There were 11 in all that included Chas Bono, Carson Kressley, Kristin Cavallari from "The Hills," and a bunch of others. And, Carol, how could you not be inspired by watching him?
COSTELLO: I know. And the best part about it, to me at least, he can actually dance. I know he's a war hero, and it is a fabulous story, but he can actually dance which was refreshing that the winner actually had some talent. Quickly now, do we have time to mention Angelina Jolie?
LEVINE: Yes, real quick. Angelina Jolie, brand-new interview dropped as they like to say a shocking shocker. She said that she's lucky that she didn't die young. She was talking about her hard times in the past. Let's take a look at what she told "60 Minutes'" Bob Simon in a brand-new interview.
She said, "I went through heavier, darker times and I survived them. I didn't die young, so I am very lucky. There are other artists and people that didn't survive certain things." Angelina, of course, was talking about her -- what has been referred to her wild child past until she finally calmed down, so to speak.
She did say, though, I'm still a bad girl. I still have that side of me. It's just in its place now. And, of course, Carol, you're wondering why is she suddenly talking about this stuff? Because she has a movie to promote! That's why. She has a new movie coming out in December, getting a lot of great buzz.
We love Angelina. The name of the movie is "In the Land of Blood And Money," which she's doing (INAUDIBLE) to help promote the movie, and we wish her all the best. We love her.
COSTELLO: Dave Levine, thanks so much. We appreciate it. That's it for this Wednesday edition of A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. "AMERICAN MORNING" continues after a break. Have a great pre- Thanksgiving Day.
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