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President Obama Prepares for State of the Union Address; GOP Push Budget Resolution; McDonald's to Raise Prices; Violent Protests Rock Egypt; Academy Announces Nominations for Annual Awards in Movies and Cinema; 'The Big Brown Comedy Hour'

Aired January 25, 2011 - 11:00   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Live from Studio 7, I'm Carol Costello. CNN's big stories for Tuesday, January 25th.

At the Capitol right now, Democrats and Republicans are pressing fellow lawmakers to mix up the seating at tonight's State of the Union Address. Usually Democrats sit on one side of the House chamber, while Republicans sit on the other.

You're seeing senators enter the room. They're going to hold a little press conference about this issue in just a little bit. Those lawmakers saying mingled seating will send a message of unity in today's often toxic political climate.

Russia's president says his company should adopt Israeli-style security at its airports. Dmitry Medvedev blames poor security for the suicide attack that killed 35 people at Moscow's biggest airport today. He vows those responsible for the terror, once they're identified, will be "eliminated."

Dr. Conrad Murray will be arraigned this hour in Los Angeles. He's expected to plead not guilty in the death of pop star Michael Jackson. A prosecutor says Jackson died because of "the utterly inept, incompetent and reckless defendant." Murray is charged with involuntary manslaughter.

Oprah's big news. Everybody is talking about it today, still. Winfrey reveals she has a half-sister she did not know about. Her mother gave up the baby in 1963 when Oprah was 9 years old and living in another city and with her father.

Late-night comedians could not resist.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONAN O'BRIEN, HOST, "CONAN": Today, Oprah Winfrey -- did you hear this? -- she announced that she has found her half-sister who was given up for adoption as a child. Isn't that crazy? Yes. And then, so that no one felt left out, Oprah gave everyone in the audience their own half-sister.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: I love that joke. President Obama gets ready to face the nation and a divided Congress to deliver his State of the Union speech tonight. We know he will focus on jobs and the economy. And a Democratic source says he will lay out a plan for winning the future.

Let's bring in White House Correspondent Dan Lothian.

OK, Dan. We know what the president is going to talk about, but we know -- do we know any of the specifics of this plan he will likely present to the nation?

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I'll tell you, since yesterday, that's something that we have been digging on. And privately, we're hearing bits and pieces of what's in the plan, but publicly, the White House is saying that, let it stay for the president to have his fresh remarks when he makes the address tonight.

But in general, the president will be talking about jobs, the economy, not only building jobs in the short term, but over the long term as well. And then, two buzzwords that we've been hearing a lot about here at the White House recently is "competitiveness" and also "innovation." What can be done to help the United States become an even bigger and better player on the foreign and global stage?

And one of the other issues, too, that the president will touch on is something that Republicans have been dinging this administration about, and that's the deficit. They believe that this administration has been spending too much to try to get out of the recession, and that there needs to be more focus -- a bigger focus, rather -- on cuts. And so the president will address that in his State of the Union Address.

And then, finally, this issue of bipartisanship. You were talking about how a couple dozen lawmakers will be mingling, going across the partisan divide, those traditional seating arrangements at the addresses, and mingling tonight. That's a good start, say White House officials, but what's important is what happens tomorrow.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VALERIE JARRETT, SR. WHITE HOUSE ADVISER: Well, like prom night, listen, I think it's symbolic, but I think also what the president is most concerned about is tomorrow, and will we be able to work together tomorrow? So sitting together is one thing, working together and moving our country forward on behalf of the citizens of our country is what the president's first priority is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LOTHIAN: And one of the things you'll hear from the president tonight is looking back to what happened at the end of last year, during the lame-duck session, how there was compromise that took place, how even on tax cuts for the wealthy Americans, something that the president was not initially backing, that that was something that he did give in on so that they could have some progress. And so the president will talk about that as a an example of what can happen now going forward, moving forward the agenda here in Washington -- Carol.

COSTELLO: So after the president speaks, and Democrats and Republicans mingle, there's going to be the Republican response. Or should I say responses, including --

(CROSSTALK)

LOTHIAN: Responses, that's right. I mean, typically, you have the Republican response, but in this case you'll have not only the Republican response from Representative Paul Ryan, but, also, you'll have the Tea Party response from Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann.

What's interesting about this is that, you know, some are talking about possibly this being an example of a big divide within the Republican Party. But one top Republican official is saying, listen, that is simply not the case, that both of these responses will be focused on one message, but you'll have different voices.

COSTELLO: We'll see how that plays out and if they are right.

LOTHIAN: We'll see.

COSTELLO: Dan Lothian, live from the White House.

Thank you.

Tonight's speech comes less than three weeks after the deadly shooting rampage in Tucson. Lawmakers will pay special tribute to Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords as she recovers from a gunshot wound. Giffords' friend, Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, is urging lawmakers to wear black and white ribbons on their lapels. And the Arizona delegation will sit together, leaving an empty seat for Giffords.

Her brother-in-law, Scott Kelly, is watching it all -- will watch it all, should I say, from the International Space Station.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT KELLY, ASTRONAUT: Well, it's certainly a horrible tragedy on so many levels, not just with Gabby, but the other victims, you know, a 9-year-old girl, Christina. It's been tough, but I'm able to follow the news and talk to my brother and other friends and family members via telephone we have on board, and communicate with e-mail, and actually watch the news. Actually, CNN is the way I've been following the news as it unfolds. And so I'm able to keep in touch, and I'm doing well with it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: We're glad to help.

Scott Kelly said he would prefer to be there in person to support his family, but he has a responsibility on the space mission. And, let's face it, it's a long commute back from space. CNN's primetime coverage of the State of the Union Address begins at 7:00 Eastern with "JOHN KING USA" and "The Best Political Team on Television." The president speaks at 9:00, followed by the Republican response at 11:00. CNN's Anderson Cooper brings you expert analysis and reaction to the State of the Union.

Coming up at the half-hour in the CNN NEWSROOM, we'll look back at one of the president's promises from his 2010 speech and whether he delivered.

But, first, we go "Cross Country."

Once a first responder, always a first responder. How one man saved another from an icy fate.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Congressional Republicans are sending a clear message to the White House just hours before the president's State of the Union Address.

Our Dana Bash is on Capitol Hill.

I guess the bills are flying up there.

DANA BASH, CNN SR. CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. This is a resolution, but as you said, it's a resolution that is steeped in symbolism.

It is to instruct the House budget chairman, Paul Ryan, who is actually going to be giving the Republican response tonight, to take the spending levels back to 2008 levels. That, of course, is before President Obama was in office.

It is part of the "Pledge to America," and Republicans now say that that will probably add up to $60 billion, less than what they originally promised, was $100 billion in cuts in spending for this first year. So that is something that Republicans say that they want to do to make clear to the American people, to the voters, and especially the base who sent them here, who say that cutting spending is their priority, that they're listening, and they want to send that to the president, too.

That was one thing that we heard from House Republican leaders when they came out to the microphones earlier today. But another piece of news, Carol. And that is that what I'm talking about is a resolution, but they're going to go beyond that, and they're going to actually have the first big, real spending fight just a few weeks from now, the week of February 14th.

That is when the House Republicans will hold a vote on keeping the government running, which effectively is spending. And that is where House Republicans have said that they want to show that they are willing to cut spending in a way that they want (ph) with the voters.

COSTELLO: Oh, on Valentine's Day. That's terrific. BASH: Nice valentine, right.

COSTELLO: Let's talk about the spending cuts, because what about specifics? What are they going to cut? Nobody's saying what they're going to cut.

BASH: They're not. And this resolution that they're passing today is really just a few lines. And it instructs, as I said, the budget chairman to do that.

But one of the most frustrating things for myself and other reporters here on Capitol Hill has been to ask GOP load leaders about specifics. It's been very hard to get that, because they say they're going to work on that in the future.

However, interestingly, Carol, there is a group -- a very, very large group -- of conservatives, part of the conservative Republican Study Committee, who released their own proposal last week, trying to pressure their own Republican leadership to make steeper cuts, even steeper cuts, $2.5 trillion over 10 years, and they were specific. They listed a whole host of things that add up to that -- billions of cutting spending from Amtrak, from education and other things.

So, there, we do have some specifics. We'll see what the leadership eventually comes up with, but we don't have a lot right now.

COSTELLO: All right. Dana Bash, I'm sure you will be there listening to it all.

Dana Bash, reporting live from Capitol Hill.

BASH: Thanks, Carol.

(NEWSBREAK)

COSTELLO: Flavor Flav -- I know I didn't pronounce that right. I'm just not hip enough.

Flavor Flav -- how about that? -- he takes on the Colonel. That's right. The Public Enemy rapper and reality TV star opened Flav's Fried Chicken in Iowa. And he told Colonel Sanders, "Watch out."

Jacqui Jeras is all over this story.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey, Carol. Say it again, will you? Come on.

COSTELLO: Please don't make me.

JERAS: Come on -- Flavor Flav.

COSTELLO: Flavor Flav -- oh, you do it.

JERAS: He always has something to say, right? Well, he opened Flav's Chicken in Clinton, Iowa, yesterday, with a business partner that he met through a Vegas connection. Flavor Flav says he intends to work at the location to help draw customers, and he was there yesterday for their grand opening.

He has a message for KFC's Colonel Sanders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FLAVOR FLAV, OWNER, FLAV'S FRIED CHICKEN: That's right, Colonel. Watch out. There's a new guy in town -- Flavor Flav.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, Flavor Flav.

FLAV: Flav's Fried Chicken, baby, FFC. FFC. Before I get it in, FFC. I've got the first dollar. Holler!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JERAS: He also said, and I quote, "My chicken ain't no joke. I ain't scared to go up against the Colonel taste-wise." And Flavor Flav, of course, said he developed his own special chicken recipe over the years, and that he grew up in a family that owned a diner, and he also attended cooking school in the late 1970s.

I didn't know that.

COSTELLO: Who knew? I mean, I can't even figure out why he's in Iowa.

JERAS: I know. Clinton, Ohio.

I think his business partner, his brother, owns a restaurant in Clinton, and that's why. There's like 26,000 people in Clinton, just so you know.

COSTELLO: I get it all now. It's all clear to me, kind of.

JERAS: They must all love chicken.

COSTELLO: There's something actually kind of cool trending on Twitter.

JERAS: Yes, you know, it's kind of fun. If you're bored and have nothing to do, answer this one, under the hashtag "unlikely headlines."

So some people really have come up with some really creative things. This one is kind of fun.

How about this one? You'd think you'd never hear something like this from BeansLover (ph): "Economy Fully Recovered. Tax Rebates for Everyone."

COSTELLO: We'd love to put that headline up.

JERAS: Wouldn't that be great? We can always dream, right? COSTELLO: Yes.

JERAS: How about this one from LordGAlmighty (ph): "God Hires J. K. Rowling to Rewrite the Bible."

Probably not going to see that, right?

COSTELLO: No, I don't think so.

JERAS: Here's another fun one: "Paris Hilton Joins Vatican Convent."

COSTELLO: I would love to see that one.

JERAS: Good luck with that. Yes.

OK. And how about "Kiefer Sutherland Admits to Briefly Working for the FBI"?

COSTELLO: I think they'd want him.

JERAS: They might. He's a sharp guy, that Kiefer Sutherland.

COSTELLO: He is. He is my hero, Jack Bauer.

JERAS: I would like to see -- how about "Gas Prices Drop $5."

COSTELLO: Five dollars? That's nothing.

JERAS: Well, then we'd have to make it up. How about $1?

COSTELLO: Yes. OK. We'll take that. Anything is good at this point.

Thank you, Jacqui.

JERAS: Sure.

COSTELLO: Want to know how just deep the bitter rivalry runs between Green Bay and Chicago? We ask the guy sitting at home this morning without a job, and the manager who fired him for sporting his true colors.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Going out to eat is about to get a bit more expensive. McDonald's is raising prices, and analysts say other restaurants will likely do the same thing.

Alison Kosik is on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange with details.

So, Alison, let's start with McDonald's. How much are we talking about?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, right now, Carol, McDonald's is not saying when it's going to raise prices on its menu items, or by how much. Just know we will see price increases on the menu this year.

Now, keep in mind that this isn't going to be an across-the-menu hike in prices. McDonald's is going to go in there and raise prices on only select items.

And, you know, it's kind of a balancing act for McDonald's, because if you think about it, people go there to get a low-price meal. And I guess rule number one in the fast-food biz is you don't want to scare away the consumer with high prices at your restaurant -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Well, I know. But what's behind the increase, then? It's not like the economy is getting increasingly, markedly better?

KOSIK: It is getting better, but McDonald's is blaming rising commodity costs like grain and meat. But, Carol, keep in mind, this isn't just McDonald's. This is restaurants as a whole.

I mean, these higher commodity prices are affecting restaurants all over the place. So don't be surprised when you sit down at a local restaurant where you may go to and see that the menu items are a little bit more costly, because this is just par for the course.

You look at what's been going on over the past year, corn and wheat prices are up more than 65 percent. Cattle and hog prices are also up by the double digits.

And part of the problem here is we've had really extreme weather conditions. In Canada, we've had a lot of rain. We've had floods in Australia. Russia has been dealing with droughts. So this has really become a global problem, not just a McDonald's problem.

COSTELLO: OK. I'm ready to pay the increased costs. I have to get used to it, I know.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

COSTELLO: All right. Alison Kosik, live at the New York Stock Exchange.

Many thanks.

Chicago is Bears town, but is the office really the right place to send a message to Green Bay fans?

Green Bay Packer backer and car salesman John Stone was fired for wearing his Packers' tie to work on Monday. Hey, it was just one day after a bitter playoff lost to their most hated rivals. So here's how it played out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN STONE, CAR SALESMAN: -- in the middle of the showroom floor says, "Take your tie off or you're fired." I'm like -- oh, I'm sorry. I'm like, "Jerry I cannot just zip it up." "No, you're fired. Get out."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You actually fired a guy for wearing a Green Bay Packers' tie?

JERRY ROBERTS, GENERAL MANAGER, WEBB CHEVROLET: Correct.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Were there customers complaining?

ROBERTS: Not yet, but it was early in the day, and we weren't going to give them the opportunity to do so either.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: There you have it. How is that for the love of the game?

Bob Cook has never missed a single Super Bowl ever. He's attended all 44 of them, and number 45, next month, will be extra special because he's from Wisconsin, a homegrown Packers' fan. The 79-year-old belongs to the Never Miss a Super Bowl Club. After tests to make sure Cook and his buddies were for real, the NFL started sending tickets aside for the club.

And an 85-year-old just made it into "The Guinness Book of World Records" for bowling the most perfect games on Nintendo's Wii. John Bates (ph) recorded 2,850 perfect games last year. His next goal is to set a world record in Wii Golf.

Hundreds of people were forced out into the brutal cold overnight in Boston. A water pipe burst inside their high-rise apartment building, and that set off the sprinklers.

A fire department spokesman said that there is water everywhere, even in the elevators. Residents are waiting at a nearby school for the all clear so they can go back home. What a mess.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Budget some time, will you, for a presidential promise. What the president said about the budget in last year's State of the Union and whether he came through.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Could it be a surge of optimism in a country overwhelmed by years of economic bad news? Our CNN/Opinion Research pollsters asked a sampling of Americans, "How is the state of our union?" And look at this.

Forty-three percent say things are going well, compared to just 29 percent who thought so last month. That's the most optimistic we've been since 2007.

A majority, 56 percent, still say things are going badly, but that's down from a whopping 71 percent who thought so back in December. So we may have good reason to be optimistic. Beyond all the gloom and doom, we want to take a look at what is right with the economy. And there are some encouraging signs, especially in the job market.

Christine Romans of our Money team is here with some examples.

Take it away.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, it could be that people are feeling a little bit better because they know somebody who has been looking for a job and got one, or because they themselves have found that they are able to maneuver a little bit better at the office and actually got a raise or a promotion. I mean, these things are slowly, slowly starting to happen.

Let me tell you what is going right with the jobs market.

First of all, private sector growth is starting to come back. Eleven months in a row now of companies, private sector, adding jobs -- 1.3 million private sector jobs created in 2010. And a report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas found that layoffs in technology were the lowest last year in 10 years, since they have been tracking these things, down dramatically, showing you that there is some activity happening in technology. I've been telling you science, technology, engineering, and math, that's where the head hunters, the recruiters, the hiring managers say there are actually bidding wars for those types of workers.

One thing to remember on technology in particular, though, you want to make sure that you have specific skills in technology, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, but you also want to make sure that you're a generalist as well and that you're flexible. Because occasionally -- well, more than just occasionally, there can sometimes be outsourcing of technologies and work overseas. And you can find yourself quickly out of a job. It's a very dynamic kind of a market. So make sure you're a generalist, as well, and you could retrain in technology, because that's where we're seeing a lot of growth.

Now, one thing I also wanted to show you, network systems and data analysts. That job sector growth by 2018, is expected to be 53 percent. Computer software engineers -- this is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Demand for those sorts of workers up 34 percent between now and 2018. So this shows you where some things are going right in the economy.

If you can get jobs market to recover a little bit, Carol, it might help the housing market. I know we're trying to look at what's looking up, but there was a housing market report today that's just really not good and shows that in housing, at least, there are really deep concerns about a double dip, meaning home prices going back down again.

But if the job market starts to improve, then maybe that can help the housing market, as well, as people can sell a house, get you out from under a house, to go find work someplace else in the country. COSTELLO: And employed people can better buy a house than those unemployed.

ROMANS: Exactly.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Christine.

ROMANS: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: Presidents makes grand promises during their State of the Union speeches. So, do they deliver? CNN's Tom Foreman looks back at 2010 and the president's pledge on the budget.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Voter concern about government spending has risen right along with the deficit itself and the president saluted that in his last State of the Union.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Starting in 2011, we are prepared to freeze government spending for three years. Spending related to our national security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security will not be affected. But all other discretionary government programs will. And if I have to enforce this by veto, I will. We will continue to go through the budget, line by line, page by page, to eliminate programs that we can't afford and don't work. We've already identified $20 billion in savings for next year.

FOREMAN: The president submitted a budget last year that would have frozen federal spending and saved $23 billion. But Congress, which was in the hands of his own party all last year never finalized the deal. Instead, the government has been operating and spending through temporary funding measures. That leaves us with no other choice but to call this one stalled.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Tom Foreman.

Still ahead, will you see the exact moment lives were changed forever in Moscow. That deadly airport bombing next.

President Obama delivers his State of the Union tonight. It's an occasion full of pomp and pageantry in history. Do you know which president delivered the shortest State of the Union speech? What about the longest? We'll have the answers when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Before the break we asked which president delivered the shortest and longest State of the Union speeches. George Washington gave the first and also the shortest speech, just 1,089 words. And you probably guessed this one, Bill Clinton holds the record for the longest speech, 9,190 words.

Demonstrations are growing right now in Egypt. And as you can see, thousands of people are pouring into the streets to protest corruption and failing economic policies. Things were mostly peaceful but Cairo police fired tear gas at the crowd. Organizers say they hope to capture the momentum of protests that brought down the government in Tunisia.

A lot of finger pointing after a deadly suicide bombing at Moscow's busiest airport. A surveillance camera captured the very moment the bomb was detonated. There you see it. People walking around, then that flash of light. At least 35 people were killed, 152 others hurt. Russia's president says there was a clear lack of security at the international arrivals section and airport management should be held accountable.

Hospital officials say 41 of the injured remain in critical condition. Others are beginning to talk about what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): They are in shock right now. The general feeling boils down to, thank god we're alive. Because there was a young man I just talked to. He was deafened by the blast. For now, he still hasn't recovered his hearing. He was standing just two to three meters from the explosion but luckily he survived and will live. So far, those are only impressions. There was an explosion and they survived.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Authorities are still trying to figure out who might be behind the bombing. They may be calling on U.S. scientists whose job it is to find ways to outwit terrorists.

CNN's Deborah Feyerick takes us inside their laboratory.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): All I saw was black.

(voice-over): But it's there. Captured by high-speed camera, an explosion in 30 millionths of a second.

JOHN MAIENSCHEIN, LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL LABORATORY: No human eye can see that.

FEYERICK: John Maienschein blows things up for a living. He and his team are testing a bomb made of a half-pound of explosives, like the kind used by terrorists.

(on camera): Since 9/11, have you seen things you never thought you'd be testing, for example?

MAIENSCHEIN: Yes. The explosive the terrorists use, improvised explosives, are frankly mixtures I didn't really expect would work. And so it's been eye opening to us what actually will explode when you put it together. FEYERICK: The 20-ton bomb blast chamber, one of the largest in the world, is at Lawrence Livermore National Lab near San Francisco. Here scientists and experts of all kinds study everything there is to know about explosives, assessing the overall threat.

MAIENSCHEIN: Their job in many cases is to think about well, what could happen? What could be done. You know, how could -- how do you red team, we call it, the terrorists? Beat them at their own game.

FEYERICK: Bruce Goodwin heads up defense and nuclear weapons here.

GOODWIN: An ounce of high explosive would ruin your whole day.

FEYERICK: This national lab has analyzed the threat to airliners by testing explosives similar to those used by the underwear bomber.

(on camera): With the underwear bomber, it was PETN, which is relatively --

BRUCE GOODWIN, DIRECTOR, LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL LAB: It's a good explosive. It's something that it used by the military. It would be interesting to see where that fellow got that material.

FEYERICK: OK.

GOODWIN: OK. Let me leave it at that.

FEYERICK (voice-over): By fingerprinting explosives, scientists can understand how they were made. The blast potential, even who may have put them together.

GOODWIN: Making high explosives in your kitchen. We think about that. We've been thinking about that for a very long time and as a result we can provide advice on certain things that people shouldn't be able to bring on to airplanes, even though they looks like you're getting ready for mama to make cookies.

FEYERICK: Understanding bombs to protect the public.

Deborah Feyerick, CNN, Livermore, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Taking a look at top stories now. The Jared Loughner case. The federal judge entered not guilty pleas on his behalf to three counts of attempted murder in the mass shooting that wounded U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords.

Our Ted Rowlands was in the courtroom.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jared Lee Loughner came in with a version of that familiar smirk that was on his face in that police- released photo. He had that smile when he entered the courtroom. Then he sat down and settled in. For most of the proceedings he stared straight ahead as he did the first time he was in court. But a couple times he did smile at something that happened.

At one point he looked up into the gallery, the courtroom he was in, had a second floor, sort of balcony. He looked up and it looked to me as though he actually chuckled but he definitely smiled when he looked up and saw that so many people were looking down at him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Also scheduled to appear in court, Umar Faruk Abdulmutallab, better known as the alleged underwear bomber. The Nigerian national is accused of blowing up a plane heading for Detroit on Christmas Day 2009. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

And in Chicago, Rahm Emanuel is requesting a stay in an attempt to get his name back on the ballot in the city's race for mayor. Yesterday, a court ruled that the former White House chief of staff no longer meets the residency requirements to run for office.

And this "Daily Show" comedian is pointing out the absurdity of racial profiling, one punch line at a time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are many Americans out there who are, you know, are afraid that Sharia law is going to take over this country. Let me tell you something, there are many Muslims that are afraid of Sharia law.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nobody wants that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: A bit of developing news out to tell you that's coming out of Egypt. We mentioned this before. Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in Cairo, Egypt. They're protesting their government. There's alleged corruption in the government, and also their lack of jobs. Could this be shades of Tunisia.

Ben Wedeman is in Cairo, Egypt right now.

Ben, what are you seeing?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, what we saw is something I've never seen before in entire -- nearly 15, 16 years I've covered Egypt, which was tens of thousands of people in the main square chanting for the fall of the Mubarak regime.

The police, even though everybody knew there would be protests today in Cairo and around Egypt, nobody seemed -- I don't think the police were prepared at how many people would show up. The police started firing tear gas, there were exchanges of rocks between the protestors and the police.

Earlier, just a few hours before that, I had been driving along the road that cornice, the road that goes by the Nile, and I looked up and the bridge above me was full of thousands of people crossing the Nile, going to the center of the town. So it seems that all of these little demonstrations around Cairo have gathered in the center of the city. And at this point it seems like there's a stand off there between the protesters and the police. The police, for once, for once, I've never seen this before, are outnumbered by protesters.

COSTELLO: Interesting. You know, protesters in Tunisia were able to overthrow the government there. How serious do you think this is?

WEDEMAN: Well that's really hard to say, because this was something -- it's been planned now for about a week and a half in response to events in Tunisia. The Tunisian situation really got out of control when police started to open fire and kill demonstrators. As far as I know, that has not happened here.

There has been rising opposition to the Mubarak government for many years now, but until you see real bloodshed in the streets, the situation may not hit (ph) quit that far even though the conditions are similar between Egypt and Tunisia. You have a long-ruling head of state, who is barely democratically elected. To say the least, you have deteriorating economic conditions, you have rising prices, you have growing discontent with what many people feel is the heavy hand of the state. So the situation is similar, but until there's bloodshed it may not go too much further.

COSTELLO: I was just wondering how the United States might react since Egypt is its ally.

WEDEMAN: Well, certainly in the United States it's already been burned with Tunisia where it was -- United States was the ally of the old regime there.

And certainly, the situation hasn't gotten to the point where the United States government is going to intervene and somehow criticize the Egypt government directly, but there's always been sort of a steady stream of -- you could call it soft criticism of the heavy- handed methods of the government. We had parliamentary elections late November and early December of last year which were very fraudulent. The United States criticized it.

But the U.S. is very hesitant to really come down hard on the government given that it's a key supporter of the U.S. Middle East peace efforts; it's also cooperated extensively in the U.S. war on terror. So there are many things to keep in mind here in addition to the domestic situation.

COSTELLO: Ben Wedeman, thank you so much.

Ben Wedeman reporting live from Cairo, Egypt today.

A former top White House official tries to keep his political hopes alive. The latest on Rahm Emanuel's ballot battle in the Chicago mayor's race.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Rahm Emanuel tries to keep his campaign for mayor of Chicago alive. Paul Steinhauser, part of "The Best Political Team on Television," live from the Political Desk in Washington.

So, what's Rahm Emanuel's strategy?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Well, Carol, just in the last couple hours he's filed an appeal to the state supreme court, the highest court in Illinois, because yesterday the appeals court there, by a 2-1 decision, kicked him off the ballot. They said, you know what, Rahm, you were not a resident, a legal resident of Chicago over the last year as the law out there dictates.

Why? Because as you know, Rahm Emanuel's right here in Washington, D.C., serving for two years as the president's chief of staff before he went back last October to Chicago to run for mayor.

So, we will see where that goes, but there's some urgency here, Carol, because starting on Monday, early voting in Chicago and as of now, Rahm will not be on the ballot. The overall election is February 22nd. Fascinating stuff here.

I'm going to ask Reggie Salamar (ph), our cameraman, to zoom in to the CNN Political Ticker. Something else brand new on the Ticker this morning, Haley Barbour, the governor of Mississippi, well he's going to be in South Carolina tomorrow, very important state in the road to the White House. He will be meeting with influential Republicans down there. Our Peter Hamby has this story.

Of course, Barbour thinking about maybe running for the White House. You know, Carol, today is the State of the Union address for the president, and some other Republicans who may be running for the White House are in some politically important states like Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum in Iowa, Tim Pawlenty in New Hampshire and Sarah Palin in Nevada. All important early states -- Carol.

COSTELLO: There could be a lot of Republican candidates vying for the presidency, right?

STEINHAUSER: Oh, yes.

COSTELLO: Let's talk about polls because you guys have been on a poll-taking frenzy.

(LAUGHTER)

STEINHAUSER: Well, how about the president? OK, he gives the big speech tonight. What do Americans think? Check this out.

Do they approve of the job he's doing in office right now in the White House? According to our latest CNN/Opinion Research Corporation numbers, yes, 55 percent give him a thumbs up on the job he's doing. Look at that, that's up big time from back in late last year. But go to the next graphic, Carol. This is interesting. That's the good news, I guess you could say for the president, but what about the issues that matter most to Americans, like the economy, like jobs, the deficit, health care? Well, look at the president's numbers on all those key issues, under 50 percent.

So, kind of a mixed bag here, Carol, for the president as he goes up and gives that big speech tonight in front of Congress and the nation -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I think I'd be more depressed if I were a lawmaker because Congress' approval rating -- was it 26 percent?

STEINHAUSER: Not so good. Not so good.

COSTELLO: Ouch.

STEINHAUSER: Ouch, you got it.

COSTELLO: Paul Steinhauser, thanks.

Your next Political Update in an hour. And for the latest political news, you know where to go, CNNPolitics.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: We're online checking all the top stories so you don't have to. Jacqui Jeras is watching what's trending right now.

Hello, Jacqui.

JERAS: Hey, hello, Carol.

Everybody wants to know who the big nominees are, right?

COSTELLO: Whoo! I know I do. I'm on the edge of my seat here.

JERAS: Oh, good. I'm so glad.

Well, 83rd Annual Academy Awards, they made their announcement this morning for all of the categories. We thought we'd give you a little sneak peek at some of them.

For the best picture, "The Social Network," -- which, by the way, of course, one at the Golden Globes -- "The King's Speech," "The Fighter," "True Grit," "Black Swan," -- which Natalie Portman, by the way, won a Golden Globe for -- "The Kids Are All Right," "Inception," Toy Story 3," "137 Hours" and "Winter's Bone." So you can get the complete --

COSTELLO: That's a lot of nominations, don't you think?

JERAS: It's a -- I thought the same thing. We need to limit this to five, right?

COSTELLO: It's like every movie ever made is up for a nomination.

JERAS: It's so many people try and see all of those movies, right, if they haven't seen them yet? That's a lot of movies you're going to have to go see.

COSTELLO: Yes, geez.

JERAS: Complete list on CNN.com.

COSTELLO: Oh, I thought you were going to give us more, but no, you're going to force people to go there.

JERAS: You go to go to the web.

COSTELLO: go to the web. We will.

Thank you, Jacqui.

JERAS: Sure.

COSTELLO: Racial profiling is no laughing matter, but Aasif Mandvi still manages finds humor in a tough topic. "The Daily Show" correspondent recently hosted a special night of stand-up in New York with a lot of laughter coming at the intersection point between comedy and race relations in our country a decade after 9/11.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AASIF MANDVI, COMEDIAN: Hey, hey, hey, Stewart, Stewart!

JON STEWART, HOST, COMEDY CENTRAL'S "THE DAILY SHOW": Yes. Aasif, Aasif Mandvi.

MANDVI: Thank you.

ANNOUNCER: Aasif Mandvi is brown.

MANDVI: This color doesn't run from a story.

My name is Aasif Mandvi, and I'm here to host "The Big Brown Comedy Hour."

What is brown?

Islamaphobia. I'll tell you, me, huge fan.

I think there's kind of a tendency to make America about black and white, and brown sort of like lives in that space in between.

Look, I know that there are many Americans out there who are now burning Korans, but at least they're buying Korans.

ASIE MOHTAREZ, COMEDIAN: Oh, to me, being brown means getting my hair straightened, being called "exotic," which means kind of like a mango.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) in the house? Persia? One? Won't even know.

DEAN OBEIDALLAH, PRODUCER, " BIG BROWN COMEDY HOUR": Half Arab, Iranian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, it could be Afghani and Indian as well.

MOHTAREZ: I know when I'm brown because every time I meet someone, the first question out of their mouth is, "Where are you from?" And they're like, "Where are you from?" And I'm like, "Brooklyn?" And they're like, "No, no, no, where are you from?"

OBEIDALLAH: So, we have this common experience in America and we just come and we just come and try to make sense of it. I view the world as a minority. Before 9/11 I didn't, but now I do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you're not Arab, you don't know, Insha'Allah, this means God willing. Which Arabs, we use in situations -- I was in a restaurant, this is not even a joke, I'm in a restaurant in the Middle East and the guy goes to the waiter, "Where's the bathroom?" He goes, "Over here." He goes, "I'll be right back." And the waiter goes, "Insha'Allah."

OBEIDALLAH: People like Chris Rock and Jon Stewart, Richard Par (ph) make it easier. We're not the first people to talk about our place in American society and the challenges of being a non-white persuasion, let's say.

MANDVI: We're the new blacks, right? We're sort of, you know, whitey is scared of us.

Whether or not, you know, racism was cured, it sure helped that there are people out there sort of talking about it and dealing with it.

There are many Americans out there who are protesting the building of mosques. But it is the first time that many Americans now know that that building with minarets in their town is not a Mexican restaurant.

(LAUGHTER)

OBEIDALLAH: Racism has never been ended by silence.

Thank you very much. And thank you guys for coming out and supporting the show.

(END VIDEOTAPE)