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Grading the Speech; Salesman Fired For Packers Tie Gets New Job; Girls Basketball Team Apologizes for Winning. New York Lawmaker Proposes Ban on Texting While Walking; President Pushes Investment Following State of the Union; Congresswoman Giffords to be Transferred to Rehab Today; Google to Hire Thousands; More Protests in Egypt; Vick Endorsement Deal
Aired January 26, 2011 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, guys. It's 9:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 6:00 a.m. out West. Here's some of the stories that have us talking this morning.
Got this hot and fresh off the satellite for you. From Chicago, that white van, a carjacked cab speeding away from police, tries to get around a school bus, doesn't quite make it, kisses a light pole. Chase is over. No kids on the bus. The driver had to be taken out on a stretcher.
Here's some deja vu for you. Toyota recalling 1.5 million vehicles worldwide including a quarter million Lexuses in the United States. Fuel leak issues this time.
And here's some more deja vu. Winter smacking around the eastern half of the country. Nashville and Louisville seeing a few inches of snow points farther east and Boston could see nearly a foot.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What comes of this moment is up to us. What comes of this moment will be determined not by whether we can sit together tonight, but whether we can work together tomorrow.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, the State of the Union, the call to unite. President Obama stresses common ground in Washington and the common concerns of Americans everywhere. Your job, your money, and our future.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: We know what it takes to compete for the jobs and industries of our time. We need to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world.
We have to make America the best place on earth to do business. We need to take responsibility for our deficit and reform our government. That's how our people will prosper. That's how we'll win the future.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: The president issues a rally cry that could have, well, come from any Republican on Capitol Hill. Reining in government spending, close tax loopholes and strike down the pork barrel projects known as earmarks.
One presidential address, two responses, and for the first time ever, it wasn't just the rival party delivering a prime time response to the State of the Union. This year, TV viewers heard from two Republicans -- the new chairman of the House Budget Committee delivered the official party response.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. PAUL RYAN (R), WISCONSIN: Our debt is out of control. What was a fiscal challenge is now a fiscal crisis. We cannot deny it. Instead, we must, as Americans, confront it responsibly. And that is exactly what Republicans pledge to do.
Americans are skeptical of both political parties and that skepticism is justified especially when it comes to spending. So hold all of us accountable.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, the other Republican to speak last night, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann of Minnesota. She delivered the response from the Tea Party. The movement that had such a big impact on the midterm elections.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R), MINNESOTA: But thanks to you there's a reason for all of us to have hope that real spending cuts are coming. Because last November you went to the polls and you voted out the big spending politicians. And you put in their place great men and women with a commitment to follow our constitution and cut the size of government.
I believe that we're in the very early days of a history making turn in America.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: The themes of common ground and common goal further underline President Obama's move toward the center. But is he expanding the base of support or alienating the people who put him there into office?
CNN chief political correspondent Candy Crowley joining us to talk more about this.
It's interesting, Candy, you had Valerie Jarrett say, OK, he's going to focus on five specific pillars. Then you had Robert Gibbs say this is not going to be your usual laundry list, but really what you got was a laundry list of pillars. So were you surprised? Were you bored? Were you entertained?
(LAUGHTER)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, some of all of those, depending on where he was in the speech, I suppose. This was -- somebody said was this a pep rally or was just a policy speech?
I said, no, not enough specifics for policy. Not enough oomph for a pep rally. Too subdue. And in the end that -- and your mentioned it. This is about, quote, "winning the future." That's the bumper sticker out of this particular speech.
Because the president needed to both say he was going to cut spending as well as argue for increased spending in different areas. And that's where the winning the future comes in. The infrastructure roads, rebuilding roads and bridges, education and -- as well as investment to encourage high tech exploration R&D.
So he really had a difficult task which was to both argue, yes, I get it, we have to cut the spending, the deficit is too high and the debt is too high but also we need to invest which is, as Republicans point out, means spend more, in these things, if we are to keep these jobs into the future.
So he had a difficult task to begin with. And I thought what was fairly amazing and your intro sort of touched on this, is that the president had a lot of outreach to Republicans. He did pick up a lot of their themes from trial lawyers and what their interplay is with health care and the expense of health care, that kind of thing.
And so there are lots of places where he reached out to Republicans and lots of places where Republicans stood and clapped and Democrats didn't. Not line item veto but the earmarks comes to mind. The president saying I'm going to veto anything with earmarks.
So it was an interesting speech and it was a speech from a president who both understands that the nation needs to have a long-term plan, as well as understands he needs to have a presidential reelection plan which is tacking center.
PHILLIPS: And it's obvious that he's moving more to the center. He's really had to, right? After all the criticism that he's been very isolated. And it's interesting, too. I love how you put it. You said there was no Kabuki theater. Although it might be kind of interesting to see Democrats and Republicans as they were seated together and -- seated together, rather, with elaborate makeup doing a Japanese dance.
I know it could have been -- could have been really interesting to see a little Kabuki theater. But it was -- it was mellow and it was -- you know it was a joint force there. It wasn't a pep rally on each side and, you know, the laughs here and the claps here and the frowns here, and it wasn't as divided as it has been in the past.
CROWLEY: No. And it made it more serious. The president talked about we have to raise our rhetoric and our discussion to the level of the seriousness of the problems. And I think as much as I thought the seating thing was like stupid it nonetheless did create an atmospheric that allowed this to be kind of a loftier speech than when you can't wait to see which side is going to jump up and which side is going to sit down.
PHILLIPS: I love it. You just put in perspective. The seating chart was just stupid. Plain and simple.
(LAUGHTER)
CROWLEY: Let me put it this way. I don't think it was worth eight days of discussion. But OK.
PHILLIPS: Exactly. Move on. All right. Candy, it's always great to see you.
CROWLEY: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Thanks so much.
CROWLEY: Thanks.
PHILLIPS: Well, at the bottom of the hour President Obama takes his message on the road. He's heading to the eastern shore of Wisconsin along with several members of his Cabinet. They're going to visit three separate businesses that are investing in the future and at the same time growing.
In fact, the 80,000 people who live in Manitowoc County have seen an economic rebound of sorts over the last couple of years. Unemployment had dropped 4 full percentage point to a rate much lower than the national average.
Now the county also boasts in -- very good quality of life. "Forbes" magazine named it the second best place in the U.S. to raise a family and "USA Today" has recognized its strong emphasis on art.
Well, Mark Kelly watched the State of the Union address at the bedside of his wife Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Kelly says that Giffords watched an hour of television. He called that development exciting. Kelly believes that Giffords will make a full recovery.
And in just about 20 minutes from now, Gabby Giffords will be transferred from a Houston hospital to a rehabilitation facility there on the same medical campus. That transfer comes after doctors upgraded her condition from serious to good.
Giffords had been in intensive care while doctors drained excess fluid from her brain. We're watching actually the ambulance that will take Giffords to the rehab center and we will bring you live coverage as soon as she starts to move to the other side of the campus.
Well, keeping a close eye on Egypt right now. Anti-government protests there could get even uglier. Organizers are calling for demonstrations in more populated areas. Guess what they're using to get the word out? Facebook, of course.
The Egyptian government isn't having any of this, though. Security forces unleashed the water cannons and the teargas on protesters early this morning. Local media reports three deaths since these clashes began yesterday, including one police officer.
At least some of that rage was stirred up and inspired by protesters in Tunisia. They got fed up with unemployment, corruption and repression. It helped boot the longtime president from office.
There's an international arrest warrant now for Ben Ali, right? And protesters don't want any of his people or cronies in the new government. Clean slate. More than a hundred people died in the Tunisian protest.
And today an official day of mourning in Moscow. Mourning the 35 people killed Monday in a suicide blast in the city's busiest airport. Flags flying half-staff. And the government asking TV stations to cancel entertainment programs out of respect.
More than a hundred people were hurt in that blast. It's still not clear who is responsible, but Russian President Medvedev is holding the airport accountable. He fired top security personnel and blasted airport police for being passive.
All right. Check this out. A woman had to be rescued from her car in a gas station in St. Petersburg, Florida, after the station's canopy collapsed in the bad weather. Firefighters called in, managed to safely free her. The line of storms that stretches to Orlando also damaged a warehouse in nearby Tampa and led to reports of several tornadoes and severe weather watches throughout the day.
Jacqui Jeras is watching it all for us.
And it's not just Florida that's on your radar, right?
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. I mean we've got everything from springtime-like severe weather to very wintry weather.
(WEATHER REPORT)
PHILLIPS: Well, something else you really don't see this time of year or any time of year is a piano on a sand bar.
JERAS: Yes. What is the deal with this?
PHILLIPS: Everybody is talking about -- all right. Everyone is talking about this video. Let's look at it. It's a baby grand. And it's marooned like Gilligan there in Miami's Biscayne Bay.
Poor Liberace turning over in his grave right now. You know? He's probably one of his own. But it didn't get there by itself obviously.
JERAS: Obviously.
PHILLIPS: It was positioned there somehow. So we've been getting all kinds of theories on this.
JERAS: Yes. It looks old and battered.
PHILLIPS: OK.
JERAS: So --
PHILLIPS: But what do you think? How did it get there? What's your theory?
JERAS: Obviously, the "Titanic." You know Jack? Jack was playing that piano.
PHILLIPS: You know, that's exactly what Sarah, our producer, said. Come on. It came from the "Titanic."
JERAS: It has been washed up. There's no way anybody could move that thing out there. Right?
PHILLIPS: All right. Something -- a frat prank. There's a possibly.
JERAS: Well, could be.
PHILLIPS: Someone else say, hey, it's a sand bar, they're just waiting for the cocktails to arrive.
(LAUGHTER)
JERAS: I like that one.
PHILLIPS: I like that one, huh?
JERAS: I'm in. I'd swim out to that sand bar. Play a little piano although the salt probably not so good on the mechanics in the piano.
PHILLIPS: It's not good. It's like you cue the REO "Speedwagon" song. You can tune a piano but you can't tune a fish. Yes. Sorry for the little fishies in there.
Anyway, we're investigating. Trying to find out where the heck that thing came from.
JERAS: All right. Yes.
PHILLIPS: It's a big mystery.
JERAS: Send us a tweet, by the way.
PHILLIPS: Whoever did it is laughing. Yes.
JERAS: Tell us what you did. Yes.
PHILLIPS: There you go. Tweet us.
JERAS: You're on twitter, right?
PHILLIPS: Yes. What is on twitter?
JERAS: Come on, what is --
PHILLIPS: Thank you. AtKyra -- wait, wait. What is it, Carrie? AtKyraCNN. Can you tell I check my twitter on a regular basis?
JERAS: I can tell. Mine is just Jacqui Jeras and CNN at the end of it.
PHILLIPS: OK. So tweet one of us.
JERAS: Tweet one of us.
PHILLIPS: There you go. And we'll put your theories out there.
JERAS: All right.
PHILLIPS: Thanks, Jacqui.
JERAS: Sure.
PHILLIPS: Well, texting and driving, don't do it. In fact, it's banned in some places. Texting and walking? Well, not always safe either, because not all multitaskers are created equal. One lawmaker gets his way, texting and walking will get you a nice big, fat fine.
And there are blowouts and then there's just plain cruel. A girl's high school basketball team wins a game by more than a hundred points. It's got the other team supporters fighting mad.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
PHILLIPS: We're going take you Cross Country, now, and see what our affiliates are covering across the states. I want to update you on a story that we told you about yesterday. A car salesman in Chicago gets fired from his job for wearing a Green Bay Packers tie just ahead of a big playoff match between Chicago and Green Bay. It didn't take long for his fortunes to change.
Listen to this from Amy Rutledge from our affiliate WGN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMY RUTLEDGE, WGN CORRESPONDENT: It's a match made on TV. After hearing our report on how a Packers tie led to John Stone's demise at Webb Chevrolet, Guy Cesario of Homewood Chevy stepped in, calling the WGN Morning News today.
GUY CESARIO, HOMEWOOD CHEVROLET (via telephone): I was thinking about it, and I would love to offer you the opportunity to come and apply for a job, if you're interested.
JOHN STONE, SALESMAN FIRED FOR WEARING PACKERS TIE: That is awesome. Yes, I am. RUTLEDGE: That led to this.
CESARIO: Welcome aboard.
RUTLEDGE: An interview and tour today, and John is now a salesman at Homewood Chevrolet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: And in Utah, we find there is winning and then there is winning. A girls' basketball team finds itself having to apologize for actually winning the game. Mike Anderson from KUTV explains why.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE ANDERSON, KUTV CORRESPONDENT: The Christian Heritage Lady Crusaders are having a good season. So far, they're undefeated. But last Tuesday's win Wednesday West Ridge Academy was much more than they expected.
EMILLE VOLT, CHRISTIAN HERITAGE CO-CAPTAIN: I was a little surprised.
ANDERSON: With a final score of 108-3. Team captains Brittany Hurlbut and Emille Volk say it's giving them a bad rap for having poor sportsmanship.
BRITTANY HURLBUT, CHRISTIAN HERITAGE CO-CAPTAIN: We all feel bad in that, if we hurt anyone's feelings, whether it be the players or the coaches or anybody at the school, that we just offer our sincerest apology.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: And in Salt Lake, a suspect in police custody really wanted to escape. You're not going to believe what he did. Nineveh Dinha from KSTU has the video.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NINEVEH DINHA, KSTU CORRESPONDENT: A daring escape caught on a Sandy police car's dash cam. Twenty-year-old Nicholas Duffy was handcuffed in the back and on his way to the Salt Lake County jail on Saturday when he jumped out.
Watch as the suspect slithers his way out of the window. The police officer was cruising about 35 miles per hour along I-15. Duffy suffered nasty road rash on his hands and shoulder but, incredibly, no broken bones.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: And in Bonaventure, New York, did binge drinking lead to the death of a local university student? WIVB's Rich Newberg has that tragic story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) RICH NEWBERG, WIVB CORRESPONDENT: About 200 students gathered in the St. Bonaventure University chapel to remember Matt Dungan. The 19- year old sophomore died Sunday morning at a house party that police say had a lot of alcohol and the energy drink 4Loko, loaded with caffeine and alcohol. It's not known what Matt had to drink, and the investigation continues.
But this night was about Matt's life. Members of the rugby team he played for got up one by one and remembered his smile and spontaneity. As one team member put it, it was impossible not to love him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Police say they are still investigating.
An update on a story we told you about yesterday. Officials in West Texas expected to reveal the cause of death of a 15-year-old girl whose body was found on January 5th on a remote road near Lubbock. She's already been identified as Elizabeth Ennen, who had been listed as a runaway. One man had already been charged with aggravated kidnapping in connection with her disappearance.
We've all done it, walked into strange people, objects, while typing and texting. Well, now a New York lawmaker says enough is enough. Find out how he wants to punish distracted walkers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Texting and walking. Great idea. No one ever gets hurt or makes a buffoon out of themselves doing that, right? Never, ever. Remember the walking texter from last week? Yes. Ugh. That mall fountain came out of nowhere. Not her fault.
OK, all snarkiness aside, texting and walking clearly isn't for everyone. And it's giving rise to distracted pedestrian, and a state senator in New York, Carl Kruger, actually wants to do something about it. He wants to ban the use of electronic gadgets, like cell phones, while walking in the crosswalk in the city and a number of other things.
Get busted texting in a crosswalk, jay-texting, pay a $100 fine. He says that he's seen too many people in Brooklyn get lost in their cell phones and find themselves face down on the pavement. Or kissing a light pole.
In fact, Ohio State did a study about this issue and found that more than a thousand pedestrians went into the ER because they tripped, fell, or barged into something while they were texting and talking. And the numbers keep growing.
Of course, the fountain lady is OK, although having your teachable moment splashed all over YouTube couldn't have been that much fun. So we want to know that texting and driving is a really dangerous idea and it's banned in some states, but what about texting and walking? Ban it, too? Keep your eyes on the sidewalk or pay a fine? Send me a tweet, tell me what you think, @KyraCNN. Don't know much about biology, don't know much about science books. American students taking that song and its lyrics to heart. New report shows just how dismally they score in science.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: And it's the bottom of the hour, let's go ahead and check some stories that have us talking right now. President Obama following up on his State of the Union message by touring three expanding businesses in Wisconsin. In the address, the president stressed investment to make America's economy more competitive globally.
And Toyota is recalling nearly a quarter million Lexus cars in the US. A potential problem could lead to leaking fuel. Toyota says that no accident have been reported in connection with that recall.
And we're awaiting Congresswoman Gabby Giffords transfer from a hospital to a rehab center in Houston. Doctors have upgraded her condition from serious to good. Giffords had been in intensive care while doctors drained excess fluid from her brain. Giffords was shot, as you remember, at a Tucson event on January 8th.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
PHILLIPS: President Obama takes his State of the Union speech to the people, specifically the people of Manitowoc, Wisconsin.
Ed Henry is at the White House and talking what is in Manitowoc that's drawing the president the day after his address to Congress -- Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Kyra.
Well, there's some of those clean energy companies the president talked about last night, innovation. He's also trying to reach out to small businesses. He's going to visit several of them there in Wisconsin. And oh, by the way, it's interesting -- we dug up some research this morning that one of the Sputnik satellites -- he talked about this being a Sputnik moment. One of the sputnik satellites so many years ago crashed in this same town in Wisconsin. It seems kind of interesting. Maybe the president would make note of that.
I just spoke to a senior administration official who said, look, it's just a coincidence. Pretty amazing coincidence that he was talking about Sputnik last night. This happens to be one of the towns where one of the satellite crashed. Very, very interesting coincidence.
The other thing I would point out is the fact that, look, Wisconsin is a very pivotal state in every election cycle. But in 2012 in particular, it's going to be one of those states that Barack Obama is going to want really bad for reelection. Last night, of course, he said that the election is over and nobody here at the White House is thinking about the next election. So I'm sure they are not thinking about it. But maybe if they start thinking it bit in the next few months maybe that is another reason he would go to Wisconsin, Kyra. PHILLIPS: Well, they're also thinking about the types of businesses that are there. His big thing about going green and energy and all of that. It kind of comes down to a new study I guess you could say that kids are falling short in science. It's not just for those proficient in science. Only 34 percent of fourth graders who are proficient. Eighth graders 30 percent; 12th graders, well that number goes down to 21 percent. And advanced, our kids are just one or two percent.
And then you've got Education Secretary Arne Duncan commenting on the findings when only one or two percent of children score at the advanced levels, the next generation will not be ready to be world- class inventor, doctors, engineers.
So, you know, Ed, how do we out-innovate as the president hopes? And we get why he's going here and talking about all these new green businesses, et cetera. But if our kids don't know the science, they can't innovate.
HENRY: It's a huge challenge. You're right. And the president noted this last night when he said, look, we're competing with China and India, other nations like that, who have put a premium on teaching their young people, focusing heavily on math and science.
And that's why I think he spent so much time last night not just on jobs and economy, but on education for a number of reasons. Number one, he was talking about how he wants to put more money and focus in a Race to the Top, his education program, which has got its critics, but by and large has gotten some praise.
And he wants to put more of the focus on that and replace No Child Left Behind, left over from the Bush administration. That has gotten a lot of criticism for the so-called teaching to the test. That it had so much focus on testing standards that a lot of schools have been teaching kids to well on tests, but not necessarily well long-term in math and science.
I think the last reason why it's important is the president wants to reach out. Education is one of those issues where he can follow up on that talk of unity last night. It's an issue that not always but tends to unite the parties more than a lot of the other divisive issues out there, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. We'll definitely be checking in with the president as soon as that speech starts.
Ed, thanks so much.
Government watchdog agency says that President George Bush's political team violated federal law. Our political team is sorting out all the details for you.
Have you always dreamed of a mansion in Bel Air? Well, this comes with a price tag of $28 million and a very famous tenant.
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PHILLIPS: Caught on tape. It seems everybody wants to be a star on YouTube these days. A couple of high school kids from Queens went to make a fight video at Wendy's. They wanted to post on the video- sharing web site but they didn't anticipate that an employee at the fast food restaurant was trying to step in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How my manager could just stand there and watch me get beat up. There was only one kid in there came in there to help me. Now I don't know what would happened if that kid didn't take them kids off me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, Michelle Ortiz (ph) is a single mother of five. The video being studied by NYPD detectives. They're hoping to identify those attackers.
And for many people, pets are like kids. So for Rita Fritz, who is eating her children.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These are pets. They don't talk to you. You can't cuddle them but you still go out and feed them every day and they're part of the family. I've never expected an owl.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: It was a real who done it. Turns out, yes, it was an owl. Koi fish cost hundreds of dollars. The Fritz family finally put a crate over the Koi pond. The owl has to find a good sushi place someplace else.
Zsa Zsa Gabor's house is for sale but if you buy it you have to let her live in the house for the rest of her life. The husband of the ailing actress says that he has put the Bel Air mansion is on the market for $28 million. He says medical bills and meager savings are forcing the sale. According to the "Los Angeles Times," upkeep on the house is $35,000 a month.
The Italian prime minister has been under fire lately for his behavior. But, is that enough to explain an on-air rant to a TV station? You got to hear this one.
And the new RNC chair setting his sights on Wisconsin and Florida. We'll explain the strategy in our political update.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONAN O'BRIEN, HOST, "CONAN": The State of the Union address tonight, President Obama focused his State of the Union speech on how to bring prosperity back to America. That was the focus, yes. It basically involves all of us convincing Oprah we are her half-sister.
(LAUGHTER)
O'BRIEN: That is the plan. That's the plan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: And a follow-up to an interview that we had yesterday. We met seventh-grader Lilly Arbour, who set out to meet all 115 of her elected officials. Well, as of this time yesterday, she had told us she had just two left, the president and the vice president.
Well, take one more off her list. Following last night's State of the Union speech, the girl from Rochester Hills, Michigan, met Vice President Joe Biden. Still, she has got one left, and we are pulling for Lilly to get a second chance to meet the commander in chief.
An independent investigation has found the Bush administration broke the law in an effort to support GOP candidates. Senior political editor Mark Preston is joining us from the politics.com desk with more on this. Hey, Mark.
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Hey, good morning, Kyra. Yes, this is one of those stories that might have gotten lost in all of our coverage regarding the State of the Union. But the Office of Special Council wrapped the Bush administration on the knuckles for what they called a "gross abuse of the public trust." What they meant by that is that they are accusing the Bush administration of using cabinet officials, sending them out across the country on official business. But, in fact, what they are saying is that these cabinet officials back in 2006 were, in fact, doing some campaigning. The Office of Special Counsel also said that there were many political meetings their held during government time. Of course, at taxpayer expense.
What does this all mean? Well, the fact is that none of the folks are still working in Washington or certainly not working for the federal government anymore, so there's not going to be any kind of penalty. But, yet again, it just shows you that the watchdogs are at least doing some work here in Washington, D.C.
Now, Kyra, I just got off the phone with the chairman of the Republican National Committee. He held a conference call because President Obama, of course, is heading to Wisconsin, and the new chairman of the RNC, Reince Priebus, is from Wisconsin. So, of course, he had some choice words to say about Mr. Obama's State of the Union last night.
What I found interesting is that Reince Priebus is supposed to be heading down to Tampa, Florida today. And the reason why he is he is going down there to try get the train back on the track regarding the Republican National Convention, which is supposed to take place of course, in 2012. When Reince was elected chairman just a few weeks ago, one of his first acts of business was to fire all of the people that were put in place by then-chairman Michael Steele. So, Reince Priebus heading down to Tampa. This is a very big issue, a very big business issue because these conventions cost upwards of a hundred million dollars. And for the city, it's very big when it comes to showcasing themselves and trying to get some tourism dollars. Kyra?
PHILLIPS: All right. Now, a lot was said last night in the State of the Union address. Any suggestions on how to take a step back and really understand the proposals and the counterproposals?
PRESTON: Yeah, you know, Kyra, talk about overload. Even someone like myself or yourself who get paid to try to understand all of this -- well, you know, so much stuff said by President Obama, by the budget chairman and the Republican response, and also Michele Bachmann, who did the Tea Party response.
But if you just check this out on CNN.com, we have it all broken down for you right here. Did Obama get his message across? Obama outlines his plans to win the future. Bachmann calls for full repeal of Obama care. CNN has done some fact checking so it's all here.
You can get this on CNN.com. You just go there and it will help you break down what, of course, is a very confusing speech last night, but of course, a speech that is very, very important. And of course, responses that are very important to the future of our country -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Mark Preston thanks.
We'll have your next political update in an hour.
PRESTON: Thanks.
PHILLIPS: And a reminder, you can always go to our Web site 24/7, CNNpolitics.com.
Now tonight, mega church pastors Joel and Victoria Osteen sits down with Piers Morgan and they answer some pretty tough questions about gays and the church.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PIERS MORGAN, CNN HOST, "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT": What is your opinion? Because it seems to change depending on the interview that I read or seen. What is your -- is homosexuality a sin in your eyes?
JOEL OSTEEN, EVANGELIST: Yes. I've always believed Piers, the scripture shows that it's a sin but you know, I'm not one of those that are out there to bash homosexuals and tell them that they are terrible people and all of that. I mean, there are other sins in the Bible, too.
I think sometimes the church -- and I don't mean this critically but we focus on one issue or two issues and there's plenty of other ones. So I don't believe homosexuality is God's best for a person's life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Joel and Victoria Osteen tonight 9:00 Eastern on "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT".
Well the United Nation says 2010 was the worst year for natural disasters in two decades.
And coming up you won't see this action at halftime of the Super Bowl game or even on the sidelines. I could tell you where there will be no cheerleaders at the big game.
Today, right it was 1998, one of the most famous sound bites from the Clinton presidency amidst accusations that the President may have had a relationship with a young Washington intern. You'll remember Mr. Clinton, he came out to deny it publicly.
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BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I did not have sexual relations with that woman.
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PHILLIPS: Monica Lewinsky had confided to a friend Linda Tripp about the relationship. Tripp told an investigator, tennis star, star told everyone who would listen. President Clinton adamantly denied the accusations having an affair with the intern until he admitted it outright in August of that same year.
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PHILLIPS: Things continue to intensify in Egypt where there have been unprecedented anti-government demonstrations; new clashes today between country's security forces and protesters who are defying a ban on demonstrators.
CNN's Zain Verjee joining us from London with that story and more in our "Morning Passport".
Zain, great to see you.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Good to see you too, Kyra.
Yes, the situation just continues to stay tense in Egypt. Security forces are saying that all new gatherings have been totally banned. Thousands of people, Kyra, were out on the streets. They were clashing with the police. The police fired tear gas into the protesters. Many people were very seriously injured. At least one person also died.
Basically, Kyra, that they were protesting President Hosni Mubarak and his regime. You know, he's been in power something like 30 years. They are complaining about things like the cost of living that's gone up, the fact that there are so much corruption in the country.
The reason this is an important story for the United States to watch Kyra, is that Egypt is a really strategically important country to the U.S. It's considered a moderate Arab country. It's been an ally in the Arab world and has supported the U.S. in any Arab/Israelis peace process.
The U.S. also gives a lot of money to Egypt. So they're basically really concerned about the situation especially after what happened in Tunisia and hoping nothing like that happens to Egypt.
PHILLIPS: And a disturbing report from the U.N. on how deadly last year was for natural disasters.
VERJEE: Yes, I was just looking at it. It said 2010 was the deadliest year for natural disasters in the last 20 years. Just look at the numbers here, Kyra, they say, 373 natural disasters happened; 296,000 people died; and more than two million people were affected by the whole situation.
So they say that, basically, that there needs to be a lot better preparation. And a lot of it is weather-related. And the -- the fact is that because of climate change, we're going to see more of this stuff so people need to respond better.
PHILLIPS: Well, speaking of responses, why does -- why does this not surprise me? Italy's -- Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, of course, under fire for many months now; now, he's making a huge rant on Italian radio.
VERJEE: Yes, you know it just gets worst Kyra. I mean, what happened was, was that there was a debate on TV about the orgies that he was alleged to have with prostitutes and he heard it. And he decided to call in and he just got into this huge insult-trading spat with the host. And he basically said this is a television brothel, this is a disgusting program he said, and you are a vile host.
And then the host, you know, shot back quite a few barbs of which he also said, you know, if you have anything to say, go present yourself in court to the magistrates. Don't do it on TV.
So this is a really serious issue that Berlusconi is facing. A lot of Italians are just annoyed and embarrassed about the whole situation. And he's going to be facing serious charges if they can prove it.
PHILLIPS: He's quite an entertaining character, that is for sure. All right, Zain thanks so much. We'll see you tomorrow.
We're following lots of developments in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM. Jacqui Jeras, let's start with you.
JERAS: Well, Kyra, there is a wintry mess all across the northeast right now and it's causing some major delays at the airports. But here is the catch. The worst of the storm doesn't come in until tonight. We will have all the ugly details coming up in your forecast.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Jacqui is hurting my feelings. I am Stephanie Elam here in snowy New York. I am going to tell you 150,000 jobs are out there for the taking. I will tell you where they are. That's coming up in the next hour.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Elizabeth Cohen in Houston where Gabby Giffords's condition has been upgraded from serious to good. She is due to arrive at the rehab hospital behind me in a matter of minutes. I will have the latest at the top of the hour.
PHILLIPS: All right. Thanks, ladies.
And President Obama taking his sales pitch to Wisconsin. He lands next hour and the first stop, a clean energy company. We are actually going to talk to the CEO. That's coming up in about half an hour, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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PHILLIPS: All right. Apparently, there is some recruiting for Michael Vick and it is not football, Jeff Fischel.
JEFF FISCHEL, HLN SPORTS: Yes. That's right, Kyra. It is a little surprising. You wonder when would someone step up and do an endorsement deal with the man after such a great season. Now, there is a company. The company says they want a two-year contract. It's the maker of a football pads company; it's the pads he wore this season.
The head of Unequal Technologies says Michael Vick has paid his dues for the dogfight and he deserves another chance. The other side is talking about how big the deal is. We wonder if there will be any commercials with Michael Vick on television.
A shocker at the Australian Open; Rafael Nadal's dream of winning all four majors in 12 months is over. Fellow Spaniard, David Ferrer, beat him in straight sets today in the quarter finals. Nadal struggled with a leg injury. He really couldn't move around the court. And that of course is his game. Ferrer said it best afterward, "You do not ever beat Nadal in straight sets if he is healthy." So Nadal goes down.
Well, we have dug up a fantastic buzzer beater for you. University of the Cumberlands versus Campbell's Ville U. Cumberland's Stephanie Quatrachucki, chucks it. That's the end of the first half, she nails the three-pointer.
Ok. We've pulled the tape measure. Let's call it 86 feet. Quatrachucki good.
PHILLIPS: Love that name.
FISCHEL: Yes. Perfect name, right?
PHILLIPS: That's perfect. It's like it was meant to be.
FISCHEL: Couldn't be better.
Let's talk a little bit about the Super Bowl. It seems hard to believe but there won't be any cheerleaders at the big game. Yahoo Sports points out neither the Packers nor the Steelers have any cheerleading squads; so, no pom-poms on the sidelines.
They're actually just two of six teams in the league that don't have any cheerleaders, because I know you're interested, Kyra. The other teams: the Bears, the Browns, the Giants and the Lions.
PHILLIPS: I could never (INAUDIBLE) in advance but that's a whole another story.
FISCHEL: This is the greatest invention for sports fans since high- def TV. A new bottom's up beer dispensing system for stadiums. You have to kind of watch closely what's going on here. The beer is filled up right through the bottom of the cup. There is a little hole. There it goes. And it's a perfect pour. No spill. The foam is perfect.
Fraternities across the country are like, yes.
FISCHEL: It's about eight times faster than someone pouring my hands. So I mean fans love this, right? I mean fans are saying, I can get during the time out, go get my beer. Be back in my seat. I won't miss anything.
PHILLIPS: Don't spill all over the place.
FISCHEL: We started seeing these things in a couple of arenas, Philadelphia, L.A., and Dallas. But no doubt, if those pours look as perfect in person as they do right there, every arena is going to get those is.
PHILLIPS: I can just imagine during the next season of whatever it is, we will be over at your house and you will have them all lined up along the bar.
FISCHEL: Perfect.
PHILLIPS: Yes.
FISCHEL: I love it. I already think about that one.
PHILLIPS: Thanks Jeff.
FISCHEL: All right Kyra.
