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Largest Cyclone to Hit Austrailia; Norweigian Political Nominates WikiLeaks for the Nobel Peace Prize; Lake Rescue Out of Oklahoma; Planned Parenthood Under Fire After Secretly Taped Video Leaks; America as an "Addict Nation"

Aired February 03, 2011 - 10:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: All right. It's 10:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 7:00 out west. Right now, we are watching Australia. People in northern Queensland woke up in the biggest storm to ever hit the region. Cyclone Yasi. The storm has lost power but it's pounding the interior with rain and wind.

Norwegian politician has nominated WikiLeaks for the Nobel Peace Prize. He cites the web site's contribution to democracy and freedom of speech.

And an apartment fire in Dallas forced people into 17 degree weather. Some of them barely had time to grab a bathrobe before heading into the cold. No reports of injuries. The ice making it hard for firefighters to gain footing as they fight that fire.

We begin in Cairo this morning where CNN correspondents are reporting a uptick in violence. This past hour anti-government protestors and supporters of embattled President Hosni Mubarak have thrown rocks and had occasional clashes. But at least for now, it's nowhere near the level of yesterday's massive explosion of violence. Among the groups, guns, rocks, machetes, even Molotov cocktails. Five people killed, more than 800 wounded. The images so terrible and stakes so high that President Obama called attention to the crisis in his National Prayer Breakfast this morning in Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're also mindful of the violence that we're now seeing in the Middle East, and we pray that the violence in Egypt will end and that the rights and aspirations of the Egyptian people will be realized, and that a better day will dawn over Egypt and throughout the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, Egypt's soldiers are being credited with restoring peace in Cairo, at least temporarily. But yesterday they stood impassively as thugs beat protesters, turned on reporters covering the protest. Even our Anderson Cooper was among those who was targeted. Here's his view from inside the bloody free for all.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "AC360": I was shooting this video on my Flip camera so as not to attract too much attention. Suddenly a man jumped out of the crowd and tried to grab Neil's camera. That's when all hell broke loose.

(on camera): Hey, calm down. Calm down.

(voice-over): We only had about a block left to go when another guy came up and punched me in the head.

(on camera): I've been hit now like ten times. The Egyptian soldiers -- the Egyptian soldiers are doing nothing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, U.S. State Department is now condemning those attacks on journalists. And CNN's Fred Pleitgen joins us live on the phone with more.

Not only our crews but all types of journalists attacked, even some sent into the triage with head injuries -- Fred?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Absolutely, Kyra. I mean, we've been seeing it almost everywhere we go, journalists being attacked, especially -- actually almost exclusively by the pro-Mubarak protesters. It is really a dangerous walk that yuou make when you try to cover these protests. Certainly if you get into the hands of the wrong sides, you are very likely to be beaten, just the way Anderson was.

And I've had similar things happen to my crew, as well. We've, of course, also had people smash our cameras, we've had people threaten to take our cameras away, confiscate our equipment. We've seen a lot of reporter's equipment confiscated. There's also a lot of sort of make shift checkpoints where you don't really know who it actually is who's asking for your I.D., who's asking to search your stuff.

So right now, yes, it is a very, very dangerous situation for foreign journalists covering this. We were hearing of journalists being detained by sort of semi-militia especially on the pro-Mubarak side and also by the military allegedly for their own safety -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So right now, at this moment, Fred, from your vantage point, how do things -- I mean, it's quite a switch from yesterday, right?

PLEITGEN: Well, it still is very violent. It's just less people doing it. I mean, right now, there are still street battles going on with people throwing rocks at each other. It's sort of sticking with that right now. We're not hearing very much in the way of gun fire except for soldiers firing into the air. But it is still quite a scene.

It is sort of a pitch battles in the street, people throwing rocks at each other, people shooting those flash bangs that the military normally usually uses at each other. So it is still a battle in the street going on here. What we're seeing the anti-Mubarak protesters seemingly, increasingly gaining the upper hand as they are pushing back the pro-Mubarak people, if you will, further and further away from Tahrir Square, where, of course, the mass of these protests have been occurring, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: And the big question is, will Hosni Mubarak continue the last number of months in his term, or will he be pushed out sooner like the anti-government protesters want.

Fred, we'll keep following it with you today.

Fred Pleitgen, thanks so much.

Anti-government protests have boiled up in six Arab states now. And new concerns turn to two countries. Opposition groups in Syria and Jordan are planning big rallies there tomorrow. In Jordan, the protests are planned despite big concessions by King Abdullah already. Earlier this week he actually dissolved his government and ordered the new prime minister to launch swift reforms.

That massive winter storm is loosening its grip on the U.S. today, but it leaves behind mounds of snow, frigid temps in Texas and parts of the deep south, as well. The Arctic cold front is also complicating cleanup efforts and spurring freeze warnings through much of the nation's midsection.

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: We've got something developing, actually, near Miami, Oklahoma.

Jacqui, you're watching these live pictures coming to us from our affiliates KOTV and KWTV.

What's going on?

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Well, what happened is the roads here continue to be very treacherous and a car slit off the road into the river here. This is in northeastern parts of Oklahoma. There you can see the car actually breaking through the ice a little bit. They've had to shut down the interstate there so they could land a helicopter and try and get crews there and help these people.

Apparently there are about eight people that are trapped there. This is I-44, the westbound lanes which are closed at this time. You know, Kyra, sometimes in these kinds of situations, the blizzard stops, the snow stops and people think everything is OK out there. But these roadways continue to be very hazardous.

You know, they've had over a foot of snow in this part of the country and you see just how much ice already is on the interstate there. There you can see somebody, I'm not sure if that's somebody they rescued or is that one of the divers there along with an ambulance. So this whole area right now, they're trying to help those people and get out of there. But you can imagine, if that car's submerged in that water, you know, they have to break through the ice.

PHILLIPS: It looks like they were saying eight people were in that vehicle, Jacqui. And that it looks like Miami Fire and Rescue, also, the Oklahoma National Guard came to assist because the number of people and the conditions that they were in.

They said they lowered a basket over the bridge.

JERAS: OK.

PHILLIPS: Six people were on top of the vehicle. Two were still inside. So I think one of the individuals that you just saw is one of the individuals that was on top. And it looks like there might possibly be still two people trapped inside that vehicle.

JERAS: OK. There you can see a boat, too. Did you see the boat along the side of the car --

PHILLIPS: Right.

JERAS: Trying to help those people and get them out. The air temperature, by the way, about nine degrees below zero.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: What is that close to? That's not far --

JERAS: Well, it's in northeastern parts of the state.

PHILLIPS: OK, got you.

JERAS: If Shawn (ph) or Monica, if you guys are listening, here's our map. This is I-44. I think Miama is somewhere up in this area -- Miama (ph) somewhere up there in the northeastern corner.

PHILLIPS: Got it. All right. So we're watching this Spring River rescue that's happening in Ottawa County, Miami, Oklahoma. And as Jacqui mentioned, the westbound lanes of I-44 there on the Will Rogers Turnpike just east of Miami, are closed due to this vehicle that slipped on the ice, drove off the turnpike into the Spring River.

We're told that Life Flight just came down on the ground. So Jacqui, it may not be good news for those two people that are still trapped inside. But, boy, there were eight people inside the truck. Six of them got out.

JERAS: It's amazing six people got out of there when you think about it, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: That's pretty incredible.

JERAS: In these type of conditions when the air is so frigid like this, if you get wet, it really could be a matter of minutes before -- PHILLIPS: For hypothermia, right?

JERAS: Exactly.

PHILLIPS: Apparently we've got a connection with our affiliate. They're doing a live broadcast.

Let's listen in. Let's listen to the chopper reporter.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In bound calls. Some have gone to Freeman, and some have gone to St. John's.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, the belief is, is that they may all be transported to Springfield. So that is the information that St. John does say they are -- St. John Hospital out of Joplin, participating in this. Those are their helicopters. But they'll be taking them to Springfield.

We're looking at one of the divers, Will. That is a hero. Can you imagine? This is from Newton County, the dive team out of Missouri, called to this scene in these type of temperatures. An accident that happened potentially two and a half hours ago and them being in that water, obviously being tended to by the ambulance and emergency crews there on the scene.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. This is where we need to stay.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, as we saw, there were two gentlemen there. I believe one was a diver, obviously, who headed to the ambulance, and beside him may have been a part of the fire department, as well. He was not in a dive suit.

But, Alan (ph), if you were out on that weather, just on the bank, doing the work on the bank, you may be in a position where you're going to have serious issues of hypothermia yourself whether in the water or not.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In this particular area, they have wind-chill warnings that are underway right now. The Tulsa Metro has wind-chill advisory. Wind-chill warnings across extreme northern Oklahoma and their wind-chills this morning, have been on average from minus 15 to near minus 25.

(END COVERAGE)

PHILLIPS: All right. We're going to continue to follow that rescue that's taking place in Miami, Oklahoma. Thanks to Ed Lavandera there, writing me in from Texas. It's near Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Here's what we know now. Basically this truck slid off I-44 there on the Will Rogers Turnpike and it closed down the area so this rescue could take place. There were eight people inside that vehicle. Six of them got through the sun roof, were on top of the vehicle, and were able to get hoisted out of there to the ambulance. Right now, though, they're still working to get two more people out of that vehicle. We're going to volume it for you out of Miami, Oklahoma.

Well, wanted: three Arab men with possible links to 9/11. Their identities revealed in recent online documents released by WikiLeaks. We're going to have full details in a live report in just 15 minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, the Republican effort to repeal the new health care law has hit a snag in the Senate. Yesterday, the Democrats blocked a key procedural vote that was key to the health care law's opponents. CNN's Jim Acosta joining us from Washington. So, how did it go down, Jim?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, as you know, this worked out in the House where the numbers are on the side of the Republicans. But not so much in the Senate. The Republicans in the Senate, they didn't think they would get the vote but they finally got a crack at reforming health care last night. They had hoped Democrats would break ranks but check it out. Only -- all 47 Republicans voted for repeal but not one Democrat crossed party lines to scrap the health care law. Only 47 votes in favor of repeal. So, it didn't pass.

A big majority of senators did, by the way, did agree to get rid of one part of law that would have burdened small businesses with extra paperwork, but the rest of what the president's opponents call Obamacare still stands.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ORRIN HATCH (R), UTAH: Yes, we were unsuccessful today but we do know where everybody stands. It destroys jobs, it increases health costs, raises taxes, and threatens the liberty, all in the name of one of the greatest expansions of federal power in our nation's history.

SEN. RICHARD DURBIN (D), ILLINOIS: Each of the critics on the Republican side of the aisle of what they call government-administered health care, government-administered health insurance, every single Senate Republican critic is currently protecting his or her family with government-administered health care. In other words, what's good enough for their family shouldn't be good enough for the rest of America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Now, the fact that the Democrats stood their ground was a little surprising because there are a few on that side of the aisle who are very vulnerable in 2012. But both sides concede this law will ultimately be decided by the Supreme Court. Kyra, one Democratic senator, Bill Nelson wants to call on the Supreme Court to look at this law right away.

PHILLIPS: All right. So, what's the likelihood that the Supreme Court will actually rule that the law is unconstitutional, Jim?

ACOSTA: You know, it's anybody's guess at this point, Kyra. That is one of the big parlor games shaping up in Washington right now. In fact, the attorney general over in Virginia, Ken Cuccinelli, who filed an appeal against the health care law, filed a challenge against the health care law, seconds after it was passed in the Congress and signed by the president. He is now asking the Supreme Court as well to bypass the appellate courts and look at this right away.

But it may just break down to which justices were appointed by Democratic presidents and which justices were appointed by Republican presidents as to whether or not this law lives or dies, and we're already seeing some political gamemanship on Capitol Hill about the Supreme Court. Orrin Hatch, who you saw in that sound we just played, he's calling on Elena Kagan, that new Supreme Court justice, to recuse herself because she was the solicitor general when the Obama administration was putting together the health care law.

So, the battle lines are being drawn, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: OK, side note, what to do with the president inviting J.Lo and her husband to watch the Super Bowl? Who knew?

ACOSTA: Hey, who knew? You know? Makes sense to me.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: They can do a little salsa. A little salsa in the White House?

ACOSTA: I guess so. The halftime show in the White House might be a little different than the one of rest of us are watching, I guess.

PHILLIPS: Yes, no kidding! We have been trying to figure this one out. We had no idea if he's a fan.

ACOSTA: I will start working my sources on this.

PHILLIPS: Yes, would you, Jim? Thank you, Jim! I knew you would. Have a great weekend.

ACOSTA: You too.

PHILLIPS: Well, a fake pimp and a fake teen prostitute go into a Planned Parenthood clinic and they ask some pretty awkward questions. But the answers they get are shocking. And it's all caught on tape, and the clinic employee was fired. Watch with us in today's "Talker." That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: OK, we've seen a lot of undercover busts but this one doesn't involve drugs or weapons. If you have a daughter, it's probably going to make you cringe. Sure made us cringe. Here's the back story. Two people posing as a pimp and a hooker go into a New Jersey Planned Parenthood clinic. They've got a hidden camera. And they ask the manager about pregnancy tests and abortions for prostitutes as young as 14. Listen to what happens next.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What if they need an abortion?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, that's a completely different story. Yes, if they're preg -- yes, this is more just for testing and stuff like that. If they come in for pregnancy testing, um - (EXPLETIVE DELETED) -- at that point, it'd still be - you'd still be. You never got this from me. Just to make all of our lives easier.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If they're 14 and under.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just send them right there if they need an abortion, OK?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the spot? OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Will they ask questions or anything? Will they need I.D. or something?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They won't need I.D. then they're going to be a little bit more different but their protocols aren't as strict as ours and they don't get audited to the same way that we do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Now, "just to make all of our lives easier"? Can you believe you heard that? Pretty shocked? Well, hold on, there's more. Here's another blurb from the 11-minute edited video. Check out what happens when the fake pimp asks how the girls are supposed to make money after an abortion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And then a question.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mmm-huh?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If it turns out that they do need an abortion, how long until they can be sexually active again?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Minimum two weeks.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Minimum two weeks.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Minimum two weeks.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you have any suggestions about what else they can do?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, they still got to make money, you know?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Waist up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Waist up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Waist up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Or just be that extra action walking by.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: "Waist up." That's what she said. "Waist up." Doesn't even faze this woman that they were talking about a 14-year- old girl selling her body. And this woman is so cavalier about it, acting like there are no red flags here when a pimp comes in with a teen hooker talking about abortion.

So, what does Planned Parenthood say? Basically, hey, we saw the tape, we're shocked. We fired that woman, and she does not reflect who we are or what we do. The group that went under cover is called Live Action. It's an anti-abortion group and it's leader, Lila Rose, says this is just one of nearly a dozen examples of Planned Parenthood aiding and abetting a pimp and an underage prostitute and that the group should not get federal money.

Well, here's what Planned Parenthood says.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STUART SCHEAR, PLANNED PARENTHOOD: The organization that is coming in and secretly taping within Planned Parenthood health centers, they are not concerned about women and they are not concerned about abused young girls. They have a very extreme political agenda, which is to outlaw abortions for all women in the United States and to take that constitutional right away.

And they are working with other groups to make sure that federal funds which Planned Parenthood receives for birth control, for family planning, for cancer screenings and preventive care are taken away.

There is no training that can prevent this from happening. This was a complete breakdown in judgment. We don't know what happened with this employee, but her behavior is completely not in keeping with how we handle health care, and she was terminated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Now, that was Stuart Schear of Planned Parenthood. He also says that all of the proper authorities, including the FBI, were told about this encounter.

Well, as you can imagine, this video has shocked a lot of people, including a man who helps young victims of sexual abuse. We are going to talk with him about the broader issue here: criminals who exploit and traffic children for sex. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: All right. Want to update you on this breaking news story that we have been following out of Miami, Oklahoma. This goes to show you how bad the weather conditions are. You can see that the highway there, I-44, Interstate 44 was all iced over, and a truck got stuck on the turnpike, slid on the ice and went right into the Spring River there.

There were actually eight people in this truck. You can see that the sun roof had been opened up on top of the truck. Six of the people got out of there. Don't know the conditions of those six individuals, but apparently, two people are still trapped inside, and you can see that the rescue crews are there trying to figure out how to get them out of there.

We don't know if they are still breathing or not. As you can imagine -- it's minus 9 there right now, and then you're in the freezing water. We don't know if that truck is filled with water and ice, what the situation is. It's hard to tell. But we are trying to get as much information as possible as rescue crews are trying to get two more people out of that truck after six have already been rescued. We're following that for you live as it happens.

All right. We want to continue our conversation about that shocking undercover video at a Planned Parenthood clinic. Two people posing as a pimp and a hooker ask a clinic manager about pregnancy tests and abortions for prostitutes as young as 14. That worker is now out of a job. She was fired, and that undercover video, well, it is a pretty big shock for us and for people like Paul Bowley, who actually work with victims of sex abuse.

He's with Wellspring Living, a group that helps survivors of child sex abuse. And you deal with trafficking issues all the tomb (sic). You deal with these kinds of young girls that are brought into prostitution. When you saw that undercover video, and we want to point out it is edited, about 11 minutes, what was your first reaction? What were your thoughts?

PAUL BOWLEY, WELLSPRING LIVING: Well, it was very shocking, of course, to see someone being blatantly putting forth. You know, you see all the facts right there. You know that this is not a very good situation.

I cannot speak for the woman in question here, what she was trying to do. I don't know that. But it is very shocking, though. It is very shockign to know that this is going on, and we don't have a system in place to try to stop that.

PHILLIPS: And you were making the point, too, that a lot of these young girls are looked at as delinquents, and that's why a lot of people just treat them that way. Like, OK, here's how you get the abortion, and, oh, yes, you can still sell your body waist up after the abortion. I mean, it's pretty appalling what you hear here. You're saying you have to look at them more as victims, and you were even saying that these clinic workers are usually trained on certain signs to look for if something like this happens. Tell me about that.

BOWLEY: Yes. Well, the attitude of Americans has changed a lot in the past few years in that a lot of people used to see these girls a delinquents, and now we're starting to see them as truly victims of sexual exploitation. And mandatory reporters here in the state of Georgia and in other states are required to report victims of sex trafficking or sexual exploitation.

PHILLIPS: Now, define mandatory reporter. Because I think of, I'm a reporter. What do you mean by mandatory reporter?

BOWLEY: Well, it varies. There are nurses that are mandatory reporters. Teachers are mandatory reporters. These are people that are in authority positions over a lot of children in different cases that have to look for cases of abuse and other things like that. And they have to report that to the proper authorities to make sure these children are taken care of.

PHILLIPS: Are Planned Parenthood employees considered mandatory reporters?

BOWLEY: I do not know that for sure, but I do know that if they are referring them to an abortion clinic where you have a nurse, those nurses are mandatory reporters.

PHILLIPS: And so, what do the nurses need to look for? Like, for example, if this gal came into the clinic, should she have seen a nurse? And then -- you would think a nurse, right, would say, oh, my gosh, it's a 14-year-old girl. She's a prostitute. She's with a pimp. I'm calling the cops.

BOWLEY: Right, right. I mean, you have to look at all of the signs that are surrounding the situation. If a man is coming in and speaking for her - I know in the video, he was saying that these girls don't speak English. We might have to speak for them.

If a man comes in -- an older man and is speaking for them and is not their father, that's a definite sign the girl is being trafficked. If a girl has multiple cell phones, if a girl is constantly truant, if a girl has a man's name tattooed on her and she's under 18, pretty good chance that she is being trafficked.

PHILLIPS: And your organization works more toward getting these girls in homes, right? Versus delinquent centers or jails, spending time in jail. Talk about why that's so important to be able to rescue them and put them in homes.

BOWLEY: Well, when you take a girl who has been sexually victimized, she's already very violent in nature. It's a very traumatic place for her, and when you put her into a juvenile detention center where there are a lot of other factors in place and there are a lot of other people there that have committed different violent crimes, that influences these girls. And these girls that are truly victims now become perpetrators. They learn how to prey on other girls. They learn how to be violent towards others.

So, if we can take them out of that environment and find a restorative facility that we can truly work on trying to help her body - you know -- healthy body, healthy soul, healthy spirit, and in all ways, try to heal her, then she can become a productive member of society.

And we have seen that within our organization. We've seen girls come in, and when you give these girls an opportunity -- education, you would be so surprised to see how far they can go. These girls have to be smart in order to survive. And so, when you give them an opportunity and you let them see that they have value, when you let them see they can accomplish something, then they will take advantage of that.

We have had girls graduating from high school and going on to college that a year before, were sitting in jail a year before with only one year of high school credits. They can work at such an accelerated speed and accomplish so much more.

And they're groomed to be entrepreneurs. They're groomed to try to fend for themselves, and if we can redirect that into a positive entrepreneurship, that hey, you can become something great, then these girls can have their lives changed around. And you can also see families restored as well.

PHILLIPS: And you do that, too, through the outreach of Wellspring Living right here in our area. Always good to talk to someone from your organization. Paul Bowley, thank you so much. Really appreciate it.

BOWLEY: Thank you. Yes.

PHILLIPS: It's now about 10:30 on the East Coast, 7:30 out West. Here's some other stories we have been talking about this morning. We have been telling you about that rescue operation underway right here in Oklahoma. The highway patrol says the vehicle went of the bridge and right in there into the Spring River. It's not far from Tulsa, Oklahoma, where this has happened. Fire and rescue and Oklahoma National Guard, they're on the scene. They already rescued six people, and now we're told that the westbound lanes of Interstate 44 right there on the Will Rogers Turnpike is closed.

And the power is out for more than 170,000 homes in the Australian stae of Gueensland after a huge tropical cyclone hit there. It was a Cat 5 storm when it slammed into the coast just after midnight. It's been downgraded, but it's still bringing heavy rain and high winds.

There's more evidence that we're probably not along (sic) in the universe. NASA's Kepler space telescope has actually spotted five planets about the size of Earth orbiting stars. And scientists say they appear to be in a habitable zone, meaning water could exist and it may be livable. We're following that. Senate Democrats have blocked Republican efforts to repeal the health care law. Wednesday's vote in the Senate means a total repeal by Congress is dead for now.

CNN has learned that the FBI is hunting three Arab men who might have tied to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The identities of the trio from Qatar were revealed by Wikileaks. National correspondent Susan Candiotti joining us now from New York with all the latest details. Susan?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kyra. It is unclear whether the three played a direct or indirect role in the 9/11 attacks. However, more than nine years later, U.S. authorities would like to find out. Information about the three mystery men, and the a fourth who may have bankrolled them, is discussed in a Wikileaks cable published on line. The cable dated a year ago this month.

Details of discussion at the U.S. embassy in Qatar. A former U.S. law enforcement official who played a role in the 9/11 investigation confirms the mens' alleged activities to CNN. The three men had visited New York and the Washington, D.C. area and landmarks, including the Statue of Liberty. The cable states they arrived in New York on August 15th, 2001. Eventually, they flew to L.A. and stayed at a motel and paid in cash.

The former official tells CNN then men told housekeeping to ignore their room. They left behind several items, including pilots' uniforms and packages addressed to the Middle East. They failed to show up for a flight from L.A. to Washington on September 10th. The cable states the flight was paid for by a, quote "convicted terrorist."

That former law enforcement official says the men might be able to provide intelligence about their activities and a money trail. Now, none of the men is charged with any crime. The fourth man's visa was revoked, but none is aparentally on a terror watch list, says the Wikileaks cable.

For now, their whereabouts remain unknown. Kyra, a mystery.

PHILLIPS: Well, knowing you, you will be able to uncover that mystery. Susan Candiotti, thanks so much.

Our "30-Second Pitch," hopefully we'll help this person find a job. We also have the weekly job report numbers. It all folds into our Thursday routine. Stay with us. Straight ahead on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: There's a new measure of the economy this morning, and it's yet another muddled picture of the nation's jobs. Last week, the number of Americans filing for the first-time jobless benefits fell more than expected. The new number, 415,000. That's better than expected but because the number has been bouncing around, economists put more stock in the four-week average. And we learned today that number edged higher.

Charles Vietzen had it all. He was his own boss, working as a trader on the Chicago Board of Trade and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Then he went to work for a large futures fund and found another exciting place to use the skills that he learned. Charles has a beautiful family with four children ages 11 to 4.

But now as a result of cutbacks at the fund where he was working, Charles is out of a job. He needs to get back in the job market. We're going to give him 30 seconds to get there. He joins us live from Chicago for his "30 Second Pitch." Now, Charles, you worked on your own for quite a while. Is that still an option?

CHARLES VIETZEN, JOB SEEKER: Well, you know, the pits in Chicago, a lot of the migration, the volume has gone to the screen, and it hasn't been quite the fit for me in terms of what I did when I stood in the pits. So, I'm looking to branch out and stay in the commodity space, but maybe branch out and maybe do something a little different.

PHILLIPS: What do you think? what would be something different? Are you open to anything? Is there a dream job, is there something in particular when you say you want to make a switch?

VIETZEN: Well, I think my skill set would be great in areas of compliance, with this Dodd/Frank bill, that's going to be an area of growth. We have not quite seen exactly what the fallout from that is going to be in different funds, but it's one of the areas I'd like to get into.

I have also helped out building software for trading platforms so - as a business analyst. I'm not a programmer, but I know what a good trading platform looks like. And so, I think I could be of aid to somebody in that regard.

PHILLIPS: All right, Charles. Let's get down to it. Are you ready for your "30-Second Pitch"?

VIETZEN: Thank you, Kyra, I am.

PHILLIPS: OK! Let's start the clock. Take it away, Charles.

VIETZEN: OK, thank you. Well, thank you to CNN for this opportunity. My name is Charles Veitzen, and I am a dynamic and analytical, hard working finance professional. I have an MBA in accounting. I'm looking for a position in areas such as hedging, compliance, risk management or business analysis and project management. If you need to get ahold of me, my email address is Charles.Veitzen@gmail.com. That's C-H-A-R-L-E-S dot V-E-I-T-Z-E-N at gmail.com. I hope to hear from you.

PHILLIPS: Excellent. Right on the mark. Looked at that, timed to the 30 seconds on the dot. Charles, let us know if anything happens, OK?

VIETZEN: I will. Thank you, Kyra. PHILLIPS: You bet.

And if you are out of work, you want to sell yourself to perspective employers, just like Charles Veitzen, let us know. Send us your resume and letter to 30secondpitch@CNN.com. You can also go on to my blog to get all the information about the 30 Second Pitchers if you want to hire them. And you just go to that at CNN.com, and you'll find our blogs there.

For parents and grandparents, watching their kids get banged around on a football field, a quick new test can key detective head injuries on the sidelines. That story coming up in less than 10 minutes.

Also, HLN's Jane Velez-Mitchell. Oh, yes, she's out with her second book. It's going to hit the top again. I just know it! We're talking to Jane about "Addict Nation" right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: All right. More on that breaking story in Miama (sic), Oklahoma, that rescue under way for the truck that slid off I- 44. This is not far from Tulsa. Six people rescued, two still trapped inside. On the phone with us, Lieutenant George Brown with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

Lieutenant, what can you tell us. Are there still two people trapped inside there? What's going on?

LT. GEORGE BROWN, OKLAHOMA HIGHWAY PATROL (via phone): Well, rescue efforts still under way. About 6:30 this morning, we received a call of this SUV or pickup truck that went over the guardrail or side rail of the Spring River Bridge, plunging very far, upwards of 80 feet or more into icy water. We rely on witness testimony to tell us that there were six people on top of this vehicle and two inside, again, in icy conditions.

We immediately responded with state troopers. There were five helicopters on scene, which landed directly on the bridge. We've got the roadways shut down. Newton, County, Missouri dive team are doing a dramatic rescue down in the icy water. Those divers are in special suits, extreme cold weather suits, trying to make recovery of the people trapped in this vehicle --

PHILLIPS: So, Lieutenant, are those two people still alive in the vehicle right now?

BROWN: We don't have word on the extent of injuries. Again, investigators working the scene, people have gone different places. Some to Joplin, Missouri, some to Miami, Oklahoma. So, investigators will have to gather that information.

PHILLIPS: All right, we'll keep following it. Lieutenant George Brown, Oklahoma Highway Patrol rescue still underway, trying to save two more people from that truck that slid off the I-44 turnpike there in Miami, Oklahoma, hoping that they'll be able to rescue those two other individuals still trapped inside that truck.

Lieutenant, thanks.

All right. We are going to switch gears here and talk about -- what are you addicted to? Now, c'mon. There's something. Booze, sex, reality shows, your cell phone, food, video games, pro wrestling smackdowns. Might as well face it. You are addicted to something. And advertisers, telemarketers, spammers, they are all geared to grab us, hook us, keep us coming back for more.

So, what have we become? Consumer wimps, easily sucked in by some false joy that is supposed to make us feel complete, happy and at peace with ourselves. We have to stop the madness. Seriously, folks, addiction can be a real killer, too, if we're not careful.

Host of HLN's "Issues" and New York Times bestselling author Jane Velez-Mitchell knows what I'm talking about. Her new book is called "Addict Nation and Intervention for Americans." Just look at the cover. She has all those addictions right there on the plate.

Now, Jane has struggled with addiction herself. Many times it is probably still a tough fight, and she is always able to speak out about it, though, with passion and conviction. Jane joins us live from New York right now.

And it's true. You are never one to hold back on this issue, Jane. Your first book did so well. It was very much your personal story about struggling with addiction. Why part two, why "Addict Nation"?

JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HLN HOST, "ISSUES": Kyra, after a couple of years of sobriety under my belt and knock on wood right here, hopefully I get to 16 years of sobriety by April 1, I started looking around me and noticed that wow. My friends and neighbors are also behaving addictedly. But it's not really alcohol. It's shopping, it's eating, it's maybe keeping those prescription pills popping in your mouth long after the doctor said you could stop. It's so many things. Addicted to the Internet. Addicted to porn. Addicted to cleanliness. People saying you can eat off the floor. Honey, I don't want to eat off your floor! That's not what it's designed for. You don't need to put those antibacterials on your floor. Soap and water will do the trick.

So, I started looking at all of this, and I literally held a Consumers' Anonymous meeting in my house. And people started sharing about the guilt and shame they feel about overconsumption. It's not making us any happier. We're consuming so much as a culture, but it is only creating depression. And then we pop antidepressants. So, it's a vicious cycle.

That's why I wrote this book "Addict Nation." It is an intervention for America. If anybody out there, and I assume every single American is grappling with something self-destructive, this is a blueprint for a change. Read this book and crawl out of that hole and be happy, joyous and free. Because, Kyra, the United States of America was founded on the nation upon pursuit of happiness. But addiction messes with that equation. It's precisely the inability to say no to something that's bad for you.

PHILLIPS: But Jane, it starts early, as we know. Let's look at the culture of violence with our kids and how they become addicted to video games and texting, and these things lead to bullying. And how many times have we talked about that?

Where does that come from? Is it parental? Is it what they're watching on TV? Is it the media? Is it all of us perpetuating it?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Sometimes the media are -- is the pusher of violence.

Look, these kids today, they are being conditioned to use violence as a solution. These are the first few generations in the history of humankind that have been exposed to this much violence. By the time a kid reach 18, he will have seen 200,000 acts of violence on television, including 16,000 murders, many of them glamorized and stylized. That's not to mention all the people they pretend to kill on video games.

What is that doing to their formative minds? It's conditioning them to use violence as a solution. So, how can we be so surprised when kids are bullying each other and exhibiting violence and putting it up on YouTube? Isn't that what we're training them to do?

That's why I say America needs an intervention. We need to look the our culture of violence and take a step back and say, hey, what are we going to do about this?

PHILLIPS: Of all days we have all this breaking news, and I could sit here and talk to you for another two hours, Jane Velez- Mitchell. So, hopefully you'll come back. I know it's early for you. Your show is later in the day on HLN.

The book is "Addict Nation: An Intervention for America." It's a great read. Jane is always very straightforward, doesn't mess around. You know I love you.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Delightful to talk to you. Love you back!

PHILLIPS: All right. Thanks, Jane.

All right, this is the other breaking news that we've got for you. Got a lot coming in before we hit the top of the hour. "The Washington Post" is reporting that its Cairo bureau chief and photographer are among two dozen journalists that have been arrested this morning by the Egyptian interior ministry. We understand they are safe, but they're in custody. And as soon as we get more information, we're going to bring it to you.

As you've seen as we have been covering the story throughout Cairo, the protestors, the pro-government protesters, have been targeting journalists. Our own crews, Hala Gorani and Anderson Cooper both were attacked. We've got the video, we've got the sound. And even through the night and into the morning, we've been hearing that that hasn't stopped. A lot of journalists have been sent home. Some have been medevaced out of Cairo. It is becoming a very difficult story to cover. As we heard from our Fred Pleitgen, who's there now on the ground covering this - you know, he is almost seven foot tall and he said protestors have been coming at him. It just doesn't matter. They don't want to see the cameras. The pro-Mubarak protestors do not want to see this covered on an international level. They don't want their president to go, yet anti-government forces still out there clashing with pro-Mubarak protesters as well. And now journalists becoming the target.

We're following more from Cairo. We're taking a quick break. We'll be back right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: All right. Parents, grandparents with kids in football, full-contact sports, listen up. There is it a new test to detect concussions. In the tests, doctors check on a player's eyes, specifically their ability to track and focus. Researchers say the tests gives a quick sideline assessment of concussions. They say the tests should be followed by more comprehensive neurologic exams.

And here's what you can look forward to on CNN today. A bipartisan Senate report on the November 2009 killings at Fort Hood will be released at noon. That report expected to detail failures by the U.S. government that led to the shooting, which killed 13 people and injured 32 others. The FBI is also expected to respond to the report.

More than 4,000 square miles of federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico will be reopened to shrimpers. That area was affected. It was in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. It was closed November 24th last year, you may remember, as a precautionary measure after a commercial shrimper discovered tar balls in his net.

And a New York City council holding a public hearing to decide what impact opening a Wal-Mart in the city would have. The retailer has been a target of strong criticism for its employment policies. Wal-Mart officials have declined to attend today's hearing.

Thank you so much for joining us here in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kyra Phillips. I pass it off now to my colleague, Suzanne Malveaux, that takes this on for the next two hours. Suzanne?