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Tone of Protest Changes in Cairo; Super Bowl Fever Hits Wall Street; Journalists Targeted in Egypt; Jobs Report Disappointing; Super Bowl Ad Preview; Football Fuels Passion to Live; Super Bowl Uniting Americans; NFL Players Surprise Bullying Victim

Aired February 04, 2011 - 11:00   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Live from Studio 7, I'm Suzanne Malveaux.

Let's get you up to speed for this Friday, February 4th.

It is wall-to-wall protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square right now. The crowd is calling today "Departure Day" for President Hosni Mubarak. There is no sign there of government supporters or rent-a- thugs, as they've been called. They're widely blamed for two days of violence.

Egypt's health minister says about 5,000 people have been hurt in the unrest. He says 916 of the injuries happened Wednesday. That's when Mubarak supporters stormed Tahrir Square with clubs and machetes.

Al Jazeera says that thugs stormed its offices in Cairo today and burned television equipment. The Arab language network says it's the government's latest move to stop coverage of the protests. Authorities ordered Al Jazeera to halt operations in Egypt last Sunday, but it hasn't.

Egyptian state TV reports soldiers have freed most detained journalists. They're now in what the report calls a safe place. Journalists from CNN, the BBC, "The New York Times," "Washington Post" and other organizations have been attacked or otherwise harassed. Now, we don't know which journalists are now "in this safe place."

Well, a high-profile reporter for state-run Nile TV says she feels liberated after walking off the job. Shahira Amin says she was forced to report one side of the story, the government side. She says she felt suffocated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHAHIRA AMIN, FMR. REPORTER FOR NILE TV: I was only allowed to air the pro-Mubarak rallies that were going on, as if nothing was happening in Tahrir Square. We weren't allowed to reveal any figures. There was a near total blackout. And I feel that this is hypocritical at this time, and I just don't want to be a part of it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: There are protesters on the streets in Jordan today.

(CHANTING)

MALVEAUX: Several hundred people gather outside the Egyptian Embassy in Amman to demand that President Mubarak go. A small demonstration compared to last week, perhaps because of the heavy rain. Jordan's king fired his prime minister this week and pledged political reforms.

The unemployment rate fell to 9 percent in January, down from 9.4 percent the month before. But the Labor Department reports that the economy created just 36,000 new jobs, far fewer than expected.

Now you're up to speed in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Want to go back to the tens of thousands rallying right now in Egypt's Tahrir Square. They have optimistically dubbed this a "Day of Departure" for President Hosni Mubarak.

Our Frederik Pleitgen, he is joining us by phone from Cairo.

Frederik, you have been down there in the crowd today. Give us a sense of the mood. Is it different than what we saw yesterday?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, absolutely. It's a 180 degree turn from what it was like yesterday, Suzanne.

There are tens of thousands of people still in Tahrir Square. I'm actually overlooking it right now.

I was there before, and it was really a very cheerful atmosphere, where a lot of people were sort of sitting there almost having picnics with the food that's being smuggled in through these checkpoints.

A lot of them, of course, chanting the anti-Mubarak slogan, and a lot of them telling us that they say they're going to stay there until Hosni Mubarak goes. And they certainly feel that that should be today. As you said, they call this a "Day of Departure."

There's one bridge over the Nile where many of these people are still flocking into Tahrir Square. I would say it's still a good 7,000, 8,000, maybe 9,000 people who are there right now. And there really was absolutely no violence there today, and part of the reason for that is, Suzanne, that the Egyptian military is just doing a better job of asserting itself and prying the two sides apart.

I'm actually overlooking an area that yesterday was an absolute battlefield between these two sides, where protesters were throwing Molotov cocktails, rocks, and anything else they could find at each other, and beating each other. And today it's just absolutely quiet.

And there's more foot soldiers on the ground. And I spoke to the soldiers, and they seem to be sort of more elite troops than we've seen in the past. They say they're part of an airborne division, and certainly not the young conscripts that we've been seeing over the past couple of days -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And Frederik, we saw that, obviously, there were a lot of journalists that were coming under attack just within the last 24 hours, 48 hours or so. Is there any new evidence of this government crackdown on the media to actually cover these kinds of protests?

PLEITGEN: Well, I mean, think it was pretty clear that a lot of this seemed to have been government motivated.

You know, one of the things that really was sort of a sticking point in all this is that I was attacked with a crew a couple of days ago as well. And it seemed as though it was just an angry mob that was after us. But, you know, it's the way they go after your camera. They know exactly what they are looking for, they know exactly how to try and take the tape out of the camera.

MALVEAUX: Right.

PLEITGEN: And this country has a history of repression against media as well, where these plainclothes government thugs would try and do that, would try and harass media. And certainly it appears as though a lot of that is what's happening right now.

MALVEAUX: OK.

PLEITGEN: We had a crew earlier today that went into some of the neighborhoods that are just known pro-Mubarak areas, and they got harassed again. It wasn't as bad as in the past couple of days, but still, you know, it's not a nice atmosphere to work in, to say the least.

And yesterday, of course, was really a very, very dodgy day for media organizations. And I was down there a couple of times as well, and we got into the wrong area once or twice and sort of had to talk our way out of situations. So it really was very, very difficult. A lot better today though -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Frederik, please be safe. And obviously we'll come back to you as more developments happen there where you are in the midst of all of those crowds.

Thank you so much, Frederik.

Well, here is your chance to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. That is right, the Super Bowl.

More than 100 million people are expected to watch the game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers, and that begs the question from Carol Costello -- Carol, we want to know, what are people doing? Everybody's going to watch.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's crazy. We wanted to lighten the mood -- it's Friday -- and get you away from all the serious stuff happening in the world. But Suzanne, you are right, an insane number of you will be worshiping at the altar Sunday -- not that altar. I'm talking about worship of another kind, and that would be football.

I'm not trying to be disrespectful, but Sunday means football, and maybe church if you can fit it in. The NFL is enjoying a fine TV season.

The 2010 regular season reached 207.7 million viewers. That's the most in history. I don't care if you love Sarah Palin or if you love Nancy Pelosi. Chances are, if you root for the same football team, you are sitting together.

It got me wondering, what is it about football that draws us together?

I give you Mark Waller, the guy in charge of marketing for the NFL.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK WALLER, NFL CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER: It's America's lost campfire. So if kind of were imagining a Sunday and looking from above, you'd see the glow of the stadiums and the 70,000, 80,000 people in each of those, and then you'd see the glow of the television, the glow of your mobile phone now and your laptop, and how people are huddling and congregating and telling their stories around that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: And you thought it was all about beautiful men in tight pants tackling each other. Oh, hmm. Sorry, I was a little distracted, Suzanne.

Anyway, let's just pause, shall we? No, it's not about that. It's really not.

MALVEAUX: Come back to us. Come back to us, Carol.

COSTELLO: I know. I'm back. I'm back.

MALVEAUX: Come one, "Talk Back."

COSTELLO: What is it about football that unites Americans unlike anything else in this country? Let us know what you think on Facebook.com/CarolCNN. We'll have some of your answers in the next hour, and more pictures of that really cute guy.

MALVEAUX: Carol, how many people do you think are going to say it's those beautiful men in those little tight pants?

COSTELLO: At least 50 percent of them.

MALVEAUX: If you're honest. If you're honest.

COSTELLO: If you're honest.

MALVEAUX: If viewers are honest. I think that might come in high.

COSTELLO: Exactly.

MALVEAUX: All right. Thanks, Carol. We'll see what people have to say.

Well, here is the rundown on what's ahead this hour.

Dallas tries to dig out before the Super Bowl, but the weather grounds hundreds of flights before the big game.

Also, $3 million for 30 seconds? That's the bottom line on what companies are getting out of those big Super Bowl ads.

And for you adventure lovers, this is a preview of a water- powered jetpack. You're going to want to see that.

And Finally, your turn to "Choose the News." That's a favorite segments of a lot of folks now. We're going to tell you about three stories, and you pick the one that you'd like to see.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

MALVEAUX: We're staying on top of developments in Egypt's Tahrir Square. Live pictures you are seeing here of the tens of thousands of anti-government protesters.

They have been cheering and chanting and staying quite festive today. Now, we are not seeing any of the violence from the past two days, and we're going to keep you up to speed on those demonstrations.

Well, before we announce our "Most Intriguing Person of the Day," it's important to note that being intriguing isn't always a good thing. That certainly is the case for this celebrated fashion designer who sent out this tweet yesterday: "Millions are in uproar in Cairo. Rumor is they heard our new spring collection is now available."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: So, which fashion designer used the Egypt uprising to draw attention to his upcoming fashion line? Kenneth Cole. He since apologized for the remark, but not before becoming our "Most Intriguing Person of the Day."

Not a good look for you, Ken.

And for the very latest money news at CNNMoney.com, take a look here. Obviously, the big story, "January jobs report disappointing" here. New numbers coming out. There is still a lot of progress that has to be made. The unemployment rate going down to 9 percent, but still not enough jobs created to really make a big difference.

I also want to check out the markets here. You can see the Dow Jones, it is now down 19, almost 20 points here. Obviously, a lot of folks in the stock market looking at the changes not only in this country, but across the Middle East as well.

Well, Super Bowl fever hits Wall Street.

Our Alison Kosik, she is at the New York Stock Exchange.

Tell us how the two relate.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, they're kicking off Super Bowl weekend right here on Wall Street.

There's definitely a man cave theme going on here. They're throwing footballs, they're wearing lots of jerseys and sweatshirts, showing their favorite teams. Can you see there? Yes, yes.

Outside -- take a look at the shot -- there is a tailgating party going on outside the exchange, everything from a football (INAUDIBLE) to free food. It's kind of like a tailgate party Wall Street style -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: That's pretty cool. I couldn't imagine that that was actually happening. That's pretty cool.

Talk about the Super Bowl ads. You know, I have to admit, it's the reason I'm going to be watching.

KOSIK: Yes. I mean, this time around, the ads are going for $3 million for 30 seconds of a spot, which is really incredible when you think about it. So we wanted to figure out, is it really worth it to run a spot that much? How much of a return really is there?

So we broke this down for you. Take a look at what we've put together.

There's a University of Virginia professor who actually came out with these numbers and said that if you were Snickers, you would have to sell six million candy bars just to break even. If you were Bridgestone Tires, you'd have to sell about 300,000 tires. If you were selling Skecher sneakers, you'd have to sell 200,000 pairs of shoes just to break even.

But you know what? A lot of these ads, they get going way before the game even starts. A lot of these companies, they put these ads right on their Web sites, on social networking sites as well. And some are actually sending the media these commercials as well.

And then, of course, you could always check out YouTube, so you still get more bang for your buck before and after the Super Bowl -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Alison, are you going to be watching those commercials this weekend?

KOSIK: I definitely am. And you know what? A lot of people say that a lot of people really tune into the game just to see the commercials, especially if your favorite team isn't even going to be on the screen. So why not watch the commercials? They're fun.

MALVEAUX: All right, Alison. We'll see. Maybe we'll choose sides, we'll pick a team. It will be fun.

All right. Thanks.

Well, now it is your turn to "Choose the News." We're going to tell you about three stories, and you vote via text message for the one that you want to see in detail in the next hour.

So, first one, one million people are living under ground in Beijing. In some cases, 100 people have to share three toilets. They are called China's Mouse Tribe.

All right. The second story, lawyers are turning to Facebook to gather evidence. Even with privacy settings, what you post can be used against you.

And finally, this NFL player spent most of his childhood homeless. That's right. Now he's headed for the Super Bowl. He's making sure kids in need know better days are ahead for them as well.

So here's what you've got to do. Vote by texting 22360. Vote 1 one for China's Mouse Tribe; 2 for Facebook posts sway court cases; or, 3, for from homeless to Super Bowl. The winning story is going to air in the next hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Here's a look at what's "On the Rundown."

The unemployment rate falls, but economists, they're disappointed by the latest jobs report. We're going to explain.

Also, you're not going to believe this video. This is a boy playing with his handheld game. He walks right off a train platform.

And our "Talk Back" question for you. What is it about football that brings so many people together?

And finally, a young bullying victim gets a big surprise from an NFL player. It's one of the stories that is trending online.

Demonstrators right now in Egypt are peaceful, even festive. You are looking at live pictures now of tens of thousands gathered in Tahrir Square.

We'd like to take you beyond the headlines for a look now at how journalists covering this crisis have become a part of the story. They've been hassled, attacked and even rounded up.

Among them, my friend Khaled Dawoud of "As-Safir" newspaper. He is joining us in Cairo.

And Khaled, first of all, I have to say, I was so relieved to hear from you. We have been trying to get in touch for the last days or so. And I understand that you, as an Egyptian journalist, have also been roughed up.

Tell us what happened.

KHALED DAWOUD, EGYPTIAN JOURNALIST: Yes, Suzanne. I mean, definitely very tense for all journalists working here right now in Egypt, whether Egyptian or foreign.

Yesterday, when I was heading towards Tahrir Square to continue covering the protest for my newspaper, I found that all of the streets leading to Tahrir Square were basically locked by pro-Mubarak supporters because they were shouting slogans in support of President Mubarak. They also were surrounded by thugs, mainly young people who were carrying knives, who were carrying machetes and big sticks.

And when I showed them my press pass, and I told them that I wanted to go towards Tahrir Square, they told me that they are not allowing anyone to go towards that square anymore. And when I insisted that this is my job to do this, unfortunately they started roughing me up and beating me, basically, physically -- hitting me.

And then one guy who looked like a security officer in civilian clothes took me, together with another young lady who was also obviously trying to reach the square. They forced us into a cab, and they drove that cab for about a minute to an army station (ph) where there was another crowd of people gathering in the front of that location.

MALVEAUX: Khaled, I understand that you were detained. Were you detained by the military, the army? Can you talk about that a little?

DAWOUD: Well, I was detained originally by the pro-Mubarak thugs, and then the pro-Mubarak thugs drove me with this other young girl who was a 23-year-old to an army position. They took us inside that location.

Just before entering that location, we were beaten up again by some of the pro-Mubarak people outside. And then we went inside, where, basically, there were army officers detaining at least about 150 or 200 people, mainly Egyptians, a few journalists, and also a few American, European, Japanese journalists that I saw inside. And there were mainly a lot of army officers inside.

MALVEAUX: And how were you released?

DAWOUD: Well, I mean, I started looking for a high-ranking officer to talk to, hoping that this guy would be more understanding than the thugs who came to be supporters of President Mubarak. And almost after two hours, I find one of those officers, and I tried to speak essentially (INAUDIBLE) my job and my mission and all the kind of issues, and luckily enough, after two hours, he allowed me to go and he gave me back my I.D. card.

(CROSSTALK)

MALVEAUX: Sure. And Khaled, really quickly, if you can tell us -- you're back, you're in Tahrir Square. What is the mood like today?

DAWOUD: Well, the mood today is actually -- I mean, people here are in very high spirits. As you mentioned in the beginning, there are tens of thousands of people. Of course (INAUDIBLE) close to a million, but I cannot confirm that.

But definitely, people are very defiant. I mean, the pro-Mubarak supporters they (INAUDIBLE) Tahrir Square on Wednesday, and many people were scared of what would happen. Many people were (INAUDIBLE) protesters.

But besides all those fears, I was gratefully surprised to find more and more people coming back here again, all sorts of Egyptians, men, women, Muslims, Christians. You can see everybody here now in the square, mainly --

MALVEAUX: OK.

DAWOUD: -- repeating one request, which is that President Mubarak has to go right now.

MALVEAUX: Khaled, thank you so much for your insights. Please be safe, and let's keep in touch. Thank you.

Khaled Dawoud.

"Disappointing." That's how economists describe the January jobs report out today. The economy added just 36,000 jobs, and that's a lot fewer than expected. But the unemployment rate fell to 9 percent. That's down from 9.4 percent the month before.

Georgia Tech economics professor Thomas "Danny" Boston, he's here to help us break down these numbers.

And I guess the big question is, you know, the unemployment rate, it went down by a lot, but the job numbers really -- very disappointing.

PROF. THOMAS "DANNY" BOSTON, GEORGIA TECH: Right. They didn't go up as much as expected. But there is an explanation for this seeming paradox. All right?

Because on the question of the jobs number, we were expecting more. But if you really sort of peel beneath the numbers and look at where the jobs -- not increasing, where they were lost -- for example, transportation and warehousing, temporary help services and construction -- had we experienced the increase in jobs in January that we had in December, then we would have been up to 150,000 and perhaps even higher.

MALVEAUX: So when somebody takes a look at these numbers, should they be optimistic about the state of the economy?

BOSTON: I think should. Now, you have to be tempered.

MALVEAUX: You're cautious, I think. Cautiously optimistic.

BOSTON: Right, right. Because there are some things that are troubling about the number.

MALVEAUX: For instance?

BOSTON: For instance, the fact that the unemployment rate decreased from 9.4 percent to 9 percent, that occurred because a half million people dropped out of the labor market.

MALVEAUX: Oh, I see.

BOSTON: That's not a good sign. We would actually prefer to see the unemployment number increase and people coming into the labor market as a result.

MALVEAUX: Really?

BOSTON: Yes, because when you drop out of the labor market, the people who would have stayed in that dropped out are likely to be classified as unemployed. So that's why the number went down.

And when the economy is growing, at least for a temporary period, the unemployment rate actually increases because people are coming back in.

MALVEAUX: So if we take a look at this, and people are kind of frustrated, they're getting impatient right now. How long is it going to take us before we get to that point, I guess it's a healthy unemployment number around 5 percent?

BOSTON: Sure, sure. It's going to take a while. If we don't do anything better than we're doing -- and we are doing actually pretty good now by historic standards, we're up about 3.2 percent -- if we just maintain that rate, it's going to take us until 2016 to get that down to 5.5 percent.

So we have to do something different. We really have to talk about what kind of long-term economic and innovative growth policies we can put in place to change that.

MALVEAUX: All right, Professor, thank you so much for joining us.

BOSTON: Thank you. My pleasure.

MALVEAUX: All right, it's confession time. Have you ever tapped into someone else's Wi-Fi connection? C'mon, you can tell the truth. If you have, you're not alone. What percentage of respondents in a recent survey admit tapping into neighbor's Wi-Fi connection? That answer just up ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: OK. We asked what percentage of respondents in a recent surveyed admit tapping into a neighbor's Wi-Fi connection. The answer, 32 percent.

The survey was commissioned by the Wi-Fi Alliance, it's a nonprofit group that offers security tips for a wireless web surfing.

Several people admitted that they do that around here. So, shame on you. But 32 percent, huh? OK.

Time for today's guilty pleasures. Now, these are irresistible stories, journalism's equivalent of a double scoop hot fudge sundae with whipped cream.

Here's what we're talking about. Watch this boy walk off a train platform in Italy. He was completely lost in his handheld video game. An off-duty police officer scooped him up to safety and fortunately, he was not hurt.

Just a couple of weeks ago, we had this video of a woman texting while walking through a Pennsylvania mall. She ends up in a fountain. Moral of the story, come on, guys, stand still. Don't walk, don't walk, just stop. There she goes.

Well, in honor of the Super Bowl, St. Vincent's Hospital in Green Bay transformed its maternity into Cheesehead row. Why would staff dress newborns as Wisconsin cheese? Because St. Clare's Hospital in Pittsburgh tweeted a challenge. Nurses there wrapped their newborns in the Steelers terrible towels and crowned the cutest babies you could just see in the world.

You be the judge. Aw, look at that. It doesn't matter what they are in. They're just adorable.

And one more Super Bowl guilty pleasure, it's those $3 million-a- pop commercials. Our CNN's Jeanne Moos shows us the really good ones along with a couple of duds.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Forget Roethlisberger and Rodgers, the up and coming stars of the Super Bowl could be a pug, a beaver, a pint-sized Darth Vader, maybe even Adam and Eve.

Most advertisers spend a bundle making professional commercials. Bridgestone tires used a real beaver and a stunt beaver. But there were also be a half dozen homemade Super Bowl commercials. Doritos and Pepsi Max asked folks to make their own ads.

(VIDEO CLIP, CRASHTHESUPERBOWL.COM)

MOOS: J.R. Burningham created "Pug Attack." UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've always thought pugs running in slow motion was funny.

MOOS: So he borrowed a friend's pug -- there were over 5,600 entries competing for cash and exposure. The sauna wasn't a finalist, Adam and Eve was.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Different take on an old story.

(VIDEO CLIP, CRASHTHESUPERBOWL.COM)

MOOS: Some aspiring ad makers had the same creative concept. For instance, the chip on the butt. Neither of those made the finals, but one called "The Best Part" did.

(VIDEO CLIP, CRASHTHESUPERBOWL.COM)

MOOS: OK, that isn't as cute as say Volkswagen's Super Bowl spot featuring a miniature Darth Vader who finally gets the force to work when his dad gives him a hand.

(on camera): In the days leading up to the game, some advertisers even release trailers for their commercials.

(voice-over): For instance, the tale of a scorpion and the Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales is to be continued. Ditto for another Bridgestone tire ad.

(VIDEO CLIP, BRIDGESTONE AD)

MOOS: But those are created by agencies. The amateurs stand to win up to a million bucks if their homemade ads make it to the top of the "USA Today" ad meter.

(on camera): Now, if I were a betting girl, I'd put my chips on the pug.

MOOS (voice-over): Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: You got to love it.

No endorsements from John McCain in the 2012 election. That story in our Political Update straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: A reminder about your chance to choose the news. You vote by texting 22360. Vote 1 for China's mouse tribe, vote 2 if you want to hear more about lawyers turning to Facebook for evidence, or vote 3 for homeless to Super Bowl. The winning story is going to air in the next hour.

Well, who is John McCain planning to back in 2012? Nobody.

Candy Crowley, part of "The Best Political Team on Television," live from the Political Desk in Washington.

Hey, Candy. Good to see you. What's crossing now?

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: It's good to see you.

You know, John McCain, a lot of us know John McCain. He is not a guy that stays out of it. However, he has picked a point where he will, and that is the 2012 election. He thinks that he will certainly for the time being and maybe for the entire race, until they get a Republican nominee for president, he will stay on the sidelines.

Which is kind of interesting because obviously, the nominee the last time around, McCain, has heft within certain parts of the Republican Party and it would make a splash if he endorsed anyone. So he's staying out of it, which I find interesting and particularly because the field could include his old running mate, Sarah Palin.

While we have all been riveted toward Egypt and what's going on there, the House and the Senate are busy sort of gearing up for their first kind of budget confrontation. It's going to be March 4th, and that's when the bill that's keeping the government running, the spending bill, is going to expire, and they're going to have to pass something else to take us through October.

(CROSSTALK)

MALVEAUX: And Democrats, they're already talking about perhaps the dangers of a government shutting down?

CROWLEY: Exactly. And so it's -- you know, not only are they gearing up in terms of numbers, they're gearing up in terms of politics.

In fact, Chuck Schumer was on our Sunday show last Sunday and talked about this, very much wanted to talk about this. And said, listen, if they, meaning the Republicans, shut down the government, it will be catastrophic, and it'll -- you know, veterans benefits will go away, Social Security payments, sort of ran down the litany of what a horrible thing it would be.

And when they did the same thing at a news conference yesterday, a reporter noted that the Democrats seemed to be the ones talking about Republicans shutting down the government. And why? Because it's a pretty good political talking point. The last time the Republicans actually did shut down the government, it kind of backfired for them at the polls.

So there is that. Certainly, Republicans haven't taken off the table that they would shut down the government, but they're not actually talking about that as their first option.

On the House side, they are putting out what they would like to do with the remainder of the six months when that March 4th deadline comes away. I don't know if you remember, but during the campaign they were talking about wanting to cut $100 billion out of this budget.

MALVEAUX: Right.

CROWLEY: It's going to be -- well, by Republicans count -- one way to count it, it's actually going to be about 58 billion, about half. Another way to count less than half when you compare it to previous spending periods, about 38 billion. Far short of the 100 billion they promised to cut out of this first fiscal year budget from last year. And they say, well, that's because six months have already passed and if you prorate it, it would have been $100 billion.

So they are still at work on Capitol Hill and you'll hear more about this budget.

MALVEAUX: Absolutely, and we look forward to seeing your show on Sunday as well to get some more information about that. So thank you, Candy.

For the latest political news, you know where to go, CNNPolitics.com.

Well, what makes the Super Bowl so super? Why do Americans just love football?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICK MANGOLD, NEW YORK JETS CENTER: I think it's just great to be able to put away whatever is going on in your life around you, family or anything. You are able to put everything aside and just sit back for 3.5 hours and get lost in something. You know, I think that's a good thing, you know, for some people to have.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: So what is it about football that unites Americans? Let us know at Facebook/carolCNN. Carol Costello, she's going to have your "Talk Back."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: We're going to take to you Egypt and the streets of Cairo in the next hour. First, we're going to take you to Cairo here. That is where we are following Friday prayers, they were followed by another massive protest, and we're going to take a look at what determines the success of a movement like this one.

We are next going to go to Jordan. There protests also happening in Amman for a fourth consecutive day. We have seen that King Abdullah already replaced his prime minister. What kind of protests are going to come about? Will they remain peaceful and what will take place in that government as well?

A lot of action still happening in the Middle East. We will be following all of those stories in the next hour.

And every week in "The Human Factor," we profile a survivor who has overcome tremendous odds. Today Dr. Sanjay Gupta introduces us to a college football star. Now, he conquered and often deadly form of bone cancer and returned to the football field.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As he leads his team on to the field, you can see it. Mark Hertzlich, number 94, is fierce. He's dedicated. He's a devoted team player.

MARK HERTZLICH, BOSTON COLLEGE LINEMAN: You know, football is really my life-blood, to be honest right now.

GUPTA: Few things have ever stood in this linebacker's way. Not his opponents on the football field, and not even cancer.

BONES: My whole left leg was completely white, meaning there was a tumor that surrounded my entire femur.

GUPTA: It was during his junior year of Boston College the former ACC defensive player of the year developed a pain in his leg that simply wouldn't go away. Many doctor visits later, he was given a devastating diagnosis, Ewing's sarcoma. It's a rare often deadly form of bone cancer that strikes roughly one of every 600,000 people.

HERTZLICH: I went from when am I going to play football next to when am I going to start treatments? What are my treatments going to be? What's chemotherapy like? You know, am I going to live?

GUPTA: He start add rigorous schedule. Chemotherapy for two straight months, then additional radiation sessions before and after every chemo visit. His motivation always being to get healthy and to get back to playing football.

HERTZLICH: I knew that if I got back on the field, then I would have come full circle. I'd have beaten the cancer, I'd have gotten my physical strength back to be where I want to be and once again be happy doing the thing I love to do.

GUPTA: That internal drive, it's what helped Hertzlich mount a triumphant return. Now he's cancer free. He's back to playing football and football fans young and old, well, they're celebrating with him.

HERTZLICH: You can do incredible things as a human being. You know, you can defy the odds. Even if someone says you're not going to be able to make it, you're not going to be able do this or that, you can push yourself and have that will to get there, and I got there.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: Well, here's your chance to talk back to one of the big stories of the day, that being the Super Bowl. What is it about the game of football that brings so many people together? Carol Costello has your responses. Carol, you know, for some of us it's the party, it's the food. Others it's the commercial and some people love the game. What are they saying?

COSTELLO: People love the violence, that's one of reason a lot of people watch.

The NFL, as you said, Suzanne, is enjoying a fine TV season. The 2010 regular season reached 207.7 million viewers, the most in history. Does anyone not watch football?

So the "Talk Back" today: What is it about football that unites Americans?

This from Tamer (ph). He says, "The Romans knew how to keep their population pleased with games. The U.S.A. has not moved very far from that model. Go Steelers."

This one Miguel. He says, "The football season brings people closer. Even when things are going bad. God bless football."

This from Seth. He says, "Everyone is looking for some kind of escape. Sometimes people need to forget that the entire world around us is going completely insane."

And this from Patrick, who says, "Why does football unite Americans? Beer."

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: Short and to the point.

Please, continue the conversation. Facebook.com/carolCNN.

MALVEAUX: All right, Carol, before you go, and this is not -- you know, don't drink beer when you're doing this one. This is a jet pack that lets you hover about 30 feet above the water. We're going to show you this thing in action in our "Trending" segment. You don't want to miss this.

COSTELLO: Oh, wow. That is cool.

(LAUGHTER)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Love it. The 1980s show "Dallas" trending online. More than 360 million people, that's right, worldwide tuned into the show's famous cliffhanger, "Who shot J.R." I know I was watching.

Now the primetime soap is coming back. CNN's sister network TNT is planning a new version of the series. Larry Hagman, who played the show's villain J.R. Ewing, has been signed to appear in the pilot for the new "Dallas."

Another great TV moment, a young bullying victim gets a big surprise from an NFL player. Jacqui Jeras is here with us on what's trending online.

Jacqui, this is a -- this is a great story.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It is. It's heartwarming, it might even make you tear up. I'll be honest, I kind of teared up first time I saw this. It's just an amazing story. Let's go ahead and show you the video here.

This is about a 13-year-old boy. His name is Cory and he was bullied by a pack of teens. He was dragged in the snow, he was hung up on a fence, he was kicked, and he stood up for what he knew was right and he turned the guys in.

So he's being hailed as hero, and so he was on "The View." And there you can see, he was surprised by Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson and a couple other Eagles players. Apparently he's a huge fan, and -- oh, take a look at that. You can see he's tearing up, he's got a huge gift basket from there. He took the jersey right off of him and gave it to him.

Go ahead and take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DESEAN JACKSON, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES WIDE RECEIVER: First and foremost, man, I want to say, you're brave, because this happens every day and people are not brave enough to stand up and take this on. And you know, man, bro, for real, you're doing it, man. And I just want sought say, man, I appreciate you, bro.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JERAS: Amazing to have something like that happen to him after everything he's been through. He also got some tickets, by the way, Suzanne, to see any game of his choice of the Eagles next season.

MALVEAUX: Wow, Jacqui, you were not wrong. You tear up over that, it's just so beautiful.

Explain to me about another hot story. I guess a jet pack that you use on the water? This kind of makes waterskiing look kind of lame.

JERAS: I know, right? Suzanne, are you an extremist? Let me tell you, this is extreme sports.

This thing has been in the making for about ten years from a German company. It's called a jet lift. All right? Take a look, there's the video of it. You can see, it looks like he's flying, right?

So what they use, there's an engine on this thing as well as like a backpack. And see that tube? That tube sucks up the water and it propels you. You can control the little knobs to, you know, go higher and lower. It goes as much as 30 feet in the air and a speed of about 22 miles per hour. What do you think?

MALVEAUX: Jacqui, I have to ask you, would you do that?

JERAS: I'd think about it. It looks fun, but 30 feet in the air, dude, that's dangerous.

MALVEAUX: And, like, how do you get down?

JERAS: Well, you use less power, I guess, right? So you back off on the power and try and slide down a little bit.

MALVEAUX: Hopefully you don't crash.

JERAS: I know, right? Hopefully not. But I won't ever be able to afford one, though so.

MALVEAUX: Yes, it's pretty expensive.

JERAS: It's $136,000.

MALVEAUX: Wow. It seems pretty cool, though, if somebody sponsored us to do that. I think I might try it.

JERAS: There you go, yes. We should do a story.

(LAUGHTER)

MALVEAUX: Get CNN to pay for it.

OK, thanks, Jacqui.

JERAS: Sure.

MALVEAUX: A reminder about your chance, this is your chance to choose the news. You vote by texting 22360. Vote 1 for China's mouse tribe. Vote 2 for Facebook posts being used in court. Or vote 3 for the Green Bay Packer who grew up in shelters now reaching out to kids who are homeless. The winning story airs in the next hour.