Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Egypt's 14th Day of Protests; Wall Street Rides a Rally; Sales of High-Prices Bourbon Rise; Egypt's 14th Day of Protests; AOL Buys Huffington Post; Packers Win Super Bowl; Stressed Out by Heavy Snow; SNL's Winners & Losers in Egypt; Ronald Reagan Remembered; Pack Fans Celebrate in Dallas
Aired February 07, 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: 9:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 6:00 a.m. out West. Here's what we're talking about this morning.
America Online. It's is buying the "Huffington Post" news and opinion Web site and the cost, $315 million. AOL has lost subscribers over the years. Buying "Huff Post" could help it make a big player again in online media.
And gas prices, ouch. Average price per gallon, $3.13. That's about 50 cents more than that this time last year.
And just in case you haven't heard yet. Green Bay beat Pittsburgh 31- 25 in the Super Bowl. That's right. It's the Pack's fourth Super Bowl win.
Today in Egypt, the uprising hits its 14th day and the embattled government reaches a milestone. The country's new Cabinet holds its first meeting. But the story remains in the streets. Crowds are still milling about Tahrir Square, smaller in number, more subdued in spirit, the violence is gone. Banks are reopened. Car traffic returns.
Egypt's new vice president also met with representatives of key opposition groups. Omar Suleiman offered concessions including some that could bring dramatic change to the country.
But Hosni Mubarak still refuses to step down immediately. So opposition leaders not really holding on to his promise of real reform.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOHAMED ELBARADEI, EGYPTIAN OPPOSITION LEADER: People don't get the feeling that they are buying into change, into democracy. I mean, we haven't heard anything about the ability to establish new parties freely, the abolition of martial law. So a huge part of the problem is people -- the young people in particular do not have any sense of credibility that these people mean what they say.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: CNN's Ivan Watson still in Cairo.
So, Ivan, what's it like in the capital today?
IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you may hear the sound of honking car horns behind me, Kyra. That's a sign that Egyptians are less afraid, they're out in the streets some more. Some of the bridges over the Nile have been reopened.
There are still tanks in the streets, army tanks posted. Some banks open, many shops and stores back. But schools are closed for at least another week. And we've just learned that the Egyptian stock market is likely to be closed at least until Sunday. It's already been closed seven days.
Behind me, meanwhile, the crowd is swelling in famous Tahrir Square, the site of Egypt's revolution behind barricades. It looks like people are showing up there after they finish work. It's the afternoon here. And then go in to walk around there.
But last night there were a few moments of tension when a dispute erupted between protesters and some of the Egyptian army soldiers who were posted inside.
Take a look at this.
Now that's a series of warning shots, Kyra, fired by Egyptian troops after a protester tried to pull away some barbed wire there. There is increasing tension between the demonstrators and the soldiers. Some army generals have asked them to open the way for normal traffic. The demonstrators saying no way, not until Hosni Mubarak steps down.
And you mentioned some of these opposition parties that have been talking to the Egyptian vice president, well, the demonstrators inside say that nobody representing them has gone in and engaged in those negotiations even though the Egyptian government says some group that calls itself January 25th came in for talks with it representing the demonstrators.
So you see a little bit the confusion. Who represents the thousands and thousands of people who were gathering there every day and holding this sit-in in the heart of the Egyptian capital?
PHILLIPS: Well, in addition to that, you know, there is this Google executive who' been missing for a week now, right? Is there any word that he might be released? There was some talk that it could be today.
WATSON: That's right. His family says that he disappeared. His name is Wael Ghonim and he disappeared on January 28th after participating in some of the opposition protests, after tweeting about it a lot. He disappeared. His family was frantic, going to hospitals, looking for him, reaching out to the government, no answer.
And then finally after an Internet campaign to try to find him, after Google put out an official statement asking for information about his whereabouts, last night on Egyptian state TV there was an announcement that the prime minister of Egypt said he would be released this afternoon.
We just spokes to his brother. He says he has yet to see him. Amnesty International has put out a statement saying that he faces serious risk of torture. He's just one of the dozens of people that have been detained, journalists, activists here, and a sign of serious human rights issues here in Egypt -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Ivan Watson, live from Cairo. Ivan, thanks so much.
And President Obama says that he remains optimistic that Egypt can transition to a new government peacefully and efficiently. In an interview just before the start of the Super Bowl he told FOX News that the new government must represent all interests and he downplayed concerns about the Muslim Brotherhood gaining power in new Egypt.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think that the Muslim Brotherhood is one faction in Egypt. They don't have majority support in Egypt. They all -- but they are well organized and there restrains of their ideology that are anti-U.S. There's no doubt about it.
But here's the thing that we have to understand, there are a whole bunch of secular folks in Egypt. There are a whole bunch of educators and civil society in Egypt that wants to come to the fore as well. And so it's important for us not to say that our only two options are either the Muslim Brotherhood or a suppressed Egyptian people.
BILL O'REILLY, FOX NEWS HOST: But you don't want the Muslim Brotherhood?
OBAMA: What I want is a representative government in Egypt, and I have confidence that if Egypt moves in an orderly transition process that we'll have a government in Egypt we can work with together as a partner.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, President Obama also says that he has no idea what embattled leader Hosni Mubarak plans to do.
Stay with CNN for continuing coverage of the uprising in Egypt. Tonight, Piers Morgan talks to Jordan's Queen Noor. Does she think the U.S. has a role in the Egypt unrest? Find out on "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT" live, 9:00 Eastern right here on CNN.
Well, a short hiking adventure for three Americans has become an 18- month ordeal. The trial of Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal opened today in Tehran. They, along with Bauer's fiance Sarah -- Shourd, rather, say that they mistakenly crossed into Iran in the summer of 2009 while hiking in Iraq.
Bauer and Fattal pleaded not guilty. Shourd was released on bail last fall because of a medical condition. She's not returned and will be tried in absentia. Well, the founder of the Web site WikiLeaks is asking a British court not to extradite him to Sweden. Julian Assange appeared in a London courtroom today for the first of two -- of a two-day extradition hearing.
Sweden wants Assange for questioning in connection with allegation of sexual misconduct.
WikiLeaks has released hundreds of thousands of pages of U.S. military and diplomatic documents.
Well, the snow in New England is causing a major headache for some schools. And there's concerns about roofs collapsing.
Hartford, Connecticut, firefighters and volunteers are trying to clear snow off the school roofs. An official decided not to take any chances and have closed several school buildings.
Rob, I know you've been tracking all the storms that we've also seen through the week. The weight of that snow so many times unexpectedly causes those roofs to cave in and people have been injured.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, and for -- in a lot of spots it's just been on the roofs all winter long especially in the northeast. We had a number of roof collapses and structural collapse, in Easter, Massachusetts, where the icing and snowy grip of this winter has yet to let go.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MARCIANO: We had the Super Bowl there last night. So.
PHILLIPS: Yes. Packers are used to that snow.
MARCIANO: They did -- yes, they did well.
PHILLIPS: That could be just one of many reasons why my Pack won.
MARCIANO: Yes. They had a roof over their head. Didn't collapse.
PHILLIPS: Thank God.
MARCIANO: But they had some other structural issues. I guess they had to move some pained people --
PHILLIPS: Yes.
MARCIANO: And -- so they didn't get to see the celebration of your Packers.
PHILLIPS: No. And, you know, just to reiterate, 31-25. Saw the first part of the game. First quarter, two touchdowns. Couldn't miss that. Aaron Rodgers named MVP. But, unfortunately, you know what everyone is talking about, right?
MARCIANO: Yes. The less accurate arm or vocal cords of Christina Aguilera's?
MARCIANO: Poor. You and your all that pressure. Everybody is staring at you. It's national television. So she sings the national anthem and she kind of screws up the lyrics a little bit.
MARCIANO: Yes, I was watching -- I guess I was paying attention as much as most people but if you're in the stadium --
PHILLIPS: You were checking out how beautiful she was. You weren't listening to what she was singing.
MARCIANO: You know, she looks fine. She's got definitely some pipes on her. She can sing.
PHILLIPS: Let's take a listen to those pipes.
All right. So she forgot a little "ramparts we watched, gallantly streaming." I mean, you know, everybody was still into it.
MARCIANO: And she covered -- you know got to hand it, she covered it up well. You know? You know? Played around with some of those notes.
PHILLIPS: You play the little words, just let it all kind of go together like when you don't know how to pronounce a word you kind of say it real fast.
MARCIANO: Well, you know, if they ever ask you to do it, I would suggest maybe bring a kazoo. I mean that's probably the safest way.
PHILLIPS: I'll play my harmonica.
MARCIANO: Better yet.
PHILLIPS: All right, now here's what she said. She actually said, "I got so lost in the moment of the song that I lost my place. I cab only hope that everyone could feel my love for this country and that the true spirit of its anthem still got through."
And she does have some pipes, man.
MARCIANO: Yes.
PHILLIPS: She sang -- I mean she's got a beautiful voice.
MARCIANO: I don't think anyone is terribly upset. We all understand a lot of pressure in the moment.
PHILLIPS: Did I mention the Packers won?
MARCIANO: You did mention that. Congratulations.
PHILLIPS: OK. Just want to make sure.
All right, aside from Christina Aguilera singing snafu, there was plenty of Super Bowl entertainment for non-football fans, from dogs to babies to washed-up actors. We're going to, of course, show you the best of the Super Bowl ads.
Plus national porn Sunday coinciding with Super Bowl Sunday this year. But it's not what you think. Pastors actually across the country preaching the evils of pornography. We're going to talk to one of them next and find out why he was preaching porn on Sunday.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
PHILLIPS: And on this Monday, let's go Cross Country, beginning in northwestern Ohio, residents finally allowed to return home after Sunday's fiery train derailment near Arcadia. The cars filled with ethanol jumped the tracks and exploded. The blaze, dying out, could be fully extinguished by tomorrow. No one was hurt. Still unclear what caused that derailment.
Now, let's head to the greater Boston area. The new home for one big baby. Meet Jonathan Patrick Rozzi. He arrived Friday at -- are you ready for this? Thirteen pounds. Now, despite his size, he moves pretty quickly, too. Mom says it only took ten minutes to deliver him.
And then, out of Omaha, maybe a future meal for the big babe, Jonathan. Introducing the Stellanator. Drum roll. Yes, this monstrosity of meat, six patties, six eggs, draped with a dozen bacon strips, six slices of cheese, fried onions, and then, just the standard, lettuce, tomato, pickles, jalapeno peppers. Oh, and don't forget this, the glop of peanut butter just for good measure.
KETV from Nebraska's capital city reports only 2 of the 60 customers who have bellied up for the Stellanator actually finished it. How about some seltzer for that dessert?
All right. So when your pastor talks about love, what does he or she say? Probably something like the famous passage in First Corinthians, right? "Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, and it's not self-seeking."
Notice that there's not one word about porn in there. That topic just doesn't come up much in church. But at least one pastor says porn is an addictive home-wrecker. It's everywhere. It completely messes up the whole love process. And it's time to start talking about it, and why not start on Super Bowl Sunday?
He even drafted some pro football players to help spread the message by talking about their own porn struggles. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIC BOLES, FORMER WIDE RECEIVER, NEW YORK JETS: No one knew that my problem was this bad.
MATT HASSELBECK, QUARTERBACK, SEATTLE SEAHAWKS: Sex is an awesome thing that God designed, but here's how he designed it. MILES MCPHERSON, FORMER DEFENSIVE BACK, SAN DIEGO CHARGERS: It's so tough for guys to fess up and to deal with it, because guys are prideful.
JOSH MCCOWN, QUARTERBACK, CAROLINA PANTHERS: I would go home and I would sit there on the laptop and I would have a conversation and I would battle with not even wanting to open it up, not even wanting to check e-mails because I knew where it might lead me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, Tim Stevenson pastors Horizon Community Church in Sacramento, and he was part of National Porn Sunday. And Pastor Stevenson, you were just one of 350 churches across the country to preach this. Why did you decide to do it?
TIM STEVENSON, PASTOR, HORIZON COMMUNITY CHURCH: Well, porn is an issue that everyone has to deal with, from little kids to adults. Especially in this day and age of two clicks away on my iPhone, I can have pornography for free.
And so, what better place to talk about it than a church. I think the church has been quiet about it too long, and it's time to bring out the secret into the light and expose it for what it is and give people the help that they need.
PHILLIPS: Now, did you have some type of personal experience or conversation as a child or something that sort of stuck in your mind where you thought, "Yes, we definitely need to talk about this."
STEVENSON: Well, I was exposed to it when my first -- magazine I ever saw was a "Playboy," and not really even understanding that as a young child. But when I got to high school, magazines started getting traded around. You start with a "Playboy," and that gave you a woohoo, what an incredible thing. And then, you get to "Penthouse," and then, you don't want the "Playboy" anymore. And then you go from "Penthouse" you go to a "Hustler." And that's the thing about it. It's the law of diminishing returns.
PHILLIPS: It is addictive, isn't it?
STEVENSON: It's like a drug. Definitely it's addictive. Because it gives you that high, and chemical things are taking place in your brain that imprint those images, which I still can't get out of my mind. They're still there. Instant access. That's the danger of it. It's putting images and even a -- really, a falsity of what sexuality is all about in our brains. And now, that's competing with any real relationships that we may have.
PHILLIPS: All right, I'm going to kind of stereotype, here. And it doesn't surprise us, men, porn, OK. But you actually found as you were studying this and looking into this that recently, more women are getting into this. You found 30 percent. Why is that? And why does that concern you?
STEVENSON: Well, 30 percent more -- like any industry, you've got to create more market. So the porn industry, which is not a bunch of guys in wife beater t-shirts trying to figure out how to get money, smoking cigars. This is high industry. This is an $80 billion a year industry worldwide.
And what you have is, "We've got to create more market share, so let's start targeting the women." And so, that is an issue where from the novels, the romance novels, the movies that actually show these guys in different positions and, really, catering to this need, I think within women, generally within everybody, this romance sex, which God created.
Sex is a great thing, what a great thing God gave us, but it has that dark side that if I'm not getting my needs met somewhere else, I can go to a screen and get it with no commitment, no what we would think of consequences. It's just done in private. Who am I hurting? But essentially, I'm hurting myself.
And so, now, the porn industry is really aiming at, "Let's get the women." They've been aiming at kids for a long time. But just that need within a woman. And that's where you're seeing the growth in that culture today.
PHILLIPS: And just real quickly, why did you choose to get NFL players to back you on this and to speak out?
STEVENSON: Craig Gross, who started XXXchurch.com, which is a website for people who have issues with pornography, he recruited these guys of -- professional athletes who deal with this on a regular basis.
And what better time than Super Bowl Sunday? Let's get them on the screen. Here's guys, real men, they're playing football, but here are the issues that they deal with, and how did they -- what things did they put in place to really help them get over that to protect themselves, protect their family and, really, trying to give people some real help in dealing with this addiction.
What protections can you put on your iPhone? What protections can you put on your computer monitors that gives us very few clicks away to some of the grossest things you could ever want to see. And XXXchurch.com is an incredible website that gives you that protection.
Part of it is free, you can put it there where a report is sent to your family members. I mean, my wife, I have a staff person, Kevin, who will get a report from my computer of everything that I go viewing. That's accountability, and that's the one thing we're really trying to push. Taking this secret out of the dark. Let's bring some light on it, and it gives some accountability to it.
PHILLIPS: Well, you definitely did that on Sunday. Pastor Tim Stevenson.
STEVENSON: Have fun.
PHLLIPS: Thanks so much --
(LAUGHTER)
PHLLIPS: I can just imagine. I would have loved to have been in that congregation and heard all the whispers. Tim, thanks so much.
STEVENSON: Yes, no problem.
PHILLIPS: All right. From rock stars to Roseanne Barr, this year's Super Bowl ads had it all. We're going to show you the best, the worst, and the downright confusing.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, nobody gathers around the water cooler anymore, but all over e-mail and Facebook and Twitter this morning, people are yammering about last night's Super Bowl ads. And don't worry if you couldn't stay up late enough. Jason Carroll did, and he's here with all the highlights. Jason, take it away.
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, everyone has a favorite from last night. Over 100 million people watched the Super Bowl, 15 percent tuned in strictly to see the commercials. That's according to a marketing study. Overall, celebrities, Kyra, and humor dominated. Snickers tried to repeat the success of last year's Betty White's commercial, this time with comedians Richard Lewis and Roseanne Barr as hungry loggers. Look what happens next.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROSEANNE BARR, SNICKERS COMMERCIAL: My back hurts. Now my front hurts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
CARROLL: All right, another fan favorite, a pug getting back at a man for taunting him with Doritos, that man gets the bad end of that deal. A wife calling the shots over her husband's diet in a Pepsi ad, and Ozzy Osbourne teaming up with Justin Bieber in a futuristic Best Buy commercial.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUSTIN BIEBER, BEST BUY COMMERCIAL: It's Bieber 6G fever.
SHARON OSBOURNE, BEST BUY COMMERCIAL: What's a 6G?
OZZY OSBOURNE, BEST BUY COMMERCIAL: What's a Bieber?
BIEBER (IN FAKE BEARD): I don't know. Kind of looks like a girl.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
CARROLL: I don't know if you recognized that, but that was actually Justin Bieber in the beard, there, in disguise.
An interesting trend this year, some advertisers didn't wait for game day to premier their commercials, Kyra. Instead, they were releasing them online a few days early in order to generate buzz. That's what Volkswagen did with one of the most popular spots of the night. A boy dressed as Darth Vader trying to conjure up the Force. So far, it has received, as of this morning, over 14 million views on YouTube.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC - "Star Wars Imperial March")
(CAR ENGINE STARTS)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: That was one of the hits, there, that you saw.
But there were some misses last night, too, Kyra. Groupon did a spot that didn't go over well with critics. That was one where the -- you had the actor Timothy Hutton actually poking fun at the oppressed people of Tibet. Not one of the better moments of last night.
But you saw some of the returns of the fan favorites, the Budweiser spot was there, also the eTrade baby, there again last night. So, some hits, some misses. What else are you going to expect with the Ad Bowl from last night? Kyra?
PHILLIPS: We talk about it every year. And you know, Groupon, it doesn't matter if they have a good or bad commercial, they're making money hand over fist, so -- I don't even know why they bought a commercial. So, there you go. Thanks, Jason.
CARROLL: All right.
PHILLIPS: Well, take a look at this video.
(VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Why did it collapse? Well, it crumbled under the weight of the snow. And now, the fear of collapse is spreading from here in Boston across to other states as well. They're getting the hardest hit by these recent winter storms.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Wall Street has had a pretty good run lately. Friday's disappointing jobs report didn't get the averages down. In fact, major averages jumped more than 2 percent each last week. Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange with more. Hey, Alison.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra. Yes, the bulls are really taking charge. We do have another higher open today. Analysts say, you know, we've got a lot of bullish factors in the market right now. For one, we've got signs that the global economy is improving. Those debt problems in Europe appear to be contained and most corporate earnings and sales numbers beat estimates. The analysts say it's going to be all smooth sailing. We'll eventually see a pullback, but the fundamentals still point to green lights on Wall Street.
Now we don't have many major economic reports coming out today. We do get a reading on consumer credit this afternoon. That will show how much Americans are borrowing. All right, let's take a closer look at stocks right now.
The Dow up 21 points, the NASDAQ higher by four. Check out, the Dow is up five days in a row. And Kyra, the recession is over, so bottoms up. Sales of Super Premium Bourbon surged to 18 percent last year.
Now this is the priciest Bourbon category, you know, how it is. The aged, it's aged the longest and the older it is, the better. Now to compare, total Bourbon sales are up just 4 percent last year so everybody is going for the expensive stuff. You know what, Kyra, some say it is the retro effect we're getting from mad men.
Everyone kinds of wants that copy them at this point and pony up for all that Bourbon.
PHILLIPS: I think I'm going to have to wait another month and a half until then I have to put a little in the baby's bottle. Thanks, Allison.
Yes, I know, spicy. There has to be some way to keep them quiet. I'm talking twins. All right, it's half past the hour.
Day 14 of the anti-government protest in Egypt. Crowds smaller on Cairo's Tahir Square, but demonstrators say they will not leave until President Hosni Mubarak steps down. The government met with some opposition groups. President Mubarak vows to leave office in September, but not before.
And a popular web site has a new owner today. AOL says it is buying the "Huff Post" for $315 million bucks. The site's creator, Arianna Huffington will stay on as president of the merge content business.
Cheeseheads all over the world. Yes, they even exist in Antarctica, folks. The beloved Green Bay Packers hoisting hoisting the Lombardi trophy after defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl showdown. Final score if you miss it 31-45. Packers Aaron Rodgers also got the MVP award.
I'll tell you what, that constant snow and the weight is causing headaches all over the country. New England and the Midwest in particular have taken hit after hit after hit from monster storms that have just dumped massive amounts of snow in all those areas.
It's not going anywhere. The snow is piling up and in many cases causing what you are about to see right now. This canopy that collapsed at the Indianapolis parking garage, thanked goodness nobody was injured. But a few rental cars took a beating from the falling ice and snow.
The Tulsa Department Store's roof collapsed on Saturday. Look at these, two employees inside at the time. When they heard rumbling, they ran out just before that ceiling collapsed. That is nothing compared to this.
We saw that last week in Easton, Massachusetts. Luckily the people who worked there heard the creaks before it was too late. They got out of the building before the roof and walls all caved in. You can see why people in these areas are worried about heavy snow because they fear collapses like this. Over 30 schools in Hartford, Connecticut, remain closed. Jen Berinstein from our affiliate WTIC shows us why.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEN BERINSTEIN, WTIC: It has been a long weekend for the Vernon Fire Department and volunteers. They've spent the last four days on the roof of Rockville High School, clearing, dumping and removing snow. The district was hoping enough would be done to open schools on Monday.
MARY CONWAY, VERNON SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT: We tried very hard today and this past week. We are not going to make it.
BERINSTEIN: The National Guard even came in to help with snow removal. But more work was need on the building as well as at the district's lake street grade school. Officials are taking another day.
MAYOR JASON MCCOY, VERNON, CONNECTICUT: It seems like it hit really, really hard. We want to have a safe environment for everyone and protect the assets that we have.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: All right, Rob Marciano, let's talk about the physics of all this. Shall we?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: We have a lot of snow that's really number one.
PHILLIPS: Bottom line.
MARCIANO: Usually often when we - you have snowy winters. We'll get, you know, a period of one or two weeks where we get a bit of a melt, a bit of a thaw, and that will alleviate some of this weight. But we haven't seen that especially across the northeast, pretty much from Chicago all the way to Boston.
Temperatures have been right around the freezing mark even on warmer days. Jus to highlight or to illustrate, you know, a typical house in this part of the world. This one has about a foot and a half of snow on it. There are a number of factors come into play. The flat roofs are most susceptible because you don't get any sloughing and you get the weight distributed differently.
That will cause leaks the water melting, water getting in the structure and that will weaken it as well. But generally speaking, you know, light snow around the great lakes, around the Rocky Mountains, light snow will be anywhere from five to ten pounds a cubic foot. That is easily light enough for any roof to handle, but wet and old snow that's been sitting around for a while can be anywhere from 20 to 30 pounds per cubic foot.
That is a ton of weight on a small area that in these cases has been sitting on these roofs for days and many cases weeks that is a lot of pressure. Most residential houses about 30 to 40 pounds per square foot is what they allow for structurally in engineering. There are variations of that. Schools and warehouses, they don't allow for this much weight. That is the main reason we are beginning to see this, too much snow for an area of time that hasn't been allowed to melt.
I think next week we'll see a little bit of melting from this until then we have some storms. Roof rakes. Go up there and buy your roof rake. You know what I'm talking about if you live in snow country and get the snow off the roofs as safely as possible.
PHILLIPS: Thanks, Rob.
All right, coming up, a very polite robber. He not only apologizes to the clerk that he holds a gun point, but promises to repay him if he ever gets the chance.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Here are some pictures that grabbed our attention. Starting with this buzzer beater, California high school player Marvin Leftridge, as cool as his name. He makes a 90-foot shot.
The high school junior says he practiced the shot before, but never made it. Boom. This run on a soccer field doesn't end with a kick, but a punch. A fight broke out at the end of a high school tournament in Florida. Police arrested the teen. A high school resource officer pepper sprayed those on the field including parents and fans that even got in on the action.
But finally, a polite exchange turns into something quite different. Reporter Owen Lay from affiliate King TV has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFEID MALE: He was a very polite guy.
OWEN LAY, KING TV: Thank you and sir are words John Henry, a church deacon has always tried to live by.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anything else?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. That will do it. LAY: Politeness is key when you run a convenience store even when a guy is buying just a cup of coffee. At least that is what it seemed like until John Henry opened his cash register and politeness pulled a gun on him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you do me a favor? Can you empty that till for me, put it right here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you mean?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Empty the till?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you sure?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. I'm sure.
JOHN HENRY, GAS STATION OWNER: I told him, you are a nice man.
LAY: Then the reluctant robber opened up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know I am, sir, I realize that. I really am sorry to have to do this. I have kids.
HENRY: How about if I give you $40 and this is it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't do that, sir. I have rent to pay, I've got bills and the kids need to eat.
LAY: For a man robbed four times in the last five years, Henry says this is the only one for whom he feels pity.
HENRY: If you want money, you can stand on the street and have a sign, I need help. You'll get some money, but doing this will put you in prison and you will not be able to help your family.
LAY: You see, as a man robbed four times Henry also has the man and his car caught on a dozen surveillance cameras around the store.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you very much. I appreciate it. I really am sorry. If I ever get back on my feet again, sir, I'll bring it back.
LAY: That is why Henry ends the whole exchange with the politeness he normally reserves for paying customers.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: We'll follow that and see what happens. Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour looking more and more like a presidential candidate. We're going to tell you why he's in the Middle East this week.
Another court day for Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. His extradition battle began this morning. Details ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Egypt has dominated the news this week. And with a story of this magnitude it can be difficult to keep up which brings us to a segment we called "Winners and Losers Egypt".
All right, let's see some winners and losers.
First up, winner, Anderson Cooper. You might think he'd be a loser after getting attacked by angry mobs twice in a week. But he's a winner because he still looks like this. You cannot punch the handsome off Anderson Cooper.
Loser, Hosni Mubarak. Winner, Hosni Mubarak's face, this guy is 82 and he looks fantastic. It just goes to show you Egyptians are great at preserving things.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, one likely presidential candidate may be looking to put some foreign policy notches on his belt this week.
Deputy political director Paul Steinhauser is here with more on that. Hey, Paul.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: How are you doing Kyra. And that -- that person is Haley Barbour the Mississippi governor who is thinking -- thinking of maybe running for the Republican presidential nomination. He is in Israel today. And I guess, Israel is becoming the -- the new hot spot on road to the White House. Because remember, Mitt Romney was there last week and Mike Huckabee finished up a trip, he's on a trip to the Middle East right now. All three of these people are of course are considering a race for the White House.
And I guess, it's -- yes. It beefs up their foreign policy chops, it gives them some media attention. We are talking about them, right. And you know, Israel I guess, is becoming the new Iowa on the road for the White House.
Talking about Iowa, that's where Tim Pawlenty is going to be to. The former Minnesota governor who is also thinking of running for the White House, he speaks at a -- a -- a forum, a conversation with the Family Leader, a social conservative group there. He is the first of these possible presidential contenders who is going to be coming to Iowa to speak to the social conservative crowd which of course, they play a very important role in the Iowa caucuses.
And let's talk about President Barack Obama; where is he going to be today? He's going to be speaking in about an hour and a half from now to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. And Kyra, some people are saying it's like, now you're just going into enemy territory, politically at least. Because remember, last year the Chamber took a big role in fighting against health care reform and Wall Street financial reform.
And they also were very active in supporting candidates against -- you know going against Democrats who supported the President on those programs, helping oust a lot of these Democrats in the midterm elections. But maybe it's a little bit of a (INAUDIBLE) on both sides here, maybe everybody is trying to find some common ground. Kyra, back to you.
PHILLIPS: Common ground, wouldn't that be nice. Paul thanks.
STEINHAUSER: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: We'll have your next political update in an hour. And you can always go to our Web site 24/7, for all your political news, CNNPolitics.com.
Well, our nation's 40th President, he would have turned 100 this week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Happy birthday to you happy birthday to you happy birthday
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: All kinds of friends, family members, dignitaries, they turned out on Sunday for the Ronald Reagan Centennial Celebration in the late president's library and museum in Simi Valley, California. And of course, his wife Nancy handled the ribbon cutting duties. Ronald Reagan, gone but never forgotten.
Australia dominated by disasters, first flood, then a cyclone. Now, raging wildfires.
But first, "Flashback": 46 years ago today, the British invasion that American teens welcomed with open arms, upon their arrival at New York Kennedy Airport. The Fab Four: John, Paul, George and Ringo. Well, their first visit to U.S. soil for a ten day string of gigs. It marked the start of a beautiful cross Atlantic musical love affair.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEATLES: She's got a ticket to ride she's got a ticket to ride. She's got a ticket --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, Australia dominated by disasters. Just outside of Perth, raging fires threatening homes. 59 have been destroyed. 40-plus-mile-an-hour winds fanning those flames and that's causing a lot of worry as well. Western Australia's premier has declared much of the area surrounding Perth a natural disaster now.
In London, WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, back in court fighting extradition to his native Sweden where he faces two allegations of sexual assaults. His attorneys argued their client could end up executed or in Guantanamo Bay should Sweden have custody of him and that country extradites for U.S. Espionage charges related to those thousands of government documents published by his whistle- blowing Web site.
And new developments on the controversial release of Lockerbie bomber, Abdel al Megrahi back in 2009, current U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron expected to comment on new revelations gleaned from WikiLeaks. It suggests that the former prime minister, Gordon Brown's administration helped orchestrate Megrahi's release on compassionate grounds with a projected three months to live back then. Megrahi is still alive in his native Libya.
Families of the 270 people killed in that bombing called Megrahi's release an outrage.
Well, we're following a lot of developments in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM. Let's start off with our Ivan Watson live in Cairo. Day 14 of the anti-Egyptian government protests -- Ivan.
WATSON: That's right. We're going to bring you a story of an Egyptian revolutionary, a man who has fought and bled to defend the barricades and protect the revolution in Cairo's Tahrir Square. I'll have that story for you at the top of the hour.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I'm Stephanie Elam in New York, and I'm here to tell you that there is a big old mouse trying to get into the crib with your babies. That may be the case with you, Kyra. I'll explain what's going on with Mickey and his friends coming up in the next hour.
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Political VIPs were out in Simi Valley, California for President Ronald Reagan's 100th birthday this past weekend. And one of top aide had a very strong message for those serving here in Washington. More in the next hour.
PHILLIPS: All right. Thanks guys.
Well, almost one year ago today, a Georgian luger died after an accident during a practice run at the 2010 winter games. Now, back then, the official reason given for his death, poor judgment, operator error, but now we've got our hands on some official documents that show there were actually warnings that that track was dangerous. We've got the developing story for you at the top of the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: All right.
Green Bay Packer fans celebrate the team's Super Bowl win at Vernon's Bar and Grill in Dallas, Texas. What a night that was. Vernon's has been a hangout for Packers by the way for 24 years but the owners went all out for the Super Bowl putting up a tent for those who just couldn't squeeze inside.
Our Mark McKay actually covered the big game. Joining us live now just outside Cowboys Stadium. Boy, what a game it was. And I think you know, after that first quarter, Mark, we pretty much knew who was going to take this bowl game.
MARK MCKAY, CNN WORLD SPORTS: Yes, except, the Steelers did make that run, Kyra, didn't they? It's the morning after Super Bowl XLV here in Arlington, kind of quiet outside the Arlington Convention Center. It wasn't so much inside Cowboys Stadium last night.
Let's take you back as Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers -- Roethlisberger looking to make history with his third Super Bowl ring. Aaron Rodgers looking to make his own history on this night. And it's Rodgers who puts the Pack out in front. The pass to Jordy Nelson 29 yards down the slips, and Green Bay has the lead at 7-0.
First play of the Steelers' next drive, it's Roethlisberger. He's intercepted by Nick Collins. Collins takes it back 37 yards for the touchdown, Packers now lead 14-0.
Roethlisberger did start a comeback before the half ended. Watch him move around and find Hines Ward in the corner for the 8-yard touchdown. Now the Packers' advantage is 21-10. In the third quarter, Rashard Mendenhall (ph) runs up the middle from eight yards out and suddenly this is a 21-17 game.
Green Bay would then take control. Aaron Rodgers to Greg Jennings from eight yards out -- what a night for Rodgers. Three touchdown passes, 304 yards but that long lead would not last long.
It is Ben Roethlisberger with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Mike Wallace, the two-point conversion made it a three-point game. The Steelers need a first down to keep the game alive. Roethlisberger incomplete to Mike Wallace, and that seals the deal for the Green Bay Packers (INAUDIBLE) U.S.A. can welcome the Lombardi trophy back. The Green Bay Packers, the champions, Kyra, of Super Bowl XLV.
PHILLIPS: Oh, yes. And hundreds of fans with tickets unable to get into the game. What the heck happened there?
MCKAY: What a fumble that was on the part of the NFL, Kyra. About an hour before game time temporary seating inside Cowboys Stadium was deemed unusable that left 1,250 fans basically out in the cold. 850 were taken care of, 400 others were not able to be found seating inside the stadium. They had to watch the game on big screens.
The NFL has promised they will refund the ticket up to three times of the face value. But this was an experience that was lost and quite an emotional scene for fans who this will be a once in a lifetime opportunity to see their team play in the Super Bowl. They weren't able to see it in person. Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Mark McKay, thank you so much.