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Budget Showdown Looms; Dramatic Turn of Events in Bahrain; Financial Cheaters; Why We're Watching Wisconsin; New York Teachers Accept Pay Cuts; Unrest Spreading in Mideast; Poisoned Oaks at Auburn Spark Response; Civil Rights Living Legend
Aired February 19, 2011 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Good morning once again. I'm Randi Kaye.
A dramatic turn of events in Bahrain. Thousands of protesters retake a landmark square just days after being forced out in a violent clash with security forces.
A heated budget battle in Wisconsin gets even hotter. We'll tell you what's at stake and why the debate has gotten so intense.
And financial infidelity, squirreling away money and spending it, yes, without telling your spouse, that's a big no-no. The startling truth about money secrets just ahead.
But we start with a looming budget showdown on Capitol Hill. In a marathon overnight session, the GOP-led House passed a spending measure with massive cuts. It slashes more than $60 billion in federal funding from the current fiscal year budget. It bars any federal agency from spending money on implementing the new health care law.
It blocks all federal funding for Planned Parenthood and limits the activities of the Environmental Protection Agency. The measure now heads to the Senate where it's sure to meet heavy opposition from Senate Democrats who call the cuts, quote, "extreme." If lawmakers fail to agree on this budget, the federal government could be shut down.
Congressional correspondent Brianna Keilar, is live in Washington. Brianna, good morning, what are the chances that this battle could actually trigger a government shutdown?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, it's not a sure thing, but it is a possibility. That's what we can say. And it's basically what you said, Randi, you can see the problem here.
The Republican-controlled House and the Democratic-controlled Senate have to reach some sort of agreement about how to continue to fund the government to avoid a government shutdown. And right now they are not on the same page. You might say they're not even really on the same book.
One of the usual measures that is used to continue funding the government is what they're doing right now. It's a temporary measure, it's -- we refer to it as a stop gap measure that continues to fund the government at current levels.
Well, Speaker John Boehner was asked about this. And he made it very clear he is not interested in this route at all.
Listen to what he said this week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), HOUSE SPEAKER: When we say we're going to cut spending, read my lips. We're going to cut spending.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: So now one of the things, though, that Republican aides tell me that is a possibility would be to continue at least to -- to fund the government with the stop gap measure that includes some cuts.
And the issue here for Speaker Boehner is that he has a conservative Republican contingent, many of them freshmen Democrats who are really flexing their muscles, Randi, who want cuts who say that they are -- kind of unbending on this.
Right now, we do know that Republican leaders have been talking to them trying to get them maybe on board with some sort of cuts just to hold things in place, hold things together for the next few weeks before they can maybe get even more cuts.
As you know, it would be politically dicey to face a government shutdown. And this is becoming quite the partisan rhetorical battle on the Hill.
KAYE: Yes, March 4th being the day to keep --
(CROSS TALK)
KEILAR: Two weeks.
KAYE: -- to keep an eye on the calendar.
KEILAR: Yes.
KAYE: All right, Brianna Keilar for us in Capitol Hill. Brianna, thank you.
Seething anger still spreading: anti-government protesters are back in the streets in a number of countries across North Africa to the shores of the Persian Gulf. Violent confrontations in a number of places, the death toll climbing.
CNN's Tim Lister is on the phone with us from Bahrain's capital where there has actually been a dramatic turn of events -- Tim.
TIM LISTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): There has, indeed, Randi, what was a scene of bloodshed here on Pearl Square -- I'm walking around the Square right now -- has become the scene of almost carnival this evening. The people have taken the place over. The army and then the police melting away this afternoon, by the gulf standards it's actually quite a chilly night but (INAUDIBLE) thousands converging on this Square.
They've taken it over after being driven from this Square just two nights ago by a police operation in which several people were killed. They're now erecting tents, people are cooking, children are having their photograph taken in front of the memorial, a truly (INAUDIBLE) atmosphere.
There's a long way to go here but this is an amazing turn of events -- Randi.
KAYE: And Tim, we're looking at this new video. The pictures in, we were just looking there a moment ago of this -- this new video -- there it is again -- of these people celebrating there in the Square.
And Tim, this is a really big deal because the military has moved out, right, the police have moved out and the majority of the people there really have been ruled by -- by -- by the Sunni royal family for so long. And this is a -- a break for them.
LISTER: That's -- that's -- that's absolutely right -- that's true. Now, the Shia, who is majority here, will tell you, we have nothing against the Sunni. In fact, there was one man with a poster saying I'm a Sunni and I support the Shia. They do have grievances with the way they've been treated by the royal family; discrimination in job opportunities and housing and so forth.
And it's only the olive branch from crown prince earlier today in saying we'll allow the demonstrator to take over this Square that has changed the situation dramatically. Clearly there came orders from the top that the violence had to stop and that there has to be an olive branch extended and a dialogue begun.
The nature of that dialogue will lead (ph), there are still plenty of people around me in this Square; they want the king and the royal family gone. We have a long way to go here -- Randi.
KAYE: Certainly, but the crown prince is calling for calm. And it seems as though at least for -- for this time we're seeing some -- some more celebrating instead of bloodshed there in the Square.
Tim Lister for us in Bahrain -- Tim thank you.
A deadly confrontation today in Yemen's capital: hundreds of anti-government and pro-government protesters clashed at Sana'a University. Witnesses in a local human rights groups say gunshots were fired into the crowd killing at least one person. Several others were wounded. The protests in Yemen are now in their ninth day.
In Libya reports of a surging death toll as protesters vent their anger at long-time ruler, Muammar Gadhafi. A doctor in Benghazi, Libya's second largest city tells CNN that helicopters fired at demonstrators today. He says the city is effectively under siege. The human rights group says security forces have killed at least 84 people across Libya during these protests. That number has not been confirmed by CNN.
Somali pirates have struck again hijacking a yacht with four Americans on board in the middle of the Indian Ocean. The yacht, the SV Quest, was headed to Oman after leaving India. The owner of the yacht, Jean and Scott Adam are apparently on a worldwide cruise but it's not clear if they are the ones who are actually on board.
The U.S. military says it is monitoring the situation. With the Somali government unable to stop it, piracy has flourished off the coast.
Back in the U.S., a fierce budget battle isn't just taking place in Washington; a raging war over spending cuts is also being waged in Wisconsin where public workers are telling the Republican governor hands-off their benefits and collective bargaining rights.
CNN's Casey Wian is live in Madison, Wisconsin. Casey, what is happening there at this hour?
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Randi. What was happening is you can start to see behind me the crowds are beginning to gather, the protesters are beginning to gather. Police are expecting somewhere between 30,000 and 50,000 people; perhaps the largest protests in the history of this state to be here today.
And that's because for first time we're going to hear organized activity from people who support Governor Scott Walker's effort to reduce the power of this state's labor unions and also to require them to pay more for their health and pension benefits.
Now, teachers and other public sector employees have been out here all week protesting. They've had schools shut down for the past three days. But now the supporters of Governor Walker are coming in droves or expected to come out in droves being organized by the Tea Party.
Now, unions say that they want the governor to come back to the bargaining table if you will. They want to negotiate this effort that he is trying to put forward. He says, the Governor does, that he needs it to balance -- help balance the state budget and to avoid the layoff of up to 6,000 state workers over the next couple of years.
The Governor says despite all those demands from teachers and other union members, he is not going to back down.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. SCOTT BROWN (R), WISCONSIN: I knew people would be passionate. I knew they'd be pumped up. They have every right to do that. That's what's great about America.
But I knew that again, as I mentioned that to me that wasn't going to offset the fact that there were plenty of others across the state including the 19,000 e-mails I got supporting us on this.
But what surprised me is that Senate Democrats who talked about being upset about democracy are now the ones hiding.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIAN: They are very encouraged that the state Democrats in the state Senate have actually left the state of Wisconsin and that has stopped this legislation from moving forward. So we're at a standstill legislatively. But there's going to be a lot of protests here later today -- Randi.
KAYE: All right, thank you, Casey. I appreciate that.
Sarah Palin's poll numbers are not so good. I'll tell you what she is saying about that. Right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back.
Add Senator Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico to the list of retiring Democratic senators next year. The four-term senator announced Friday he would not seek re-election in 2012. Bingaman joins three other Democratic senators including Joe Lieberman, who are retiring next year.
Bingaman's decision further complicates the Democratic Party's push to maintain its Senate majority in the next election. So are Republicans optimistic about their chances of taking over the Senate?
Let's turn to CNN's deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser who is live in Washington. Good morning, Paul. What are you hearing in terms of a -- a possible Senate takeover?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN'S DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes, some Republican insiders are optimistic. Bingaman as you said, makes four now, four in the Democratic Coalition who will retire. Remember, the Democrats have a 53-47 majority. Next year, in the 2012 elections the Democrats will be defending 23 seats, the Republicans only 10. So yes, Randi, Republicans feel optimistic. The Bingaman news only helps them.
Democratic operatives they tell me, you know what; they're actually glad that all of these retirements are happening early. They want to get them out early, get them out of the way so they can prepare for next year.
Remember, in the last election, some Democratic senators retired pretty late in the cycle and that put the Democrats in a crunch there -- Randi.
KAYE: And what about the -- the possible presidential candidates? I mean, that list keeps growing. But if you're keeping track of them, what are at least some of them up to this weekend? STEINHAUSER: Well, one of them in particular, Michelle Bachmann, the Congresswoman from Minnesota. She's a favorite of the Tea Party Movement. She is in South Carolina speaking to Republican groups this weekend. She was recently in Iowa. Next month she's going to New Hampshire. What do all those three states do have in common, Randi? Well, we know, they -- they lead off the presidential primary and caucuses.
And so Michelle Bachmann who is thinking about running is in some crucial states -- Randi.
KAYE: Yes. She certainly is.
Let's talk about Sarah Palin, who is also talking about running, possibly, maybe, who knows? We don't know. But we know that her poll numbers this week weren't so hot. What's she's saying about that?
STEINHAUSER: Yes, she was in Long Island two days ago giving a speech to a business group there. And a moderator asked her about her recent poll numbers. And said, you know what she said, she goes I'm getting my butt kicked in these polls.
And -- and it is true, her favorable rating among all Americans is not that good, nothing to brag about. But specifically among Republicans she is doing better -- Randi.
KAYE: All right, of course she would say something like that. That's very funny.
STEINHAUSER: Yes.
KAYE: All right, Paul Steinhauser, good to see you. Thank you.
KAYE: Hiding a bag of new shoes in the car trunk or secretly possibly buying a new golf putter? That's called financial cheating, financial infidelity, in fact. We talked to an expert about this problem and how to come clean.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Sixteen minutes past the hour.
Financial infidelity or hiding your money from your significant other; a lot of couples are cheating financially. Take a look at this. Recent surveys show 80 percent of married couples spend money without their spouse knowing. Nearly one in every five has a secret credit card or possibly a bank account and more than a third say that they're keeping money secrets because they fear telling the truth would trigger a serious argument or maybe even divorce.
Well, I spoke to financial expert and founder of learnbest.com Alexa Von Tobel. I have to admit my own guilt, yes, been there, done that. But I asked her the big question. What exactly are people buying that they are hiding?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ALEXA VON TOBEL, CEO, LEARNVEST.COM: So I think this is one of the most interesting parts because they're not buying anything special. We have about 35 percent of purchases coming from things like retail and clothing expenditures, with another 24 percent coming from simple food and dining. So average expenditures, nothing that's super special here and as you know, a ton of retail shopping, though.
KAYE: It's so funny because it's true. It isn't anything special but you still keep it in the trunk. You wait for your husband to go out and play golf or do something like that. I don't know, something, anything. Get him out of the house so I can bring it inside.
Where do some folks hide what they bought? I mean I like to use the trunk, personally, but that can be exposed. How extreme are we talking? Are people burying it in the backyard or what?
VON TOBEL: So funny you mentioned both of those. So, the number one most common place is people actually hiding it in the trunk of their car; in big metropolitan areas, the number one place being in the back of their closets.
This is my favorite trick. Oh, I've had this forever. I've had this for years.
And then the most extreme place is actually we had someone report that they buried things in their backyard.
KAYE: Oh, my.
VON TOBEL: So people actually go to great lengths to actually hide these purchases -- that's right.
KAYE: This can be a marriage killer. So just quickly tell us what couples can do to get better at this so we don't have to do this anymore.
VON TOBEL: Sure. At learnvest.com, we're really focused on helping people with relationships and money. There's a lot of questions and a lot of issues. And sadly, money really does complicate relationships. We have a free daily newsletter that actually goes through step by step helping you understand how to have these discussions.
And I think the big thing here is just baring everything. Sitting down when you have time and actually starting with your credit scores. Start there then go through where your debt is and what's happening with your finances and have an honest candid discussion.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Great tips.
The key to happiness: the secret may be not education, not marriage or money but where you live. We'll explain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Here's one thing we can all pretty much agree on, everyone wants to be happy and healthy but is there some secret to that and does where you live, maybe play a big part in that? Earlier, I talked with an author who spent five years traveling the world, looking for that key to happiness and longevity.
Dan Buettner put the answers in his new book, "Thrive." But first I couldn't help but ask him about his first book, "Blue Zones" and his fascinating findings about living longer.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Talk about the Blue Zones, the best places to live the longest. I just want to mention a couple of them because I do find this fascinating. Okinawa, Japan, why do people live so long there? What's the key?
DAN BUETTNER, AUTHOR, "THRIVE": Well, they eat mostly a plant- based diet. You know only about 25 percent, though, of how long we live is I think dictated by diet. The other 75 percent here is the way people interact with each other, their sense of purpose and I think also it's their social network.
They're put into little groups of five when they're about six years old called mawais (ph) and they support each other throughout their entire life. And that probably adds six or seven years to life expectancy.
KAYE: And another spot where people live very long is the community of Seventh Day Adventists in Loma Linda, California.
BUETTNER: Yes. And they demonstrate that Americans can live a lot longer. Adventists live about ten years longer than the average American. In fact, a good friend of mine, Marge (INAUDIBLE) just died at 106 this week.
But they, again, they take their diet right out of the Bible, Genesis chapter one. They eat mostly plants, beans and nuts. And then they have this ritual from sunset on Friday until sunset on Saturday, 24 hours where they focus on their God, their social network and they take a nature hike. And the power of that is that it's a ritual.
KAYE: And they're not going to the gym. That's what I noticed. A lot of these people they're just out and about and doing their regular routine, hiking, walking.
BUETTNER: Yes. The five blue zones and we work with National Geographic on this so we really did our homework. None are pumping iron or doing marathons, but they live in an environment that nudges them into physical activity. Gardens, they live in homes that don't have a button to push for yard work and another button to push for housework.
KAYE: Right. BUETTNER: The point is their life is land mined with little opportunities to move; big lesson for us.
KAYE: That is great to keep in mind. So let's go from living longer to not only living longer but living happier. When it comes to happiness, we're working on the premise that about 30 percent of happiness is influenced by our genetic makeup --
BUETTNER: That's right.
KAYE: 15 percent of life circumstances and the rest you say is 55 percent or so is up to you. The places that make you or the idea behind the happiness, I know you have six tips. I want to get to those, in your book.
The first one is community. How does community help in terms of your happiness?
BUETTNER: Yes. So if our happiness is a cake recipe, who we marry, how much money we make, are we healthy, do we have meaningful work, the most important ingredient in that cake recipe is where we live.
So if we live in a place with sidewalks, and a place with easy access to green spaces and in neighborhoods where everybody is about status equal. You don't want to do like your realtor tells you and have the cheapest house on the block. You want to have the house on the block equal to everybody else's block. That way you're not confronted with people who have bigger houses, bigger cars, et cetera. You feel better about your life.
KAYE: Right. And we know that obviously if you have the right job and you're happy in your work that will add to your happiness. But you also say that social life is really important.
BUETTNER: Yes. It's really important to pay attention to who you hang out with. For every new happy person you add to your social network, it increases your own happiness by about 15 percent. The happiest people in America socialize a full seven hours a day. That's not Facebook. It's face time.
KAYE: So you have the social life, the financial life, you're home, all of those things play a role in your happiness. And we certainly know that diet plays a role in living longer.
BUETTNER: Yes.
KAYE: Dan, we really appreciate you sharing all of that, not only the tips but I might have to change my diet as well after speaking with you.
BUETTNER: Plant-based and don't pull a wrapper off of it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Violent confrontations as the unrest in the Middle East spreads -- gunshots ring out in Bahrain as protesters press their demands. That country just one of the hot spots. We'll tell you why the protests matter to you, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Top stories now: the House has passed a Republican spending bill that calls for $60 billion in cuts. The measure now heads to the Senate where it's sure to meet heavy opposition from senate Democrats who call the cuts extreme. If lawmakers fail to agree on a budget and don't pass another temporary spending extension, the federal government faces a possible shutdown next month.
Four Americans were on board a yacht hijacked by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean. The yacht is owned by Jean and Scott Adam, a retired couple from California where they were on a worldwide voyage. It's unclear though whether they were actually on the boat that was taken.
Protesters continue to demonstrate outside the state capitol in Wisconsin. Teachers and other state workers are upset about the governor's proposed budget. Among other things, it would cut public workers benefits and most collective bargaining rights in an effort to reduce the state's deficit.
The protest isn't just about Wisconsin. The stakes are high for other states facing serious budget problems as well.
Senior White House correspondent Ed Henry explains.
ED HENRY, SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Randi, House Speaker John Boehner raised the stakes on Friday by charging President Obama and his allies are whipping up, what he called, Greece-style protests. And the Republican leader said this is undermining bipartisan efforts to solve these budget crises, not just in Wisconsin but all around the country.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY (voice-over): Think this is just a narrow budget fight in one state? Think again.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Some of what I've heard coming out of Wisconsin, where you're just making it harder for public employees to collectively bargain generally, seems like more of an assault on unions.
HENRY: The president knows Wisconsin is just round one in the national battle for control of the budget message. So he sent his outside political team Organizing for America to help build even larger crowds. And union officials are vowing to keep up the fight in key 2012 political battlegrounds.
(on camera): And this is beyond Wisconsin, it seems?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely. It is beyond Wisconsin. It is, quite frankly, throughout the country, whether it's in Ohio, New Jersey, New Hampshire. You see these attacks on workers.
HENRY (voice-over): Labor officials charge teachers in Wisconsin are being unfairly targeted for deep cuts. They get smaller raises, pay more out of pocket for pensions and health care and lose collective bargaining rights for both. Wisconsin's Republican governor Scott Walker staring at a $3.6 billion state deficit says he needs to cut somewhere. And he's getting air cover from House speaker John Boehner, who, like the president, knows Wisconsin is really just a proxy for their own showdown coming March 4 when funding for the federal government runs out and a possible shutdown is looming.
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), HOUSE SPEAKER: He was elected to lead not to sit on the sidelines.
HENRY: Boehner aides privately tell CNN they believe Democrats are trying to stop Walker because they're worried he and other governors will be able to, quote, "pull a Chris Christie" as in the Republican in New Jersey who faced down unions.
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: We have two choices, to either stand up and do the right thing, to speak the truth and speak it bluntly and directly, or to join the long parade of leaders who have come before us and failed.
HENRY: White House aides note that in his interview with the Wisconsin station, the president did say leaders at all levels will have to make tough choices.
OBAMA: Everybody has got to make some adjustments to new fiscal realities. We had to impose, for example, a freeze on pay increases for federal workers.
HENRY (on camera): The Republicans say the president started this week at a White House news conference saying he wanted, a, quote, "adult conversation" with Republicans to figure out how to pay for all these government programs. And now he's ending the week trying to expand the protests that may make it harder for both sides to come together -- Randi.
KAYE: A little different story for teachers in Syracuse, New York. Teachers, teaching assistants and even school administrators in West Genesee School District say they will accept a wage freeze for the 2011/2012 school year. That will save the district about $900,000. The teachers union says the pay cuts were necessary to help stem layoffs and keep smaller class sizes.
Dramatic scenes all across North Africa and the Middle East as protesters take to the streets to demand a bigger voice in their lives. Let's take a look now at the breakdown. The countries where the unrest is taking place and how it affects you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, ABC NEWS CORRESPONDENT: I only said thugs because when four or five or six guys are beating you with sticks, it feels a heck of a lot like thugs within three to four minutes of them pulling up, they unleashed everything they had.
KAYE: At the heart of the anger, discrimination, unemployment and corruption. Protesters are calling for the removal of the royal family which has led Bahrain since the 18th century. Bahrain is an important U.S. ally. It is the headquarters of the U.S. Navy's 5th fleet.
JOHN WOOSLEY, FORMER CIA DIRECTOR: You could see region-wide war come about as a result of a miscalculation between, say, the Israeli navy and the Iranian navy or something like that.
KAYE: In Iran, trouble has been brewing since the 2009 election when people filled the streets to denounce the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as fraudulent.
Despite the military crackdown, thousands marched against the government this week. In response, members of Iran's parliament chanted for the execution of key opposition leaders. The battle lines have also been drawn in Libya. In Benghazi, Libya, Friday tens of thousands of protestors marched carrying the bodies of those killed earlier in the protests. The issues, poor housing conditions and high unemployment Human Rights Watch says demonstrators were killed in clashes with security forces.
Meanwhile, state television showed these images of men chanting pro-Muammar Gaddafi slogans and singing around the Libyan leader who has been in power more than 40 years.
PROF. FOUAD AJAMI, JOHN HOPKINS UNIVERSITY: We gave him a reprieve several years ago because supposedly he turned over his weapons of mass destruction. He hasn't changed. This is a monster. And the Libyan people are suffering from this.
KAYE (voice-over): In Yemen, sticks and rocks were the weapons of choice as anti-government demonstrators clashed with pro-government gangs in the capital city of Sanaa. Protesters want long-time president Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down. They blame him for lack of jobs and political freedom.
(on camera): While all of these countries may sound very far away from your home, that doesn't mean the unrest won't hit close to home. Some experts suggests this unrest could result in oil hitting $147 a barrel again, like it did two years ago. If the revolution continues in Bahrain and throughout the region, you could feel it at the gas pump.
(voice-over): In Egypt, even with Hosni Mubarak out of the picture, the situation is still tense. Victory celebrations in Tahrir Square Friday sent a message to the military. Protestors are still watching and waiting for reform. Easing tension in the Arab world may require reform instead of repression. But if the rest of the region is hoping to accomplish what those in Egypt did, they better gear up for what is already a bloody battle.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Be sure to stay with CNN for up-to-the-minute coverage of all the unrest.
An extreme sport on the slopes. Our Reynolds Wolf tries his hand at snow biking. Yes. You've got to see this. Let's just say one word here, wipeout. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Thousands of tree huggers are descending on Auburn, Alabama this morning. But these aren't your everyday garden variety type of environmentalists. Many are actually university alumni or fans incensed by an act of vandalism targeting a long-standing source of campus pride. We're talking about the poisoning of a pair of 130- year-old oak trees that adorn Toomer's Corner, an intersection popularized by Auburn fans after winning football games.
Charged hours after Auburn confirmed the poisoning, 62-year-old Harvey Updike of nearby Dadeville. You see him right there. He's a self-professed Alabama fan who may have actually outed himself. Updike is believed to have called a Birmingham sports radio show to brag days after his team lost to Auburn.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
HARVEY UPDIKE: The weekend after the Iron Bowl, I went to Auburn, Alabama, because I live 30 miles away, and I poisoned the two Toomer's trees. They're not dead yet, but they definitely will die.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is that against the law to poison a tree?
UPDIKE: Well, do you think I care?
(END AUDIO CLIP)
KAYE: If convicted, Updike is facing possible ten years in jail. Auburn fans now calling Updike de-Forrest Gump. Yep, it's true. Reynolds Wolf --
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: De-Forrest Gump. I love that.
KAYE: Do you like that?
WOLF: Yes, I do. I heard one on the Internet this morning. Someone on the Internet called it instead of Toomer's Corner, Toomer's Coroner.
KAYE: This is a story that's really close to your heart. You're a big Auburn fan.
WOLF: Lifelong auburn fan. Absolutely. You know, it's one thing when you have school rivalries, they're all over the country. If you, you know, paint a statue, that kind of thing. But to kill oak trees that are 130 years old.
KAYE: Doesn't make any sense.
WOLF: It is very permanent. A very sad thing to see. But certainly that was the situation and it's going to be interesting to see how they will recover. And Auburn will. You know, that's just how it goes.
Hey, one thing that's an interesting thing to see today in parts of southeast. Obviously in Toomer's Corner there are people there that are going to be celebrating the oaks while they're still there. They are going to have plenty of sunshine.
That will not be the case out to the west where we have some clouds and with that will have a little bit of rain and a lot of snow. In fact, some places could see several feet of snow, especially into the Sierra, Nevada, and back to the central Rockies. This will be phenomenal for skiers. Great for skiers, but for people just trying to drive along parts of Interstate 15 or even through parts of Salt Lake City and back over to Reno, it is going to be very treacherous. And it won't be just the heavy snowfall. Another big factor is going to be the strong winds. Some wind gusts that may top 60 m.p.h.
And snow in the coming days expected to move into parts of the Northern Plains and back into portions of Minnesota could see a foot of snowfall in to the twin cities.
But for the rest of the day, again, it will be picture perfect for a lot of people. Plenty of sunshine, as I mentioned, across the western Great Lakes. Central plains some scattered showers possibly through portions of I-70 right along into Missouri and even into parts of Arkansas. But into Texas, a mix of sunshine and clouds.
Temperatures could not be better. Take a look at the highs that we anticipate for the day. Seventy-four in Dallas, 70 degrees in Houston, about the same for San Antonio and Austin. So great for people making that walk down Sixth Street.
For Kansas City, 49 degrees, the expected high 67 for Bill (ph) Street in Memphis. Seventy-six in Tampa, 77 in Miami. Back out west we go. San Francisco near Pier 39 it's going to be 43 degrees for the expected high. And outside the Staples Center in Los Angeles, 59 degrees the expected high. Not a bad day at all. Let's pitch it back over to you, Randi.
KAYE: Come on over here because I want to talk about this new sport that you've taken up. Something called snow biking?
WOLF: It's something --
KAYE: I hear you're really good at it.
WOLF: Good is basically a train wreck on ice is how it turned out to be.
KAYE: You had a little competition.
WOLF: With Rob Marciano, absolutely. You know, you've heard of skiing, you've heard of snowboarding, but this is something called snow biking. It is kind of new. I'd like to show you how it works. And just be warned, it is not a pretty thing to see. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The snow bike is super easy to learn really quickly. And so, as a result, you can get those people who have never had the opportunity to travel around the mountain, you can have them up around the mountain within a few hours.
All right. You guys have just passed your first test of snow biking. Remember lots of high fives, possibly a fist bump, there we go. That's what I'm talking about. We're going to go all the way to the top now.
WOLF: Now we all know Rob is much more than an actual skier. What advice did he give me in this race? I mean, there's got to be some kind of advice, some pointer you can give me.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Tip the bike and go as fast as you possibly can. Don't hold back.
WOLF: You know, as a meteorologist, part of my job is making predictions. Well, like I tell you, I predict that Rob is going to win this race. But if we're able to make it down the hill with our arms and legs still attached and our faces looking about the same, aren't we all winners? I think we are.
MARCIANO: This is one of the few times I actually agree with Reynolds' forecast. I am going to win.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On your marks, get set, snow!
WOLF: Go, go, go, go, go. Uh-oh.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On your right!
WOLF: Yes, I'm all good.
MARCIANO: You back there? Oh, geez. Come on, Reynolds! Come on!
WOLF: Oh! Woo! Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Watch out --
MARCIANO: Watch out for the girls again.
WOLF: He's right on me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Marciano by a nose. Woo!
MARCIANO: You're right, Reynolds, we're both winners!
WOLF: Nice job, bro.
MARCIANO: That's awesome. Too much fun.
Good times, man.
MARCIANO: Too much fun. Do it again? WOLF: Yes. I think we can do it one more time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF: He was wrong. We are not both winners. He's the winner, I'm the loser with a capital L. But the thing that's so weird about that, the biggest thing to master is the stopping. And there were times we'd be going down these ski runs and, all of a sudden, you would see a ski instructor with about 20 kids in a ski class going in front of us and trying to swerve around them. It was scary.
KAYE: See, I don't like that out of control feeling. But I see no bruising. You've got all your teeth.
WOLF: No bruising whatsoever. But, you know, it was funny, I was actually speaking to a surgeon on the way up, he shared part of the lift with us. He said, you know, when you have a ski injury, the biggest thing that happens, if you're going to hurt yourself, usually your knee. If you're a snowboarder, it's a shoulder. If you're a ski biker or snow biker, it's your pride. And my pride was hurt pretty badly. Face plant a few times.
KAYE: You looked good doing it though. I love how you have the little skis on your feet actually.
WOLF: You know, it was bizarre. The whole thing was a great experience. If you ever get that opportunity, by all means, try it out. It's not a bad way to spend an afternoon.
KAYE: I think you need to take Rob on again, personally.
WOLF: We'll try. I think round two is coming up at some point
KAYE: Yes. All right. Well we wish you luck with that one.
WOLF: You bet.
WOLF: Very good stuff, Reynolds. Thanks.
A family thought it would never see Parker again. But after six years, this story and life for Parker, it all has a very happy and unusual ending.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Let's head cross-country now to see what some of our affiliates are reporting. First stop, Indianapolis and a reunion that was a very long time coming. Parker, that little black and white dog there, well, he disappeared six years ago from the Oberland (ph) family. But on Wednesday, the Humane Society called saying, hey, guess what, we've got your job. A jogger found the dog in a park and luckily he had a microchip embedded in him. The family and Parker are now back home in Kentucky with the mystery solved. I love that story.
Now to King's Mountain, North Carolina, take a look at this . You would think llamas would be cuddly animals, right? But not this one. Ronnie Griffin says his pet suddenly went crazy and attacked him forcing him to take refuge in his car and he actually called 911.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OPERATOR: Your phone's breaking up. What's got you hemmed up?
RONNIE GRIFFIN, LLAMA OWNER: A llama.
OPERATOR: A llama?
GRIFFIN: Man, he was all over me and that car both.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: I love that. What's got you hemmed up? A llama. Yes.
Last stop, Des Moines, Iowa. A high school wrestler, Joel Northrup defaulted in his first match in the state tournament because his opponent was a girl. He and his family called it a matter of conscience and faith. Wrestling is violent and involves the kind of contact he calls inappropriate between a boy and a girl.
NEWSROOM continues at the top of the hour with Marty Savage filling in for Fredricka Whitfield. And you have a whole lot on tap for us.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: We do. We're going to have our legal experts as we always do on the weekend. And interesting to talk about Drew Peterson, the case, excuse me, where hearsay is the issue that comes up here. He is, of course, accused in the death of one wife and he's also suspected in the disappearance of another. The police officer was Illinois.
So the prosecutors want to use hearsay. And this essentially information that came from both wives but not directly from their own mouths to the courtroom. So it's kind of an interesting case. Hearsay, a lot of us, we tend to think of as kind of like rumor. In the legal world, no, it's something more than that. But is it enough to be allowed as admissive in the court of law.
KAYE: So it might actually mean something. It could make a big difference.
SAVIDGE: It could make a huge difference in the case here. Yes, and probably makes all the difference to the prosecution.
Then we also want to talk about the story coming out of Pennsylvania. This is the teacher that wrote the blog.
KAYE: Oh, about the kid, about her own students.
SAVIDGE: Yes, basically said they were out of control. Said some of --
KAYE: Right. We tell student not to do this, but then this teacher does it. SAVIDGE: It's a personal blog. And, you know, here's the question? Is it, you know, free speech, first amendment, or should she have disciplined? She's been suspended. We'll talk about that. And then, also, Fredricka has this great interview with Iman who is the famous model from the 1970s. You know, well, she is more than just a beautiful face. She is a woman who has progressed. She is the head of a cosmetics firm. She speaks five languages. Daughter of a diplomat. On and on and on. A fascinating person.
KAYE: Five languages. Wow. Beauty and brains.
SAVIDGE: I still work on English from time to time.
KAYE: Very funny. All right, Marty, we'll check back in with you shortly here.
One of the pioneers of the Civil Rights Movement talks about the most important moment in his life. Coming up, my conversation with the Reverend Joseph Lowery.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: When you talk about the Civil Rights Movement, certain names are synonymous with the era. One of them is the Reverend Joseph Lowery who co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a group that helped drive the fight for racial equality.
The 89-year-old preacher has a new book out, a collection of his sermons called, "Joseph E. Lowery: Singing the Lord's Song in a Strange Land." The Civil Rights icon has been a witness to change. And you might be surprised at what he calls the most important moment of his life.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. JOSEPH LOWERY, AUTHOR "JOSEPH E. LOWERY: SINGING THE LORD'S SONG IN A STRANGE LAND": God of our weary years.
KAYE (voice-over): When America's first black president was looking for someone to deliver his inauguration's benediction, Barack Obama chose the Reverend Joseph Lowery. The preacher says, while standing on the podium that day, he couldn't help reminiscing about another historical moment.
Lowery was with Martin Luther King, Jr. at the 1963 March of Washington. And he recalls a conversation between members of their inner circle.
LOWERY: We talked about how long before we'd see a black president. And as I recall, none of us saw ourselves witnessing the first black president. We felt that we'd be (INAUDIBLE) watching from glory. We didn't think we'd live to see it.
KAYE: The man known as the dean of the Civil Rights Movement calls the inaugural benediction one of the most memorable of his long career. That's saying a lot for a man who helped plan the Montgomery bus boycott and lived to tell about the riots that followed King's death.
But the one event Lowery calls the most important of his life, it happened in Decatur, Alabama, May 1979, during his 20-year reign as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The organization was there to protest the conviction of a mentally challenged man named Tommy Lee Hines convicted of rape and fleeing the scene in a car.
LOWERY: And Tommy couldn't ride a bike. He didn't have the coordination, the motor control, you know, between mind and body to ride a car -- to drive a car, let alone to ride a bike.
KAYE: Lowery says on the day of the march, there were reports of Ku Klux Klan CB radio conversations about killing march leaders. Later, shots rang out.
LOWERY: I heard bullets whining over my head and my wife was driving behind us in the car. And when they started shooting, crowds scattered and exposed her in the car. And they shot in the car. And splattered glass all over her body. And the young men who were marching with us sort of picked me up and carried me out of the line of fire.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You once told me it was one of the most important marches you have ever been a part of. Why?
LOWERY: Well, I guess because it almost took my life and my wife. And it was -- it showed the ugliness of the Klan.
KAYE: Lowery says that march helped bring national pressure on the Klan. Pressure that led to arrests and convictions of various crimes. When asked if there was anything he could change --
LOWERY: Well, I'd change the hearts of men. We're going backwards a little bit I think. The last election, the reaction to Barack Obama's election carries with it some elements of racial hatred. Some resentment to the fact that even though the country did a great thing and though are those who resent the election of a black person. And I think that's a part of what's happening in the political world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Lowery says he doesn't know when he will deliver another sermon. He also hasn't ruled out a second book of sermons or possibly even writing an autobiography.
Tomorrow night, CNN spotlights another man at the center of the Civil Rights Movement. But was he a hero or was he a traitor? His camera lens captured pivotal moments in African-American history. Now FBI documents expose a darker angle. Join Soledad O'Brien for the "SPECIAL INVESTIGATION: PICTURES DON'T LIE." That airs Sunday night at 8:00 Eastern right here on CNN.
Well, that's going to do it for me. Marty Savidge is going to pick it up from here. Hi, there, Marty.
SAVIDGE: Hello, Randi. Thanks very much.
