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Penn State Acting Athletic Director, Interim Head Coach Hold a Press Conference; Rick Perry's Big Blunder; Senate Deal to Save Post Office; Penn State Names Tom Bradley as Interim Coach; Penn State Students Riot Over Joe Paterno Firing; Washington National's Wilson Ramos Kidnapped in Venezuela; Did FEMA Flunk its Emergency Test?

Aired November 10, 2011 - 10:59   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.

Want to get you up to speed for this Thursday, November 10th.

We expect to hear live from Penn State's new head football coach any minute now. Defensive coordinator Tom Bradley steps up to the job, his temporary job, that Joe Paterno had been fired from.

We're taking a look live. A signal there waiting for that announcement.

People are outraged by his abrupt dismissal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: We want Joe! We want Joe! We want Joe! We want Joe! We want Joe!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Hundreds of students ran wild overnight to protest Paterno's firing. The board of trustees also fired the university's president. Its members, they are furious over the fact the two didn't do more to stop former defensive coach Jerry Sandusky, who is charged with child molestation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN P. SURMA, VICE CHAIRMAN, STATE BOARD OF TRUSTEES: And effective immediately, Dr. Spanier is no longer president of the university. In addition, Joe Paterno is no longer the head football coach, effective immediately.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: That means Paterno won't coach Saturday's final home game of the season against Nebraska. Paterno accepts he accepts the board's decision, but adds, "It's going to take some time to get used to."

Well, a reminder. We're going to go live to State College, Pennsylvania, when Penn State's new football coach Tom Bradley speaks. That is expected to happen any moment now. And take a look at those live pictures.

Greece has a new interim prime minister to try to avoid an economic collapse. Lucas Papademos, a former European Central Bank vice president, he says his main task is to implement that controversial bailout package agreed with European leaders.

In eastern Turkey, rescuers, they are digging through piles of rubble to try to find dozens of people who are trapped still after an earthquake struck last night. At least seven people were killed, and this moderate quake hit less than a month after you may recall that major quake that struck the same area, killing more than 500.

Well, Major League Baseball's Wilson Ramos, he has been kidnapped now at gunpoint. It happened at his family's home in Venezuela.

The 24-year-old, he's the catcher for the Washington Nationals, and he was reportedly taken by four armed men in an SUV. It happened yesterday. Reports say that the Ramos family still has not heard from these kidnappers.

Presidential candidate Rick Perry, he's trying to recover from the gaffe heard around the country. In a CNN interview this morning, Perry said it shows, well, he's not the slickest politician in the field. He says that the country needs substance over style. But still, even Perry admitted that he stepped in it -- that's in his words -- when he stumbled during that debate last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. RICK PERRY (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The third agency of government I would do away with, education, the -- commerce, and let's see. I can't. The third one, I can't. Sorry. Oops.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Also last night, Herman Cain fended off questions about the sexual harassment allegations against him. Now, he got some support from the audience, not surprisingly. The crowed booed when the moderators brought up the issue.

We're going to have more on this debate coming up very soon.

And country music star Taylor Swift, she has got a big reason to celebrate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And The CMA Award for Entertainer of the Year goes to Taylor Swift!

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP) MALVEAUX: Swift took home the top honor at the Country Music Association Awards. That happened in Nashville. It's the second time that she has won that award.

Congratulations to her.

Well, there is anger and disbelief on the Penn State campus. Now let's go directly live. We are now understanding that the acting director is speaking.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

MARK SHERBURNE, ACTING ATHLETIC DIRECTOR, PENN STATE: Thank you for coming.

As you all know, this is a difficult time for Penn State University, its students, alumni and supporters. Coach Joe Paterno served this university as an educator, a football coach, his impact locally and nationally is immeasurable. For the first time in 60 years, Coach Paterno will not be coaching Saturday's game.

The circumstances and allegations surrounding this case were horrific. Our thoughts and prayers are with all the victims and their families who have suffered.

After the board meeting last evening, Rod Erickson and I selected Tom Bradley to serve as our Penn State interim head football coach. Tom has dedicated his career to serving his alma mater and helping student athletes excel on and off the field. We thank him for that unwavering service, and we look forward to his continuing leadership.

As acting athletic director, I will ensure that our department will provide the resources necessary to support him throughout his transition, and that our department and student athletes move forward in a new direction. Our football team and staff have worked tremendously hard this season, and will push through this adversity.

We are particularly proud of the accomplishments of this team, and especially want to honor those seniors for finishing their home collegiate careers. I hope that our student athletes and fans will continue to support them and show Penn State pride.

Families who entrust us with their children demand us to be stewards, role models, leaders, and solid decision-makers. We will take that responsibility to heart. And Tom will certainly take that responsibility to heart.

Ladies and Gentlemen, please join me in welcoming our interim head football coach, Mr. Tom Bradley.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please raise your hand and we will bring a microphone to you.

QUESTION: Tom, in light of the circumstances, can you talk about how (INAUDIBLE) Coach Paterno? And do you have any reservations, or what kind of reservations do you have? TOM BRADLEY, INTERIM HEAD FOOTBALL COACH: I take this job with very mixed emotions due to the situation. I have been asked by the university, by the board of trustees, by Rod Erickson to handle this. And I told him I would do it last night. And I will proceed in the manner that Penn State expects.

As I met with the players last night and today, I told them the expectations are the expectations. We're no going to waver from that.

And that's where we are right now. The players came over last evening to the last (ph) building. We talked about certain things. We went over certain ways. We proceeded this morning to have a staff meeting and then a team meeting at 8:00.

QUESTION: Do you have any reservations about taking this job?

BRADLEY: I have no reservations about take thins job.

QUESTION: Tom, when and how did you learn that you would become the interim head coach?

BRADLEY: I was actually down in my office watching film last night, like I do every Wednesday night. And the phone rang. It was Rod Erickson calling on the phone about 9:45.

And he asked me if would take the job as interim football coach. And I accepted. Then I proceeded to make sure I got a hold of the team captains and other people so that we could get started immediately on the process.

QUESTION: Tom, your brother told me earlier today that you face a huge challenge. He said you feel really sad about the whole way this unfolded, and now you face the toughest three-game stretch of the season. He said it's almost unparalleled.

BRADLEY: Well, first off, I did talk to may brother later last night, and first off, I grieve for the victims, I grieve for the families. I'm deeply saddened by that. It's with great emotion that I say that.

And, you know, the football part, we will get working on that right away. Right now, I think you should know where our team is toward this whole issue, and it's toward those children, it's toward their families. And our thoughts and our prayers are with them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jeff (ph)?

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

BRADLEY: I called Coach Paterno last night around 11:00.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

BRADLEY: I think that's personal in nature.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cory (ph)? QUESTION: Tom, will Mike McQueary be coaching in Saturday's game? And if so, will he be on the sideline or in the press box?

BRADLEY: Yes. Right now, Mike McQueary will be coaching on Saturday. That will be a game time decision where he is.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nate (ph)?

QUESTION: Tom, given how long you have been here, did you feel it was appropriate that Joe was informed of his termination via a phone call?

BRADLEY: I'm not -- I'm not actually alerted to how the coach was alerted to that. Until this morning, I heard it was by phone call.

QUESTION: Do you think that was appropriate?

BRADLEY: That's not for me to say. The board of trustees made a decision. That's their decision.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here on the right.

QUESTION: Coach Bradley, I understand that you had testified before the grand jury that was investigating this Sandusky affair, and I was wondering if you could explain what you came to know about that 2002 incident or any of the other incidents regarding Coach Sandusky.

BRADLEY: Well, due to the ongoing investigation, I'm not going to say anything about that matter.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Neil (ph)?

QUESTION: Tom, you've been a defensive coach, in charge of the defense. How involved will you be with the offense, and what will be the process in determining a starting quarterback and how you'll use the quarterback?

BRADLEY: First off, when I talked to the team today, I think they know me pretty well. I am who I am, and I'm not going to change. I'm not going to pretend I'm somebody else.

And when the time comes, and we sit down as a staff, which we will, we'll make that decision, who the starting quarterback will be. Right now, I have made some decisions based with our staff. Not quite sure exactly, so I want to make sure I clarify this, but right now, Larry Johnson and Ron Vandelin (ph) will be co-coordinators on defense.

I'm not sure if we'll be able to get that in full swing for Saturday's game, because obviously we have not practiced that way in regarding signals and calls and how that all works out. But we are going to head in that direction. And Elijah Robinson, Elijah is our defensive GA. He will be a full-time coach starting today.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the back? QUESTION: Some people have speculated that the whole current staff should go, you being part of the current staff. Obviously, you are just interim right now. How do you feel, if that were to be the case, to replace in a permanent standard (ph)?

BRADLEY: That's a decision that's up to the board of trustees and Penn State. It's not my decision. I have been asked to do a job, and I'm going to do that job.

QUESTION: If that would happen, what are your thoughts on that? How would you feel about that, if you were let go just because you are a member of the current staff, not because --

BRADLEY: Once again, that's their decision. Not mine.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Joe?

QUESTION: Tom, you've worked with Jerry Sandusky a long time. Could you characterize your relationship? And how shocked were you to hear the allegations?

BRADLEY: Once again, due to the allegations, I'm not going to comment on that. Jerry was the defensive coordinator when I was here, and I worked underneath him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: John?

QUESTION: Coach, for a public who is watching nationally, is it reasonable for them to assume that four or five coaches with more than 20 years of experience on this staff and Mike McQueary and Joe Paterno were the only ones aware of Jerry Sandusky's alleged perversions?

BRADLEY: Once again, I answered that question. Due to the ongoing investigation, I'm not going to talk about it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the back?

QUESTION: Coach, as far as the reputation standpoint, what does this team do to rebuild that trust in the community off the football field in your mind?

BRADLEY: First of all, I think we've got to understand that this team has put a lot of hard work in. This is Senior Day for them. They deserve to have this day. That's what they've worked for this whole year, and my job is to facilitate that that happens.

You know, I think the reputation, that Penn State will go about it in the proper manner, and restore the foundation and the principles of Pennsylvania State University.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Andrew?

QUESTION: Tom -- right here, Tom. In light of the -- first of all, your thoughts about the riots (ph) last night in the wake of the decision about Joe Paterno? And do you worry about the safety and the atmosphere for the players and the fans in the stadium on Saturday given everything that has taken place?

BRADLEY: No. I understood there was some activity last night. And no, do I not worry about the safety of our players on Saturday.

QUESTION: Meeting with the players last night, how are they handling such a monumental change at this point in the season?

BRADLEY: Well, obviously, a lot of them are in shock. They've had mixed emotions. When I called up and spoke to the captains, a whole bunch of guys came over to the last building last might and piled into my office, and we discussed team matters.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mark (ph)?

QUESTION: Have you been given any indication the team will be playing after Saturday?

BRADLEY: What do you mean playing after Saturday?

QUESTION: Will there be football games after Saturday?

BRADLEY: Hopefully so. That's up to the administration.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: John (ph)?

QUESTION: Coach, you guys have a lot left to play for. Can you talk about getting this team back together considering what they have been through in trying to march forward with what can potentially still be in front of you?

BRADLEY: We have great leadership on this football team. OK?

Once again, when I spoke to them this morning, it's their team. OK? They are not here for me. I'm here to help them be as good as they can possibly be, and that's the direction we're going.

I don't think there is any problem. They will be focused. My job is to make sure they stay focused.

Obviously, they've had a tremendous amount of distractions over the past week. It's a great group. OK? They will come to play on Saturday.

QUESTION: Tom, given the intense national scrutiny for Mike McQueary, why do you think it's appropriate for him to coach in this game and continue to be face for this university?

BRADLEY: That's a decision that's up to Mark Sherburne, who is our acting athletic director.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the back?

QUESTION: Was there any consideration given to dismissing Mike McQueary? Were you part of any conversations whatsoever about potentially relieving him of his duties with the football team?

BRADLEY: Absolutely not.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ron?

QUESTION: Tom, I know you have waited a long time to be head coach. You couldn't imagine it under these circumstances. Can you sum up your feelings?

BRADLEY: Well, we are obviously in a very unprecedented situation that we find ourselves in. And, you know, I just -- I'm going to find a way to restore the confidence and to start the healing process with everybody, and I'm going to try to go about it. As I said earlier, it's with very mixed emotion and a heavy heart that this has occurred, that I'm going through this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Matt?

QUESTION: Tom, you said that --

(END LIVE PRESSER COVERAGE)

MALVEAUX: We're listening to Tom Bradley. He's the interim coach now at Penn State.

He says that he has mixed emotions accepting this new position, that he grieves for the families, as well as the alleged victims of this sex abuse case. He said he had numerous meetings with the players. He describes those players as in a state of shock, that they, too, have mixed emotions in moving forward.

But he says that they he has a job to do, and he's going to try to do that job. And again, bring this football team, this campus and this community, back to a place where they can move forward.

I want to bring in Jason Carroll. He's been at the Penn State campus all week.

And Jason, I will ask you about Paterno, the coach who was fired after 46 years on the job by the board in kind of an unceremonious way yesterday. But what do we know about this guy, Tom Bradley? What is the reaction here that they are assigning an interim coach?

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think among a lot of the students here who know college football and are familiar with the team, I don't think they will be unhappy with the decision that someone like Tom Bradley is stepping in. Of course, they are unhappy with the fact that Paterno was forced out. But you heard what Bradley had to say about him having to accept this position.

He found out very late last night, Suzanne, finding out at about 9:45. That's when he got the call from Rod Erickson, the new interim president here at Penn State.

Also interesting to hear that Bradley, at about 11:00 last night, called Paterno. But he told -- he said during that press conference there that that conversation with Paterno was private.

Paterno and Bradley go way back. In some ways, Paterno was Bradley's mentor.

Back in the '70s, Bradley actually played for the team as defensive back. That was early in the '70s. And then in 1980, that's when he took over as defensive coordinator. So he's been associated with this team for a very, very long time -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Maybe he can bring some consistency, or at least a bridge during this very difficult for that community.

Thank you, Jason.

I also want to bring in Roxanne Jones. She is a Penn State alum and CEO of Push Marketing Group, and founding editor of "ESPN," the magazine. She's joining us again today.

And Roxanne, you and I have spoken over the last couple of days about this story that has unfolded here. Now Coach Joe Paterno, the university president, have both been fired.

Do you think that the board did the right thing? Do you think these guys got what they deserved? And is there more fallout here?

ROXANNE JONES, FMR. PENN STATE ALUM: I absolutely agree with the board's decision. I'm glad that they had the courage to do that.

I think that I, along with thousands of other people, would have been severely disappointed if the coach and the president were allowed to go out on their own terms with grace and dignity, which certainly was not anything that those young boys had. So it was the right call.

MALVEAUX: Do you think that Paterno should face criminal charges for failing to report this alleged rape that took place in the showers?

JONES: Well, it doesn't really matter what I think. It matters what the law says.

And so I don't think that we have seen an end to maybe criminal charges there. I think that if there were moral charges, and that were a crime, he certainly would be facing that, because what he did was really inexcusable, as he said in his own release.

MALVEAUX: You have watched, and you were a Penn State student. You have soft spot for Coach Paterno. You said he was a good man just yesterday.

There are a lot of people who are who out there, several thousand Penn State students, supporting him. And yesterday we saw this turn rather violent. There was a news truck that was overturned, they were throwing stuff at police.

Did that surprise you at all, the way there were some students who took to the streets and reacted that way?

JONES: No. It doesn't surprise me, because I know about the -- you know, kind of group mentality among young people. But it does disappoint me.

And that's the kind of anger and passion and response that I would have wanted to see from the grad assistant who saw this heinous crime allegedly being committed on these young boys, from Coach Paterno, from the coaches all around this who knew. I would have wanted them to be outraged and maybe even physically violent. So I think it's misplaced by the students.

MALVEAUX: What does this university need to do to get past this scandal?

JONES: They need to clear out all of the people who were involved, fire them, get to the bottom of what happened, why it happened, why there were no checks and balances, why people put the program and money above humanity and the lives of these young boys. So, more heads need to roll, I think.

They need to deal with it head-on, square on, and try to clean it up as quickly as possible without any, you know, emotions about how great the football team is there. The football team is not the university. The football program is not the university. And so they really need to take care of it for the best interest of the entire university.

MALVEAUX: Sure. Roxanne, as an alum, would you give money to the school?

JONES: Not right now. Not right now. I would not. I would wait to make sure that the board of trustees is leading the university in the right direction before I make that decision.

MALVEAUX: All right. Roxanne Jones, thank you very much.

In the next hour, we're going to ask a current Penn State student about Joe Paterno's dismissal. Michael Page, a meteorology student, thinks that Paterno got a raw deal.

And up next, also, a forgetful Rick Perry makes a pretty bad blunder at last night's presidential debate. But his competition, they tried to save him. We're gong to show you how.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: It's the morning after the latest Republican presidential debate, and Rick Perry's campaign trying to limit the fallout from what some are calling a brain freeze. Yes.

Jim Acosta joins us with highlights from the debate. In Perry's case, more of a low point.

Jim, let's talk about what happened last night when we watched this and how Perry is handling it today.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Suzanne, he is in major damage control mode today, doing the morning talk shows, even putting a question up on his Web site, "Which department of the federal government would you like to forget?"

And it all goes back to what happened last night at this GOP presidential debate here in Michigan. He was trying to recall which three departments of the federal government he would eliminate if he became president. And during what was an excruciating 53 seconds of really a presidential train wreck, he could only remember two of those departments.

Here is how it happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PERRY: And I will tell you, it's three agencies of government when I get there that are gone: Commerce, Education, and the -- what's the third one there? Let's see.

(LAUGHTER)

RON PAUL (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You need five.

PERRY: Oh, five. OK. So Commerce, Education, and the --

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: EPA?

PERRY: EPA, there you go. No.

JOHN HARWOOD, MODERATOR: Seriously, is EPA the one you were talking about?

PERRY: No, sir. No, sir. We are talking about the agencies of government. The EPA needs to be rebuilt. There's no doubt about that.

HARWOOD: But you can't name the third one?

PERRY: The third agency of government, I would do away with the Education, the --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Commerce.

PERRY: Commerce. And let's see -- I can't. The third one I can't. Sorry. Oops.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And after the debate, Governor Perry knew he was in trouble. He marched right into the post-debate spin room and told reporters that he, yes, "stepped in it."

The question now is whether he can step out of it, Suzanne. And earlier this morning, on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING," he vowed to soldier on with his campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PERRY: Obviously, I stepped in it. But, again, I go -- I have my moment of humor with it and then I press on and understand that there are a lot more serious things facing this country than whether or not I could remember the Department of Energy at an inappropriate time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And if Rick Perry was the loser at last night's GOP debate -- and that's pretty much certain -- the winner may be Herman Cain. After almost two weeks of facing accusations of sexual harassment, Suzanne, for the moment, at least, those questions have subsided for the conservative businessman.

MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you, Jim.

Political analysts and pundits, they were quick to pounce on Rick Perry's blunder. So how bad was it? Can he recover?

Want to get some perspective from Larry Sabato. He's professor of politics at the University of Virginia.

Professor, thanks for joining us.

First of all, let's start with your tweet about Perry's gaffe. You tweeted earlier today, "To my memory, Perry's forgetfulness is the most devastating moment of any modern primary debate."

Really? I mean, when you compare it to others, why --

PROF. LARRY SABATO, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Yes. No, I went through --

MALVEAUX: -- so bad?

SABATO: -- them in my mind. I'm old enough to remember them all, starting in 1960, actually, with the general election debates between Kennedy and Nixon.

But look, this was a Chernobyl-style meltdown. This wasn't a tiny, little gaffe. This will live forever in the reel of debate moments that changed politics.

Look, anybody can recover from anything in modern American politics, but I will tell you something, Rick Perry is behind the eight ball. And visiting a bunch of morning TV shows with prepared lines about how he stepped in it is not going to make the difference.

MALVEAUX: So, his campaign has put out something on the Web site. I want to read it here for you. They are trying to do some damage control as well.

They say that, "While the media froths over this all-too-human moment, we thought we would take this opportunity to ask your help in doing something much more constructive, ,writing us to let us know what federal agency you would most like to forget."

Do you think it's a smart strategy? SABATO: Look, Suzanne, it's not going to work. They can do whatever they want to.

Here's the problem for Rick Perry. What people saw last night in the millions confirms the subtext of his candidacy that we've heard about since he got in that he is a bad debater, that he is not prepared to go up against President Obama if he's the Republican nominee in November, plus the questions about whether he is competent enough to serve as president. Because the presidency involves constant communications, and you have to have the talent and skill and ability to do it.

Look, it was a massive disaster. And to pretend otherwise is really just a whistle past the graveyard.

MALVEAUX: What about his supporters? He is asking his supporters for every agency to name to contribute five bucks. It worked for Herman Cain when he was under the microscope, he was under fire. His supporters came out with millions.

Do you think he can actually make some money off this?

SABATO: Well, he's already raised a lot of money. He has got a lot of money out of Texas. He can probably still tap more.

You know, he is the governor. He has a lot of power and authority, and people have to give whether they think he is going to win or not. But, you know, this is a classic case of money can't buy you love.

MALVEAUX: All right. Professor Sabato, thank you very much. Appreciate your time.

Rick Perry is certainly not the first politician to stumble during a debate. And you can bet he's not going to be the last. Here is a look at a couple of those past debate blunders.

Back in 1976, Gerald Ford raised some eyebrows when he said Poland and Eastern Europe were not under Soviet domination.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GERALD FORD (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe and there never will be under a Ford administration.

UNIDENTIFIED MODERATOR: I'm sorry. Could I just -- did I understand you to say, sir, the Russians are not using Eastern Europe as their own influence in occupying most of the countries there?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: What about Michael Dukakis, rather flat, unemotional response to the question from our own CNN anchor, Bernie Shaw.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BERNIE SHOW, FORMER CNN ANCHOR: Governor, if Kitty Dukakis were raped and murdered, would you favor an irrevocable death penalty for the killer?

MICHAEL DUKAKIS, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No, I don't, Bernard. And I -- you -- this I know that I've opposed the death penalty during all of my life. I don't see any evidence that -- the terms and -- I think there are better and more effective ways to deal with violent crime.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: We will probably see more gaffes as the debates continue.

The plan is save the U.S. Postal Service gets a tweak and moves on to the senate. We are going to tell you what it means for your mail delivery on the weekends.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: On Wall Street, rebound after yesterday's big sell- off.

Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange.

So, Alison, this is good to see numbers climbing today. What do we think about the rest of the afternoon?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. It is a good sign to see some green on-screen after what happened yesterday. But one thing to notice is that stocks are off their highs of the day. Those European worries, European debt worries continue to dominate the trading. That's going to keep the gains in check. Still, the Dow is up 77 points. Sure, that's good news -- Suzanne?

MALVEAUX: Tell us about the postal service, is getting really hammered by the economy. The senate panel is giving the OK to a deal that could save the post office? What do we know?

KOSIK: This is what this deal would look to do. It would look to do several things. For one, cut spending, reduce head count, including a deal that would offer 100,000 workers buy-outs. The deal would look to scale back work's compensation, let's say, if a worker is injured the job. It would also put the option to the table to cut that Saturday mail delivery service. But if it does cut that service it wouldn't happen for another two years. Keep in mind this deal still has to go through the full Congress for a vote before any action is actually taken -- Suzanne?

MALVEAUX: Do you still get mail? I'm curious.

(LAUGHTER)

KOSIK: I still get mail. I love going to the mailbox and getting 50 million catalogs. You know. MALVEAUX: Yes. Most of it seems like junk mail. Yes. I still enjoy it, too. I wonder, does anybody mail each other any letters or anything?

KOSIK: I actually -- I don't do the mailing letters thing but I like to look at the catalogs that come in the mail.

(LAUGHTER)

MALVEAUX: She's going to get her catalogs on Saturday.

All right, thank you, Alison.

(LAUGHTER)

MALVEAUX: Anger is exploding at Penn State.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SHOUTING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Legendary coach is fired. Students getting fired up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Penn State's interim head coach says the school's football program is not going to miss a beat. Tom Bradley spoke just a short time ago. He moves up to the top job after the Penn State board of trustees fired Coach Joe Paterno as well as the university's president. Bradley says that he grieves for the boys who were allegedly molested by Paterno's former assistant, Jerry Sandusky.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CROWD: We want Joe! We want Joe!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Paterno supporters were not happy with his dismissal. They hit the streets. Students flipped over a TV van and threw rocks and bottles at police. Officers responded with pepper spray to break up the crowd.

Well, it is what Paterno failed to do that led to national outrage as well as his dismissal.

So here's what happened. According to the grand jury report, March 2, 2002, graduate assistant, Mike McQueary, sees a naked Sandusky sodomizing a boy in the locker room showers. McQueary is now an assistant coach at Penn State. Next day, March 2, McQueary goes to Coach Paterno's home to tell him in graphic detail what he has witnessed. On March 3, Paterno tells the school's athletic director something of a sexual nature happened in the showers. But apparently, skips the graphic details. Paterno never alerts police and the alleged abuse incident is not investigated by law enforcement. A week later, McQueary told the athletic director and university vice president about the shower incident. Both officials are charged with perjury and failing to report the alleged assault. Paterno, though, has not been charged.

That brings us to CNN legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin, on Skype, to explain all of this, the legal terms here.

Jeff, first of all, explain to us why Paterno has not been charged with anything.

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: You know, this gets very complicated. I have been reading the statutes here. Frankly, I think that some of this stuff is pretty unclear. The law under which the two administrators are charged is the law that says people who have knowledge of a child abuse situation are obligated to report it if they are the head of the department or head of the organization.

And that's where there is a certain vagueness here. What I assume went on in the attorney general's office is these -- the prosecutors concluded that Paterno, by reporting it up the chain of command fulfilled his legal obligation. The two administrators did not report it to anyone. They did not go to any law enforcement, thus they were prosecuted.

But, frankly, I think this situation is murky. The investigation is continuing. I would not think it is totally out of the question that Paterno might be charged down the line.

MALVEAUX: You could see that possibility of him being charged as well?

TOOBIN: Yes. I mean, just as a general point. I think it is important to remember that we are closer to the beginning of this legal process than the end of this legal process. There are going to be civil lawsuits. People are going to be suing Penn State for millions and millions of dollars. This criminal investigation is continuing. Other victims apparently are coming forward, other alleged victims. So lots is going to happen here before all of the legal situation is sorted out.

MALVEAUX: One thing I don't understand is why -- why is Jerry Sandusky out on bail? I know he is prohibited from being alone with children, including his own grandchildren. Is that something that's really enforceable? Is he being monitored?

MALVEAUX: I don't know if there is any electronic monitoring and certainly no such thing as electronic monitoring to keep children away. It only deals with the location of the defendant.

Judges deal with two questions on bail. Is the person a risk of flight? And second, are they a danger to the community? Given his history, you can certainly see a judge concluding he is danger to the community but, given the circumstances, the judge concluded he was an adequate bail risk. MALVEAUX: Jeffrey Toobin, thanks so much.

There's going to be a lot of developments here. I think it is very interesting the possibility that Joe Paterno might face charges later on down the road.

Thank you, Jeffrey.

A Major League Baseball player has been kidnapped. How it happened and the reaction up ahead.

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MALVEAUX: There's growing concern for the safety of Washington National's catcher, Wilson Ramos. He was kidnapped at gunpoint yesterday while his family's -- at his family's home in Venezuela.

Joining us, Carlos Diaz, sports anchor with our sister network, HLN.

Tell us -- this sounds pretty bold, pretty brazen. You and I were talking about this. What actually happened to him?

CARLOS DIAZ, SPORTS ANCHOR, HLN: A lot of players go to Venezuela during the winter to play winter ball. In fact 95 players from Major League Baseball are down there right now to play in the Venezuelan league. He is down there -- 6:45 yesterday evening, with his family, his father, his brothers are in the house. Four gunmen burst into the house and take Wilson Ramos out of the house, kidnapping him. Now the government in Venezuela has recovered a car that he was taken in. There has been no demands from the kidnappers as of yet.

So it is a very unusual situation because we are used to hearing about family members being kidnapped. This is the first instance of a Major League Baseball player being kidnapped in Venezuela.

You have to understand, it is a very beautiful country, but there's a lot of danger in Venezuela. And this something that happens a lot.

MALVEAUX: Right. Kidnapping really isn't -- it is not an unusual occurrence in Venezuela. There's a whole business in industry behind it. You made the point before that they kidnapped the wrong guy. If they wanted money, demand it from -- not the father.

DIAZ: Yes. Wilson Ramos has the money. You are kidnapping the guy that has millions of dollars. I mean, that's why they have always kidnapped family members in the past. They to hold them for ransom. So this is a very serious situation.

And also, too, for the economy of the baseball leagues in Venezuela if this keeps going on and if Major League Baseball players are being kidnapped, no players are going to want to go to Venezuela to play baseball in the winter time. This is across the board a bad thing for Venezuela. MALVEAUX: What about the player himself? Lot of people don't know who he is. He is a rising star.

DIAZ: Yes. He was -- rookie catcher, you know, batted 261 last year with 62 RBIs and 15 home runs. He was -- he's a rising star with the Washington Nationals. It is a rising team as well. He's a player on the rise, who has a bright future but right now his future is in peril.

MALVEAUX: Carlos Diaz, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

So did FEMA flunk its test of the emergency system? We are going to take a look at that and talk about what went wrong with yesterday's dry run of a new national alert system.

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MALVEAUX: We were supposed to hear a test of the Emergency Broadcast System yesterday, but instead some folks heard, yes, Lady Gaga.

Brianna Keilar is live in the White House with that story.

Brianna, tell us what happened?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Suzanne, there was some reports from -- there were reports from some people who just reported anecdotally that they heard the Lady Gaga song "Paparazzi" during what was supposed to be this emergency alert test. I don't know but you, actually, that's one of my favorite Lady Gaga songs.

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But you don't want to hear it during a test of the emergency alert system. Now that, of course, was very localized. Not a lot of people heard that.

You've probably seen local tests of this system for things like tornadoes, child abductions. But this was supposed to be the first nationwide test of the system with something called the Presidential Alert Code on all TV and radio stations. The idea here is that the president, with just 10 minutes notice, would be able to broadcast to the entire country on radio a TV in the case of a crisis. Not everyone, as we said, necessarily heard the test or heard what they were supposed to be hearing or seeing. Some people heard or saw the test but it wasn't at 2:00 p.m. eastern time, which is when it was supposed to happen. So the FCC and FEMA right now, they're collecting the data and they're sort of rejecting some of these suggestions that perhaps this test was a failure. They're saying this is why you test something, to see where the issues are so they can be fixed.

MALVEAUX: Do they suspect there were hackers or people who intentionally got involved to have Lady Gaga's music in the mix with all of this?

KEILAR: No, there's no discussion of that. We don't actually know where that even came from or specifically some of the different areas. But at this point, there's -- they're looking at all of the data. They have to filter it in, look and see where some of the issues were and try to fix it. And perhaps in the future, there's a sense that they'll do another test. They're adding some new technology so this is kind of a work in progress.

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MALVEAUX: It's definitely a work in progress.

Brianna, I'm looking forward to that next test. As much as you like that music, we won't hear it next go-round.

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KEILAR: Hopefully, not.

MALVEAUX: Thanks, Brianna.

For the latest political news, go to CNNpolitics.com.

Checking other stories across the country.

Alabama's biggest county is so broke, it has filed for bankruptcy. Jefferson County is where Birmingham is, and it is $4 billion in debt. It the biggest bankruptcy filing in a county government in U.S. history.

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SANDRA LITTLE BROWN, COMMISSIONER, JEFFERSON COUNTY, ALABAMA: It was a decision I didn't really want to make but, right now, we were left with no other tern perspective. Our last option that we had on the table. So it is going to be OK. It is a bitter ending with a sweet beginning.

Commissioners are going to do everything they can along with one of the best qualified legal advisors, Chapter 9, who wrote the book is, with us and he's going to be with us and we're going to protect the rate payers of Jefferson County.

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MALVEAUX: Check this out. An intense confrontation at the University of California. University police in riot gear moved in to break up a group of Occupy protesters who had gathered outside a building on the Berkeley campus.

And in New York, it is a sure sign of a holiday season. I love this. The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is on the way to the Big Apple. It is a Norway spruce from Pennsylvania. It is 75 years old. The tree is going to be decorated and put out on display at end of the month. I love that tree.

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