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Penn State Trustees Meet; Alleged Victim's Mom Speaks Out; Perry Laughs Off Debate Gaffe; Obama to Visit Aircraft Carrier; Major Leaguer Abducted in Venezuela; "Seven Natural Wonders" To Be Announced; $13M Bonuses at Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac; Report: Paterno Contacts Criminal Attorney; Businesses See Boom on 11/11/11; Billy Crystal to Host Oscars; Howard Stern in Talks with Talent Show; Police: Sandusky Abused Charity; Number of Homeless Vets Down

Aired November 11, 2011 - 10:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. Penn State takes the field tomorrow for the first time since the end of the Joe Paterno era. And there are new developments this morning, surrounding the alleged child rape scandal.

The university's board of trustees meeting right now and they are talking about creating a committee to investigate the allegations surrounding former defense coordinator Jerry Sandusky.

Meanwhile, Penn state says the assistant coach who allegedly witnessed the victim being sexually assaulted in a shower will not be at tomorrow's game because of multiple threats.

CNN's Mary Snow joins us now from State College, Pennsylvania. Mary, what is standing out to you so far from that board of trustees meeting?

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Martin, it really is that message of how to move forward, how to get past this, and as so many people have been saying this week here at State College that Penn State is so much more than this dark scandal that has engulfed this university right now.

The new interim president, Rodney Erickson, addressing just a few moments ago the board of trustees at this meeting, the first meeting since both Graham Spanier, the university president, and Joe Paterno, were both fired, stressing that he hopes to rebuild confidence in this university.

Here's a little bit of what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RODNEY ERICKSON, PENN STATE INTERIM PRESIDENT: I accept this new leadership role under circumstances that I never could have imagined. It has been truly difficult to comprehend the terrible nature of the allegations that were revealed in the attorney general's presentment last week. My heart aches for the victims and their families and my mind searches for answers like millions of others across the nation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNOW: And Martin, one thing that also stood out is when Rodney Erickson was saying that one of his -- the big purpose right now for him or one of them is to listen and to hear concerns among the faculty, among the students, among the alumni.

You saw there was anger on this campus for a number of reasons cited by students, but a number of them have been saying that they are very angry that the focus has not been placed more or emphasized more on the victims of these sexual abuse allegations.

And that this is so much bigger than football and football of course, many will say, really defining Penn State.

SAVIDGE: Mary, we're hearing from the mom of an alleged victim for the first time, right?

SNOW: Yes, and this is victim number one outlined in the grand jury report. And if it had not been for a young boy who was 11 at the time, that he alleged this sexual abuse occurred, this investigation might not have started that he came forward.

His mother spoke to ABC's "Good Morning America" earlier today talking about how her son first brought to light that something was terribly wrong. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And at some point he came to you and he said he wanted some information about how to look up sex weirdos?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did you think of that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I asked him who he was looking up and he said he wanted to see if Jerry was on there and I said, well why would you look him up? And he said, I don't know. He's a weirdo.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNOW: Jerry, of course, referring to Jerry Sandusky, the former coach who's been charged with sexual abuse charges. His attorney telling CNN that Sandusky is maintaining his innocence -- Martin.

SAVIDGE: CNN's Mary Snow on the campus of Penn State, thank you very much for the update.

Joe Paterno is facing no criminal charges in the alleged sexual abuse case, but NBC News is reporting that he has reached out to a criminal lawyer. We'll talk about this development with attorney and sports radio talk show host (inaudible) that will be in 15 minutes from now. Rick Perry, well, he wants you to laugh with him not just at him. One day after his disastrous memory lapse in the presidential debate, Perry poked fun at himself on "The Late Show with David Letterman."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. RICK PERRY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Listen. You try concentrating with Mitt Romney smiling at you. That is one -- I had a five-hour energy drink six hours before the debate. I wanted to help take the heat off my buddy, Herman Cain.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the number one Rick Perry excuse.

PERRY: I just learned Justin Bieber is my father.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: All right, funny stuff. Senior political editor Mark Preston, he is in Washington. Mark, I guess a brave strategy, but is it really smart?

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Yes, I mean, look, he had no other choice, Martin, except to go out there, try to embrace this, and to try to turn around his campaign. I'll tell you, when that moment happened on Wednesday night if you were following social media, Martin, you would see that everybody was saying his campaign was over.

However, his campaign is not saying that. And, in fact, not only did we see him go on late night last night to try to poke fun at himself and turn his whole campaign around.

He also did interviews with all the networks yesterday morning, something we hadn't seen from Rick Perry before, trying to get out in front of this. What people are not discussing right now, though, Martin, is the fact that Rick Perry still can do very well in Iowa.

Could potentially win Iowa, which is the first state that will vote in the Republican presidential nomination, and Rick Perry has a lot of money. So while this was terribly embarrassing, I don't necessarily think it is devastating and will knock him out at this point.

SAVIDGE: Agreed. Mark Preston, attention on deck we should say, President Obama will be aboard a very special aircraft carrier tonight. Tell us why.

PRESTON: He will. He'll be leaving Washington after the replaying ceremony over in Arlington. Of course, for Veterans Day, he'll be heading out to San Diego to watch a basketball game. It will be between UNC and Michigan State and it's is going to be aboard the U.S.S. Carl Vincent.

What is significant about this? Well, of course, it is Veterans Day, but the U.S.S. Carl Vincent is also the platform, Martin, that was the platform when Osama Bin Laden's body was buried at sea. So it's a very symbolic night tonight and of course, because of Veterans Day a very interesting way to honor it -- Martin.

SAVIDGE: And also it'll be the start of a new economic summit and an important one. All right, Mark, thank you very much for the update.

Kidnappings for ransom have become more common in recent years in Venezuela. Even the families of Major League baseball players have now been targeted, but for the first time an active roster Major Leaguer has been abducted.

CNN's Don Riddell is following the story now from London. Who is the player, Don?

DON RIDDELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's the Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos and to be honest with every hour that passes, Martin, the more worrying it becomes. It was more than 36 hours since he was snatched from his parents' home in Venezuela.

He was abducted by armed men and driven away and nothing has been heard from the kidnappers since, Martin, which is incredibly worrying for his family, for his friends, and, of course, the fans of the Washington Nationals and, of course, the team he was playing for in Venezuela.

He's had an incredible season, Martin. He is only 24 years old. He was a rookie with the nationals this year, but he quickly established himself as their number one catcher with a batting average of .267. He hit 50 home runs and 52 RBIs.

And of course everybody is just desperately waiting for some sort of word from the kidnappers. His sister has appeared outside the family home and said that she believes he is alive, but we've heard no concrete evidence to actually back that up.

SAVIDGE: We certainly hope that is true. Give us the history here. I mean, in the past we know that family members have been kidnapped. What has usually been the result?

RIDDELL: Well, it has happened, hasn't it? This is the fourth Major League player to have been touched by kidnapping in Venezuela. On three previous occasions, it was relatives of the players that were taken.

On two occasions, thankfully, those relatives were returned unharmed. But sadly, in 2008 the Arizona Diamondbacks player Henry Blanco had his brother kidnapped and killed so, of course, a worrying trend.

It does seem to be a growing problem in Venezuela and, of course, these guys are targets. They're heroes in their community. They're idols to their fans, but they're very public. They have a high profile and they're very well paid.

And so, of course, in countries like Venezuela where kidnapping is a problem, players like this are going to be targets.

SAVIDGE: Right. Don Riddell reporting to us from London, thanks very much.

Well, after a four-year competition, we are about to find out the seven newest wonders of the world. Millions of people around the globe have voted and for their favorite natural wonder that is.

Max Foster joins us now with more on this contest and some of the favorites. Max, are you on the list?

MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, this is an unbelievable event. I have to say. I mean, I just had an update from the organization that organized "The New Seven Wonders." The count on the votes is going on right now, but their projection is a billion votes for this new set of wonders.

And once, the thing that is quite interesting is a huge number of votes cast by a small frame from Asia. So it will be really interesting what comes through from this. Some of the favorites coming through, the Grand Canyon, that's really popular. Lots of people voting for that.

A lot of them are ones you might expect as well from around the world. So you've got the Great Barrier Reef. You've got the Dead Sea. You've got Komodo Island in Indonesia.

But what you've got coming through is this big surge of votes for certain places, the German Black Forest, the Maltese coming through. I've also just been told that in about an hour, 4:00 p.m. in the U.K.

About an hour from now, they're going to narrow it down to 14 finalists from 28 and then at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, you'll get the final seven. So it's pretty interesting. The numbers are massive.

SAVIDGE: A billion of anything is a lot and certainly to hear the newest wonders is always interesting to get people's take on what they like. Max, thanks very much. We'll wait for the updates to come in.

Meanwhile, coming up, the mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Your tax dollars save them from collapse, so why in the world is millions being doled out as a reward? Alison Kosik has the story straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are not just friends. They are names that many people know well, financial friends, largely because of the huge bailouts that they got during the recession.

Now the companies are doling out millions in executive bonuses. Alison KosiK is at the New York Stock Exchange. And Alison, how much money are we talking about here? ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Martin, we're talking about a lot of money, $13 million in bonuses for 10 executives at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. You know what that equals to? About $1 million for each person and this is after Fannie and Freddie got bailouts of $180 billion combined.

Now, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, that's the regulator that oversees Fannie and Freddie, he is defending these bonuses. His name is Edward Demarco. He wrote a letter to lawmakers saying these bonuses actually help retain top talent.

And here's what he said. He said I need to ensure that the companies have people with the skills needed to manage essentially trillions of dollars and make sure that basically that there's a good watch dog over what the American taxpayer is supporting.

But, Martin, tell me if I'm wrong here. You know, you try telling that to millions of Americans who are still struggling to make it through the housing crisis especially after Fannie and Freddie lost billions of dollars in the last quarter and just asked Congress for more money -- Martin.

SAVIDGE: That is exactly the line always given. You need this money to keep them. Do you really want to keep them is the question sometimes? So what is the government doing about this?

KOSIK: Well, you have to remember this, that these bonuses, they were approved by the government, the FHFA. It is government agencies, but you know what? A lot of lawmakers are upset about this.

There is a Senate Banking Committee happening -- Senate Banking Committee hearing happening next week that is going to look into this issue of the bonuses. Demarco is going to testify. He's going to defend them.

He also notes that Fannie and Freddie executives had their salaries cut by 40 percent. By the way, Martin, Fannie and Freddie, they're not commenting -- Martin.

SAVIDGE: Not surprising. How are the markets doing today? It's Friday.

KOSIK: Markets are looking good. The Dow is up 222 points. Greece just swore in its new prime minister. Italy is pushing through some tough austerity measures through its government system.

So what the markets see is things are happening in Europe to try to get a handle on the debt crisis there. That is why you are seeing the markets really jump today -- Martin.

SAVIDGE: All right. Let's hope it continues for the day. Thanks, Alison.

Coming up, a Penn State grad and sports talk show host. He describes how difficult the scandal has been for him. Mike Missanelli joins us right after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: Joe Paterno faces no criminal charges in Penn State's alleged sexual abuse case, but NBC News is reporting that the fired coach has contacted a criminal defense attorney.

So let's talk about that with Mike Missanelli. Mike is the author of "The Perfect Season" chronicling Penn State's legendary 1986 season. Mike has an afternoon drive time show on Philadelphia's 97.5, "The Fanatic."

He's a Penn State grad and an attorney, all of which makes him perfect to speak to. Mike, what have you heard about Paterno reaching out to an attorney? I mean, as an attorney yourself, it's probably good advice?

MIKE MISSANELLI, TALK SHOW HOST, 97.5 THE FANATIC: Well, I would think that it's prudent for anybody to back themselves up with an attorney in a situation, but there is a discrepancy, Martin, on whether he has done that.

His son in fact, Jay Paterno, who is one of the offensive coaches on the team, denied that to reporters who came to the Paterno house yesterday.

There is no question that Penn State has opened themselves up and Paterno specifically to civil suits. So I would think that it's only prudent for him. As far as the criminal charges, the grand jury had a chance to indict him and they chose not to.

I don't know if they did that because he is so large in that area or whether they thought that 85-year-old man, it's not prudent to prosecute him at this stage of his life.

That he is going to kind of wither away, but the attorney Paterno connection is still kind of wide open.

SAVIDGE: You came out earlier actually calling for Paterno to be fired. And having covered him for years, I'm wondering, was that a difficult call for you to make?

MISSANELLI: No. It wasn't a difficult call because to me the situation for Joe Paterno has nothing to do with football coaching. He is a great coach. He's going to leave a great legacy as a football coach.

Clearly, people were delinquent in this situation. And, in fact, I thought Paterno really was selfish when he didn't resign on Wednesday, when the heat got hot to the point where there was nowhere else to turn.

Sometimes the jig is just up and you see it in front of you. He launched a pre-emptive strike to say I'm going to retire at the end of the year. Thereby trying to buy himself three more games of the football season, which were meaningless at that point.

And he should have realized that. Because he didn't resign the board of trustees had to come out and fire him in that dramatic press conference and that nearly incited a major riot among students.

It turned into a mini riot. A news van was knocked over. Clearly, Joe Paterno, a man of wisdom, an educator, could have foreseen that kind of thing would have happened.

SAVIDGE: Right. It almost seemed as if ego dominated more so than what need to be done. You interviewed Jerry Sandusky for that book of yours and I'm wondering, what were your impressions?

MISSANELLI: You know, I've been asked that question a lot, Martin. I think people want to hear the answer to that. You know, you kind of thought something was funny. I spent a couple days with Jerry Sandusky because he was a prominent part of that book.

He was this great defensive architect. The school has called -- the football program is called linebacker u mainly because of him. I didn't get any inkling at all that anything strange was going on with this man.

and I've talked to many players who know him a lot better than I do including players like Matt Millen and Todd Blacklidge and all these great Penn State players who not only were recruited and played for him.

But then associated with him later on as part of the Second Mile Charity, which by the way, was a very good charity and provided a lot of opportunity for kids.

None of them said that they could have seen that side. Sometimes you get a vibe there is something strange. I did not in the case of Jerry Sandusky.

SAVIDGE: The name of the book, by the way, we should point out, "The Perfect Season." Mike Misanelli, thank you very much for joining us today.

MISSANELLI: Thank you, Martin. Appreciate it.

SAVIDGE: Still ahead, the charity that we just spoke of there that Jerry Sandusky founded. A good cause that may have had an evil purpose.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRANK NOONAN, PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE COMMISSIONER: These predators identify a child, become mentors. They're usually children that have had -- are having a little difficulty. They're at risk children.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: Police say Sandusky preyed on those children most vulnerable. That story is coming up.

Each week we are calling on friends of CNN Heroes to shed a spotlight on our top ten honorees and their work as you vote for the one who inspires you the most.

The CNN Hero of the Year. Today Army veteran and actor J.R. Martinez introduces us to a war widow who is reaching a new generation of grieving spouses turning their grief and loss into triumph and survival.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

J.R. MARTINEZ, ACTOR: Hi. I'm J.R. Martinez. As a proud supporter of "Operation Finally Home," an organization started by 2010 CNN Hero Dan Wallrath. I am committed to helping wounded service members receive a mortgage free home. Now I am thrilled to help introduce one of this year's top ten CNN Heroes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My husband Corporal Michael Davis was killed in Baghdad, Iraq. Even four years later people still don't really know how to react when you say, hi. I am a widow. I just wanted to talk about it with other widows.

They're not going to judge you for laughing. They're not going to tell me I'm grieving wrong. I just wanted to create what I was searching for and just hope there were others out there that could come and help me build it, too.

I'm Taryn Davis and I invite a new generation of military widows to share their love, their sacrifice, and their survival. There are moments where they can all reflect.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: His impact will continue to affect us all for the rest of our lives.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Followed by that time where they're living life to the fullest.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You get up that high you see the world a different way and I think as widows we see our lives a different way too.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A new life again. They teach me so much and show me how far I've come until one day another widow is going to come along and they're going to be the one that's changing that widow's life and that's pretty amazing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: Vote for CNN Hero, the one who inspires you the most at cnnheroes.com. All will be honored live at CNN Heroes, an All Star Tribute on December 11th that will be hosted by Anderson Cooper.

Save the date. Why so many people have today circled so prominently on their calendars.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: "Political Buzz" is your rapid fire look at the best political topics of the day. Three questions, 30 seconds on the clock. Playing today, CNN contributor, Maria Cardona, founder and editor of Citizen Jane Politics, Patricia Murphy and Republican strategist and columnist for "The Hill", Cheri Jacobus.

Thanks to all. First question, two senators saying that they are withdrawing their nomination of Joe Paterno for the presidential Medal of Freedom. Other lawmakers haven't said yet if they will yank their support. So how much of a political liability is former Penn State coach, the coach right now, Maria?

MARIA CARDONA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: It could be a huge one. Because I think this is a situation where you look at it and you say, regardless of how good Joe Paterno was as a coach, he let this tragedy happen by looking the other way.

And I drive completely hard line on this, Martin, because as the mother of a 7-year-old boy, I cannot imagine anything worse than somebody who actually let this happen and have let other little boys suffer this huge tragedy.

The presidential Medal of Freedom is reserved for somebody who shows the utmost of character and that's exactly the opposite of what Joe Paterno has shown in this case.

SAVIDGE: Cheri?

CHERI JACOBUS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: I would agree. I mean, we have the Pennsylvania lawmakers taking the lead on this. The fact that others haven't said anything doesn't mean they won't. I think they certainly will. They've just lagged behind a little bit.

People are still trying to comprehend the enormity of this. I mean it's -- it's really rather unbelievable. I think we're all still in shock. But I can't imagine too many elected officials wanting to, you know, keep supporting him. There would be no excuse.

So in terms of political liability only if somebody wants to come out and stand behind him and offer support or give excuses. I don't think that'll happen.

SAVIDGE: Patricia?

PATRICIA MURPHY, FOUNDER AND EDITOR, CITIZEN JANE POLITICS: Yes. Well, I think right now this is not just a scandal. It's really a human tragedy. There is just no way to comprehend how much damage has been done in this case. We also don't know all the facts of the case, the facts that we do know are highly, highly disturbing.

No politician, listen, they just want to get re-elected. No politician is going to put himself out there right now when we still don't have the facts what we do know is unbelievably terrifying. So in terms of a political liability it kind of goes beyond that. This is something that people need to get their heads around. Like Cheri said is just totally shocking.

So there is no politician who is going to go anywhere near Joe Paterno at this time.

SAVIDGE: Yes agreed, human damage far outweighs political.

Rick Perry: let's move on still doing his own version of damage control from his big debate oops moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICK PERRY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Actually there were three reasons I messed up last night. One was the nerves and two was the headache. And three, um -- um -- oops. El Nino? I just learned Justin Bieber is my father.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: All right. So he made the jokes. He did the morning show circuit. And he says that he is pressing on. So what should Perry's battle plan be moving forward?

Cheri?

JACOBIS: You know, I think it's great that he can poke fun at himself but I think he should make a graceful exit. He's been a great governor. He has plenty of time. He can be very valuable for fund raising.

But right now we have a President who can't seem to manage without a teleprompter and a vice president we wish would. I think Republicans want to put forward a candidate who at least can meet that minimum standard because Obama and Biden both are a disgrace on the national scene with their inability to communicate.

So, you know, if Perry -- if we didn't have that situation Perry might be ok but we're so sensitive to the fact that again, a President and a Vice President who barely can function on a national stage. I think we need to have a higher standard.

SAVIDGE: Maria?

CARDONA: I actually think we need to give kudos for Perry in terms of poking fun of himself last night. And in terms of fixing what he did at the debate, he's doing all the right things -- coming out and doing all of the shows, talking about the reasons why he had the brain freeze, being a total self-deprecating moment. And I think from a crisis communication standpoint he is doing all the right things but it wasn't a message discipline issue and it underscores everything that all of his critics and those who had a feeling that this guy was just not ready for primetime, that moment underscores that and I don't know if he'll be able to get over it.

SAVIDGE: Patricia?

MURPHY: Yes -- well, I think in a situation like this a little humor goes a really long way. I don't think that he needs to be on every morning show and every late night comedy show to reinforce what we already are feeling about him. This guy isn't ready for primetime.

But what I think he could do, I don't think he needs to drop out, there is a difference between memorizing something and believing in something. And American -- I think that's why Barack Obama is having a hard time right now because people don't know what he believes and they want a President who believes in something and will take them somewhere.

If Rick Perry can get away from trying to memorize something and tell us what he believes in, then he's got a chance. If he doesn't believe in anything, then he's not going anywhere.

SAVIDGE: All right. We're moving on in the final round, the "buzzer beater"; 20 seconds each.

Herman Cain is caught on tape joking about Anita Hill. Listen closely.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HERMAN CAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If you hear the latest news today? Anita Hill is going to -- (INAUDIBLE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: And of course this comes right after Cain apologized for calling Nancy Pelosi -- Princess Nancy. So what do we think of Cain's sense of humor, Maria?

CARDONA: That he needs to get a new one. This is clearly not working for him. You know, the first law of when you are in a hole is, don't dig deeper. This completely digs deeper and it also underscores everything that -- the sexual allegations have sort of come to mind in terms of -- of voters and what he thinks about women.

He clearly does not respect women, doesn't think that they're on the same level as him, and I think those are all very damning feelings to have about him.

SAVIDGE: Cheri?

JACOBIS: Nothing that he said matches what the President has said when he was caught on a hot mike slamming Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister. I mean, we have this situation in Iran, a challenging situation with regard to nuclear arms race, and we have a President who is out there slamming the Prime Minister.

That is outrageous. I don't think anything Herman Cain said with these jokes about himself even comes close to what Obama has done and the damage he has caused.

SAVIDGE: Patricia?

MURPHY: Well, actually I don't really think this is Herman Cain's sense of humor. I think it's his way of communicating. I mean, on his radio show he actually called Nancy Pelosi Princess Nancy all the time, and guess what?

People loved it. I mean, I don't think this plays well with Independent voters. It obviously is deeply offensive to Democrats and most women, but this is what they want. He was mobbed by people in Michigan yesterday. He should keep doing it because it's working for him.

SAVIDGE: All right. Thanks to all three of you for your insights today on the "Political Buzz". Have a wonderful weekend.

CARDONA: Thanks, Martin.

MURPHY: Thanks Martin.

JACOBIS: Thanks Martin.

SAVIDGE: Well, it is not just Veterans Day. Lots of people not only numerologists have been awaiting today's date all year. Check the calendar. It is 11s across the board.

Alison Kosik is live at the New York Stock Exchange this morning and Alison some businesses are cashing in?

KOSIK: Of course they're cashing in, Martin. Verizon for one is rolling out a new droid razor. Guess what time? 11:11 a.m. today. You still got some time to get to your Verizon store.

Other retailers are offering special deals for the day as well because hey, you know what? This date is not going to happen again for what, another hundred years. So yes it makes it special and some people actually think it's lucky.

So the biggest beneficiaries on this day are actually the lottery and wedding chapels. In fact, one economics professor says lottery sales are expected to jump five to ten percent today. But here is a tip if you're going out to buy that lotto ticket. It may be hard to buy an 11-11-11 ticket because what most states do is they cap the number of tickets sold that have the same combination.

Also we're finding that thousands, thousands of couples are getting married today because of the date. One couple in Las Vegas said they considered a lot of dates but 11-11-11 just felt right.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When are you getting married?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 11-11 with about 35,000 other people.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We talked about 10-10-10 or 12-12-12 and 11- 11-11 seemed to be the right timing for us.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've been looking forward to 11-11-11 all year. We knew it would be a very busy day because not only is it a lucky day, it's also a federal holiday and a three-day weekend.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: And this chapel in Vegas called The Chapel of Flowers says it has 80 weddings planned for today, just a comparison, Martin. It's got 20 to 30 planned on a normal day. So we've got everybody getting married because of the day.

SAVIDGE: All right. So sentimental. Thanks very much, Alison.

So it is November 11, 2011, and in just about 40 minutes it will be yes, 11-11 a.m. on 11-11-11. What are you going to be doing at that moment? Send your iReports at cnn.com/iReport.

In the meantime $15 million a year: that is the number that's being tossed about to lure shock jock Howard Stern to network television. Find out who is throwing around that kind of number, next in "Showbiz Headlines".

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: Time for your "Showbiz Headlines".

The Oscars have found an old pro to replace Eddie Murphy as host. "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT'S A.J. Hammer is here. So, who got the job? I think I know.

A.J. HAMMER, HLN HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Yes. I think you do know, Martin. It's Billy Crystal coming back, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences didn't waste any time finding a replacement for Eddie Murphy. He bowed out of the hosting role earlier this week.

This is a real shift for what the Oscars were originally hoping to do, trying something completely new and different this year. But Crystal certainly is a proven choice. He's hosted the Oscars nine times now. In fact, Bob Hope is the only guy who's hosted the awards show more than Billy.

Crystal did do something very modern. He broke the news on his Twitter account. Here's what he said. "Am doing the Oscars so the young woman in the pharmacy will stop asking my name when I pick up my prescriptions. Looking forward to the show."

So Martin obviously it is not lost on Billy Crystal that he is lesser known to the younger audience the Oscars always hope to attract but I think he does always deliver and he'll get a whole new younger audience as a result.

SAVIDGE: Yes, he certainly does.

Let's talk about another move to replace another celebrity and that's also (INAUDIBLE). Piers Morgan leaving "America's Got Talent" and Howard Stern's name appears to be at the top of the list, right?

HAMMER: Yes, that's what we're hearing. I think this could be pretty cool. There are a bunch of reports out there today that do have Howard Stern in negotiations right now to join up with Sharon Osbourne and Howie Mandel as a judge for "America's Got Talent". So if he does take the job he'd be replacing our own Piers Morgan who as you mentioned left the show.

There are also reports out there that if Stern takes the job he'd get a $15 million a year salary for it. I have heard him on his show say before, you know what, and he said this for "American Idol", for $15 million, $20 million yes I'd sit there and judge people for a couple of months a year.

If he takes the job as well they'd reportedly move the whole production to New York. That way Stern can continue do his day job on Sirius XM satellite radio. Certainly it would be an edgier "America's Got Talent" if he did take the job. And I think it's a great move.

SAVIDGE: Whoever is in the control room would have to have their finger always on the bleep button. A.J., thanks very much for that.

Want information on everything breaking in the entertainment world? A.J.'s got it this evening on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" at 11:00 p.m. on HLN.

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SAVIDGE: Now a charity built on a worthy cause and possibly the worst of intentions. It is the Second Mile program founded by former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky. CNN's Jason Carroll takes a closer look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After learning details of the allegations against Jerry Sandusky, listening to him describe the mission of his Second Mile charity is chilling.

JERRY SANDUSKY, FORMER ASSISTANT COACH, PENN STATE: We thought if we could help a handful of kids we would do that. And then the staff and people have looked at the resources we had and the needs that existed and grown and reached out and touched so many kids.

CARROLL: But that is exactly what prosecutors say was the problem.

FRANK NOONAN, PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE COMMISSIONER: What happened here was grooming where these predators identify a child. Become mentors; they're usually children that have had -- they're are having a little difficulty. They're at risk children. Through the Second Mile program he was able to identify these children then give them gifts, establish a trust, initiate physical contact, which eventually leads to sexual contact.

CARROLL: For children who are impoverished, abused, or neglected the Second Mile provides opportunities that otherwise might be hard to come by, things like summer camps, leadership training, and counseling. Each year the organization claims to serve some 100,000 children across the state of Pennsylvania. And for many years Sandusky was its public face and primary fundraiser.

Troy Craig met Sandusky through the Second Mile when he was a young boy.

TROY CRAIG, PARTICIPATED IN THE SECOND MILE: I got to go to a lot of Penn State football events. I remember standing on the sidelines for certain football games and other games sitting with his family on the 50 yard line.

CARROLL (on camera): With Sandusky's family. Sandusky's family.

CRAIG: Yes.

CARROLL (voice-over): Despite those good times, Craig says he knew even at 11 years old something wasn't quite right.

CRAIG: You knew if you were getting in the car with him and you were going somewhere that he was going to have his hand on your thigh.

CARROLL: This video created by the organization shows the kind of close contact Sandusky had with children in the program. Sandusky started Second Mile in 1977 and last year it raised $2.66 million.

SANDUSKY: We reach out to young people trying to motivate them, to mentor them, to provide their needs for some sort of life of success, life of excellence.

CARROLL: Second Mile, first learned of suspicious behavior by Sandusky in 2002 from Penn State athletic director Tim Curley who reported Sandusky had been seen in a locker room shower with a young boy. But the group didn't act on that information because Curley said an internal review had found no wrongdoing.

It wasn't until six years later, in 2008, after Sandusky, himself, reported that an adolescent boy had made allegations against him, that the group decided to ban him from all of its programs involving children. Sandusky denied those allegations then and has denied all of the allegations in the just released grand jury report.

In a statement Second Mile says, "We have done everything in our power to cooperate with law enforcement officials and will continue to do so. Our highest priority always has been and will continue to be the safety and well-being of the children participating in our programs. We encourage program participants to report any allegations of abuse and/or inappropriate sexual activity wherever it has occurred."

CARROLL (on camera): Now that you see that the allegations that are out there standing against Sandusky, do you feel in some ways that you were fortunate that more did not happen?

CRAIG: Absolutely I'm fortunate. And I can only speculate as to why.

CARROLL (voice-over): Jason Carroll, CNN, State College, Pennsylvania. (END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: And you're looking at a live picture now from Arlington National Cemetery where ceremonies honoring our veterans are getting under way.

Up next we're going to talk about the push to help find homeless veterans, permanent housing.

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SAVIDGE: So worthwhile we'll show you again; you're looking at live pictures of the Veterans Day ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery.

In the meantime, on any given night, there are about 107,000 U.S. Veterans living in the streets. The good news is though, that number is actually half of what it was about four years ago thanks to community-based organizations like the one we found right here in Atlanta.

Joining me now the founder of the Atlanta group Quest 35 and Gulf War veteran, Leonard Adams. Good morning. Thanks for being with us.

LEONARD ADAMS, FOUNDER, QUEST 35: Good morning. Thank you for having me.

SAVIDGE: I think what we should stress here is that this is not some sort of temporary fix. You're looking for a permanent housing solution. How does it work?

ADAMS: How does it work? Yes. We are looking for a permanent housing solution. Quest has a new project that's called Quest Veterans' Village. It's a permanent supportive housing project for chronically homeless veterans. They come through a transitional housing program, to be assess, connected with resources and moved into their own apartments. And that's why we're trying to have stable housing for them.

SAVIDGE: When did you decide to get involved?

ADAMS: I've been doing this for ten years. I'm a veteran myself. We've noticed that there are unique resources and targeted resources for veterans, so doing it for homeless men and women we decided to target our new efforts for the next three years to house homeless veterans.

SAVIDGE: It was nice that we could start off with that sort of good news and point to the fact that the number has significantly decreased. Why do you think that has happened?

ADAMS: I think it's decreased because we're putting a lot of energy and effort into it. I think people have always wanted to support veterans. It's just that now we're together having a better continuity to do those things together. SAVIDGE: What do you think right now would be the most pressing need for veterans?

ADAMS: I think affordable housing in connection to resources. Veterans are eligible for resources but the chronic veterans are the ones that's out on the street. And we can't really offer the services we need to them out on the street so connecting them to stable housing in programs like ours we're able to connect those to the veterans' benefits that they so dearly deserve.

SAVIDGE: And I want to ask you, is there something about veterans that makes them particularly vulnerable?

ADAMS: No. I don't think it is particularly vulnerable just because it's veterans. I do think we go through a unique situation because there are some things that we experience in life, especially war veterans, that are going to be a little bit different than the typical person that hasn't served in the armed forces.

SAVIDGE: All right. Leonard Adams, thank you very much for joining us this morning to talk about Quest 35. Good luck to the organization.

ADAMS: Thank you, sir. My pleasure.

SAVIDGE: A pleasure, thank you.

Back in a minute on this Veterans Day.

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SAVIDGE: Silicon Valley is the promised land for tech entrepreneurs but for minority-led firms they often have trouble even getting their foot in the door. Here's special correspondent Soledad O'Brien.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: For our documentary "Black in America" this year we wanted to focus on African-Americans who work as technology entrepreneurs. There are eight of them this time in a three bedroom house and they work around the clock trying to get their start-up ideas for a dot com business launched and then pitched to investors.

In this documentary we explore does race matter when it comes to success in Silicon Valley? There is a professor who is mentoring the eight in the house and his advice to them is stunning. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PROF. VIVEK WADHWA, "NEWME ACCELERATOR" MENTOR: Can I be critical of the community?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

WADHWA: You folks don't help each other. O'BRIEN: Professor Wadhwa says investors in the valley practice pattern-matching. They see entrepreneurs who are successful, mainly young, white males, and invest in those who fit the pattern.

WADHWA: When I did raise venture capital my buddies advised me, get a white guy to be your front man. I did that. I hired a very impressive six-foot tall, polished white guy. And I let him do all the talking.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That never occurred to me.

WADHWA: That's the way it is here. I'm telling you. I've done it. As I said, this is how I surmounted the problems. That's the way the system works here. You might as well understand it and then use it to your advantage.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm still kind of speechless.

WADHWA: There are so many kids in Berkeley or Stanford you can hire.

HANK WILLIAMS, "NEWME ACCELERATOR" ENTERPRENEUR: There is something raw and very direct about it that's, you know, that's a little jarring.

WAYNE SUTTON, CO-FOUNDER, "NEWME ACCELERATOR": It is very sad. In 2011 it's very sad. We got a black president and he's not putting no money in my pocket right now directly. So what do we got to do? Play the game until we're successful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: And we're there every minute of their nine-week program to see if they can turn those dot com ideas into viable dot com businesses. Be sure to watch "Black in America 4", "THE NEW PROMISED LAND SILICON VALLEY".

SAVIDGE: And Soledad's special airs this Sunday night at 8:00 Eastern time.

Well, that is a quick look at the stories that are making news on this Veterans Day. I'm Martin Savidge. Thanks very much for joining us.

Take a moment to remember what this day is all about and then have a great weekend. Let me pass it off now to Suzanne Malveaux -- Suzanne.