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American Morning
TSA's Beverage Containers Alert; Salmonella Sprouts; Cancelled Flights In Parts; Financially Fit in 2011; "It's My Duty and an Honor"; Holiday Gift Hazards; Pilot Exposes Security Flaws
Aired December 24, 2010 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Some of those cool, high-tech gadgets aren't just simple music players or game consoles. They could actually, potentially be a link to get your kids in trouble. The things you need to know before they set them up thi morning.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And taking Christmas by storm. Snow expected in parts of the Midwest as a winter weather system marches east. Will it impact your travel plans? We are tracking it from the Extreme Weather Center.
ROBERTS: But first this morning, more than 90 million Americans are expected to head home for the holidays. Most of you will be driving, but for those of you who are flying, you may just notice airport screeners taking a closer look at those insulated beverage containers.
COSTELLO: We're not kidding. The Department of Homeland Security is concerned terrorists may store explosives inside the cups, which right now are not banned. Joining us now for this morning's security watch, former Bush White House Homeland Security adviser and CNN national security contributor, Frances Townsend. Good morning.
FRAN TOWNSEND, NATIONAL SECURITY CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning, John and Carol, and Merry Christmas.
ROBERTS: Same to you.
COSTELLO: Merry Christmas to you, too. So, something else we need to worry about. Was there a special warning put out about these containers? I mean, why are they doing this now?
TOWNSEND: Apparently, they've gone through not only putting out warnings to their security screeners, but also to have special training for them. You know, this is, actually, in a funny way, Carol, this is good news. We're finally getting to a point where we gather intelligence, we incorporate it into our screening procedures before they attempt it.
And so, we have to be honest. They haven't banned these insulated beverage containers. What they're saying is they're going to get additional scrutiny, and we've trained our people to look at them and tell the difference between typical insulation and something that may be an explosive. ROBERTS: It is rather comforting that they are potentially preparing. They're preparing for the next potential terror attack as opposed to the last one that happened.
COSTELLO: But you kind of wonder where it will all end, don't you?
TOWNSEND: Well, Carol, it's only going to end when al Qaeda stops trying to adopt to our security procedures and gives up trying to kill us. I mean, so, frankly, we can't -- I wouldn't be waiting for that myself. They're doing the right thing by trying to stay ahead of them.
COSTELLO: I only ask you that, because for many traveling Americans, some of these security measures seem pretty ridiculous.
TOWNSEND: No, that's right. And look, I was there when we put in this three-ounce rule, and people like you and I, Carol, want to have makeup and foundation with us, and it's annoying. And frankly, what the government needs to do over time is adopt new procedures. That is push the research and development, so I can take more than three ounces on. And you have a better way to screen as opposed to affecting me.
ROBERTS: You know, Fran, there's something else that's out there in the last 24 hours. This is a pilot who didn't want his name used or the airline that he works for identified who was licensed by the TSA to carry a weapon in the cockpit who went behind the scenes with a video camera in San Francisco to show some of the loopholes that he found in security. This is security in other areas of the airport as opposed to the TSA screening site. Let's take a quick look at the video, then we'll ask you about it.
TOWNSEND: Sure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As you can see, there's only a cart slide and one door. So, when you see a cart, those carts aren't screened at all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: He's showing the incongruities in airport security that for passengers and for pilots and flight crews, there's one level of security, and then for the workers there, it's just a simple card swipe. The TSA was so upset about what he did that they sent air marshals to his home to confiscate the weapon that they licensed him to carry. What's your sense in this whole thing? Should he have done that or should he not?
TOWNSEND: You know, in some respects, airline pilots and airlines hostesses and stewardesses actually can play a very important role in identifying vulnerabilities, but not to the general public. This is where the guy went wrong. I mean, finding these vulnerabilities and bringing in to the attention of security officials inside TSA, that would be a good thing. Posting them to YouTube, that's a bad thing and that's why he's suffering the consequences.
COSTELLO: Well, you know, his attorney was quoted and saying "They sent six TSA agents to this pilot's house to take away his gun." And they're saying, you know, they're -- you know, the TSA is punishing him for bringing important information to the public by posting this little (INAUDIBLE) on YouTube.
TOWNSEND: Well, but it's a security problem. The reason TSA, I think -- I haven't spoken to anybody directly, but the reason you react to these sort of public postings of security vulnerabilities is not to punish him, but what he's done is really dangerous because he's, of course, highlighted them for anybody who wants to pick up these YouTube videos, like al Qaeda. And so, that's the problem. It's not identifying them, it's what he did after he identified them.
ROBERTS: Hey, Fran, just before we let you go, what happened yesterday with those embassy bombings in Rome? Claiming responsibility was the informal anarchic federation. Do we know if there's any links to al Qaeda or is this a separate group?
TOWNSEND: Don't believe so. Nobody I've talked to in the intelligence or counterterrorism community thinks this is related. This is a group of longstanding -- remember the G-20 in (INAUDIBLE), John, where these anarchists were very active as well. This is not new to Italy or Greece or other European countries. They've just gotten more violate.
ROBERTS: All right. Yes. I remember well, the G20 (ph) summit sucked up a lot of tear gas in those days. Fran, good to see you this morning. Thanks so much. Merry Christmas to you.
TOWNSEND: Sure.
COSTELLO: Take care, Fran.
TOWNSEND: Merry Christmas.
COSTELLO: Also, new this morning, a salmonella outbreak linked to a national sandwich chain. Health officials say alfalfa sprouts at Jimmy Johns Restaurants may have made dozens of people sick. The CDC is now investigating 89 cases of salmonella poisoning in 15 states and the District of Columbia. This comes as President Obama is expected to sign the Food Safety Bill early next year, giving the FDA expanded control over approximately 80 percent of the food supply.
7:10 Eastern this morning, senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen will explain why this outbreak, this alfalfa outbreak, is so concerning and what types of sprouts you should stay away from.
ROBERTS: Well, a crazed mob maced over sneakers. Hundreds of people lined up yesterday at a Texas mall waiting in line for hours to get the new $175 Air Jordans. Can you imagine the crowd to buy sneakers worth $175? The crowd got out of control, though, just before the doors opened, and police had to use mace and pepper spray to break it up. No one was seriously hurt in that melee, though. COSTELLO: Ohio State University, its football program rocked by a scandal just as the team gets ready for the Sugar Bowl. Five players, including star quarterback, Terrelle Pryor, will miss the first five games of next season for selling school rings, awards and apparel, violating NCAA rules. A sixth player must sit out the first game, but the players can play in the sugar bowl game against Arkansas on January 4th.
As you might expect, critics are questioning the timing of those suspensions, because, you know, if they were serious, why not suspend them now and not allow them to play in the Sugar Bowl, but --
ROBERTS: Because as you pointed out yesterday, there's a lot of --
COSTELLO: A lot of money involved in the Sugar Bowl, and people won't go to see a game without Ohio state stars in it.
ROBERTS: There you go. There's a lot of money at stake on Broadway as well, and it was curtained up for the musical "Spiderman." It returned to the stage last night. This time, it went off without a hitch. It's the first performance since an actor fell 20 feet off the stage earlier this week. There were some new safety measures in place, and spectators were impressed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK MARS, MIAMI, FLORIDA: I mean, you don't feel an element of danger. It's kind of like when you go to the circus or you see like cirque du Soleil or something like that. You know, there's always a potential, but you're not looking for that. You're just enjoying the excitement of the show. That's what you really saw up there.
LOGAN WEBER, MARIETTA, GEORGIA: The harness does look really safe, how they had two strings on every person that went above the crowd. If one broke, there is still one. That will still be good, so I think they'll be fine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: It's good to have backup. Producers say the actor who is hurt is expected to recover. The $65 million musical is the most expensive in Broadway history. There you see what happened with Christopher Tierney there as he left off of the set piece (ph). It supposed to represent a bridge, and the cable that was holding him just oop, there you see it. Snap.
COSTELLO: Yes. But he's going to be okay.
ROBERTS: Yes.
COSTELLO: Well, that's good news.
Earthquakes in Arkansas is more likely than you think. Just ask the people in the small town of guy. More than 500 quakes have been recorded in the fast few weeks. Yes, 500. Last year, there were only 39 the whole year. And as you might expect, residents are on edge about the trend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There it is! You felt it. You felt it! That was it!
STEVE WILSON, WOOLY HALLOW STATE PARK: Yes. In the beginning, it was fun, it was neat, it was a cool thing to experience, but now we're kind of -- we're wanting it to go away, because kind of in the back of your mind, you think, well, is there going to be a big one?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: I'll say. Geologists can't say if they're natural, these earthquakes, or manmade or whether they'll stop any time soon. How strange, Rob.
ROBERTS: Yes. Rob Marciano in the Extreme Weather Center for us this morning. It's a manmade earthquake? I've never heard of such a thing.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, I guess, you know, a big old stick of dynamite would help.
ROBERTS: That would help.
MARCIANO: Oklahoma had a few this year as well, and you know, they're pretty close to the imaginary fault there in Memphis. So, the middle part of this country, no stranger to seeing things move around, but obviously, that's a lot in such a short period of time. All right. Let's talk the storm that moved out of the California area over the Rockies, now penetrating the Midwest. Minneapolis to Chicago, see a little bit of snow this morning, and the radar is showing up some rainfall down to the south as well.
So, I think this looks a little worse than it is, but we'll see a few inches of snow. There are snow advisories. No winter storm warnings, per se, from Des Moines to Minneapolis. As a matter of fact, Chicago not even in the winter weather advisory mode here, but nonetheless, there'll probably be some delays because of visibility issues today.
So, if you're traveling through the hubs of Minneapolis and Chicago, you'll probably see 30 to 60-minute delays. Don't expect much more than that. Ongoing blustery conditions across the northeast will yield some delays at the New York metro airport as well as Philadelphia and Boston and maybe some rain in Dallas. And there you go. There's the forecast, weather map for today.
We will talk more about what this storm is going to do as it progresses to the east and what are the chances for you to see snow tonight or tomorrow for the coveted white Christmas.
ROBERTS: Looking forward to six inches in Baltimore, Rob.
COSTELLO: Stop it. (LAUGHTER)
MARCIANO: Six now, that's your forecast?
COSTELLO: Stop it. That would cripple the city!
(LAUGHTER)
MARCIANO: I doubt they're going to get six.
ROBERTS: Carol wouldn't get out for a week.
COSTELLO: Everything would be closed.
MARCIANO: All right, guys.
COSTELLO: Thank you, Rob.
On Wall Street, this may be the December to remember. Right now, the Dow is on track to have its best December since 1991. It gained 14 points yesterday. Overall, for the month, the Dow is up 5 percent, the Nasdaq up nearly 7 percent.
ROBERTS: Well, today, retailers are expected to hear their favorite Christmas tune -- ca-ching. According to the International Council of Shopping Centers, 23 million people are expected to hit the stores. One in five in the Midwest, the highest of any region. We were talking to Christine Romans about this.
She's from Iowa. It's a tradition in the Midwest to leave your Christmas shopping until the last minute. It may not come as a shock, but more men are also expected to shop today than women because we're a procrastinating, forgetful one. Leave it to the last second.
COSTELLO: That's true. I'm glad you just admitted that.
ROBERTS: Totally.
COSTELLO: Santa Claus is on the clock, traveling the globe delivering presents, and he's on the government's radar. How you can track his flight around the world from your home.
ROBERTS: Plus, President Obama has decided to extend his Christmas vacation in Hawaii. We'll tell you why and for how long. It's 11 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Another painful look (ph) for anyone trying to get in or out of France. Paris' main airport canceling half of its flights this morning because of a deicer shortage. Freezing temperatures are settling into France, this after a severe winter storm paralyzed Heathrow Airport in London as well as creating a backlog of flights across Europe this week. Thousands have been stranded at airports and train stations.
ROBERTS: They just don't know how to handle a lot of snow at the airports there in the major cities.
COSTELLO: No.
ROBERTS: Pope Benedict XVI will lead midnight mass tonight in Rome, and new this year, the pope's Christmas service will be streaming live on the internet for those who can't be at St. Petersburg. You might remember last year's incident when a mentally unstable woman knocked the pope to the ground during the procession. He got up, though, and was able to celebrate mass
COSTELLO: Hopefully, that won't happen this year.
And carrying on a Christmas tradition, Brazilians bring in the holiday by lighting up the sky. That's a good one.
Fireworks and a carnival atmosphere already abound. There was also a massive tree of lights, as you see, surrounded by carolers and dozens of drummers.
ROBERTS: The president is going to tack one more day onto his Hawaiian holiday, delaying his trip after several busy days in Congress this week. President Obama now plans to return to Washington on the 2nd of January. The First Family was all set to fly to the islands last weekend, but the president stayed behind.
It certainly wasn't for not. He sealed deals on START, repealed "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and signed legislation giving 9/11 first responders health care.
COSTELLO: Well, as you probably know, it's Christmas Eve, so Santa, he's on the move. I mean, he's been on the move --
ROBERTS: He's no slouch. He gets out there.
COSTELLO: That's right. He's busy with his elf and the reindeer.
You and your children can watch Santa as he moves through time zones and eventually makes his way through to the United States. He's in Russia now, I believe, Santa.
This year, NORAD and Google Earth are teaming up to track Santa's travels around the world, and, right now, as I said, Rudolph and his buddies are pulling the big guy out of the North Pole. They're headed south. Actually, they're in Russia now.
ROBERTS: There you are.
COSTELLO: I just got updated word.
If you want to keep an eye on --
ROBERTS: (INAUDIBLE) in Yakutsk.
COSTELLO: What?
ROBERTS: All the children in Yakutsk are getting their presents.
COSTELLO: Good for them.
If you want to keep an eye on Santa's sleigh, you can go to www.noradsanta.org.
ROBERTS: Well, "Mad Men" star Christina Hendricks has a very sexy superhero ambition this morning. We'll tell you about it.
COSTELLO: Plus, a royally ugly mess-up. Is that really Kate Middleton? Not that. And we know that's Kate Middleton. But her face is on a new royal coin. OK. We'll show you, next in our "Morning Talkers."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: As you listen to Ben Folds Five, singing "Kate" this morning, here are some of the stories that had us talking in the newsroom.
One royal watcher called a new commemorative coin of Prince William and Kate Middleton so wrong, it's ridiculous, but you be the judge. Have a look here. The design is based on photographs of the couple.
Now, many think the image of her is rather unflattering and inaccurate.
COSTELLO: She looks elderly. She does.
ROBERTS: Well, my goodness.
COSTELLO: That does not look like her at all.
ROBERTS: It's just -- it's not a very flattering image of her.
The design, though, was approved by the couple and the queen.
COSTELLO: She needs to take a stronger stand.
ROBERTS: I think so.
COSTELLO: I think she will in the future.
A well-known actress is making her pitch to be the next Wonder Woman, and, I must say, it's a perfect choice. "Mad Men's" Christina Hendricks says it's her dream to play the superhero.
The new TV series is in the works and rumor has it Hendricks is among the favorites. Hendricks says she hopes to get that chance to wear the famous red-and-gold bustier with the blue short shorts.
And you'd like to see her in that outfit, wouldn't you, John?
ROBERTS: I'm -- I'm -- I've got a woman with twins on the way. You think I'm going to say something about her? COSTELLO: Kyra would understand.
ROBERTS: What are you trying to egg me on, trying to get me in trouble this morning? No way!
After sticking with Tiger Woods through his affairs and apologies, Gillette is cutting ties with the golfer. It's part of a plan to phase out its champions marketing campaign. Procter & Gamble is the fourth major company to end its endorsements. AT&T, Gatorade and Accenture also dropped Woods over the past year.
COSTELLO: So, what is your favorite Christmas movie? A poll on EW.com -- oh, "Love Actually"? That's your favorite?
ROBERTS: That's my favorite.
COSTELLO: Interesting.
ROBERTS: I got it. I'm -- I'm taking it to the in-laws.
COSTELLO: Well, that's not --
ROBERTS: We're going to watch it at least four times over Christmas.
COSTELLO: Well, the Roberts Family may love that, but it's not the favorite, I'm sorry to say. More than 19 percent of voters picked this holiday classic, "A Christmas Story."
Many critics say it should be actually "A Wonderful Life." That should be the number one holiday movie of all time, but surprisingly, the 1946 film landed in fourth place on the list, behind your favorite, "Love Actually," and "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation." "A Christmas Story" was number one.
ROBERTS: This. That's the best Christmas movie ever made.
COSTELLO: Whatever.
ROBERTS: What -- oh, and that's -- what do they say about the most annoying word ever?
COSTELLO: Whatever.
ROBERTS: Best movie ever, most annoying word ever.
Xbox, Nintendo, electronic gadgets are hot gifts this year, but are they putting your children in danger online? Toys "R" Us is taking action this morning. That is coming up.
COSTELLO: And if you're making New Years resolution, we've got a big one for you. Save money next year and start now. We'll show you some financial tricks, next.
ROBERTS: Have you ever seen this?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: With 2011 just around the corner, now is a good time to get your finances in check. After all, keeping your budget in the black should be your number one resolution.
Joining me now is Gregory Olsen. He's a financial planner here in New York City. Thank you, Gregory, for coming in.
GREGORY OLSEN, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER: Thank you for having me.
COSTELLO: So, everyone was so excited about this -- this tax cut thing being extended. That means our taxes wouldn't go up. But -- but for the average American family, it doesn't mean a whole lot of savings, although it does mean a little because of the payroll tax.
OLSEN: Well, for a couple making $100,000 per year, the payroll tax being cut from 6.2 percent to 4.2 percent means an extra $2,000 take-home. That's not insignificant.
COSTELLO: Over how much time?
OLSEN: Over that next year. The interesting thing about the payroll tax cut is it's only for 2011 as opposed to the tax cut extension, which was for 2011 and 2012.
COSTELLO: Right, but, you know, nobody will notice the tax cut extensions because we're -- we're already using that money.
OLSEN: True, but there was some fear that our taxes were going to go up, especially if you made over $250,000 per year.
COSTELLO: We understand. OK. So, we have all that out of the way. You're going to have a little bit of extra money in your pay check. So, we're wondering this morning what to do with that little bit of extra money you're going to see, if you're an average middle class family. The stock market's going crazy, so what kinds of stocks should people invest in? What can you afford to invest in?
OLSEN: Well, first things first, if that 167 extra dollars for the family that's making a combined income of $100,000, if you have consumer debt at high interest rates, use that money to pay that off. If there's no consumer debt, you can take that money and you can either make a higher contribution to your 401(k) or you can invest in a portfolio of mutual funds.
Now, the interesting thing is, because it's pretax dollars in the 401(k), assuming you haven't maxed out as of yet, you'd actually be able to put away $250 per month for the next year.
COSTELLO: If you were very disciplined.
OLSEN: Well, sure, but you could figure out what your -- what that would mean for you payroll-wise and you can adjust your contributions so it nets out to what exactly you were making back in December. COSTELLO: So, what kinds of things should you put in your 401(k)?
OLSEN: Well, we think that equities are going to do well next year, because not only has the Fed done a wonderful job in stimulating the economy, giving us all these tools, but also we think that the Obama tax plan is going to be stimulative for the economy as well. So, we think stocks are going to do well.
So, we think that people should increase their allocation to equities by five to 10 percent going forward.
COSTELLO: So -- so, give me a percentage of what you exactly should have within your 401(k). What would be a nice balance for people?
OLSEN: We think at this point that if you had about 60 percent equity allocation, about 20 percent bonds, and if you have alternatives in your portfolio that you can allocate towards, such as commodities, real estate, then 20 percent towards that as well.
COSTELLO: It's really sad that you can't invest in things -- I mean, if you open a bank account and you have a savings account, that's just worth nothing.
OLSEN: Yes. The same thing -- same reason why we have such low interest rates on mortgages at this point is the same reason why you're getting so little at the bank, but we think right now, because the government is trying to get the economy going, that's very bullish for the stock market, and we (INAUDIBLE) expect double-digit returns for the third year in a row in 2011.
COSTELLO: OK. But the big -- the most important thing is to pay down your debt with that little bit of extra money you have.
OLSEN: First things first.
COSTELLO: OK. Thank you so much for joining us this morning.
OLSEN: Thank you for having me.
COSTELLO: Appreciate it (ph).
ROBERTS: My bank was so excited. They told me the other day, hey, your interest-bearing savings account, we're now bumping up the interest to 1.1 percent.
COSTELLO: Woo-hoo!
ROBERTS: They were really excited about it. Thanks. Good to see you this morning, Greg.
OLSEN: Good to see you.
ROBERTS: Crossing the half hour now, it's time for your top stories on this Christmas Eve. If you're headed to the airport this morning, you might want to leave your insulated beverage container at home. The TSA says security agents will be paying extra close attention -- extra close attention to empty tea or coffee thermoses. The concern is that terrorists may use the lining to hide explosives in. The passengers are still allowed to bring them on board planes. They're just going to take a closer look at them.
COSTELLO: A pilot who exposed a potentially dangerous gap in airport security says he's the one being punished. The pilot, who wants to remain anonymous, took these cell phone pictures of a security checkpoint for San Francisco's airport ground crew. It consists of just a swipe of an I.D. card, and then they can go out to where the planes are.
The pilot posted these videos online on YouTube, and within just days was ordered to remove the videos. He was also suspended from the program, which essentially allows him to act as an air marshal in the sky, and he had his federally issued handgun taken away. The TSA says the pilot may have engaged in conduct that, quote, "impairs the efficiency of TSA."
ROBERTS: And even though the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" is law, Defense Secretary Robert Gates reminding people and warning troops, for now, the ban still remains in effect. In a memo sent out to troops, Gates says there's a 60-day waiting period following the military's decision that it's ready to implement the repeal. No word on how long that might take.
COSTELLO: And this morning, we're taking a look at Hollywood's A-list. We're used to seeing them live large and spend big, but what many don't see is how these stars get back.
ROBERTS: Yes. Today, we've got actress Nicole Kidman, who's been working to improve the lives of all women around the globe. Our Alina Cho explains that as part of her special series "Big Stars, Big Giving."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICOLE KIDMAN, ACTRESS, UNIFEM GOODWILL AMBASSADOR: A lot of my life, I've been trying to please my mother, and I suppose I still felt like I had won an Oscar, I had done this, my mom is still not like, "OK, I feel like you've really -- and this is probably the thing that she most --
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Really?
KIDMAN: -- responds to in my life.
CHO: Really?
(voice-over): So, that thing Nicole Kidman is talking about is her work as a goodwill ambassador for UNIFEM, the United Nations arm that fights for gender equality and to end violence against women.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Take action. Say no.
CHO: A role she's held for nearly five years.
KIDMAN: These women in this organization, they're working for nothing, you know? And they're so committed.
CHO: Ironically, it was a movie role, "The Interpreter," that first drew Kidman to the United Nations. What she didn't know was that soon, art, in part, would imitate life. Her work with UNIFEM has taken her to Congress, fighting for women's rights. She's also traveled to places like Kosovo, and just this year, earthquake-ravaged Haiti.
KIDMAN: It breaks my heart. I mean, I'm -- I'm a terrible person to be going sometimes for this because I can become so emotionally involved, and actually, in Kosovo, I had to be taken aside and told this is going to be a very emotional path for the rest of your life. You're going to see and hear things that you should never see and hear, but they exist.
These girls were raped. A lot of their faces were completely battered and destroyed, and their bodies, and they had nowhere to go. When you see it -- see it and hear it, it -- I think it changes you forever. It certainly changed me forever.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: By a nose, Nicole Kidman.
(APPLAUSE)
CHO (on camera): You are an Academy Award-winning actress, you are married to a music star, you have a beautiful family. Some people might ask: how does this woman, Nicole Kidman, relate?
KIDMAN: Relate? I don't know how -- you say whether you relate, but I certainly feel, and it brings me to my knees, and it's -- I feel it's -- I mean, it's my duty and it's an honor to be able to do the work.
CHO: It brings you to your knees. That's a strong statement.
KIDMAN: Yes, but I mean it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: She most certainly does. Nicole Kidman says she will work with the United Nations as long as they will have her. I told her, of course, they'll have her forever.
Some behind-the-scenes photos, by the way, or if you want to get involved with UNIFEM, go to our Web site: CNN.com/amFIX. And for more on how you can make a difference, CNN.com/Impact. All of our interviews from "Big Stars, Big Giving" live on, "Impact your World" this year, and we're thrilled that we have that as our partner.
You know, I also interviewed this around, Edward Norton, Julianne Moore, Halle Berry and Justin Bieber about their charitable projects. You know, as far as Justin Bieber goes, you might ask, what does a 16-year-old know about charity?
COSTELLO: I know.
CHO: The truth is, there was something about the way he grew up that really made him feel like he wanted to give back, and he's really committed to children's charities. We're going to talk about him in the next hour.
ROBERTS: Looking forward to that. Good for him to grow up that way.
CHO: Yes.
ROBERTS: Thanks, Alina.
And don't miss Alina's one-hour special, "Big Stars, Big Giving." It airs tonight at 7:30 Eastern and tomorrow on Christmas Day at 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
COSTELLO: Lots of cool, high-tech toys for kids this year, but are they making it easier for sex offenders to lure young victims? Which toys could be dangerous and how you can protect your children. We'll have that for you, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: That looks nice, doesn't it?
You think you've hit a home run this year. You've got your kid the iTouch or an Xbox or Nintendo DSI, gadgets that seem harmless. But these electronic gifts could get your kids in trouble.
ROBERTS: Yes, they're not just simple music players or game consoles anymore, because many of these items allow kids to communicate and share information.
Joining us to talk about how you can protect your child is Parry Aftab. She's the executive director of WiredSafety.org.
Parry, it's great to see you this morning.
These aren't just -- you know, when I was a kid, when Carol was a kid --
COSTELLO: Eight hundred years ago.
ROBERTS: Eight thousand years ago, a toy was a toy, you know, or a device was a device. But now, it's connectivity. It's teleconferencing. It's a lot of things that could get kids in trouble.
PARRY AFTAB, WIREDSAFETY.ORG EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: It's parents being totally clueless about what they just put into their kids' hands. So, you'd think that a DSI is something that will let you take games, but it let's you take pictures, connect with the Internet and chat with anybody else with another DS within a 300-foot radius.
COSTELLO: So, you want to start there?
AFTAB: Sure.
COSTELLO: And tell us how you can protect your kids? I mean, what exactly can get a kid into trouble specifically with that device?
AFTAB: Well, you know, this segment was hype as dangerous. It's really less about dangers and more about empowering. So, parents, when they open this and give it to their kids, need to check it out and set up the parental controls. So, if you turn it on and it makes all this weird noise, you look at the settings and then you move from settings right to parental controls. It will let you turn off the Internet, turn off the ability to share images, allow your kids to chat. It just means picking it up and looking at it.
COSTELLO: OK. Can we set it down so we can get a shot of it?
AFTAB: Sure.
COSTELLO: There we go.
AFTAB: And that's the DSI. It will take a picture looking at your child or away and at other people. And most parents buy this for the kids when they're 5.
ROBERTS: So, a woman came up to you expressing concern about the Nintendo DSI. What were her concerns? What was she worried about?
AFTAB: She said that she was in a large inner city McDonald's and her son was playing this, and suddenly, someone wanted to chat with him, and she had no idea that PictoChat, which wasn't even Internet-related, it's more Bluetooth-related, allowed anyone else with a similar device to reach out and talk to her son at the mall, at the supermarket or at McDonald's.
COSTELLO: And that's not exactly why parents buy their kids this particular device, right?
AFTAB: They don't. But the kids know what they do. What you need to do was ask your kids ahead of time and when you give it to them tomorrow, say: show me how it works. And maybe they'll give you a lesson and keeping them safe at the same time.
ROBERTS: You know, the iPhone, we've been trying to make this work this morning, but we're having some problems with the Wi-Fi connection, it allows you to do a teleconference. You can just zoom in here to this, Mike, and you can see that it takes a picture and will actually teleconference with somebody. And I actually -- I talk to my daughter a lot with this while she's in college. It allows us to connect to each other.
But your kids could be teleconferencing with someone else who may have nefarious intent.
AFTAB: Absolutely. And parents understand that an iPhone does a lot of different things, allowing you to connect to others. But they don't realize the same FaceTime is available on the iTouch, which a lot of parents are now doing and buying their kids when they're too young for an iPhone. So, they think it allows them to play all the games and the cool angry birds and everything else they like without realizing that it's essentially a phone and your kids can take video of themselves or others, do FaceTime, which is live video chat. They can access the Internet, access content maybe you don't want them to, buy things you may not want them to.
ROBERTS: As long as they've got a Wi-Fi connection, that's all it takes, right? It's almost an iPhone.
AFTAB: It really is. It's almost an iPhone and I think it's designed that way.
COSTELLO: So, how -- what do you do to protect your kids?
AFTAB: On this one, it's a little easier. What you do is turn it on and then click "Settings." and under "Settings" -- I need to make it stop doing that -- under settings, you hit --
ROBERTS: Tip it up a little bit so you can see it.
AFTAB: Got it. I feel like Vanna White. I obviously don't do this often.
And you hit -- it goes to general first, then to restrictions. And when you hit "restrictions," it will -- if you do it right, or not -- there it goes. You put in a code that you hopefully come up with ahead of time that your kids don't know, and it allows you to set restrictions for Internet, YouTube, iTunes, installing apps, the camera, FaceTime, their location, which is GPS, all of the apps, and the new setting, which is multiplayer games.
So, a lot of your kids are playing games, and that's fine, but you may not want them playing games with everybody on the Internet who wants to play games with them. You set it, make sure the kids don't know the numbers, and just know that the one thing you can't turn off without your kids being able to change it is Wi-Fi.
COSTELLO: The surprising thing to me in talking to you yesterday is the Xbox, because you would think that would be totally innocuous and there could be no danger presented to your kid with the Xbox.
AFTAB: Well, I'm a big fan of Xbox, but you need to understand that Xbox is Internet. It's a mini computer. You can download movies, you can access the Internet, you can chat with other people, you can use webcam. But the great thing is, they built in parental controls as well. All of these parental controls and tools for parents are totally free and they're easy if we know what to look for.
ROBERTS: So, parents just need to be aware that any time they buy a game or they buy a music device, anything that's got Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connectivity, their kids could be connecting to people in the outside world and some of those people may not have the best intentions for your child.
AFTAB: Or your kids are accessing adult content or spending your money. Ask three things: content, contact and cost. What can my kids see or share? Who can they talk to, who can talk to them? How can they spend money or get into trouble? You ask that before you put it into their hands. Ask your kids to investigate it and I won't have to be back.
ROBERTS: Parry, you've always got great tips and thanks for joining us this morning. Appreciate it.
AFTAB: Thank you very much and merry Christmas.
ROBERTS: Same to you.
COSTELLO: Merry Christmas. Thank you.
Looks like snow, Christmas snow in the Midwest today. I hope it doesn't snowball into a big storm, but Rob Marciano will tell us next in his holiday weekend forecast.
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ROBERTS: You know, Christmas time is one of the best times to be in New York City because of all the windows and all of the big stores, Fifth Avenue and the snowflake at the corner of 5th and 57th, and the Rockefeller Christmas tree.
COSTELLO: Gorgeous right there without any man-made Christmas lights.
ROBERTS: Just gorgeous. Thirty degrees right now in New York City. Later on today, partly cloudy and a high of 36.
COSTELLO: Not bad, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I mean, I suppose it'd be a little bit better if maybe we have just had enough flakes of snow flying to where it wasn't really disrupting travel.
COSTELLO: Just about five of them. That's all.
ROBERTS: As long as they're not cross-country skiing down Broadway.
MARCIANO: Exactly. I don't think that's going to happen, certainly, not before Christmas or on Christmas Day. So, that's a good news there. Some folks are going to get some snow. We'll talk about that. Let's break it down for you. Here is the storm that moved through, obviously, California and over the Rocky Mountains, now moving into the Midwest and slipping apart a little bit. So, it's losing a bit of it's punch. That's good.
A lot of the energy is going to the north, some of it is going to south, and, obviously, the northern energy is where some of that snowfall is going to be. As far as travel delays are concerned, New York metros today, because of the ongoing blustery winds that you've been having, Minneapolis, Chicago, you're going to see a little bit of snow, some accumulation, but I think visibilities are going to be the main issue with some rains and possibly some thunderstorms through Dallas and Houston.
So, here it is on the radar scope. East coast looks clear right now, but Chicago back to Minneapolis certainly seeing a little bit of snow the further west you go. Iowa, just north of Des Moines, is pretty much where the biggest pulse of significant accumulation is going to be. One to three inches potentially across Minneapolis. I don't think Chicago will see more than one or two. And then, from St. Louis back to, maybe, Louisville seeing two to four inches of snow with this ending some time tonight.
So, there you go. There's your white Christmas. Dallas, you'll see some thunderstorms, and this will traverse across towards the southeast. And as it does so, there is a chance of seeing a little bit of snow across parts of Northern Georgia, but I think it will just mix in with some rain at times, maybe change over to all snow at some point, but by the time that happens, accumulations are going to be maybe, you know, not too significant.
But places like Nashville, in through parts of the Western Carolinas may see a little bit of accumulation tonight and tomorrow. So, that's good news. But our computer model's not showing significant stuff, and the latest computer model's showing that you really have to be in Eastern Long Island, Eastern New England to get any piece of this storm as it moves off the East Coast Sunday night into Monday.
Of course, if it moves west by about 50 or 100 miles, then we've got a whole other ball game. Thirty-eight degrees in New York. Seems like that's the way it's been for the past couple of weeks, 53 for the high in Atlanta, and 32 degrees, certainly cold enough for snow in Chicago, where they'll have just a little bit of a white Christmas. John and Carol, back up to you.
ROBERTS: Heard rumors of another storm potentially heading for California, Rob?
MARCIANO: Yes. I mean, it's going to come in Sunday into Monday, but it shouldn't have a tremendous amount of moisture. It will be more of your garden variety type of winter storm. Should go through fairly quickly.
ROBERTS: Not the (INAUDIBLE) expressed that we saw last week.
MARCIANO: No.
ROBERTS: Great. That's a good thing. Thanks, Rob.
MARCIANO: All right, guys.
ROBERTS: Well, Santa Claus is making tracks this morning already. Jolly old st. Nick is now in New Zealand, according to Norad, as he travels around the world delivering presents to good little children, boys and girls.
COSTELLO: Man, 45 minutes ago, he was in Russia. That man travels!
ROBERTS: Their coot's canoe is in Willington.
COSTELLO: Rudolph is fast.
ROBERTS: Yes.
COSTELLO: If you want to keep an eye on Santa's sleigh, you can go to www.noradsanta.org. Last year, in case you were wondering, the website had more than 13 million visitors.
ROBERTS: It's got to be the shoes. Got to be the shoes. Hundreds of shoppers push and shove to get their hands on a pair of Nike Air Jordans. The police have to be called in. We'll show you what happens, next.
COSTELLO: Health alert for you. A salmonella outbreak has sickened 89 people in at least 15 states. We're live with details.
And something is afoot with one of the NFL's most outspoken coaches. Our Jeanne Moos with the video that just about blind-sided everyone.
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ROBERTS: The famous "Christmas donkey," who was Rudolph's predecessor, because the nose wasn't bright enough. Wasn't working.
COSTELLO: I didn't know that.
ROBERTS: Seven minutes to the top of the hour. Time for the Moost News in the Morning.
An embarrassing video of New York Jets coach, Rex Ryan, revealing his total devotion to his wife from the top of her head all the way down to the tip of her toes.
COSTELLO: I know, TMI. But we take a look at the public obsession over Ryan's no longer private one. Here's Jeanne Moos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Football is a game of yards and feet, but when the feet are part of a fetish --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow, they're really, really soft.
MOOS: No wonder they're saying "now that's football!" The feet are believed to belong to the wife of New York Jets coach, Rex Ryan. talk about a shoe dropping. In videos that surfaced on the sports website deadspin, the feet are seen waggling, being massaged, even taking a bow. And the sole man, the guy in a toe-jam facing the agony of de-feet, not to mention the agony of all these puns, is believed to be Coach Ryan, himself, holding the cam.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Excuse me, ma'am, can I help you with anything?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, no, I'm sorry.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, you don't have to put your feet in. Really beautiful feet.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mind if I touch them?
MOOS: "Say it ain't toe!" screamed the "New York Daily News," but Coach Ryan wasn't denying anything.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Ryan, did you or your wife make the foot fetish videos?
REX RYAN, NEW YORK JETS COACH: You know, this is a personal manner. This is a personal manner. You know, it's personal.
MOOS (on-camera): So, when all the foot fetish questions ended, they finally got around to talking football. And what was the very first topic after all those embarrassing questions about feet?
MOOS (voice-over): An injured player.
RYAN: During the game, I guess he had a toe injury.
MOOS: The ladies of "The View" came out of the foot fetish video --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Really soft.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have beautiful feet. Can I touch them?
MOOS: With their feet on the desk.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I will take -- I'll take a foot fetish with a man and his wife over a foot fetish with the man and his mistress any day.
MOOS: The voice on the tapes is always polite, and women seem to appreciate the 23-year marriage the coach has with his wife.
RYAN: She's awesome.
MOOS: But the parodies have already begun.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I and these feet will be going to the Super Bowl!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're digging these puppies, aren't you? Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Really beautiful feet.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, thank you. I really like your ears.
MOOS: Imagine having your feet looming over Joy Behar's head, playing footsie in videos so intimate, you can hear the knuckles crack.
MOOS (on-camera): There is one thing you can probably safely surmise about Christmas at the coach's house --
(SINGING) all the stockings were hung by the chimney with care.
MOOS (voice-over): Jeanne Moos, CNN.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm taking all these babies to the Super Bowl!
(SINGING) all the stockings --
MOOS: New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: The poor coach and his wife.
COSTELLO: Oh, I feel bad for them.
ROBERTS: I don't understand how the video got on the internet, though.
COSTELLO: I don't either.
ROBERTS: That's the question to ask.
COSTELLO: It's really embarrassing. You just have to be so careful what you do these days, very careful.
ROBERTS: It's lovely that he loves his wife, though.
COSTELLO: And her feet.
ROBERTS: To that point, and that she loves him. It's true. All good in the hood. It's four minutes to the top of the hour.
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