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CNN Sunday Morning
Laying Out the Agenda; Berlusconi Sex Scandal
Aired January 23, 2011 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
An out-of-control traffic stop ends with a 53-year-old woman punched and tasered and a highway patrol trooper in some serious trouble. More of the dramatic footage and the twist in the investigation that will have you thinking twice about the case, coming up.
President Obama preps for his biggest chance yet to convince the American voter he's serious about creating jobs and boosting the economy. What will he say, what should he say in Tuesday's State of the Union?
Scandal, intrigue, sex and denials -- an alleged affair with an exotic dancer who is underage. Is this the controversially that could finally bring down Italy's embattled leader?
It's early, and we are on it. From CNN Center, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It's January 23rd. Good morning, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye.
We start with the count down to the State of the Union. The stakes are high for President Obama as he prepares to lay out his agenda for the coming year. Here's a preview from the president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We've got millions of our fellow Americans who are out there struggling every day -- don't have a job or haven't seen a raise in a long time, paycheck is shrinking at a time when costs are going up. And so, my principal focus -- my number one focus -- is going to be making sure that we are competitive, that we are growing, and we are creating jobs, not just now, but well into the future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: That video was sent to Democratic supporters, but what may be more watched than the actual message is how it's delivered. Is the president trying to reach across the aisle to Republicans? And what is his main focus for 2011 -- 2012?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CRAIG CRAWFORD, COLUMNIST, CQPOLITICS.COM: I think the president will talk a lot about jobs. We'll probably hear that word quite a few times. I don't know if it will make any proposals, but that is something that I think he is -- is paramount for him to focus the country on how he is working on getting more jobs.
The civility I think comes after the Tucson tragedy gives him an opportunity to really get above the politics and put a lot of pressure on Republicans to be more bipartisan, and I think he'll reach out to them. He may even throw them some bones like talking about cutting spending and so on, to show the country that he wants to get along.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Be sure to tune in for special coverage of the State of the Union address right here on CNN, starting Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
The ball is now in President Hamid Karzai's court in a tense showdown over Afghanistan's government. The newly elected parliament held a special session today and decided to accept Karzai's offer of a Wednesday inauguration, but only if he dissolved a special court that's looking into election fraud allegations. Karzai wanted to delay the inauguration for a month so the court could finish its business.
There's more information this morning on the mysterious return of exiled former Haitian dictator, "Baby Doc" Duvalier. One of the three U.S. attorneys working with him says Duvalier wants access to $6 million frozen in Swiss bank accounts so he can use it to help Haiti rebuild. Duvalier is accused of looting the Haitian national treasury before fleeing the country. One of his attorneys is former U.S. Congressman Bob Barr.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
KAYE: Unrest in Algeria where pro-democracy demonstrators defied a government-ordered ban yesterday in the capital. Security forces clashed with the protesters. Algerian press services report 19 people were injured, including eight police officers. Similar protests last week in neighboring Tunisia led to the ouster of that country's longtime president.
And check out this video. It's at the center of a five-month investigation in Utah into the possible use of excessive force by one police officer on a 53-year-old woman. It came at the end of a chase.
The officer, Sergeant Andrew Davenport, broke the driver's side window and punched the woman in the head several times. He's not even disputing that.
Here's how Sergeant Davenport actually describes it. He says, quote, "I did this to distract and stun her and to stop her from trying to drive off and strike our vehicles or possibly run us over. The strikes worked, and we were able to grab her hands."
While Davenport was punching the woman, another officer fired his taser into the car. Investigators want to know if police went too far.
Did we mention that Sergeant Davenport is the cousin of the state's public safety commissioner? Officials say that has no bearing on the case. Davenport is on paid leave right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIAN HYER, DPS SPOKESMAN: Pursuits can be very, very dangerous, and for that reason, this review process is essential in what we do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Now, let's talk about the driver, 53-year-old Darla Wright. She was facing drunk driving, a looting arrest and assault charges, but ended up only being charged actually with failing to stop. The case was actually dismissed just about a week ago.
So, what is she saying about this whole thing? She told one Salt Lake City TV station that she doesn't really remember what happened saying only, quote, "A black glove coming through and hitting me just smack." That's what she says. She wants people to see the video and decide for themselves.
There has been a buildup of fluid in Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords' brain. CNN senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen says that will likely delay the start of her rehabilitation. Giffords was flown Friday to a Houston hospital specializing in traumatic brain injuries. She's being treated for a gunshot to the head suffered while meeting with constituents in Tucson, January 8th.
The man accused in that shooting, 22-year-old Jared Lee Loughner, due in federal court in Phoenix tomorrow, he's been indicted on three charges of attempted murder but is likely to face even more charges.
Crime-fighting cabbies on a mission to help the Denver police. Some 1,200 taxi drivers in the Mile High City have signed on to the TOP program, that's short for "taxis on patrol." The idea is for them to keep an eye out for crime while they are behind the wheel.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
ROBERT MCBRIDE, METRO TAXI: Joining together to give back to the community and to help our police department.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think this is a great program. I think it's great for our community. I think that people can feel safer in their communities knowing that you have extra eyes out there helping the police department, you know, solve crimes and keep our crime rate low and keep our streets safe.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We believe this effort will assist us in making our community a safer place to live, play and work.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
KAYE: This next story had all of us talking, a Florida minister facing criminal charges after being accused of calling 911 several times not because of a real emergency, but to complain about a manicure. Deputies say 44-year-old Cynthia Colson called four times to complain about a bad nail job. She was arrested after officers arrived at the business where Colson was allegedly fighting with the nail technician.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CYNTHIA COLSON, ARRESTED OVER MANICURE: You know, she had a nail clip in her right hand and she was going and talking with it, and at that time, she hit my top lip.
GARY DAVIDSON, VOLUSIA COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: After you've placed the initial 911 call and a deputy is responding to investigate, then there's no longer an emergency.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Chewing gum-maker Wrigley is now pulling their commercials from the controversial MTV show "Skins." The show has come under fire for sexually suggestive scenes starring young actors. Wrigley is the third advertiser to pull their ads following G.E. and Taco Bell.
Actress Zsa Zsa Gabor is back in her Los Angeles home, but the question is for how long. Gabor's right leg was amputated last week due to an infection. Her husband has put their 28-room Bel Air mansion on market for $28 million. He says he can't afford to maintain the house and pay for his wife's medical bills. The mansion once belonged to Elvis Presley.
All right. I'm sure you've heard of a pig roast. I certainly have. Also a pot roast. But how about a bear roast -- and what does it have to do with football? Anything? You'll want to stick around for this.
And, several schools in Texas have a unique way of disciplining students. If they misbehave, they get a ticket.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, cold air, that's the ticket for at least a third of the country, just brutal cold. Also for these football games, you can expect more of the same. Plus, there's a possibility of a fairly strong winter system that may be affecting parts of the Southeast and New England. More on that coming up in just a bit.
You're watching CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Plenty of ice out there for couch potatoes who enjoy their winter sports sitting down, put a couple of skis under an old couch and take that snowy slope with ease in style. It's called skouching. Yes, there's actually a name for it. It is the brainstorm -- this won't surprise you -- of a couple of fraternity guys.
Is there a downside? Yes, there is. No ski lifts. It is all about doing it yourself, hauling that couch back up the hill.
Certainly some fun to consider in light of the weather forecast and all the snow, I guess, heading our way in the week ahead.
Meteorologist Reynolds Wolf is live with the latest in the CNN severe weather center.
WOLF: Wow, I like the idea with the couch, but probably better for them than me. When I was in school, the couch I had with my fraternity brothers was like a Petri dish, should be burned. It's absolutely disgusting.
KAYE: Yes. Thanks for sharing that.
(CROSSTALK)
WOLF: Something else that's going to be hurting, it's going to be that cold air that continues to pour into parts of the Midwest and into the Great Lakes.
I want to show you a couple of numbers. If you happen to look at the yellow numbers, that indicates the normal high you'd have for this time of the year. When you see the white number, well, that indicates what they're going to be getting.
Minneapolis 22 degrees. The normal high, try 13 on for size. That's where you're headed.
Chicago, 32 the normal, 21 is where you're looking.
Same deal in the nation's capital, very cold air there, 42 is the regular high, going up to about 29.
The reason why we're seeing this is actually very simple. We've got an area of low pressure that's forming in one part of the country, a high in the other over parts of the Great Lakes, and it's going to funnel in the cold air. In some of the places where it's going to be the coldest right now will be in parts of the Northern Plains.
We're at this point where we already have winter weather, wind chill advisories there in effect near Grand Forks and Fargo where it feels like 28 degrees below zero, mercy me. Thanks a lot. Look at Fargo, it feels like 28 below. In Sioux Fall, basically the same deal.
We're going to be seeing as all that cold air not staying in place but pouring its way into parts of the Great Lakes where we can expect very, very chilly conditions.
Now, in places like Chicago and Milwaukee and Detroit and Pittsburgh -- single digits for the time being. But later on today, we've got a couple of big games, one in Chicago where we have a live image for you in Chicago. It looks pretty good for the time being, but by this afternoon, when the game starts playing, it's going to be the Packers, it's going to be the Bears, and it's going to be very, very cold for you. Same deal over in Pittsburgh. Let's show you what we have there. The game is going to be at Heinz Field with the Jets and, of course, with the Steelers. It's not going to be much better there either -- very, very cold. Hopefully, your team will play well so that will keep you warm a little bit or you might be kind of steamed if your team loses. Therefore, that might also keep you a bit warm.
Cold air as we talk about out towards the east, out towards the wets, a bit warmer. Also, windy conditions in the four corners, and when you get to the Pacific Northwest, some scattered showers can be expected along the I-5 corridor. But in the high elevations, snow is a possibility for you, also, look at that snow across parts of the mid-Mississippi Valley.
Now, in terms of the high temperatures, very quickly, let's show you what you can anticipate. It looks like if that's going to be going to 20 for Chicago, 49 Atlanta, 53 in Dallas, 39 degrees in Salt Lake City and 50 in Seattle.
Now, let's talk about what's not happening today but what may happen in days to come. We're watching this area of low pressure over parts of Texas. Right now, it's just south of Austin at this point. What we expect, at least according to our computer models, that it's going to go rights along parts of the Gulf Coast and as we fast forward into Monday and then to Monday afternoon into the evening hours, it's going to bring scattered some showers along parts of the Deep South, but notice a little bit of pink popping up on our future radar. That indicates frozen precipitation.
Now, the thing to look -- to notice that, for the time being, it looks like it might be relatively light, but if this pulls a little bit more to the south or maybe a bit more to the north, it could change that story all together. So, there's still a sliver of a chance we might have some wintry weather in parts of the Deep South, and then in days to come up in New England, maybe even a nor'easter -- another dose of winter weather.
Guys, let's pitch it back over to you.
KAYE: All right. Thank you, Reynolds.
WOLF: You bet.
KAYE: Today's big football game between Chicago and Green Bay takes on a whole new meaning, and in all places, Vikings Country. One lounge in St. Paul, Minnesota, had a special meal in mind for today's NFC Championship game. But more so really for the Packer fans than those who follow the "Monsters of the Midway."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLAKE MONTPETIT, BAR OWNER: We're roasting a bear on Saturday for the Packers game.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you?
MONTPETIT: We're going to fire up the heat a little bit on the bear when the Packers score.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Doesn't that sound yummy, firing up the heat on the bear?
The bar's plans were blocked by the local health department who put the kibosh on the bear meat meal.
And I know HLN sports anchor Joe Carter, I know you're very disturbed about that story.
JOE CARTER, HLN SPORTS ANCHOR: I didn't know people even ate bear.
KAYE: They do apparently.
CARTER: Apparently so. And yes -- so, the health department is not going to let them serve it to its customers, but the customers are going to be able to take pictures in front of this roasting bear.
KAYE: Somebody will eat it.
CARTER: Yes. Apparently, it's going to a private party in Wisconsin. So, hope you guys enjoy that bear. I would think it would be very tough.
(CROSSTALK)
CARTER: Yes, lots of meat to go around for that party. That's sure. No shortage of meat.
KAYE: So, you have the sports moments, the wow moments of the week for us?
CARTER: You know, the New York Jets are one win away from going to the Super Bowl, and the last couple of weeks, they've attached themselves to a story, a comeback story about a former Jets player.
Now, this is a -- the player's name is Dennis Byrd, who back in 1992, his career was ended after a neck injury left him temporarily paralyzed. Now, last week, he stood in front of a team and gave an emotional speech to the jets before they played the Patriots. Now, his words inspired the team to carry his number 90 jersey to midfield for last week's coin toss.
Well, now, they have decided to invite him back and this time, he's going to walk on the field himself for today's coin toss because he's been named a Jets honorary captain. It's an incredible story. This is going to be the first time he's been going to walk on to the field with the Jets since 1993.
KAYE: Oh, that's so nice.
CARTER: When they honored him just 10 months after he was temporarily paralyzed.
KAYE: He might be their good luck charm.
CARTER: I think he is. You know, they're really latching on to the story. They said that when he spoke for 15 minutes, could you hear a pin drop. And everybody was just totally caught in his attention.
KAYE: Well, it's an amazing comeback on his part to be able to return there.
CARTER: So, the Jets arrived at the team hotel last night in Pittsburgh. Lots of fans there to greet them at the team hotel. One fan, one special fan in particular, was the father of Aiden Binkley. Now, Aiden is the little boy, the little 11-year-old boy that died from a rare form of cancer in December.
Now, before he passed, he became friends with Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez. The two exchanged phone calls, exchanged text messages. Sanchez even visited Aiden's house one time. The Jets decided to invite the father to the game today as their guest, as their honorary guest as well.
KAYE: Very nice.
CARTER: So, a lot of extensions, a lot of, you know, great inspirational stories that go beyond the sidelines.
KAYE: Do we have time to end on a happy note?
CARTER: I hope so. My favorite video of the week comes from the Australia Open --
KAYE: Let's do it.
CARTER: -- courtesy of Novak Djokovic. I didn't know he had he moves.
KAYE: Oh, he does.
CARTER: Now, this was down in court 16, and that's Novak Djokovic, the third ranked player and that's Kym Johnson of "Dancing with the Stars." I don't watch the show all the time.
KAYE: This might have gotten more attention than his recent match. Look at that.
CARTER: Not shy at all. Rip off the shirt. She said he's a great dancer and he'd make a great contestant on the show.
KAYE: I'm sure she wants to keep dancing with him.
CARTER: And speaking of the Australian Open, no American players left in the tournament. Andy Roddick lost just a few minutes ago.
KAYE: Oh, no.
CARTER: He's out. So, no Americans left. KAYE: He was our last hope.
CARTER: Yes, he was the last one.
KAYE: All right. Good to see you. Thanks.
CARTER: You, too.
KAYE: Silvio Berlusconi is no stranger to sex scandals, but an ongoing investigation with his alleged affair with a teenage dancer isn't going away any time soon. Now, the Vatican is weighing in.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back.
Sex, cash and a prime minister in crisis. Our morning passport takes us to Italy where Silvio Berlusconi is fighting to survive a sex scandal.
Nadia Bilchik joining me again.
This one is pretty heated.
NADIA BILCHIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Unbelievable, isn't it?
(CROSSTALK)
BILCHIK: In 2009, his wife, Veronica Lario, divorced him because she didn't like his relationship with an 18-year-old. And, you know, Veronica says he went to this 18-year-old's birthday party and never went to one of her children's birthday parties, their children together.
So, this one is very interesting. So, the story goes that Silvio had a relationship with his bunga-bunga dancer. Now, I'm going to explain bunga-bunga.
KAYE: What is a bunga-bunga dancer?
BILCHIK: Bunga-bunga is a sort of a mix between belly dancing and stripping, and apparently, these dancers do these very erotic things and it is not supposedly sexual.
Well, anyway, he has a relationship with a particular dancer. She then gets arrested because of stealing some money. He tries to get her out of prison by allegedly saying that she is the granddaughter of Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian prime minister.
OK. So, he gets her out of jail. One of his associates collects her.
Anyway, currently under investigation for abuse of power and for soliciting the services of and underage prostitute.
KAYE: Yes, we should point out -- she was 17 at the time and he's 74.
BILCHIK: Correct. Now, Silvio -- Silvio is a multi -- well, he's a billionaire, we know that.
KAYE: Yes.
BILCHIK: He owns half of the media in Italy. He won by a landslide victory in Italy to become prime minister again in 1998.
But what's interesting here is popular opinion is changing. Remember, it's a fundamentally Catholic country. And up until now, people have gone, OK, he's having an affair or two, but once it becomes underage women, there seems to be a shift in public perception.
KAYE: And he's denying all of this.
BILCHIK: He is denying all of this. He says it's a political thing to get him out of power. He then went on to say that the reason people are so angry is that they haven't been invited to some of the parties. I mean, some of the things he says are completely outrageous.
KAYE: Well, I mean, the parties -- the description of the parties from what I understand -- I mean, they sound like a party at the "Playboy Mansion."
BILCHIK: "Playboy Mansion" and beyond. Some would call it an orgy. Some would say it's (INAUDIBLE) type, Caligula-stuff that goes on there. But who really know?
The reality is there's Silvio at 74 years old and, right now, this could be the tipping point of the end of his political career, or is it? Some pundits are saying it's not possible. And even if he does or is forced to resign, he'll still put somebody in place that is one of his allies, and he'll still be controlling Italy.
KAYE: Well, we will continue to follow this soap opera in Italy and you'll keep us up to date.
BILCHIK: And maybe he'll have more time to bunga-bunga.
KAYE: I'm not even going to go there with you.
All right. Thanks.
Tickets are for motorists, not students, right? But we'll tell but one school's plans to steer clear of bad behavior. "Extra Credit" coming your way next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Glad you're with us. Twenty-six minutes past the hour.
At some schools in Texas, students who break the rules don't get detention or trips to the principal's office, they get tickets. CNN Student News anchor Carl Azuz is here with the details.
This sounds pretty tough. What do they actually have to do to get a ticket?
CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS: It's tough. This isn't just for students who back-talk their teacher like I used to. I mean, this is for something a little more serious.
In fact, the very first comment comes from a student named Octavius who says he goes to school in Texas and that you've got to do something more serious than, you know, just speaking out, interrupting glass. You would have had to throw something across the room.
Other things that will get students tickets include leaving school during school hours without a permission slip, without anything like that, and picking fights.
So, a little more serious than just back-talking or acting up as kids tend to do. But several hundred of these tickets have been handed out in recent years, and the fines can go as high as $500.
KAYE: Wow, that really falls on the parents, too, probably in the end.
AZUZ: Yes.
KAYE: These kids probably can't afford these tickets themselves.
Why not, though, just give them detention? I mean, when I was a student, that seemed to work.
AZUZ: And I think you mentioned -- you hit the nail in the head when you mentioned parents. I think a lot of this is designed to sort of get the parents' attention, which -- you know, maybe some students who get detention don't tell their folks.
And we have a statement from the Dallas Independent School District as to why this is done. They are saying, "The vast majority of our students not disruptive. Those who do get tickets are hopefully learning that their actions have consequences."
And, you know, this isn't popular at all with our student audience. I'll go ahead and say it. They didn't like this idea, getting tickets.
KAYE: Sure.
AZUZ: But there were a couple of students who spoke out in favor of it, and the first one was someone named Billy who wrote us at CNNStudentNews.com. And his whole point was that, you know, this will get students ready for the real world. It will make the learning environment better, and he's also talking about how some of the bad students do interrupt the learning of the good students.
Then there's Haley who also says it sounds like a nice effort, but the students -- they won't learn their lesson, because as you said just a moment ago, Randi, it's the parents who are going to to pay for it in the long run.
KAYE: Right. And students are full of ideas. Do they have any other ideas that they threw your way in terms of what other penalties or punishments they thought would be appropriate?
AZUZ: And, you know, we like to ask them about that because we don't want them to be just like -- what do you think of tickets, Timmy? And he's going to say, oh, they are terrible? You know, what do you think would be an appropriate punishment.
And our very last comment today comes from a student who says we should make students clean bathrooms or lunch tables, something -- in Mary's words -- disgusting to straighten the student up. Another idea she's saying is to tour them through a jail as sort of a scared straight program to show students what bad decisions can lead to.
KAYE: Wow. Mary is tough.
AZUZ: Yes. I think I'd take the ticket over that.
KAYE: I think you're right. Here, mom, pay this. I'm not going to jail.
AZUZ: That's true.
KAYE: All right. Carl Azuz, thanks. Interesting story.
AZUZ: Thank you, Randi.
KAYE: The furry victims of the deadly flooding in Australia, what authorities are doing to protect the animals there.
And Hamid Karzai's compromise. A closer look what it means to Afghanistan and the United States.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back. I'm Randi Kaye. It's half past the hour.
Checking top stories for you.
A state trooper in Utah is on paid administrative leave and under investigation after this dash cam video. The officer broke the driver's side door and punched a female, a DUI suspect multiple times during a traffic stop last year.
Jobs are the President's top priority for 2011. That's what he said in a message to supporters previewing the focus for Tuesday's State of the Union address. Be sure to tune in for special coverage of the address here on CNN starting Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
Demanding reform in Algeria and clashing with police, protesters in the capital defying a ban to call for government reform. Anti- government protests erupted earlier this month after weeks of similar demonstrations in neighboring Tunisia.
One of the three U.S. attorneys working with Haiti former dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier says Duvalier wants access to $6 million frozen in Swiss Bank accounts so, they say, he can use it to help Haiti rebuild. Duvalier is accused of looting the Haitian national treasury before fleeing that country.
Afghanistan's parliament held a special session today. They decided to accept President Hamid Karzai's offer of a Wednesday inauguration but only if he dissolved a special court that's looking into election fraud.
CNN's Arwa Damon is in Kabul. And Arwa can you tell us where things stand at this hour?
ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Randi.
Well, there's still a lot of uncertainty as to exactly how this is all going to be resolved. Both sides, parliamentarians and the President, still going back and forth with various offers. The issue of contention is this special court that was set up by President Karzai in a sense to appease those who lost out in the parliamentary election but also to look into their complaints; hundreds of them that they have filed.
These elections were held and there's widespread allegations of fraud irregularity. The Independent Election Commission did end up certifying the results in November but only after tossing out millions of the votes.
President Karzai wants to see this special court stand. However, parliamentarians claim that it is unconstitutional. They want to see it abolished and have those cases handed over to the Supreme Court; so, still waiting for some sort of resolution on that, Randi.
But there is one thing that everyone is agreeing on, and that is that this current political impact is really serving to deepen the ethnic tensions that exist here, and that is only playing straight into the hands of the Taliban.
KAYE: And why is this situation so critical to Americans here at home?
DAMON: Well, Randi, it's critical for a number of reasons. Remember, 2011 this, year is the same year that the U.S. plans on beginning what it's calling its responsible drawdown of its forces and the last thing that the U.S. wants to see in place here is an unstable or dysfunctional government because at the end of the day, despite all of these security gains that we keep hearing President Obama and senior military officials talking about, they all also emphasize that this is not a war that is necessarily going to be won militarily.
It is one that is going to be won politically. The best that the U.S. can do in Afghanistan is create the security situation -- the framework, the environment -- that would allow for the Afghan government to step in and actually get its job done. The Afghan government needs to prove to the people that it can function, that it can deliver basic services, that it is the better option as opposed to the Taliban.
So critical to all of this is having a central functioning government. U.S. diplomats, sure the United Nations all watching these -- all watching these developments with great concern; they, too, hoping for some sort of resolution along with the Afghan population here, Randi.
KAYE: Arwa Damon for us this morning live in Kabul. Thank you, Arwa.
Unrest in Tunisia: why should problems there matter to Americans some 5,000 miles away? We take a closer look at the mounting pressure in that country and the impact here.
Plus teachers already give students grades. So should they be responsible for grading parents? One state pushing for parent report cards. We're on that after a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: "STATE OF THE UNION" with host Candy Crowley is coming up next right here on CNN and Candy Crowley is joining us live from Washington this morning with a preview. Good to see you, Candy.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN HOST, "STATE OF THE UNION": Hey, Randi.
KAYE: On your rundown today I know you have the former secretary of state Colin Powell discussing the shooting in Tucson and the President's accomplishments so far as well as the challenges ahead.
Let's just talk about the President, if we can, for -- for just a moment with the -- with the State of the Union coming up Tuesday night. What do you expect we're going to hear from him?
CROWLEY: Well, I expect we are going to hear sort of exactly what he has been previewing which is this will be heavy on the economy. This is a time that the administration thinks that it has to pivot. The last two years has really been about sort of staunching the bleed in the economy.
Now they want to sort of concentrate on here on out building jobs that are permanent, making investments, with that spending money in certain areas to try to make these jobs more permanent, to make America more competitive in the global arena.
So I think that you will hear heavy on the economy because if there's one thing that I -- I believe this administration did take out of the last elections, that is, the American people want something done about the jobs situation so I think that's why you will mostly hear that.
But you know, State of the Union speeches sometimes become these sort of smorgasbords because there's so many competing interests that want the President to say something about, you know, high speed rail service or, you know, whatever the pet project is of a certain cabinet official --
(CROSS TALK)
KAYE: Yes.
CROWLEY: -- or a lobbying group; so you'll hear some of that, but I think overall you'll come away with an economic message.
KAYE: And do you expect that he will continue this theme of -- of national unity which he really started in -- in Tucson at that memorial service? Do you expect we'll hear some of that?
CROWLEY: Sure. I -- I mean, it is -- look, this is a -- a group now here in Washington on Capitol Hill and the White House who have said we need to kind of lower the temperature here. We need to speak respectfully to each other.
Now, you -- you and I have heard politicians say that for a very long time pre-Tucson, post-Tucson and so, you know, we'll see what happens. But I expect that this will be a more collegial, if you will, State of the Union address, even if not from the podium, and I do expect it from the President. You know, the -- the whole thing is about the seating arrangement, the Republicans sitting next to the Democrats.
(CROSS TALK)
KAYE: Right; a little musical chairs going on.
CROWLEY: And you know sort of the optics will -- yes, exactly the optics will all be about bipartisanship, but I can also assure you you're going to see some people who are going to be quite enthusiastic about some of the things the President says and others who won't be as enthusiastic. And it will be pretty -- still pretty easy to tell the difference between the Republicans and the Democrats.
KAYE: Sure. And we mention that Colin Powell is on your program this morning. Will he be -- he'll be assessing the mood of the country for you following Tucson?
CROWLEY: You know, and that's -- yes, and I -- I -- that and so many other things because he has, as you know, a policy center up in New York. He has kept his hand in so many things. This administration does go to him sometimes for private advice, so lots of things across the world and indeed about the temperament.
I mean, the -- Colin Powell is a man that has been able to retain the admiration of both Democrats and Republicans, so we may just ask him how he did that.
KAYE: All right, Candy Crowley, we'll be watching it all. It's good to see you this morning.
CROWLEY: Thanks, Randi.
KAYE: Keep it here for "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley, it starts in just about 20 minutes at 9:00 a.m. Eastern, 6:00 a.m. Pacific right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back.
Students get graded and so, too, do many teachers in America but one Florida lawmaker, Kelly Stargell wants to take the report card one step further. Stargell, a mother of five, wants parents to be graded.
I spoke with CNN education contributor Steve Perry about this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: What do you think of this proposed bill?
STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR: I think it's absurd. Earlier in the week we were talking about giving kids tickets for cussing and now we're talking about giving parents grades. There are so many of my parents that could -- maybe come from another country and don't necessarily feel comfortable coming into the school, yet their kids are beating the pants off of our kids. Are they better parents?
How do we know what a good parent is just by giving them a grade? The teachers are not trained to give adults grades. Let's get the teachers teaching. How about that?
KAYE: Well, what -- what should a parent's role be? I mean, you -- you deal with kids every day. So what -- what should parents be doing that maybe they are not doing?
PERRY: Well, what a parent can do when they can is they can create a structure at home that supports learning. We can say to parents that they should do an audit of their home and time which means what do you spend your resources doing? If you spend more of your resources on play, then your child is going to value play. Likewise, if you spend more on education, they will value education.
However, from a school's perspective it's very difficult for me to tell whether or not a parent actually values that because a parent -- I often have boys who come into school the next day without their homework and the mother will call, especially if she's a single mom. She'll call and she'll say I gave it to him. He put it in his bag and somewhere between home and school it -- it evaporated.
Is that a bad parent? We're going in the wrong direction, folks. We need to focus on what works. We know what works in public education. We've seen it. We -- we know what works in private education, schools that are small and focused on high expectations, schools that engage parents in a meaningful way.
If we want parents to be part of our discussion, stop having events during the day when they can't make it. Have it in evening, have it at more convenient times for them.
KAYE: And -- and so -- you know it -- you know, if a child gets a -- a "D", he knows, oh, wow, I better -- I better work a little harder and maybe and try to improve that grade.
But if parents are graded and maybe they get a bad grade or unsatisfactory, I mean, do you think that something like this could actually change a parent's behavior?
PERRY: Nope. I think that in order for a parent to do what they do, each parent is going to be within their own capacity to parent. There are no licenses, as we've often been told, for parenting. What happens to make you a parent doesn't take that much thought. So when parents are parents, we sometimes expect more of them than they are capable of.
We are the professionals. Let us do what we do which is to educate children. Let us focus on making children more successful and developing their own gifts. If we want to help parents, let's help them. Let's offer workshops, not grades.
KAYE: So what if this does end up going through? I mean, if you ended up grading your parents, what do you think their reaction would be?
PERRY: Well, what it should be. They should tell me I'm out of my mind. They should tell me to focus on what I'm being paid to do which is to educate their kids.
I'm not here to judge them. In fact, that's one of the reasons why so many parents don't want to participate in education because they already feel like they are being judged. Let's find ways to engage them; sit them down.
Nothing frustrates me more, Randi, than having to look up into the stands at a basketball game and see no parents there. It really bothers me. It hurts me when I have to take children home because a parent hasn't come to pick them up.
I'm not suggesting that I enjoy parents not doing what they're supposed to do. But that's not what I'm here to do. Embedded in the American fiber is that you send us your children, and we will educate them. No matter from where you come, we will educate them, because it's not just about poverty. There are parents like me who spend a lot of time working, like now, and I'm not home with my kid. There's a snow day.
Am I a bad parent today because I'm here with my kids and actually in the other room I have a meeting going on with parents? It's not the way we need to do it. We need to focus on what makes us -- the ties that bind us. Let's find ways to engage the parents as opposed to finding ways to just drive another wedge between us and them.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Such an important issue.
Unrest in Tunisia. Sure it's far away, but its problems can be our problems. Yes, even for Americans some 5,000 miles away. We take a closer look at the mounting tension in that country and the impact here.
Also impacting a lot of folks today is that brutal cold hitting parts of the country. No escape from it, Reynolds.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I tell you that's certainly going to be the case if you happen to be in the Upper Plains, the Midwest or the Great Lakes where that polar air mass continues to pile into parts of the nation. And two cities that will be greatly affected: one Chicago, the other Pittsburgh, just in time for today's big games.
Your forecast coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: A series of deadly car bombs going off in several Baghdad neighborhoods today. At least six people were killed in the blasts which happened over a three-hour period. The explosions injured at least 30 people. Police say the targets included a police patrol, a bus carrying Iranian pilgrims and a street outside a hotel.
Now let's focus on Tunisia. The anti-government protests there that forced the president out of office are something that Americans are paying close attention to. There are lessons to be learned, harsh ones, that could be on the horizon.
CNN's Brian Todd explains.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's 4,000 miles away from U.S. Shores, is only a little larger than the state of Georgia and has a population about 30 times smaller than America's. The uprising that drove out Tunisia's long-time president may not be on many Americans' radar, but experts say it should be.
(on camera): If I'm a textiles analyst in Chicago or I work at a Wal-Mart in Galveston, why should I care about what's happening in Tunisia?
ROBERT MALLEY, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: You might not care about what's happening in Tunisia per se but you should care about what lesson it sends to the rest of the message to the region where there are many countries with which the United States has very close ties and which are very important to the U.S. in terms of price of oil or the war against terrorism.
TODD (voice-over): Robert Malley of the International Crisis Group is talking about countries very close to Tunisia that have had the same kinds of problems but where the stakes are much higher for America. Tunisia's revolt started with younger citizens, fed up with high unemployment, rising costs of living and a corrupt federal government.
Similar problems are occurring in Egypt, there, like in Tunisia, a protester set himself on fire. And the same thing could happen in Jordan, Yemen, Saudi Arabia; the common factors in all these countries, they have all been ruled for a long time by single autocratic rulers. They are all key U.S. allies in the war on terror, and they have all been struggling to fight off some very dangerous Islamist militant groups.
Here's something Americans can relate to, this tweet from Cairo. "Today Ben Ali, tomorrow Hosni Mubarak. Today it's Tunisia's president and tomorrow could it be Egypt's?" Egypt's regime isn't under as much pressure as Tunisia's was, yet.
JOHN ENTELIS, FORDHAM UNIVERSITY: The discontent is there. It's bubbling over continuously. It's not in our interest to try to keep this lid down artificially because ultimately the explosion will be even worse later on than it is -- than it would be in the short term.
TODD: And revolutions in places like Egypt could lead to Islamic militants or other radicals taking power or at least having more room to operate than they do now.
MALLEY: We saw it on 9/11, and we'll see it again. What happens in the Middle East, what happens in the Arab world, can have a direct impact on our own security.
TODD: But analysts say there's a positive flip side if this is a successful transition to democracy in Tunisia, and it's another reason Americans should pay attention. If it leads to more social and economic freedoms, they say, more people in the Middle East will see how that works, will see the alternative to militant Islam.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Let's take you to Australia now where more than 3 million people have been affected by the flooding. Animals are having a hard time, too. Koalas had to be rescued from their sanctuary. Take a look at that little guy right there.
But they are getting new homes and pet care facilities are opening their doors to the pets of families that have lost everything, like those puppies right there.
Are you over the last election yet? Ready or not, the next one is coming your way, and the polling has already begun. Why Mitt Romney is probably smiling after hearing some very early numbers.
And oh, boy, that looks cold. Oh, no. Don't do it. I'll explain what some kids at a summer camp are getting out of this polar bear plunge, as they call it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three, two, one.
(END VIDEO CLIP) KAYE: Ooh, that's cold; an ice cold splish-splash for cash. Oh, yes. The sixth annual YMCA polar plunge at the Southington, Connecticut YMCA now in the books. As you can they did it in (INAUDIBLE) taking a plunge. I think we saw Gumby there, too, yes, of course. And the proceeds go to summer scholarships for deserving YMCA campers. Plungers actually had to pony up $100 or more in pledged donations.
Meteorologist Reynolds Wolf is here. Yes, there has to be a more humane way, don't you think, to donate?
WOLF: A bake sale. A bake sale, a garage sale.
KAYE: Or give them the money.
WOLF: I know, it is a great cause, no question about that, but, again, we talked about that earlier this morning. No one ever smiles when they get out of the water.
KAYE: No. I would have been in a wet suit.
WOLF: That's true. Well, I mean Gumby. Gumby had that smile but he's a fiend anyway. So he's a glutton for punishment.
KAYE: Yes. Gumby's always a child.
WOLF: Yes. No question about it.
Hey it's -- here's the video again. They are doing -- I guess it's almost like something that they're going to do for sport. You know one thing that's interesting. These people are volunteering to do it.
Also fans are going to be volunteering to go out and cheer on their best teams today. We're talking about the Chicago Bears and the Packers. Then you have the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Jets. Conditions are going to be really rough in all places.
KAYE: Really cold, right?
WOLF: Yes. In fact, let's hop on over here and we're going to show you exactly what they can expect. Let's begin with what will happen at Soldier Field. Game-wise, I have no idea but as far as the weather is concerned we've got a pretty good handle on this one.
The game, kickoff is at 3:00 in the afternoon, at least 3:00 eastern time. Temperature around 18 degrees; the wind chill though is going to make it feel like it's about eight degrees so brutal conditions out there. Mostly cloudy skies are going to be expected. We've got a live shot there from Chicago.
You also see on one side of the screen a little bit of Heinz Field where there's going to be a whole lot of football being played there and conditions there also mighty cold.
In fact, check out the magic screen here. Again New York Jets and the Steelers, Heinz Field, that kickoff is going to be at 6:30 Eastern time. Temperature 14 degrees and wind chills going to be like six. It's not going to be like -- it will be six, is what it's going to feels like. You have bundle up. Partly cloudy skies can be expected.
A lot of people aren't going to have time to watch the games; they may be traveling around the nation. We've got a few trouble spots out there. The trouble spots though mainly for drivers more than flyers for parts of the mid-Mississippi Valley. We see a little bit of a disturbance that's bringing up some snow but the snow not especially heavy, only about an inch of snow or so, a little bit of icy glazing possible in parts of I-70.
So just keep it in mind, just take it easy out there; some of the roads will be treated. Most of them, in fact, so it should be in ok shape. Just look for ways also to wrap things up in Oklahoma City and southward into Dallas, maybe a few delays at DFW.
That's a quick snapshot of your forecast across the nation. Football fans enjoy but be brave with that cold; (INAUDIBLE) going to be there. Back to you Randi.
KAYE: Bundle up. Thank you Reynolds.
WOLF: Yes.
KAYE: Checking top stories, a state trooper in Utah is on paid administrative leave and under investigation. Dash cam footage shows him punching a female DUI suspect multiple times during a traffic stop last year.
American college student Amanda Knox is appealing her murder conviction in Italy. Forensic experts are retesting two pieces of controversial evidence used to convict Knox and her boyfriend in the 2007 death of her roommate.
Former GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney has won his party's presidential straw poll in New Hampshire in advance of the 2012 election. Romney got more than a third of the 400 votes. Texas congressman Ron Paul placed a distant second at 11 percent.
You can expect job creation to be the forefront of President Barack Obama's upcoming State of the Union address on Tuesday. Be sure to watch that.
I'm Randi Kaye and thanks for watching this. "STATE OF THE UNION" is next.
