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CNN Sunday Morning
Mubarak's Next Move; Valentine's Day Spending to Rise
Aired February 13, 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.
Post-revolution rush hour -- a sign that Egypt is moving on after the Mubarak regime. But trouble could be brewing in another part of the region. We'll tell you why we are watching a call for regime change in Yemen this hour.
And it's Valentine's Day eve. So, just how much are you willing to spend for love? We've crunched the numbers and let's just say romance isn't so cheap.
It's early and we are on it. From CNN Center, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It's February 13th. Good morning. I'm Randi Kaye. So glad you're with us today.
We start in Egypt where just moments ago, we heard from Egypt's prime minister who revealed that the country's information minister has stepped down. It is the beginning of the workweek there. And for the first time in two weeks, most of the shops are open and traffic is actually moving through Tahrir Square.
But there are still groups gathered there in the square. Some of the protesters are refusing to leave the area.
Our Frederik Pleitgen reported last hour that there is a rift growing. Some say it's time to get back to normal life. But others are digging in. They say their demands haven't been met and are vowing to stay until those demands are met.
Police have returned to the streets. They have been largely absent since the early days of the protest.
There's also a larger military presence in the square today. We are hearing about a number of artifacts that are missing from the Egyptian museum in Cairo. Museum officials say it includes a statue of King Tut. The museum located at Tahrir Square was guarded by Egyptian special forces during those protests.
He's the man they wanted out office, former President Hosni Mubarak. The longtime leader fled the palace for a popular Red Sea resort where he has a home. But it's likely not his last stop.
CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson joins me now live now from Sharm el-Sheikh.
Nic, Mubarak may no longer be president. But I'm wondering how much security he's traveling with these days there.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, there's awful lot of security very close to his presidential palace here in Sharm el-Sheikh. You could drive down the road even to approach, you have to go through police checkpoints. There are armed police on the checkpoints and there are plain clothes security personnel who ask you a lot of very searching questions -- who you are, what you're doing, where you're going. That's just to get remotely close.
Journalists from this town have been told that they are not allowed to travel around by boat at sea past his presidential palace. And we had eyewitness accounts of his arrival here by airplane in the early hours of Saturday morning.
There is no official confirmation that he's here, but every indication is that this is where he's staying. But for how long will he stay? Will he decide to move on? That's just not clear, Randi. But certainly, a lot of security around this town, and in particular, his presidential palace right now -- Randi.
KAYE: And, Nic, as you know, during the uprising, Mubarak has said that he would die on Egyptian soil. So, where would he go? Are there any possible destinations?
ROBERTSON: Well, one of the rumors at the moment -- and they are only rumors -- is that he may go to the sultanate of Oman, which would just be a few hours flight away from here across the Arabian Peninsula. There are rumors that he might go to the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia said he would have an open door there. That he could go and stay there, or go live there.
But there are no indications yet which option he may go for or whether he may choose to stay here. Certainly, there is a feeling and a demand from some protesters that he should stand trial for the deaths of the people who died in the protest, that he should stand accountable for the large amounts of money that he's accused of having stolen from the country, that the protesters believe that he is responsible for diverting to his own individual and his family's wealth for business contracts and such like.
So, there is a feeling here, a mood that, among some people, that he should stand trial for those things. And that may be something that he would listen to over time and feel that despite his desire to stay here, it's not in his best interest, because he could end up in jail or have heavy fines or worse even.
But at the moment, this is where he appears to be and he has said, he would like to see his days. He doesn't want to appear as somebody that's been defeated and chased out of office. In effect, that's what's happened. He's trying to save face and keep a dignified exit, Randi.
KAYE: Nic Robertson on the trail of Hosni Mubarak in Sharm el- Sheikh for us -- thank you, Nic. The anti-government sentiment is growing in other parts of the Arab world. We've been watching those protests in Yemen for a while now. Demonstrators there are upset over unemployment and high prices. Some of the same issues that led to the revolution in Egypt. Earlier, I talked with our Mohammed Jamjoom who ended up in the middle of the protest in Sana'a, the capital.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): The anti- government demonstrators that at that point numbered about 400 in number started marching through the streets, heading towards the presidential palace. Now, as they were marching, we were catching up with them, and their numbers were growing. At the end of it, we saw about 1,000 people.
Barricades went up eventually. The security got increased. There are more and more military came out. They put up barbed wire in the middle of the streets so that the anti-government demonstrators who were calling for regime change could not reach the presidential palace.
At that point, those protesters actually turned away. Before they did so, they were chanting things like "Down with Ali." They were saying, "First, Mubarak in Egypt, now, Ali in Yemen."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Mohammed also said that shortly after that, protesters surrounded him and his crew taking the camera.
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has been in power even longer than Hosni Mubarak was, 32 years. He's already said he won't run for re-election when his term runs in just two years.
Time now for "The Weekend Wheel," some of our favorite stories this weekend. And we begin with politics.
And for the second consecutive year, Texas Congressman Ron Paul topped CPAC's presidential straw poll. Paul garnering 30 percent of the vote. Former Massachusetts governor, Mitt Romney, placed second with 23 percent. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich trailed. Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson and current New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, both of whom got 6 percent of the vote. Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin only got 3 percent.
A close call for a Florida driver whose car crashed into a pole and caught fire. Look at those flames. Edward Whalen was rescued by a Pasco County deputy only minutes before the entire car became a burning mass of metal. Deputy Kelly Endricks says he was just doing his job.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEP. KELLY ENDRICKS, PASCO COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPT.: I wanted to get whoever inside the car out, that was my main focus. That's why I went right to the first window, bashed that open first, hoping he'd come out in the back. When he said he couldn't get there, I just, you know, went to the sun roof and hit that one open.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: The driver was treated for smoke inhalation and the deputy was not hurt.
Award-winning actress Elizabeth Taylor remains hospitalized with congestive heart failure. She checked herself in earlier in the week to the hospital. One of her representatives says the 78-year-old star is doing just fine. Taylor has dealt with heart problems before. Two years ago, she had valve replacement surgery.
Investigators are taking a closer look at the Playboy mansion in Los Angeles after as many as 100 people say they got sick after a party there. Hugh Hefner's infamous bachelor pad played host to a party for Internet executives. And as you might expect from those partiers, well, they posted their various respiratory problems on Facebook and Twitter. And that's actually how the officials noticed the trend.
It lasted five seconds and may have cost $400,000 of your tax dollars. Coming up: questions about that military fly-over you just might have missed at the Super Bowl.
Plus, the price of love is apparently going up and candy-makers, well, they're certainly not complaining. Valentine's Day spending when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Could be another great day to go whale watching in San Francisco bay. I say "another great day" because this was the treat a few sightseers had near the Golden Gate yesterday. Right there, a dozen or so orca whales and it's believed this is the second time in three days the same group of killer whales was spotted, baby calves and all. What a beautiful sight that is.
Meteorologist Reynolds Wolf has today's forecast.
Reynolds, did you check out those whales?
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Amazing thing.
KAYE: Incredible.
WOLF: Beautiful, beautiful animals to see, especially on a day like today in San Francisco. They've got a little bit of fog they might be dealing with this morning. But by midday and into the afternoon, it should be great from the Golden Gate over to Alcatraz, even over to Oakland. So, a beautiful day out there.
Hey, check out what we got nationwide weather-wise. You know, we have been talking about the big chill through much of the nation, just bitter cold conditions today. Many places, in fact, all your cities that we see on this map will be above the freezing point, including Boston with a high of 38 degrees the expected high by the afternoon. Sixty-two in Memphis, out by the rendezvous; 64 in Denver; Los Angeles, warming up to 70 degrees; 70 in El Paso; 70 in Houston; 64 in New Orleans, and 50 degrees in Billings.
However, one thing you're going to be dealing with up in the Northern Plains, very strong winds, anywhere from 40 to 60 miles per hour. Some gusts may approach 75. That's above category one hurricane force. So, it's going to be very strong. No question about it.
Another big thing we're going to be seeing will be the changes that are to come later this week where highs are going to be up in the 70s, possibly for parts of the Central Plains because of the changes in the jet stream. We're expecting a trough out to the west, but a big ridge developing in the eastern third of the country. It's going to allow very mild air to swarm its way into parts of the Central Plains and into the Upper Midwest.
So, warm times are coming. But in terms of your sky conditions, again, it couldn't be better for the Southeast. Plenty of sunshine in Atlanta back over to Nashville. Clear through parts of Texas. Austin is just going to be just phenomenal today, beautiful weather there.
Northern Plains, a mix of sunshine and clouds. And for southern California in the four corners, plenty of sun. Just the snow showers in parts of the Great Lakes and for the Pacific Northwest, from about Portland northward to the Straits of Juan de Fuca, rain along the coast, highest elevations to the Cascades, you might see a touch of snowfall.
You're up to speed. That's your forecast. Let's pitch it back over to you, guys.
KAYE: Hey, Reynolds, you saw the Super Bowl, right?
WOLF: Oh, yes.
KAYE: Did you see the flyover, Navy flyover?
WOLF: No, I don't think a whole lot of people did.
KAYE: Exactly. That's why I asked, because a lot of people haven't heard the story yet. You will not be surprised that the U.S. Navy is getting some flak for its pre-game flyover at last Sunday's Super Bowl. It cost an estimated $450,000 for the four F-18s to fly this mission.
But here's the kicker: it lasted about five seconds on TV and most folks who are at the game didn't see it because the Cowboys Stadium retractable roof was closed. Hello? That's right, closed. A $450,000 flyover over a closed roof.
The Navy is contesting the cost figure, saying fuel expenses only accounted for $109,000 and that such flyovers actually help recruitment efforts -- your tax dollars at work. Joe Carter with HLN Sports joins me now for the wow moments in sports.
I guess we could kind of call that a wow moment.
JOE CARTER, HLN SPORTS: Yes.
KAYE: A flyover -- that much money for a flyover over a closed roof.
CARTER: If you're paying the bill, you're definitely saying wow.
KAYE: Yes, that's for sure. But you don't want to talk about that. I know you want to talk about this out-of-this-world bicycle kick.
CARTER: You know, not often do we get soccer highlights in American television, but I'm proud to say, we've got it for you this morning because this has to be one of the best goals of the year from one of soccer's most popular players. Wayne Rooney plays for Manchester United.
KAYE: OK.
CARTER: This was an incredible kick -- a bicycle kick, if you will. I'd love to show the video. That's what the people want to see, right? Here it comes. Left corner, check out Wayne Rooney, bam! The low angle shot is a lot better.
KAYE: OK. Here it comes.
CARTER: And this is in Manchester City, Manchester United would go on to win this game two-to-one. Unbelievable kick. But what I found to be most interesting about this story --
KAYE: Look at that.
CARTER: Unbelievable, right?
KAYE: Yes, it's pretty cool.
CARTER: Great low angle shot. What I found to be the most interesting about this story is that these two teams, Manchester City and Manchester United, combined payroll is over $850 million. This was an expensive game.
Now, in comparison, Yankees and Red Sox, their combined payroll is just over $325 million. Ouch!
KAYE: So, they got them beat big time.
CARTER: Apparently, they're paying Wayne Rooney all in. He's worth every dollar they are paying.
KAYE: That was impressive. You've got to give it to him.
CARTER: So, from one non-popular American sport to another: hockey. Jockey fans, I'm sorry.
KAYE: Ooh, ouch!
CARTER: There was more than five hours in penalty minutes and game suspensions handed down between the Penguins and the Islanders. Now, these two things met nine days before Friday's brawl and they duked it out. I mean, there was all kinds of stuff -- goalies were fighting, cheap shots. They got together again nine days later and here we go again -- brawling it out.
KAYE: But, you know, you watch the Super Bowl for the commercials. I watch hockey for the brawl.
CARTER: Good point. If you watched Friday's game, you saw a lot of it because there were 65 penalties, a total of 346 penalty minutes handed out. That's the most penalty minutes we see in one single game in seven years. And these two teams will meet again April 8th, which happens the second to last game on their schedule before the playoffs begin.
So, it should be interesting when they get together again. I'm sure no love will be lost at all.
KAYE: No, it doesn't certainly look that way. All right. Joe Carter, thank you.
CARTER: You bet.
KAYE: Good to see you.
Well, it is almost Valentine's Day. Have you thought about what to get your sweet heart? If dollars spent are a sign of love, well, analysts say this year will be filled with a whole lot of romance. We check out the relationship between your heart and your wallet.
But everything doesn't always come up hearts and roses. Have you ever ditched a date because it wasn't going so well? A recent survey found escaping a bad date is pretty common, either by taking a fake emergency call. Come on, you know you've done it. You know, pretending to be sick. Saying you have to leave for work. Uh-oh, guilty there. Or even sneaking out when your date's in the restroom. Wow. That's painful.
Which excuse by far is used most often? Well, we'll tell you after the break.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The best value type's gift I ever received definitely involved chocolate -- the more expensive, the better.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A brand new Mac computer.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A tennis bracelet with a nice dinner, candlelight and a night to remember. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The best Valentine's gift I have ever given is I took my girlfriend to Atlantis, in the Bahamas, and stayed for five days and stayed at the Cove.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Before the break, we asked which excuse is most used to escape a date that might not be going as well as you might have like. Is it taking fake emergency calls, pretending to be sick, saying you have to leave for work, or even sneaking out when your date is in the restroom?
All right. Here we go. The answer you've been waiting for: 64 percent pretend to be ill. Wow. Thirty-three percent take an emergency phone call; 28 percent, must leave for work right away; and 9 percent just get up and leave when their date is in the restroom. Very, very nice.
OK. So, maybe we're not always on the ball about getting the perfect Valentine's Day gift. But we haven't stopped trying. This year, spending on Valentine's Day is actually expected to rise by double digits. That is a whole lot of romance.
CNN's Stephanie Elam now on the etiquette of gift-giving.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Love is in the air, America. After pinching pennies hard for a couple of years, consumers are once again ready to shower their loved ones with gifts. In fact, according to IBIS World Research, Americans will spend $18.6 billion this year on Valentine's Day purchases. That's nearly 6 percent more than last year and breaks down to 125 bucks a person.
So, what are folks buying?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Candy. Chocolate, of course, which my husband and my daughter and my son.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, probably, $100 going to go towards food.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Say I probably would split dinner with my boyfriend and then go out to a museum or something.
ELAM: No doubt greeting cards, flowers, clothing and jewelry are all popular gifts, but Americans will spend the most dough on romantic getaways, candy and most popular expense of all: dining out. All those meals will cost us $8.8 billion this year.
When it comes to gender, it looks like men just don't trust the old adage, "It's the thought that counts." The National Retail Federation says the average man will drop more than 158 bucks for Valentine's Day, while the average woman will only spend about $75. And Valentine's Day is not just for humans. The National Retail Federation says the average person will spend just over 5 bucks on the family pet, up nearly $2 from last year.
But let's face it, not everyone has a Valentine to lavish. That doesn't mean, however, that these folks aren't spending. In fact, the NRF says consumers will spend an average of $6.30 on friends, about $5 on classmates and teachers, and just over $3 on co-workers. After all, Valentine's Day is on a Monday.
Stephanie Elam, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: It was one of the biggest breakups of all time. After seven years apart now, Ken misses Barbie, it turns out, and he's launching a nationwide campaign to win Barbie back. Yes, he's taken out billboards. He put out a Twitter page, a Facebook page. It sounds kind of desperate, huh?
He's even enlisted you to help convince her to give him a second chance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He should go after her. She was hot.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go out with Barbie. But make sure that you have like an agreement.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He needs a prenup?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's what I was thinking.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
KAYE: A prenuptial agreement for Barbie. Isn't Barbie the one really with all the cash? That's how I remember it.
She'll give him her answer on Valentine's Day. But you can vote on BarbieandKen.com.
Technology can be a good news/bad news thing for your children. Should you spy on your kids to make sure they don't get exposed to the bad things? And if so, how far should you go?
And find out how one teacher turned his student's time on the computer into a very valuable lesson.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back. Twenty-four minutes past the hour.
Seeing is believing. There is an interesting study out involving students and the Internet. It suggests that if kids see something on a Web site, they take it as a fact no matter what. CNN's Carl Azuz is here with the details.
So, students believe everything that they read online?
CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: Well, certainly, no student will tell you that. The ones we talked to, you'll be hard pressed to find a kid who says, oh, yes, I believe everything. I take it all as fact.
But this study that came out, it was about the tree octopus, a totally fake animal. A researcher got together with about 50 7th grade students and had them look at the site and to see if they could think critically about the information on it.
Now, a few things I want to tell you about the study. These were 50 "top reading" 7th graders. So, you're looking at bright kids here. The site was a total hoax. It existed before the study and they were directed to it. Nothing true about the site at all.
Forty-nine of the 50 kids believed everything they saw on the site. And here's the real kicker: even after the students were told it was a hoax, about half of them defended the site, still insisting it was real, and, a professor said basically that's because the site looked how they thought a credible site should look.
KAYE: You know, I'm sure it's not just students that make that mistake when you read it up it online. You have to be careful what you're reading.
But, what conclusions would you say were drawn from the study?
AZUZ: Well, we wanted get students to do is to think critically. We really take on media literacy with CNN Student News. So, what we asked them was how can you verify, how do you know that what you see online is the truth?
And the first comment we have came from Donald. And he's telling us something his teacher tells them. You check the four W's like you and I remember from journalism school. A little different here -- he's saying who gave the research, where did the study take place, when did it start to appear, and what were they thinking.
And we have a different point from Sherrie, I thought was kind of interesting. Sherrie didn't like the fact that they directed 7th graders to a false site. She's saying they are impressionable. That was kind of a low blow.
But on the other hand, listen to what she says later. She's saying the Internet should not be your only source. She's asking about libraries, magazines, encyclopedias. And there were a number of students who seem to believe that if something were printed on paper, not online, that books would have been better back-up sources for something like a tree octopus which many of them would have said flat- out doesn't exist.
KAYE: Carl Azuz with a lesson learned for not just the kids, but for all of us -- good tip. Thanks you. Good to see you.
AZUZ: Thank you, Randi.
KAYE: More than two decades ago this weekend, Nelson Mandela walked out of South African prison. The time behind bars kept Mandela, the family man, away from his wife and children. Up next: an exclusive interview with one of his daughters.
Plus, the music industry's night to shine. The Grammy Awards kick off tonight. A look at the top nominees, coming your way next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Good morning once again. Welcome back. I'm Randi Kaye. It is half past the hour.
Checking our "Top Stories" for you, the NYPD arrests a man they say went on a stabbing spree allegedly killing three people and wounding several others. They say he also hijacked two cars and used one of them to hit and kill a man. The others killed -- his ex- girlfriend, her mother and his own stepfather.
Results are out for the CPAC's Straw Poll, that's the largest annual gathering of conservatives and it could be a precursor for the 2012 presidential elections. For the second time in a row Texas Congressman, Ron Paul was the winner. He got 30 percent of the vote. Mitt Romney was second at 23 percent.
First Tunisia, then Egypt, now we are hearing about waves of protests in Yemen. Will President Ali Abdullah Saleh be the next leader forced out in a revolution?
CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom described the scene to us earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The anti-government demonstrators that at that point numbered about 400 members started marching through the streets heading towards the presidential palace.
Now, as they were marching we we're catching up with them and their numbers were growing. At the end of it we saw about a thousand people. Barricades went up essentially. The security got increased there. More and more military came out. They put up barbed wire in the middle of the street so that the anti-government demonstrators who are calling for a regime change could not reach the presidential palace.
At that point those protesters actually turned away. Before they did so, they were chanting things like, "Down with Ali". They were saying "First Mubarak in Egypt, now Ali in Yemen."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: From the protests in Yemen to things slowly returning to normal in Egypt. Now, here's what we know at this hour. Egypt's Prime Minister held a press conference less than an hour ago, his first since Mubarak quit. He said restoring a normal way of life is Egypt's top priority.
Today is the beginning of the work week for Egyptians and traffic is once again moving through Tahrir Square. The army is moving through the square trying to keep the cleanup moving as well, but some protesters are still staying right where they are.
And you might remember yesterday people brought in a large marble monument and placed it near the center of the square. It was an emotional scene. The plan is now to engrave the names of protesters who have fallen since the uprising began.
Egypt's military leaders say they will honor the country's existing treaties including the 1979 peace treaty with Israel. Leaders of the Jewish state have been watching events in Egypt -- in Egypt very closely to see how changes there would impact their own security.
Joining me now to talk about Egypt's future is the Daniel Kurtzer, former U.S. Ambassador to both Israel and Egypt.
Ambassador, I want to ask you first -- a lot of action by the United States this weekend. President Obama calling foreign leaders, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sent her deputy to Jordan. Is the U.S. trying to make sure what happened in Egypt stays in Egypt?
AMB. DANIEL KURTZER, FORMER AMBASSADOR TO ISRAEL & EGYPT: Well, I think that's exactly right. I think there are two purposes. In fact, Randi first of all is to ensure that Egypt, the leadership actually carries out what it said it's going to do.
You know, the demonstrators accomplished their first purpose which was pushing Mubarak aside. The next steps are going to be really hard because now they are pitted against the military as opposed to seeking to join forces with the military.
And then of course the other issue which you noted is the fact that the United States wants to both test the waters elsewhere and see what's going on and to try to encourage reforms before demonstrators take to the streets.
KAYE: And when the -- when the Egyptian military says that they will uphold the treaties including the treaty with Israel, the peace treaty; that had to be welcome news to the people in Israel.
KURTZER: Of course. I think we saw over the last 19 days a great deal of very legitimate concern in Israel about whether or not the instability regarding domestic politics would carry over into Egypt's foreign policy.
The point of the military's making its statement yesterday reaffirming its commitments was to ensure that people understood that the treaty and other international commitments are in Egypt's interest. It's not a favor that Egypt does for anybody but Egypt finds the treaty to be very important for its own national security purposes.
KAYE: And I also want you to react to reports that Mubarak actually had conversations with Israeli officials suggesting that the U.S. is naive about democracy in Egypt and that his resignation will only lead to more unrest there. What do you make of that?
KURTZER: Well, he apparently did talk to a former Israeli defense minister as late as Thursday which was of course the day when he was supposed to resign but didn't quite utter those words. And he apparently was livid in that conversation both at the feeling that the United States had abandoned him as well as the idea that we didn't understand the Middle East.
This, of course, is part and parcel of the -- the regime's argument until this weekend which is that it has been the bulwark against instability, that it understands Egyptian radicalism and that it understands the threat posed by Islamic fundamentalism.
The -- the point I think to understand about this entire crisis is that it appears at this time that the demonstrators represent something quite different from the Islamist movement. Whether or not the Islamists end up hijacking this movement is a story yet to be told.
But as of now, I think it would be overstated to say that this was an Islamist inspired opposition.
KAYE: Former U.S. Ambassador Daniel Kurtzer, always a pleasure to have you on the program. Thank you, sir.
KURTZER: Thank you, Randi.
KAYE: This weekend marks 21 years since Nelson Mandela was freed from prison. During the 27 years he spent incarcerated his children missed out on a father's love and counsel. One of his daughters talks about it with us.
It's a CNN exclusive; you don't want to miss it. It's next in our "Morning Passport".
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: "STATE OF THE UNION" with host, Candy Crowley is coming up next right here on CNN. And Candy is joining us live from Washington with a preview of the program.
Candy, you've got a full rundown today. Let's talk about the -- the future of U.S. relations in a -- in a post Mubarak Egypt. We were just talking with the former ambassador about some activity by the White House this weekend, the President calling foreign leaders, Secretary of State Clinton sending her deputy to Jordan.
But it still seems like the U.S. is trying to figure out who to even contact in Egypt these days.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN HOST, "STATE OF THE UNION": Yes, exactly. And I -- and I think that's been emblematic of what's going on for the past 18 days. And that is it's so rapidly changing that you kind to have to cover all your bases and certainly that's what the U.S. is doing.
Look, they know the road ahead. I was talking to a senior administration official last night who said, are we worried for instance about the Muslim Brotherhood you know, coming to some part of power. Yes, that's on my list, he said, but there are a number of other things.
I mean, putting together a democracy from the ground up as we know from Iraq is certainly in not easy. This time obviously we are -- the U.S. is much less involved in it. But nonetheless, after 30 years there are no very strong secular opposition parties that have been built. So they're -- they are not just building a democracy, they're building parties.
So who are those leaders? And that's the kind of thing that the U.S. and in fact that the entire region is trying to figure out.
And in addition to that, I -- I will say that this administration official did admitted that over the past several weeks there has been concerned voice by some strong U.S. allies in the Arab world about the way they felt the administration was sort of pushing Hosni Mubarak over the cliff.
And so there is all -- all also some damage control I think going on there with those contacts.
KAYE: How far though, do you think that the U.S. should -- should poke its nose into Egypt's business right now or should they let things settle down?
CROWLEY: I -- I think they are let -- letting things settle down, but you can't let them get, you know, off your radar screen. I mean, the fact of the matter is that the administration is saying now what the President said from the beginning, which is this is up to Egyptians to decide.
It is never good for another country to be seen as meddling in the governance of another. And certainly this is something that it has to be done very delicately and diplomatically and in concert with others in the region. So they -- they cannot get deeply involved. And as -- you heard the President say in his statement, we are willing to help in whatever way we can.
They -- you know, there have to be probably observers for the election. The U.N. would be a part of that. There are just so many things that you have to do because there are also you know, Hosni Mubarak may be gone but his government is still largely there, at least in the bureaucracy.
So a lot to be done and the U.S. certainly is interested. The U.S. wants to stand by and try to influence events but it does not want to be seen as the -- the main mover and shaker behind this. Because first of all, it just would backfire. And second of all it really is impossible. This is something that has to be done over there by Egyptians.
KAYE: It's such an interesting conversation. Candy Crowley, good to see you.
And do keep it here for "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley. The conversation will continue. Which starts in about 15 minutes at 9:00 a.m. Eastern, 6:00 a.m. Pacific right here on CNN.
And this is something you'll want to hear, a conversation with Nelson Mandela's daughter. He was released from prison, you may recall, 21 years ago this weekend. Her exclusive discussion with CNN coming up in our "Morning Passport".
And good parenting or just some old-fashioned snooping? New technology allows you to monitor what sites your children are logging on to. But how far should you go to keep your kids safe?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Here is the good news. Your kids have access to an amazing amount of really cool technology. It can expose them to a lot of great things -- information, music and even some new friends.
But here's the bad news. It can also expose them to a lot of danger such as cyber bullying and sexual predators or even sexting where kids send photos of themselves partially clothed or even naked to friends.
So here is the question. How far should you go to keep kids safe, even if it means spying? Deborah Skolnik is a senior editor with "Parenting" magazine.
Deborah, good morning. You're very familiar with this issue.
DEBORAH SKOLNIK, SENIOR EDITOR, "PARENTING" MAGAZINE: Good morning.
KAYE: The magazine has certainly reported on it. Are there signs to look for, ways that -- that you can tell if your kids are getting into trouble?
DEBORAH SKOLNIK, SENIOR EDITOR, PARENTING MAGAZINE: Yes. There are actually lots of ways. Most operating platforms these days have built-in parental controls. So you just have to go through the menu. Some of them let you limit what Web sites your kids can visit. Some of them will actually automatically log them out past a certain hour at night.
And if you want to go further than that you can buy software that does anything from set up a restricted list to record everything coming into or out of your computer or even -- there are software packages that let you monitor in real time remotely what your kid is doing on the computer.
KAYE: So, I'm sure parents are asking themselves as they watch this. When it comes to protecting your kids online, how far should you go? At what point do you cross the line?
SKOLNIK: I'm not sure that there really is such a thing as crossing the line. I mean don't forget, even as recently as 10, 15 years ago the way moms and dads could find out information about what their kids were up to was simply by being close to them. You could walk by and overhear a phone conversation or if somebody was writing to your child the physical letter would arrive in the mailbox.
Now it's all done silently via things like, you know, e-mail, text messaging. So I think that the main thing that you have to really do is make it clear up front to your child that you're going to be monitoring what he or she does. And put it in a loving way.
Say, I'm trying to keep you safe. I'm trying to make sure that nothing gets misunderstood on the web or people aren't contacting you that really shouldn't be because if you do that, then you eliminate that sort of gotcha factor. When you think of spying you usually think of spying to bring down an enemy. But in this case you're really just trying to protect the person you love the most.
KAYE: So, it is a good idea then to have the conversation because you don't want your children to start hiding things from you and doing whatever they might be doing online secretly?
SKOLNIK: Well, no. I mean if you tell them that you're going to be monitoring them then hopefully a little bit of self-awareness kicks in and they won't from the beginning be doing things or visiting Web sites that they wouldn't want you to find out about.
KAYE: And how much of a good idea do you think it is to get familiar with some of the teen language that you see online. Something like PAW, when you see your child having PAW, parents are watching. You know, or parents over the shoulders, POS.
SKOLNIK: PAW or P-911.
KAYE: Yes.
SKOLNIK: PIR, parents in the room.
KAYE: You have to get familiar with this stuff.
SKOLNIK: Yes. I think that you really do. And some of it is pretty innocuous like KNIM -- KWIM, know what I mean.
And you know, being naked in front of the computer, something like that, you really want to know what they are saying. A lot of times they are just harmless acronyms that will help you speak your child's language.
KAYE: All right. Very good advice Deborah Skolnik, senior editor for "Parenting" magazine; thank you so much.
SKOLNIK: You're welcome.
KAYE: Sharing your father with the rest of the world. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
I longed to know what it was like to have a normal family. It was difficult at times, but I understood, my mom explained to me who my father was and why he was in prison.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: One of Nelson Mandela's daughters talks about growing up without her famous father. It's a CNN exclusive and it is next on our "Morning Passport".
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back. 21 years ago this weekend Nelson Mandela walked out of a prison in South Africa a free man.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's Mr. Mandela. Mr. Nelson Mandela a free man taking his first steps into a new South Africa. Mrs. Winnie Mandela is next to him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: He went on to become South Africa's first democratically- elected president helping to unite a nation where citizens had grown up hating or fearing each other under apartheid. He's now retired from public life.
Last month the 92-year-old was diagnosed with a respiratory infection. Doctors say he's doing ok now but he still has a medical team on stand-by at his home.
But that's Nelson Mandela the global icon. What about Nelson Mandela the father? During his 27 years as a political prisoner his mind would drift to his little girls forced to grow up without their dad.
Nadia Bilchik is joining me. And you had a chance to speak with his girls.
NADIA BILCHIK, CNN EDITORIAL PRODUCER: Yes. I spoke to his granddaughters. And we spoke to them earlier, Zaziwe (ph) and Zamiswadi (ph). And now we speak to his daughter Zenani Mandela Dlamini.
KAYE: Let's see what they had to say and we'll talk some more.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZENANI DLAMINI, DAUGHTER OF NELSON MANDELA: When I heard that they were about to release my dad, I actually didn't believe it at first. I was very excited at having -- you know, the prospect of my father being released. But I was also wondering what kind of world is he coming to because he'd been away for 27 years. BILCHIK: Zenani, you were only five years old when your father Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life in prison. What about those years?
DLAMINI: Yes. My mother always had a picture of daddy on the dining room wall. So I had a vision of my dad being a very large man with a side parting. So when I saw him when I was 16 the first time I was actually quite -- I was quite shocked to see that he was very skinny. He didn't have a side part to him but he looked the same as the gentleman in the photograph.
I longed to know what it was like to have a normal family. But I understood and my mom explained to me who my father was and why he was in prison.
BILCHIK: Can you share for us your experiences of a father- daughter relationship.
DLAMINI: My father is quite authoritarian. From prison he really ruled the family in terms of you have to get your education. This is the way I want you to behave. And those values were instilled in us even though he was in prison. You know, he used to write us letters.
BILCHIK: How is he doing?
DLAMINI: I have a slight cough, so you are not allowed to see him if you're not well. But he's doing great. You know, he's improving slowly. The doctors are happy with his progress and we, as a family are happy with his progress also.
But he's in great spirits. He loves to be with his grandchildren and great grandchildren. He's got a great sense of humor.
My father has always said that he wasn't alone in bringing about change in South Africa and that there were many, many people and individuals who played a role. So we should not make it seem as if he was the only one who played a role.
My father, I think, would love to be remembered as a family man, as a person who if he could change one person's mind then he's done his job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Amazing.
BILCHIK: Amazing. You know, one of the things Bill Clinton asked him was how did you feel when you left prison? Weren't you angry and bitter?
He said, I was, but I knew I couldn't hold on to that because if I did they would still have power over me.
KAYE: Such a remarkable man.
BILCHIK: Such extraordinary story of forgiveness.
We're going to take a quick look at his family and some beautiful photographs by Peter Maury (ph). Hopefully he's getting a lot of time to spend with his 18 grandchildren and great grandchildren because he has two -- he actually has three daughters that we know, Zinzi (ph) and Zenani. And Zenani has two daughters, Zaziwe (ph) and --
(CROSSTALK)
BILCHIK: That we spoke to this morning. And Zaziwe has two children, Zianda (ph) and Zipo (ph). And again all the z's because of royalty in the initials, a lot of z's.
So we say -- and let's hope we'll be sitting here July 18th when Mandela -- he's known as Madiva (ph) turns 93.
KAYE: Let's hope so. Nadia Bilchik, god to see you. Thank you.
Picking a president already? Conservative Republicans are making some early choices. Find out who they like.
And, yes, it's Grammy time. It's all happening tonight. We have a preview as we listen to one of the nominees, Lady Gaga.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Checking top stories, Egypt's prime minister says security is the government's top priority in the wake of President Hosni Mubarak's resignation. The prime minister made a speech on television just about an hour ago. We're also hearing that some artifacts from the Cairo museum are missing.
Another government under the gun: This is Sanaa, the capital of Yemen. More protests there today. Hundreds of demonstrators marched toward the presidential palace but were stopped by security forces. They are calling for the resignation of the president.
For the second year in a row Texas Congressman Ron Paul has topped the presidential straw poll at the annual meeting of the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC. Paul got 30 percent; former Massachusetts governor, Mitt Romney, 23 percent.
That's going to do it for us. "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley is coming your way next.
I'm Randi Kaye. Hope you have a great day.