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CNN Saturday Morning News
NYC Risky Setting for 9/11 Trial, Some Say; Obama Seeks Equal Partnership in Asia; East Coast Storm Begins To Move Out to Sea; Shoplifting Costs U.S. Consumers $42 Billion a Year
Aired November 14, 2009 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hey there, everybody. From the CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING for this 14th of November. I'm T.J. Holmes.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, good morning, everybody. Thanks for joining us. I'm Betty Nguyen.
OK, President Obama continuing his four-nation Asia tour. And in just about an hour, he is going to land in Singapore, where he is going to attend the APEC Summit. It is a premier forum where world leaders come together to discuss economic growth and trade. And we are going to take you there live.
HOLMES: Also, we are just a couple days now -- Sarah Palin, everybody is waiting to hear from her in her interview with Oprah Winfrey. A lot of people waiting on that book to come out as well.
NGUYEN: Right.
HOLMES: The interview will be on Monday, but we've got a few clips for you you can see this weekend. See what she has to say about that book and what her former running mate, John McCain -- we'll hear from him as well.
NGUYEN: Yes, very interesting there.
And talk about awkward moments. This former beauty queen that you see right there disses the King, Larry King. Really? Well, yes. Former Miss California Carrie Prejean attempted to leave the set during her live interview with Larry. It gets kind of nasty on the air, and we're going to show it you.
But first though, here are some of the stories that we've been following overnight.
Take a look at this video.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SCREAMING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh my God.
(END VIDEO CLIP) NGUYEN: So what just happened there? Well, it was a chaotic scene at high-school football game in Union, South Carolina, last night, because a stadium wall collapsed during a -- during the game, and it actually injured about two dozen teenagers. Police say the students leaned against the wall while television-news crews filmed them during half time. They fell about six feet.
Half of them had to be rushed to the hospital, but we're told that none of them have life-threatening injuries.
HOLMES: Take a look at another piece of video here now, and just checking it out there, it looks like maybe a sunrise. But it's actually an explosion that took place at a military arsenal about 500 miles east of Moscow.
Officials say the blast erupted while workers were destroying ammunition at that facility. Russia's state-run news agency reporting that two people were killed, several others injured.
NGUYEN: And some frightening moments at an airport in Rwanda. A pilot lost control during an emergency landing, crashing through a wall at the terminal. You're looking at some video of that.
A passenger jet went through a wall -- again, at the terminal. One person actually was killed. An executive for the airline says the pilot had earlier reported that there were some technical problems with the plane.
HOLMES: Well, the suspected 9/11 mastermind, Khaild Sheikh Mohammed, will be tried in New York City, near the scene of the crime. But a lot of people coming out now criticizing that move, saying it's a threat to national security. Also saying it's an affront to the victims of those attacks.
Our homeland-security correspondent Jeanne Meserve has more on the announcement from the government and the reaction.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just blocks from where the World Trade Center once stood, the men who allegedly plotted its destruction will face trial in a federal court.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who has confessed his role, and four others, will be moved from the detention center at Guantanamo Bay to New York City.
Attorney General Eric Holder says prosecutor will seek the death penalty, and he thinks they will get it.
ERIC HOLDER, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: I'm quite confident that we're going to be successful in the prosecution efforts.
MESERVE: Holder's predecessor, President Bush's attorney general, called the decision to move the cases out of military commissions "unwise." MICHAEL MUKASEY, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: This step appears to have -- have resulted simply from a commitment to close Guantanamo within a year. Because regardless of the reality on the ground, it has a poor image.
MESERVE: Capitol Hill critics were even harsher.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I do not understand why a war criminal should be able to have the same rights as a common criminal.
MESERVE: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was water-boarded 183 times, and defense attorneys will likely use that to try to block the use of his confessions.
Though the Justice Department says there is other evidence that is still not public, critics fear there could be acquittals, and that terrorists could be released into the United States, though current law prohibits that.
But the father of a firefighter who died on 9/11 is just fine with the administration's decision to bring the alleged terrorist to New York.
JIM RICHES, 9/11 VICTIM'S FATHER: Let him come back to the biggest stage in the world, and we'll show -- they'll be shown -- they'll be given a fair trial, and then they'll be executed as they deserve, because they don't deserve anything less/
MESERVE (on camera): The attorney general also announced Friday that man charged with plotting the attack on the USS Cole and four others will be tried in military commissions, not civilian courts.
No announcement yet on where those commissions will be held, and no word on how the administration will deal with the other 200 or so detainees still at Guantanamo, which the U.S. hopes to close in the new year.
Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And we're going to be hearing from some of the victims of the 9/11 attacks. We'll tell you -- we'll be talking about the trial, plus -- also hearing from some -- the family members of those who died on that day. That's coming up at 6:30.
Also, we want you to get involved in this debate this morning. You just heard a man there talk about the fair trial. But then in the next sentence says, "Then they'll be executed."
So can 9/11 accused terrorists get a fair trial in the U.S.? Is this a good idea? Is there a possibility that they could be found not guilty? What do you do then?
Really, want to get this debate started here with you. What are your thoughts about 9/11 suspects who should now be presumed innocent if they're going to be tried in U.S. courts. Should that happen?
Give us your thoughts: Facebook, Twitter, also on our blog. You know where to find us. We'll be reading your comments throughout the morning.
NGUYEN: In the meantime though, we're going to check out the weather outside and see how the weekend is shaping up for you. In fact, a Nor'easter has left behind a huge mess. Look at this.
In Virginia, Delaware and even New Jersey, the National Guard was actually called up to help evacuate people in some of the coastal areas after three days of rain. In Virginia -- well, some interstate ramps, they are closed. Alternate routes are shut down. And you're taking a look at why.
Crews are working to restore the power to tens of thousands of people.
HOLMES: All right. Our Karen Maginnis in for us this weekend. Always good to see you. Reynolds taking a little time off.
So all this stuff, that Nor'easter, is starting to get out of here?
KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is gradually making its way out. In fact, we're calling Nor'Ida, because it was a hurricane at one time, in the Gulf of Mexico, became a tropical storm, moved along the Gulf Coast. It weakened considerably, and then kind of a perfect storm -- a perfect set of events occurred, and we watched it merge with another weather system. And as a result, it kind of grew in intensity.
As it did, it forced all that wind and rain onshore, and that's what we kind of saw this -- escalate in intensity. As it did, some of those winds really kicked up to hurricane force.
Well, we still have those coastal warnings still in effect all the way from Virginia into New Jersey, portions of Connecticut, extending all the way towards Massachusetts. Now, you already know, if you are viewing us from those areas, it's very windy. And take a look at some of the wind gusts we saw yesterday: 75 miles an hour in Virginia, in some of those coastal areas.
Well, that is in excess of hurricane force. So this system really gathered some strength as it made its way across the Mid Atlantic region.
Take a look at some of the other wind gusts that we did see. York River, at the lighthouse in Virginia, some of those coastal roads have closed.
And I want to show you some of the rainfall totals. Really, some phenomenal reports coming out of Hampton, Virginia, in excess of nine inches. Wow, is that wild. The computer really kind of going crazy there.
Want to show you a really quick picture of this barge as it moved along the coast of Virginia from an iReporter Toback Collum (ph).
Back to you.
NGUYEN: All right. Thank you so much for that, Karen.
OK, let's get to this: Nine days, four countries -- President Obama on a trip to Asia this weekend. First Japan, and now he's on the way to Singapore this morning. That's where we find our Andrew Stevens, standing by live.
All right, Andrew. So what's on the agenda today in Singapore?
ANDREW STEVENS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the agenda really is right now, they're taking a bit of a down time, Betty. There's a -- there's a cultural events for the 20 ministers, the 20 leaders of the APEC countries. Tomorrow, the real business starts when Barack Obama joins them. And they're going to be talking about lots of things.
But Barack Obama certainly setting the scene for this trip. He made a major speech in Japan today, and there has been this feeling here in Asia, particularly that the U.S. administration, over the past eight years, hasn't been as involved as it should have been in the affairs of Asia, both politically, but even more so economically.
And this is what Barack Obama had to say about his own administration's re-engagement in Asia. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In addition to our bilateral relations, we also believe that the growth of multilateral organizations can advance the security and prosperity of this region. I know that the United States has been disengaged from many of these organizations in recent years, so let me be clear: Those days have passed.
As an Asia-Pacific nation, the United States expects to be involved in the discussions that shape the future of this region and to participate fully in appropriate organizations as they are established and evolve.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEVENS: Well, as they say, Betty, the devil is always in the details. So everybody is now looking to see what sort of meat he can add to the bones of this re-engagement policy.
He spoke a bit about trade. He spoke about how he wants to get the big world trade talks (INAUDIBLE) back on track and various other trade ideas. But we're still waiting for -- for big details.
Now, it's about -- it's a little after 7 p.m. in the evening here. Barack Obama arrives in about one hour's from now. He'll be taken straight to this cultural event, which is just beginning here in Singapore. Tomorrow, as I said, that's when all the -- that's when the -- the action, the 21 leaders meet. They're going to be talking about the state of the global economy, when they should withdraw these stimulus package -- don't leave it too early, don't leave it too late.
Also, he's going to be talking to (INAUDIBLE). He's going to be at a roundtable with the prime minister, the No. 2 guy in Myanmar, which is one of the -- the rogue nations, if you like, that the U.S. is -- looks at and -- which is now being brought back in -- slightly into the fold by the U.S.
So he's got a lot on his plate tomorrow. He's only here for less than 24 hours, so busy times for the U.S. president.
NGUYEN: Yes, no doubt, urging Myanmar to move toward democracy.
But let me ask you about this: Re -- re-engagement, as the president has been calling it -- is it purely economical, or is it also along the lines of security as well?
STEVENS: Well, it does -- I mean, he -- he certainly touched on security. He's touched on North Korea. He touched on -- on nuclear proliferations. So it -- it's -- it's all those big issues as well.
I mean, he -- he made a real point that saying that how much he valued the U.S.-Japan relationship. And by stopping in Japan first, sort of underscored that, even though China, as we all know, has -- has taken over certainly as the economic if not the political power now in this region.
So there is a political side to this as well. He is after Singapore going to be going to China. He's going to be meeting with the Chinese president there. They've got a lot to talk about. There's climate change; that's a big issue, obviously, just ahead of the Copenhagen summit. There's also this -- this currency exchange rate, which is a very prickly problem.
So there -- it's -- it's both politics and economics. But APEC, Betty, really was set up to be all about trade. It's sort of lot its way a bit in the last few years, and now it seems to have come full circle; it's coming right back to trade. And I think certainly, here in Singapore, that is where the -- the -- the president wants to keep the emphasis.
NGUYEN: All right. Thank you so much for that, joining us live. We do appreciate it. We'll be checking in with you a little bit later.
And in the meantime though, people stole, but you actually end up paying. How much is shoplifting costing you?
CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues after this quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Well, the recession, it has trigged a shocking increase in -- get this: shoplifting. Yes, that's what a new report has found. HOLMES: Yes, it's not just costing the stores. It's actually costing each and every one of us, every American family out there, a whole lot of money.
Josh Levs looking into this for us this morning.
Good morning to you, Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you guys.
And I mean, I guess if you're -- you know, people would think, OK, there would be some increase in this economy. But it has been a shocking increase. Every year, shoplifting costs the United States billions of dollars. But this new report says that in this economy, retail crimes, which include shoplifting, employee theft and also supply-chain fraud, have all jumped big time.
Take a look at this figure here: $42.2 billion from June of last year to June of this year. That's from the Center for Retail Research, based in Britain. Now they conducted a confidential survey of more than 1,000 large, global retail companies.
And now look at this figure: Those retail crimes that you're seeing there jumped 8.8 percent from the previous year. And before that, it had only gone up 1.5 percent.
The report's conclusion here? It's primarily a result, as we guessed it, of the recession.
And it lists the most-frequently stolen items. A lot of people taking a look at this online. Here they are: razor blades, perfume and cosmetics. Also game systems, iPods, cell phones.
And then from supermarkets, people are actually shoplifting meat and cheese. Now, those things might be people, you know, stealing to use on their own. But the report says that most store theft, whether it's shoplifting or theft by employees, is for resale. And then as a result of all this, prices go up.
In fact, let me show you guys something here. Here's a headline from CNNMoney.com: "Store theft cost to your family: $435." The reason is, is that everything has to cost more now in order to make up the difference. And we have posted a link to this story. It's at the blog. Take a look: CNN.com/josh. It's also up at Facebook and Twitter, joshlevsCNN.
No? OK. Well anyway, that's where it is. It's posted online. I want you to check it -- there you go. Check it out. And you can also tell us if you're surprised by any of this.
We've heard some -- from some people on the blog who own stores who are saying, 'You know what?' They've been having the worst time, ever, Betty and T.J, over the past year.
NGUYEN: Well, I want to ask you that -- 4-35 -- 435 bucks -- is that a year? LEVS: Yes, it's -- it's over a year.
NGUYEN: Oh OK. That being the case, does this report talk about what can be done to fight these crimes?
LEVS: It does. Yes, this is interesting.
One of the ways people are losing money is supply-chain fraud here, which ultimately means that in some cases, maybe a supplier is supposed to deliver, let's say, 250 iPods, but instead changes it so the document says 245, siphons five of them out, takes them home.
What this does -- what this report says is one thing they need to do is have a lot more stricter regulations every step of the way in supplying things. Also, specifically for shoplifting, the National Retail Federation is saying that it's time that there be a lot stricter federal laws against shoplifting. They're pushing for that. We'll see how that goes, guys.
NGUYEN: All right, Josh. Thank you for that.
LEVS: Thanks a lot.
HOLMES: Oh, when that brutal attack on a teenage girl devastated the Richmond, California -- well, an old familiar face returned to try to help rebuild that city's image.
NGUYEN: Yes, the man simply known as "Coach Carter" on the movie screen is back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Top stories now.
A sixth member of a Missouri family is in custody this morning, charged in a child sex-abuse case that goes by decades. Darrel Mohler faces two counts of rape. Six people claim they were abused by that family in the 80s and the 90s, and most of the alleged victims are relatives of the Mohlers. They are now adults.
HOLMES: U.S. troops over in Afghanistan are starting to get the H1N1 flu vaccine. The military started handing it out -- they've actually been having some issues over in Afghanistan with an outbreak of it -- not among the troops, but among the people there. So they want to make sure our troops are taken care of.
Among the first to be vaccinated are the U.S soldiers at Kandahar air base. Tens of thousands of vaccine doses have been set to Afghanistan, Iraq as well as South Korea.
NGUYEN: Former U.S. Congressman William Jefferson will spend 13 years in prison. Jefferson was sentenced for his conviction on 11 counts of corruption. And next week, a judge will decide whether he stays free pending appeal.
The Democrat represented Louisiana's second district for nine terms.
HOLMES: Well, a familiar face has returned to Richmond High School in California. He's Coach Carter -- Ken Carter. He became famous after that movie "Coach Carter" came out not too long ago. That was a couple years back now.
But he returned to the school on Thursday, that same school where a teenage girl was brutally raped last month. The famous coach hosted a charity game between firefighters and police officers to raise awareness and raise money.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COACH KEN CARTER, FORMER RICHMOND HIGH SCHOOL COACH: For this to happen, the assault, it kind of put a black eye on Richmond, and -- and this is our way of starting to rebuild and appeal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We see that when kids are involved in sports and other activities, then they're less likely to get in trouble.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: This event pretty much a welcome diversion for the students, who are still trying to come to terms with that horrific attack. Five people have now been charged in that rape.
NGUYEN: Well, eight years after the 9/11 attack, we now know that the suspects in the case will go on trial in New York.
HOLMES: Yes, family members of the victim tell us if they think a New York trial is actually a good idea.
NGUYEN: Plus, Sarah Palin -- she goes rogue. Yes, her new book has hit the shelves, and it's already a best seller. So what's in it? Well, we have those details straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Hello, everybody. Good morning on this Saturday, and welcome back. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: Hello to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes. Glad you could start your Saturday right here with us.
NGUYEN: All right.
The civilian trial of suspected 9/11 terrorist, including the suspected mastermind of the attacks, is supposed to be take place most closely to actually where all of it happened. And -- and that's something that a lot of people talking about. HOLMES: Seems a little strange to a lot of people, uncomfortable to bring these guys to the U.S. They think it's going to be a target, quite frankly, to know where everybody is at one time, all of these guys.
But the decision to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed raising a lot of questions, drawing a lot of fire as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) that they will actually be able to stand trial, that they'll be found mentally competent, and that their harsh interrogation techniques like water-boarding, that they'll still be able to go trial, despite that?
HOLDER: I would not have authorized the bringing of these prosecutions unless I thought that the outcome -- in the outcome, we would ultimately be successful. I will say that I have access to information that has not been publicly released that gives me great confidence that we will be successful in the prosecution of these cases in federal court.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, our Susan Candiotti spoke with three people who lost family members in those attacks.
NGUYEN: Yes, and some are calling the decision to hold the trials in New York "tasteless and incentive." Others -- well, they welcome the decision.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Eight years of waiting is eight years too long for retired firefighter Jim Riches. He wants the alleged 9/11 conspirators tried in New York.
The attack killed his son, a fellow firefighter.
RICHES: I just want to get this moving. You know, justice delayed is justice denied.
CANDIOTTI: Riches is one of a handful of civilians who got a close-up look at suspected terrorist Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and others in a Guantanamo courtroom last January. That's when KSM told a military judge he was the mastermind of 9/11.
"We don't care about capital punishment or a life sentence," he said. "We are doing jihad for the cause of God."
RICHES: And they call for jihad against America. They were proud of what they did. And, you know, here I am sitting there, the man who murdered my son is standing there saying he's proud that he killed my son.
CANDIOTTI: But another relative who met us at the World Trade Center site says bringing the terror suspects back to the scene of the crime will bring unbearable pain. He lost his son in the attack.
LEE LELPI, FATHER OF 9/11 VICTIM: To bring it back here, for me, my feelings, it's -- it's tasteless. It's insensitive. And those scars, which have never been healed, are just going to be opened attack. So I am not comfortable on iota with this call.
CANDIOTTI: Kristen Breitweiser, who helped push for the independent 9/11 commission, says New York is ready. She plans to attend the trial as often as she can.
KRISTEN BREIWEISER, WIDOW OF 9/11 VICTIM: I think New Yorkers are certainly more than capable of handling it. And I think, again, it speaks to the very heart of who we are, not only as New Yorkers, but as American citizens.
You know, if a crime is committed on our soil, you are going to be given a trial. You will be given access to an attorney. You will be innocent until proven guilty.
CANDIOTTI: Some worry about security needs. With worldwide focus on five accused terrorists a few blocks from ground zero.
RAY KELLY, NYPD COMMISSIONER: We are prepared for any eventuality. We handle a lot of high-profile events here. We had the blind sheik's trial here, other high-profile trials and events. That's what we do. I think we are in excellent shape to handle it.
CANDIOTTI: We also asked the families, what about worries the evidence will hold up? They say the Justice Department assure e assured them it will. A judge and jury will decide.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: All right. So we have been asking you, what do you think? Civilian court in New York City, the right place to try the terror suspects? We have a lot of responses. I'm going to my Twitter page.
And MBCohen49 says, "Terror suspects should not be given the same rights at U.S. citizens, not in New York. Too many logistical issues. Military trials, is what this person supports."
And one more, MarvelosoT says, "I don't see what the problem is. They committed the crime on American soil, let them be punished the same way."
HOLMES: Now, I'll share one from Cassandra Parks, say, "No, I don't think they can," speaking of a fair trial. "I don't think they can get a fair trial despite the theory of an unbiased jury, people will always remember."
We're going to be sharing a lot more. They are just starting to come into us here. Several more to share. You know where to find betty and I. on Twitter, on Facebook and also on our blog, CNN.com/TJ or Betty. Please, continue to send those into us.
Another question that might have some of you debating this morning. Will she or won't she run for president? Maybe there are some clues in her new book that is coming out, Sarah Palin.
NGUYEN: Perhaps, yes. Already a best seller. Hasn't hit store shelves yet.
Plus, take a look at this. We have some dangerous flooding to show you from Virginia to New Jersey. What is next from the Northeast? We'll have those details right here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: President Obama, we are expecting him to arrive in Singapore in about a half hour. There's video here. He's attending a summit there in Singapore for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC. The latest stop on his nine-day, four nation tour through Asia and it will also take him to China as well as South Korea. His first stop was in Japan. He was there yesterday, where he called himself America's first Pacific president.
NGUYEN: It looks like a sunrise, sounds more like fireworks. It's actually a deadly explosion in Russia. Look at that. It ripped through a military arsenal yesterday setting several nearby buildings on fire. Russia's state-run news agency is reporting two people were killed and several others hurt. The cause is still being investigated.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SCREAMING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: All right, this is the scary chaos. What you are seeing is at a high school game where a wall collapsed. This is last night in Union, South Carolina. There was a stadium wall. It injured about two dozen teenagers. Cameras were rolling. Actually, a local affiliate was just filming the kids at the game, at halftime, when it the thing collapsed. Half of the folks there had to be sent to the hospital.
None of the injuries, we are told, however, are life threatening. Police say the students leaned against the wall, while the crews were filming that halftime, and they fell some six feet. There is some scary stuff to see there. It could have been a lot worse, maybe. But it sounds like everybody is going to be all right.
NGUYEN: That's some good news.
HOLMES: All right. We're going to talk about this a lot in the coming week. Whether you want to hear it or not, Sarah Palin's book, which we have been talking about already. It finely comes out Tuesday. But you can find reports out there, just about everywhere, about what's in it.
NGUYEN: It seems some of those folks with the advance copies have been talking about it. And as we mentioned, her long-awaited interview with Oprah Winfrey. That airs on Monday, been talking about that for a little while, as well. It was taped this week and apparently Palin did not hold back, well, that's according to Winfrey herself. Take a look at this web tease.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: Sarah Palin just left and it was really an interesting interview. Lots of people didn't want me to have her on. Lots of people did. Lots of her supporters didn't think that she should come here, but she did.
We talked about everything. We talked about inside the campaign, about what it felt like when she was first asked to be vice president. We talked about Bristol, the pregnancy. We talked about Trig, her baby. We talked about Levi Johnston. We talked about her marriage. We talked about everything. There's nothing we didn't talk about.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Well, we are interested to see all the details of those talks. Apparently, they talked about everything.
HOLMES: She was listing it all. Just saying, we talked about everything. Some of the things have come out. Some of the excerpts she has released.
NGUYEN: Right.
HOLMES: They do make you interested.
NGUYEN: No doubt. Again, already a best seller. And Palin's appearance on Oprah does kick off her three-week, 14-state book tour, which is also causing some speculation.
Here is CNN's Candy Crowley.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Sarah Palin sat down the Oprah Winfrey.
GAYLE KING, HARPO PRODUCTIONS: She's a pro.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah?
KING: She's a pro and so is Oprah.
CROWLEY: After (ph) Oprah, the bus tour. Newly published book in hand, Palin hits the road, kind of like a campaign.
SARAH PALIN, FMR. VP CANDIDATE: I think I'm going to have to cast my vote for the maverick.
CROWLEY: She will visit mostly small and mid-sized towns in politically pivotal states, Iowa, Florida, Virginia, Michigan. Is this a book tour fueled by politics, or a political tour fueled by a book? Probably, yes. Sarah Palin is a twofer.
DAVID FRUM, FMR. BUSH SPEECHWRITER: Sarah Palin generates a lot of news. She is one of those people who manages to straddle that line between politics and soap opera, in the way that Bill Clinton did.
CROWLEY: It's a lucrative combo, the Republican ticket's number two is Amazon's number one in nonfiction presales.
FRUM: The danger for her is she may have moved out of the political leader box into the celebrity box.
CROWLEY: She is as famous for her loyal following in the Republican Party as for the unsubstantiated and forcefully denied, say everything tales from this soon-to-be pin up for "Playgirl" magazine. The former boyfriend of Palin's daughter on CBS.
LEVI JOHNSTON, EX-BOYFRIEND OF PALIN'S DAUGHTER: Coming home from work and she's like where's my retarded baby, all of this.
CROWLEY: Even as she fended off Levi Johnston, and wrote her book, Palin has remained attentive to the core of her support, the conservatives who fell in love on the campaign trail.
PALIN: You betcha, it's drill, baby drill.
CROWLEY: In recent weeks Palin has railed against health care reform to thousands of anti-abortion activists, kept up an unusually active Facebook page, lent her endorsement to a conservative party candidate over a Republican one in Upstate New York, and made robo calls on behalf of a conservative group in the Virginia governor's race.
PALIN: Virginia, this is Sarah Palin calling to urge you to go to the polls Tuesday and vote to share our principles.
CROWLEY: A recent CNN Opinion Research Corporation poll found 85 percent of Republicans say Palin agrees with them on their most important issues. Only 49 percent of independents felt that way. It's hard to win a national election with those kinds of numbers.
But if Palin is eyeing 2012, her biggest liability is not independent voters, the sideshows or her paint-outside-the-lines style. The poll found that 71 percent of Americans do not think Palin is qualified to be president. Exacerbated by the decision to quite as governor of Alaska.
PALIN: Only dead fish go with the flow.
CROWLEY: It's the kind of rogueness that made her a household name. In the end, it may also make Sarah Palin a player who helped shape the party, not a player who leads it. Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, if, Sarah Palin is considering a 2012 run for the White House, the man who tapped her last year as the surprise running- mate says she would be a strong candidate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How do you view her? Is she a viable candidate now?
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) ARIZONA: Oh, sure. Sure. Well, I think there are a number of viable candidates out there. I think Sarah Palin is obviously one of them. We'll start through the process in about a year or so of selecting our nominee. I think she's a very strong force in the Republican Party. I can't predict who is going to get the nomination, but I certainly think she would be competitive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Well, Senator McCain also said he just received a signed copy of Palin's book, but he hasn't had a chance to read it just yet. I'm sure we'll get a statement from him, once again.
HOLMES: Let's turn to our Karen Maginnis who is in for our Reynolds Wolf this weekend. We're were talking about some of that weather getting out of here, but it's leaving still a mess behind that people are going to have to deal with for a while.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: Well, it's not blustery and gray, it is a lot of chaos in this new movie that's out.
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: A lot of people talking about that.
HOLMES: We have an exact date, folks, for the end of the world. We will share that date for you and have you make your plans ahead of time.
NGUYEN: Don't scare the people, it's just a movie. Well, some people actually believe it, though.
HOLMES: A lot of people do. And that's why NASA has come out with a campaign to dispel a lot of rumors in the new movie that is coming out this weekend. Stick with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
NGUYEN: It's interesting choice of music. HOLMES: It's a good song.
NGUYEN: It is.
HOLMES: Talking about sky, kind of, sort of.
NGUYEN: There won't be diamonds in the sky in this movie.
HOLMES: No diamonds, no. We are talking about the new movie, "2012" that is coming out. Now, the whole premise of this movie, based on the Mayan calendar, they were pretty good astronomers, back in the day. And their calendar predicts, no, their calendar just stops on a specific day in 2012.
NGUYEN: Right.
HOLMES: So, people are thinking it means the end of the world would happen on that day. Let me give you a quick look at the clip from the movie.
(BEGIN MOVIE CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: This mass suicide to the Mayan calendar which predicts the end of time to occur on the 21st of December on this year. This year -- this year ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are the odds?
(EXPLOSIONS)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Oh, my goodness. All right, so, you heard the day, December 21, 2012. Well, all right, most scientists really scoff at the idea of the world ending in 2012. But that has not stopped all the doomsday chatter that is out.
HOLMES: There has been so much chatter that NASA actually thought they should come out and try to debunk some of the myths in the movie. I talked to NASA's chief Jim Garvin, about this. Asked if there is any truth at all to the rumors that there is anything out there, that maybe we should know about?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES (On camera): Sir, thank you for being here. Now, NASA, I thought you all were busy trying to build a new rocket to send people into space and trying discover life on the Moon and Mars. But you are putting together a PR campaign against this movie, essentially. Not against the entertainment portion, but against some of the themes. Why is it important enough for NASA to come out and talk about it?
JIM GARVIN, CHIEF SCIENTIST, NASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CTR.: Well, I think, T.J., what is important is, that NASA really is dazzled by what Hollywood can do to depict things that are a lot of fun for people to see. But we want people to also pay attention to the science behind the facts. What's really happening out there? Because we live in space. That's our real position here.
HOLMES: You're telling me, no truth to it at all? There is no chance that in December of 2012, the world is going to have an issue?
GARVIN: Absolutely not. We understand what's happening. We are learning everyday, of course. We have satellites studying the Earth, watching the universe, looking for planets. There is no indication, not one iota, that any of the things depicted in the film are going to happen in late 2012. Now, we'll be busy then, watching the things. But nothing you need to worry about.
HOLMES: Would you tell us if there was something to worry about?
GARVIN: Absolutely. I would say NASA is one of the best disseminators of stuff that you can imagine. Not only on our website, but just by the nature of who we, are as engineers and scientists, we like to tell the world.
HOLMES: OK. Help us, and tell the world right now, no the logic behind -- or the idea or theme of the movie is the Mayan calendar runs out. Give people a short background, real short, if you can, why it's connected to the end of the world.
GARVIN: The Mayans were great astronomers a long time ago. Their calendars had end times just like December 31. And meanwhile, there were other ancient civilizations that described other planets and if you put those things together, with climate change that we have, that we are watching, with the idea that there is new undiscovered dwarf planets. Put them all together, churn them up and make a movie. It can make for the kind of doomsday prediction you see today, or coming up today, from Hollywood.
HOLMES: Now, are you seeing anything anomalies out there? Anything happening out there that could cause some kind of alarm, even something on Earth, things getting out of balance in any way? That would, maybe, at least you are checking out, and leave you scratching your head a little bit? And a little something to keep your eye on, to worry about?
GARVIN: T.J., we don't know, what we don't know. But we are curious enough to ...
HOLMES: That's comforting.
GARVIN: We're curious enough to keep watching. Of course there's things we haven't understood. But we are our finger on the pulse of our planet, or the universe. By learning we can be aware of what could happen. Right now, there is no indication, from the historical record, from what we are seeing, of any of the kind of the doomsday that depict our Earth. In fact, our Earth is one tough nut.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: Well, that's a good way to put it there.
What about the idea of solar maximums. The idea we could have a peak of solar flare activity. At least, in a couple of years, and that could, even if it doesn't lead to the end of the world, it could cause power outages, could fry our grids, and we could be in the dark.
GARVIN: Well, of course, the solar max is coming. We can't stop that cycle. We expect it will peak in 2012, 2013, or so. We are watching it. We have a new satellite will get the most incredible data on it, the Solar Dynamics Observatory. It's going up in about a year. There will be affects. We have had ...
HOLMES: What are those effects going to be now? Those solar max, you said that it is something to keep an eye on in 2012. It just so happens. What are the effects going to be of the flares?
GARVIN: Well, depending on how big they are, we can outages of cell phone. We can have disruption of GPS service. We could have some of the satellites that give us our information on weather could go into a safe hold, where they are waiting and watching until we can bring them out of sleep. Lots of little things could happen like that, but nothing unusual.
HOLMES: It sounds unusual. It sounds like scary stuff there, Doc.
GARVIN: Well, it is. But you know, we have designed our systems, there are a lot of great engineers at NASA, to live through these things. We've done it before.
HOLMES: Oh? All right. The movie comes out the weekend. Are you going to see it?
GARVIN: Oh, absolutely. Hollywood is fun, so is science.
HOLMES: So is science. All right. Well, Jim Garvin, we certainly appreciate you coming in and breaking that down for us. And calming some of us down, possibly, as well. We appreciate you being here, sir. You enjoy the rest of your day, have a good weekend.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: That's reassuring, right? We are all going to be here, and everything is going to be fine.
HOLMES: Yes. Do you believe him?
NGUYEN: I don't know. I'm kidding. Of course I believe him, he's a scientist, right?
HOLMES: Yes, trust him, he's a scientist. Are you going to see the movie?
NGUYEN: I want to. I do.
HOLMES: Why do we like the end of the world movies?
NGUYEN: They are full of effects like that.
HOLMES: But my goodness. Ah, I don't know.
NGUYEN: You're not going to see it?
HOLMES: Well, he freaked me out a little bit, to be quite honest with you. It seemed like he was holding something back.
NGUYEN: Oh, you feel like he wasn't telling you it all.
HOLMES: Yes, something, maybe.
NGUYEN: I'll call you December 21, 2012. Hopefully, we'll both still be around.
HOLMES: Call me the day before, just to catch up.
NGUYEN: Just in case. OK.
Well, the unexpected moments on live television, folks. Sometimes they are a blast. Sometimes, not so much.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All right. So ...
HOLMES: This thing is horrible. Have you seen this? That is, oh.
(LAUGHTER)
NGUYEN: We're going to get to it folks. You know, angry guests, interviews that just go haywire, and unintended personal revelations.
HOLMES: All those uncomfortable moments that have happened on our air here, also other networks. This was a particularly awkward week. And CNN's Jeanne Moos reports as only she can.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, you
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): We never turn up our nose for news.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is disgusting, I know.
MOOS: Especially not at those wonderfully awkward moments.
(SCREAMING)
CARRIE PREJEAN, FMR. MISS AMERICA CONTESTANT: Larry, you are being inappropriate. You really are. So, I'm not going to talk about ...
LARRY KING, CNN ANCHOR: I'm asking a question.
SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: We screwed up. MOOS: This week had more than its share of awkward TV moments thanks to the former Miss California, USA. Maybe you saw her getting miffed at Larry King and taking off her mic.
KING: Is she leaving because I asked what motivated the settlement? Did you hear the question?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I can't hear you.
MOOS: But I'm answering what I can't hear. And I'm about to leave your show.
KING: Who are you talking to? Hello?
MOOS (On camera): But we crown Carrie Prejean, Miss Awkward Moment because she inspired awkward moments on more than one show.
JOY BEHAR, CO-HOST, THE VIEW: And yet, you say that you are a victim. I don't totally buy it.
PREJEAN: Did you see the attacks that I was under?
BARBARA WALTERS, CO-HOST, THE VIEW: It's the best thing that happened to you.
BEHAR: I'm not worried about you, Carrie.
MOOS (voice over): But our favorite awkward moment was Barbara Walters describing Prejean's X-rated home movie.
WALTERS: You alone, doing whatever you were doing with yourself.
MOOS: What was Sean Hannity doing on FOX News?, Jon Stewart wondered, using video of a major rally two months ago to illustrate a smaller protest against healthcare reform.
JON STEWART, HOST, THE DAILY SHOW: Not a cloud in the sky, the leaves have changed -- all of a sudden, the trees turn green, again, and it's cloudy.
MOOS: Trying to make the smaller rally seem bigger, said Stewart. Inadvertent mistake, said Hannity, but he apologized.
HANNITY: So, Mr. Stewart, you were right. I want to thank you, and all your writers, for watching.
MOOS: CNN's "SITUATION ROOM" went to pot this week.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, Wolf, would you know a marijuana plant if you saw one?
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR, "THE SITUATION ROOM": I'm not sure I would know. I could smell it.
You could smell a marijuana, Lou. But you probably wouldn't recognize the plant. Am I right, or wrong? LOU DOBBS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, you're dead wrong.
MOOS: Certitude, plus attitude, what a dude, Lou, we're going to miss you.
DOBBS: This will be my last broadcast here on CNN.
MOOS: From veteran leaving, to cub arriving, "The Today Show" announced the winner of its "Kid Reporter" competition.
ANN CURRY, CO-ANCHOR, THE TODAY SHOW: Deirdre Shores! It's you! Deirdre, it's you! It's you! You won.
AL ROKER, CO-ANCHOR, THE TODAY SHOW: You're the winner.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What?
ROKER: You're Today's Kid's Show, Kid Reporter winner. You are the winner, Deirdre.
(SCREAMING)
MOOS: If you're going to be a reporter kid, you have to learn to fill dead air.
(SCREAMING)
MOOS: We said fill it, not kill it.
(SCREAMING)
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: I love that. It took her a minute. I don't think I've ever been that happy.
HOLMES: That's unfortunate.
NGUYEN: Have you?
HOLMES: Yes. I'm like that usually every morning I wake up.
NGUYEN: Yeah, right!
HOLMES: Just happy to be here.
NGUYEN: I want to be that happy every morning when I wake up.
HOLMES: Those are good moments. Some awkward ones, Larry King, hate to -- that didn't go so well.
NGUYEN: Oh, gosh. It just makes you uncomfortable watching it.
HOLMES: Yes, it does. But he handled it like the pro he is, that is why he is the King.
But right now, we want to continue now with the next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
From the CNN Center, yes, we thank you for being with us on this November the 14th. Good morning to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: Yes, good morning, everybody. Thanks for joining us. I'm Betty Nguyen.
OK. Let's get to it.
President Obama continuing his four-nation Asian tour and he just landed just a few moments in Singapore where he will attend the APEC Summit. Now, it is the premiere forum where world leaders get together to discuss economic growth and trade. And we're going to take you there live.
HOLMES: Plus, we could use a new Rolex, not a rolodex. It says rolodex.
NGUYEN: It says Rolodex, yes.
HOLMES: They're playing tricks on us. It's a Rolex. Some jewelry or the high-end items all on the auction block this morning. At 10:00 a.m., most of these items, however, you might not appreciate where they came from. We'll explain coming up. A guy who's now in -- wearing orange these days.
NGUYEN: Yes. And if you did have his rolodex, those folks may have a few things to say to you when you call.
HOLMES: We'll take a closer look at those items coming up, folks.
NGUYEN: But first, though, checking stories that we have been following for you overnight. Mixed reactions are coming in on the decision to try five 9/11 terror suspects in New York. And among those going on trial, that guy right there, suspected mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. Some call the decision tasteless, even dangerous.
HOLMES: U.S. troops in Afghanistan are rolling up their sleeves. They are actually getting vaccines. They are getting flu shots, yes, the H1N1 flu vaccine is going through to some troops overseas. They are among the first to be vaccinated. They're going to be at Kandahar -- the ones in Kandahar Air Force base are going to be the first. Tens of thousands of the vaccines have been sent to Afghanistan, Iraq, as well as South Korea.
NGUYEN: You have just got to see this video and just -- let's just watch it for just a second.
Pure chaos there. So, what happened? Well, a concrete wall collapsed at a high school football game. This happened in Union, South Carolina, last night. You can see parts of the bricks from the wall right there. Several students -- as you're watching this video and you can see by the look on their faces -- were actually injured in this because they were leaning against that wall right before it collapsed. And actually, a TV news crew was filming during halftime and got all of this on tape.
We will tell you though that none of the injuries is life threatening. So, that's the good news.
HOLMES: We will turn back now to President Obama. He just landed in Singapore just a few moments ago. Expect a video of that shortly. We'll show it to you, share it with you when we get it. But he's going to be there to attend the APEC Summit. The Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit is what it's called. This is the second stop now on the president's nine-day/four-nation tour.
He left Japan. That was his first stop. This is his first trip to Asia as president.
He made a speech in Tokyo last night, talking about the cooperation between the United States and Asian countries. He is landing -- like we just said -- just now in Singapore, the second stop on his tour.
And Andrew Stevens, he's our guy on the ground. He's standing by live for us in Singapore.
And, Andrew, the president has a little catching up to do, if you will, this evening. We know his trip was delayed, the entire Asian trip, because he actually had to be here in the U.S., to go to the Fort Hood memorial. But he's landing there a little behind and he has some catching up to do on a -- kind of a social evening that happening over there.
STEVENS: Yes. He's got a fairly soft stop to his official engagements here in Singapore, T.J. I think he's just going to go to his hotel briefly, probably to freshen up, and he's off to what's been called a cultural evening.
The real work for him, of course, starts tomorrow. He'll be making 20 of his counterparts, the APEC leaders. They're going to be talking about many, many things.
But just before we get to that, I just want to sort of set the scene for you if you like, because this has certainly been built by the White House as a big move in reengagement as you said of U.S. in Asia Pacific affairs. There's no coincidence that he chose Japan to kick off the tour. At one stage, the Japanese prime minister and the U.S. president were calling each other by their first name -- Yukio and Barack -- just to show how long and deep the relationship is there.
But the reengagement doesn't just stop with, doesn't end with old friends, I should say. He goes right across and he really is pushing this line that the U.S. has come back. He says it's been absent -- his word, absent -- from these multinational organizations based here in Asia. That's all over. The U.S. is back. It's the small ones, it's the big ones.
This is what he had to say about China.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: I know there are many who question how the United States perceives China's emergence. And as I have said, in an interconnected world, power does not need to be a zero-sum game. And nations need not fear the success of another.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEVENS: And what he's saying there, really, is that because the reengagement is focused a lot on trade, there is -- there is no winners and losers. Everyone can be winners in this the whole trade pipe expands.
And he's been talking about trade. Not a lot of specifics, T.J., but certainly, the focus very much on trade of the moment. When he meets with his counterparts tomorrow, it's going to be about trade. It's also going to be about the global economic situation and when the global leaders should stop thinking about withdrawing the stimulus package.
So, certainly, there's a lot on the table for him.
HOLMES: And, Andrew, of course, some serious business, a lot on the table, you just talked about. But, also, on a lighter note, there is this tradition at the APEC Summit, the costume day. Some people call it "the funny shirt group photo." The president may be dodging the bullet here and that he is going to be able to skip. He's missing out on putting on the funny shirt and taking a group photo.
STEVENS: Well, if I -- if I were an APEC leader, I reckon, I would probably, if I was going to a show of what many people call the silly shirt, probably, this isn't such a bad one to be associated with. They don't actually look so bad. Now, you can probably guess that I'm not particularly fashionable at this stage -- and I'll have to look up the notes because Peranakan-inspired, these shirts you're looking at, which is basically a mix of Malay, Indian and China, which is pretty much what this enclave Singapore is, that cultural mix.
The shirts don't look too bad, I mean, compared on those Batik shirts we saw a few years ago. Did you know, you probably didn't know, this has started back in 1993 in Seattle when all the leaders were presented with bomber jackets? So, we go from bomber jackets to now these shirts.
One other thing, the guy who designs the shirts is known as Wykidd Wong (ph). That's his name.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: Andrew, I'm almost sorry you've been asked the question about the shirts now.
Andrew Stevens for us, looking awfully fashionable this morning. We appreciate you. We'll be talking to you again, soon, buddy.
NGUYEN: All righty. Let's get to weather, shall we? A nor'easter has left behind a huge mess in Virginia, Delaware, even New Jersey -- six weather-related deaths. The National Guard has been called to help evacuate people in some of the coastal areas after three days of rain.
All right. So, let's get back to Virginia. Some interstate ramps -- check it out -- closed. And alternate routes had to be opened because of all of those closures. Crews are actually working to restore power to tens of thousands of people.
HOLMES: All right. And our Karen Maginnis is in with us this weekend, sitting in for Reynolds Wolf.
You like you're focused on the east coast back there again?
NGUYEN: Yes.
MAGINNIS: Yes, because this weather system is not giving up, at least yet. It's tapering off. The northeastern coast is getting walloped. The wind gusts are dying down, but still, that moisture being thrown on shore from the northeast and it's filling some of those inland bays.
I want to show you what's happening as we take look at -- as far as the precipitation goes Still, some of the coastal areas, the state highways, especially those coastal regions, there are coastal flood warnings in effect. At least six fatalities associated with this, already.
But by this evening, this will be tapering off and we'll start to see some of these coastal areas really recover. But, this is called Nor'Ida because the remnants of Ida which at one time was a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico became a tropical storm as it made landfall, kind of merge together with another weather system and produce hurricane force winds, 75 miles per hour winds in coastal sections of Virginia.
T.J. and Betty, almost unbelievable that this could happen so late in the season -- back to you.
NGUYEN: Yes. And the video is just pretty incredible.
MAGINNIS: It is.
NGUYEN: The kind of damage it had caused. OK, thank you for that, Karen.
So, how would you like a thermostat that told you exactly how much energy every appliance in your house was using? I think it might freak me out.
HOLMES: It might actually.
NGUYEN: I would turn off the refrigerator.
HOLMES: You would, yes. And what about a video game system you control with your voice, no video control. Josh Levs is bringing us the best inventions of '09. That's coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
LEVS: The best inventions of 2009, from a light bulb that might be worth $10 million to an electric eye that actually sees for us. This is it. The list is out behind me. It's from Time.com, "Time" magazine, which partners with CNN.com.
Now, they say the best invention of the year is this, the Ares rocket. We have some video for you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Two, one -- ignition. Lift off Ares 1-X, testing concepts of the future of new rocket design.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: We saw that just days ago. "Time" is calling this the best and smartest and coolest thing built in 2009. It's designed to usher in the next generation of space travel, returning astronauts to the moon and one day bringing people to mars.
Let's check out the rest of the list. I want you to see this. This is an electric eye. Check -- take a look at this. This is being developed by researchers at MIT. It has a microchip that can be implanted into one's eye and it has a camera that signals to the brain.
How about this? Tweeting by thinking. A doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin actually found a way to do this. This electro -- basically, the system is able to monitor brain activity and read which character you want and ultimately, you can kind of use your brain to type out a message.
Here is a $10 million light bulb. This might win the $10 million prize from the U.S. Department of Energy. It has as much light as a normal 60-watt bulb, but it uses less than 10 and it lasts 25,000 hours.
And let's just go to a couple of more here. You heard a mention of this. The smart thermostat, this would read how much energy your appliances are using all over your house.
And this is a controller-free gaming system. You can use this to play games without touching anything. Just use your voice and your body. Now, those are the best inventions of the year. You got to see the worst. Take a look at this -- also from "Time" magazine. These are the two of five worsts. Snuggies for dogs, come on. Not many people think that's a brilliant idea.
And finally, we're going to zoom down and take a look at this. No joke here. Let's zoom in guys. The gas mask bra -- someone actually created a bra that you can break apart into two gas masks. "Time" is naming that one of the worst inventions of the year.
What do you think? Let's show the graphic. We got the whole list of the best inventions of the year 2009. Just go to the blog, CNN.com/josh, also, Facebook and Twitter, JoshLevsCNN. Let us know what you think.
Betty and T.J., anything on that list excite you guys?
NGUYEN: Well, you know, a few things.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: Not the gas mask?
NGUYEN: No.
(LAUGHTER)
NGUYEN: All right. Thank you, Josh.
LEVS: OK.
HOLMES: Well, of course, people would love to live the lifestyle of Bernie Madoff, the before.
NGUYEN: I was going to say pre-Ponzi scheme.
HOLMES: The before, yes.
NGUYEN: OK.
HOLMES: His personal belongings are being auctioned off today. So, maybe you can live a little -- have a little part of his life.
NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: But the proceeds are going -- they actually go to some of his victims to that Ponzi scheme.
NGUYEN: Exactly. Also, almost 500 items on the list. Some are pretty ordinary. A couple boogie boards that Madoff has written and marker. But then there's diamond earrings -- yes, expected to get up to $21,000. A Rolex expected to pitch as much as $87,000.
So, we're going to give you the latest on that and follow the money, shall we say, as this auction gets off the ground today. OK. Were you going to say something?
(CROSSTALK)
HOLMES: No, by all means. Go ahead.
NGUYEN: Well, if you are a homeowner who took advantage of one of those adjustable mortgages, it may be time to pay the piper.
HOLMES: Can I say something?
NGUYEN: Yes. No.
HOLMES: All right. Well, maybe it's not time to pay the piper. Maybe it's time for some old time schooling with Clyde Anderson. He's here live with us next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: I want to check now some of the stories we've been following overnight, including an incident caught on tape in South Carolina last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Yes. You heard that "Oh, my God." What was happening? Let me explain this.
This was at a high school football game in Union, South Carolina. There was a stadium wall all those kids were on that collapsed. And you see what the aftermath was there. Two dozen teenagers were hurt. Some of them had to be rushed to the hospital.
Police say the students were actually leaning against this wall while the news crews were filming them. Now, thank goodness there are no life-threatening injuries but just a scary scene there involving a lot of high school students.
Well, former U.S. congressman, William Jefferson, is going to spend 13 years in prison. Jefferson was sentenced for his conviction on 11 counts of corruption. Next week, a judge will decide whether he stays free pending appeal. The Democrat represented Louisiana second district for nine terms.
Well, and just a tough one here for actor Nicolas Cage. He's getting another financial setback. He lost two homes in New Orleans in a foreclosure auction. Authorities say Cage bought them originally in a deal set up by Samuel Levin. Levin is the financial manager that Cage is now suing for million of dollars, saying that Levin sent him down a path of financial ruin. The homes were appraised for some $6.8 million. They sold however for $4.5 million.
NGUYEN: So, speaking of homes, when the housing market was booming back in 2003, nearly 6.5 million homeowners took out those adjustable rate mortgages, also known as ARMS. Well, this allow borrowers to have a much lower payments, especially monthly payments. But now, those low interest rates could be coming to an end, Clyde.
CLYDE ANDERSON, HOUSING EXPERT: That's right.
NGUYEN: One and a half million people, in fact, are scheduled to readjust at the end of the year. So, if you are one of them, we have some help.
And, of course, housing expert, Clyde Anderson, joins to break down the numbers.
OK. So exactly how does this work?
ANDERSON: Well, really, what you got to look at, adjustable rates are pretty good right now. Rates in general are good right now. Will they stay that way, we don't know. So, there are a couple of things you got to look at...
NGUYEN: OK.
ANDERSON: ... to see if it's right for you.
The first thing you got to really look at, to see how long am I going to be in the property?
NGUYEN: Got you.
ANDERSON: You know, if you're going to live in the property, say, for three to five years, you may want to look at, you know, and say, leave it as is. Don't change it, don't move anything, or if you have less than 20 percent equity in the home, you may want to do that as well.
NGUYEN: Even if you're ARM, your adjustable rate mortgage is about to expire and come up?
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Even if it's about to expire, because again...
NGUYEN: OK.
ANDERSON: ... rates are good.
NGUYEN: OK.
ANDERSON: So, if you're only going to be there three years, you probably have, you know, stay, just don't touch it because it costs to refinance. You have to keep that in mind.
NGUYEN: Right. OK.
ANDERSON: Also, will you be in the home for three to five years? Do you have a jumbo loan? That's something you got to consider as well.
NGUYEN: Or T.J. Holmes.
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: We were talking T.J.
NGUYEN: Yes.
ANDERSON: But again, if you're going to have -- if you have a jumbo loan, you may want to look at refinancing, you may save a little bit of money.
NGUYEN: OK.
ANDERSON: And 5/1 ARMs are great; 5/1 means that it's fixed for five years and it's going to adjust every year after that. So, you might want to consider it.
NGUYEN: All right. So, let's do the math here, though, for those considering to, you know, adjust their mortgages and get out of that ARM, does it make sense?
ANDERSON: Well, it depends on the situation. I think the last thing that we really want to look at though, if you got a $200,000 loan amount...
NGUYEN: OK.
ANDERSON: You got a $200,000 loan amount, rates right now on 5/1 ARM are like 3.5 percent, which is great.
NGUYEN: It's great, yes.
ANDERSON: But 30-year fixed rates are still good too at 5 percent. So, you can do something like that and you'll have a payment of about $895 on that $200,000 loan. But if you got a fixed rate, you got to have a payment of about $1,069. So, it's about $174 difference. So, it's definitely a savings when you look at it.
I want everybody to keep in mind, though, that it may cost you $6,000 to refinance. So, if you're saving $2,000 a year, it will take you three years to really break this.
NGUYEN: Got you. And not only the refinancing of it, though -- I mean, if you don't, you know, change that ARM...
ANDERSON: Right. NGUYEN: ... adjust it, whatnot, that could cost you down the road.
ANDERSON: It could cost down the road. So, you got to look at that. And the other thing to keep in mind is, what is my situation going to be down the road?
NGUYEN: Right. ANDERSON: You know, if you do decide to stay in the home, you may want to go ahead and get a 30-year fixed and lock it in. So, if you're to change jobs, you're going to become an entrepreneur, you want to make sure you're in something where you're not going to have to change.
NGUYEN: Got you.
ANDERSON: And so, you really want to take it into consideration because rates could be high five years from now, we don't know.
NGUYEN: And you got to do the math.
ANDERSON: That's it. What comes down...
NGUYEN: Eventually goes up. And that could cost you.
All right, Clyde, thank you so much.
ANDERSON: It's my pleasure as always, Betty.
NGUYEN: Always appreciate it -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Clyde, you may want to stick around for this next story. This is not your typical 911 call. Listen to this.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
JOSHUA BASSO, CALLER: You're going to come and see me?
911 OPERATOR: Yes, give me your address.
BASSO: What are you going to do when you come here?
911 OPERATOR: Huh?
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HOLMES: Uh-huh! Wait until you hear what happens next. I think he should have called the 800 number.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
HOLMES: "Super Freak" and 911, that goes together really well.
NGUYEN: Well, when you hear this story, you'll see why.
HOLMES: Yes. When you're supposed to call 911, you know, emergency. Everybody knows that.
NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: But man in Tampa may have taken this a little too literally and quite frankly, actually. NGUYEN: Yes. Police say he became a little too chatty with the 911 operator. Reporter Jeff Butera from our affiliate, WFTS, got ahold of the tape. And here he is to prove it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF BUTERA, WFTS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There are people you can call if you need a friend. But Tampa Police say Joshua Basso's problem Wednesday was he ran out of cell phone minutes. So, he called the only number he knew wouldn't cost him anything.
Yes, that number. We didn't dare push send when we shot this video, but police say he did.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
911 OPERATOR: Tampa Police, 911. What's your emergency?
BASSO: What's up?
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BUTERA: Basso made it clear on the phone he wanted the operator to come to his house in Tampa. She played along.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
BASSO: You're going to come and see me?
911 OPERATOR: Yes, give me your address.
BASSO: Yes?
911 OPERATOR: What is your address?
BASSO: You're going to come and see me?
911 OPERATOR: Where are you?
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BUTERA: Then things with Basso got weirder.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
BASSO: What are you going to do when you come here?
911 OPERATOR: Huh?
BASSO: Huh? Are you going to pull down your pants?
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BUTERA: Well, police say Basso was in his bathroom at the house. He asked the operator if she had nice breasts, also his language was dirtier than that. (BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
911 OPERATOR: You tell me where you are and maybe I can show you.
BASSO: Huh?
911 OPERATOR: Tell me where you are and maybe I can show you.
BASSO: You got a nice? Huh?
911 OPERATOR: You tell me your name maybe we can talk more. But you don't tell me your name I'm hanging up.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Oh, my goodness.
HOLMES: Sometimes you just get lonely.
NGUYEN: No. There's no excuse for that.
All right. So, here's what happened, folks. When an officer responded to Basso's home, he asked for the cell phone. But Basso refused to turn it over. Well, the officer had a little trick off his sleeve. He actually called the number that made the 911 call and the phone began to ring in Basso's front pocket. Yes. He was arrested and charged with making a false 911 call.
HOLMES: And then no report of him being -- you know, drunk or high or anything else.
NGUYEN: He was just lonely?
HOLMES: He was just lonely. I mean, I'm just -- this poor guy.
NGUYEN: Folks, do not try this at home.
HOLMES: No, I'm not saying that. And who runs out of cell phone minutes these days. Don't we have plans?
NGUYEN: Right.
HOLMES: OK. Well...
NGUYEN: Get a friend or something, you know? A pet, come on. Don't call 911.
HOLMES: Become a Facebook friend of Betty's.
NGUYEN: No, wait. Yes, be my friend, but not for that.
HOLMES: BettyNguyenCNN on Twitter, right?
NGUYEN: Stop it.
HOLMES: Before we get out of here, we've been asking you all to share comments on a number of stories we've been talking about this morning. You know where to find us. Twitter, Facebook as well.
I think we might still have a couple up that we can share. The particular story, talking about the 9/11 terrorists who have been accused now of a -- or now are going to be taken to New York for trial. Actually, I got several comments from you guys. I'll share one. Just a couple here before we take off from Facebook.
From Natasha, "I don't see why not. Why can't we try them in New York City. They did the crime in New York City. They should be held accountable in New York City. Could they have a fair trial? I'm not sure, honestly. Who in the U.S. and abroad hasn't heard about 9/11, who have been affected one way or another."
That's just one we're going to share now. I'm going to be sharing plenty more. Continue sending those into us.
NGUYEN: Not only that but also talking about Sarah Palin's new book that's out. So, share your thoughts about that with us on our Facebook and Twitter site.
But in the meantime though, there's more top stories at the top of the hour when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues.
HOLMES: And right now, I'm going to hand it over to the good doctor, Sanjay Gupta, and "HOUSE CALL."
