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CNN Saturday Morning News
Jailed Sisters Freed for Kidney Donation; Parcel Addressed to Napolitano Ignites in D.C. Postal Facility; George Clooney Helps Monitor Sudan Vote; Donald Trump 'Seriously Considering' Presidential Run
Aired January 08, 2011 - 06:00 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.
Two sisters who robbed together, served prison time together and may soon undergo surgery together, are free this morning for the first time in 16 years. Overnight, an emotional reunion with their mother. The CNN exclusive coming right up.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano the apparent target of an explosive package discovered at a Washington post office. Could it be linked to devices sent to Maryland's governor? We have the latest on the investigation.
And after a colossal failure to bounce back from a snowstorm, New York City has a second chance to get it right. We'll tell you how the city's going high tech to track the plows.
Plus, what you need to know if you're traveling to the East Coast or the South.
It's early and we're on it.
From CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It is January 8. Good morning, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye, in today for T.J. Holmes.
That is just some of what's ahead today. We're also tracking a developing story that puts WikiLeaks, Julian Assange and Twitter at the center of a federal court order. What it means for the controversial site and the rights of anyone who uses social media, coming up.
Any morning that starts with George Clooney is a good morning in my book. But the superstar is talking about a very serious issue: a humanitarian crisis that could literally divide one country into two.
And surviving Afghanistan. Before U.S. troops touchdown in a war zone, more and more of them are getting a virtual-reality workout that gives them a fighting chance against the Taliban. Reynolds Wolf will take us there.
But we start with a reunion. Gladys and Jamie Scott, sisters sentenced to life in prison for armed robbery in Mississippi, are back in the arms of their family this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CHEERING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour suspended their sentences on the condition that Gladys donate a kidney to her sister, who is diabetic. They arrived at the home of their mother in Pensacola, Florida, overnight, having driven from Mississippi, where they'd spent the last 16 years together in prison. The sisters were accused of luring two men into an ambush and robbing them of between $11 and $200.
Jamie Scott was 21 at the time; Gladys, 19. CNN was there when the Scott sisters arrived at their mother's home just about two and a half hours ago.
Our Soledad O'Brien spoke exclusively to the sisters after their release.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS CORRESPONDENT: So how does it feel to be free?
GLADYS SCOTT, RELEASED FROM LIFE SENTENCE: Oh, it's great, because I ain't got to worry about no wakeup call, nobody - have to go ask somebody, have to go to the bathroom. Oh, it just feel great.
O'BRIEN: How are you feeling? You look tired.
JAMIE SCOTT, RELEASED FROM LIFE SENTENCE: I am tired. But I feel - I feel great. You know, it - like I say, it's - it's just a - a dream come true. You know, how you dream for so long. And then when it finally come, you - you - you scared to wake up, because you scared it's not real.
And it's - it's - it's just wonderful.
O'BRIEN: When did you first get sick?
J. SCOTT: January - well, they told me January of 2009.
O'BRIEN: So you thought you might die in prison?
J. SCOTT: Yes. Yes. I - I - I thought I was going to die in prison.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: CNN was the only news organization to witness this reunion and talk to the sisters afterwards. And we'll have more of Soledad's exclusive interview with the Scott sisters later on this morning.
Post offices in and around the nation's capitol on alert this morning, all because an envelope addressed to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano ignited at a postal-sorting facility Friday afternoon. That incident comes on the heels of a similar one: Two packages delivered Thursday in Maryland ignited and injured two state employees.
CNN's homeland-security correspondent Jeanne Meserve has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND-SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Randi, the device was found at this postal-sorting facility in Northeast Washington, addressed to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. Nobody was injured; authorities say it ignited when a postal worker threw it into a bin.
CHIEF CATHY L. LANIER, D.C. METROPOLITAN POLICE: The package had been described as popping, smoking and with a - a brief flash of fire, and then it - it - it went out. It extinguished itself.
MESERVE: The device looked and acted like two devices found Thursday in Maryland, one addressed to the governor, the other to the secretary of transportation. All three devices described as a white box about the size and shape of a box that would hold a VHS tape.
Now, authorities aren't saying if the device found here in Washington contained a note, but the two devices found in Maryland did. It read: "Report suspicious activity. Total expletive. You have created a self-fulfilling prophecy." It was signed with an either an 'X' or a Roman numeral 10.
The superintendent of the Maryland State Police said there are no suspects and no claims of responsibility.
COL. TERRENCE B. SHERIDAN, MARYLAND STATE POLICE SUPERINTENDENT: We've got to make sure we go after this person and get them off the street and get them behind bars, because these kinds of things are very, very dangerous. We just don't know where this person is going with this. We don't know who it is. We don't know what they're thinking about now, but we're very concerned about it.
MESERVE: The postal service will be trying to determine where these packages were mailed.
Meanwhile, investigators have a lot of forensic material to work with because these packages did not incinerate. They will be analyzed at the FBI lab in Quantico.
Meanwhile, authorities are on the lookout for any additional suspicious packages.
Randi, back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: And here's a quick look at some of the other stories we're following today. Twitter is being ordered to hand over information involving WikiLeaks and founder Julian Assange, according to documents posted online by Salon.com and CNET. The order is for things like subscriber names, screen names and addresses. It's part of the investigation into the leak of thousands of sensitive government cables and documents and the involvement of Private Bradley Manning.
Manning is accused of leaking the information to WikiLeaks.
Harry Reid is saying the "tea party" movement is already on the way out, even though tea-party members are just now taking their seats in the new Congress. The Senate majority leader says their survival is based solely on the economy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MAJORITY LEADER: The tea party was born because of the economy. The economy is probably the worst it's ever been except for maybe the Great Depression. The tea party will disappear as soon as the economy gets better. And the economy's getting better all the time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: A boat tour yesterday of the Louisiana coastline highlights this ugly fact: There are still areas covered in oil from the BP leak in the Gulf of Mexico eight months ago. And a lot of people are expressing concern over claims that the cleanup job is just about complete.
Take a listen to this hot exchange between outspoken Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser and the Coast Guard commander on the scene.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILLY NUNGESSER, PLAQUEMINES PARISH PRESIDENT: I - I put a girl that works for the parish on the boat, because we were called on Sunday to have somebody out there that Monday morning. So don't song and dance, because if you want to really get ugly - don't - don't (BLEEP) back at me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not throwing anything (INAUDIBLE)
NUNGESSER: Like I - you - you give me the money, let me put the plan together, then you can blame me. But don't tell me I got a voice in a way - ya'll put that crappy document that ain't worth the paper it's written on - that is bull (BLEEP), OK?
Because don't piss me off. Because that is bull (BLEEP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)
NUNGESSER: Because you know what? I kept off your TV, hoping you'd do what the (BLEEP) you're supposed to do, and you haven't done it. So kiss my (BLEEP) (END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Billy Nungesser at his best.
A group of World Trade Center construction workers got a nice Christmas present thanks to the Mega Millions lottery. They hit five of the six winning numbers on the Christmas Eve drawing. It netted them a quarter of a million bucks split 18 ways. After taxes, they are each walking away with just over $9,000.
You can now track mass deaths of animals on the Web if you really want to. Not sure why you would. But Google has unveiled a special tool to track incidents like the 5,000 blackbirds that died in Arkansas New Year's Eve. They've got bird and fish kills from all over the globe on there as well.
The injured actor who was one of the stars of the "Spiderman" show on Broadway returned to the theater last night for the first time since he was hurt last month. This is tape of Christopher Tierney's crash. He cracked his skull, broke his back and several ribs. It was the latest in a string of high-profile accidents for that show. But last night, Tierney just wanted to see the show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTOPHER TIERNEY, INJURED "SPIDERMAN" ACTOR: I believe in the show. I believe in everything that is done on that stage, and I care about this show and think it's fantastic. And - and it's my dream come true. I'm Spider-Man, like, in a suit.
I love my crew. We've - we had to - we went through the - the process of - like, forgiving - me forgiving them. It wasn't a long process. It was me just going, 'That can't happen ever again.'
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: You know those red-light cameras at intersections? They may cause more accidents. Yes, it's true. That's according to a citizens group in Aurora, Colorado. Its study found the number of wrecks increase after cameras were installed at several intersections.
Apparently, drivers are either stopping suddenly or slamming on the gas to beat the light. Police say the cameras have decreased the severity of accidents.
The Empire State Building is going green. Owners of the iconic skyscraper have agreed to use wind-generated electricity to power the New York tower. It is a two-year deal. We're told it will be the city's largest commercial user of renewable energy.
Dozens of high-school basketball players get sick after smelling a really bad odor. But instead of evacuating, the school is placed on lockdown. That story ahead.
But first, New England has barely managed to dig out from the last snowstorm, and a new one now on the way. Reynolds Wolf is watching it all.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: That's right, Randi.
It looks like they're going to dodge a little bit of a bullet in parts of the Northeast. The problem is, the southeastern United States is now going to be under the gun. It looks like a winter storm is going to be on the way. We're going to talk about that coming up in a few moments.
You're watching CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back, everyone. Coming up on just about 12 minutes past the hour.
Parts of upstate New York are under snow emergencies this morning. Drivers being asked to park their cars off main roads and side streets to accommodate snowplows. In New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg is promising a more timely response to snow removal after the Christmas weekend blizzard fiasco.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NANCY ODIELLA, RESIDENT: I hope this time they're ready. I hope, you know, as soon as the snow hits, they, like, set up a (INAUDIBLE) and all that stuff so I can get out tomorrow, because I have places to go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: And it's not just New Yorkers dealing with the latest blast of winter weather. Meteorologist Reynolds Wolf has our first check of the forecast.
Good morning.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAYE: A look at some stories making headlines in sports now.
A Hazmat situation forces a lockdown at a high school gym in South Carolina. More than 200 Ridgeland High School students were attending a basketball game when two students fell ill. Others started feeling sick, too.
An officer quarantined the building after noticing the order. Both students were taken to a hospital. Other students were checked out in a nearby building.
And look who showed up at the NCAA football championship game in Texas last night: Vice President Joe Biden. He was there to see Delaware take on Eastern Washington. The vice president, a former Blue Hen himself, was quite the athlete, we understand, back in his day. Maybe he should have laced up; Delaware blew a 19-point lead; lost the game, 20 to 19. And Reynolds, I hope you're paying attention here. It's the shot too incredible to believe. Check it out for yourselves. With time running out --
WOLF: Unbelievable.
KAYE: This is amazing. Austin Graw (ph) from Twin Valley South High School in Ohio had no shot, no chance to pass - chucked up a prayer, and over the head, behind the back, half-court, buzzer beater. It's only the end of the first quarter; his team actually lost. But it is a guaranteed YouTube sensation.
Isn't that something?
WOLF: Pretty - pretty bizarre. And you know what's weird? Win or lose, what is going to be the most memorable moment of the game? It's going to be that. It's going to be, you know, a losing effort - the miracle shot, I guess. I don't know how you'd describe that. That was just --
KAYE: You name it. You name it and we'll go with it.
WOLF: An anomaly.
KAYE: Whatever you think.
WOLF: Let's just keep it safe. Let's just call it an anomaly. A wing and a prayer and up it went and in it went.
KAYE: Do you think you could have done that?
WOLF: There's no way.
KAYE: No.
WOLF: Not - not a prayer in the world. But it's only worth - what? - three points?
KAYE: Yes.
WOLF: It's a three-pointer.
(LAUGHTER)
KAYE: I am pretty impressed though.
WOLF: Got to be.
KAYE: Up next, why Detroit's in the driver's seat next week with thousands of visitors and millions of dollars getting pumped in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE CLOONEY, ACTOR: There's a real excitement here. There's a feeling that - that the - a new nation is going to be formed, and it's an inevitable. And I think they're very excited about that. (END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: George Clooney helps a country with a history of bloodshed get a fresh start. A historic shift could take place this weekend. That's ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: New wheels, new bank fees and a new jobs report that offer some hope for a recovering economy.
Here's our roundup of business news with CNN Money's Poppy Harlow, Stephanie Elam and Alison Kosik.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Randi.
Jobs were the big focus on Wall Street this week. The latest government report showed the unemployment rate tumbled to 9.4 percent in December, down from 9.8 percent. But analysts say the unusually large drop is misleading, as many people simply gave up and stop looking for work. They weren't counted in the unemployment rate.
The economy added 103,000 jobs last month, solidifying a recovery in the labor market. Unfortunately though, Fed chief Ben Bernanke said on Friday that at this pace, it'll take five years for the job market to return to normal. He said the jobless rate will still be high in two years, probably around 8 percent.
Despite the mixed jobs report, stocks posted gains for the week. History shows that the first week sets the tone for the year - Stephanie.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Alison.
Facebook could go public by 2012. The social-networking giant is now worth about $50 billion. That's triple its value from three years ago.
Bank of America is hitting its customers with new checking- account fees of $9 to $25 a month. The nation's largest bank says some of the fees can be avoided by minimum requirements. Other banks are doing the same, as recent financial regulations cut into their revenue.
And finally, IKEA is pulling the plug on incandescent light bulbs. The retailer will stop selling the bulbs in August. It comes ahead of a government mandate to phase out incandescents (ph) by 2014 because they're not energy efficient.
Poppy has a look ahead at the week in business news - Poppy.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: All right. Thanks, Steph.
Well, the North American International Auto Show kicks off on Monday in Detroit. And with the economy in recovery mode, automakers are expected to build flashy displays and roll out up to 40 new vehicles. There's talk of a new Toyota Prius, a Mercedes-Benz C Class and GM will introduce a new, smaller Buick.
Now, the focus this year is going to be on a lot of small cars, and also on U.S. automakers. Surveys from J.D. Power put the home team on top in terms of quality and owner satisfaction.
This week also kicks off the fourth-quarter earnings season. Alcoa, Intel and JPMorgan Chase will all report their earnings, and expectations are pretty high. Reports on the labor market, inflation and retail sales will also be released.
Back to you - Randi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: All right. Thanks to all of you.
Friday night laughs now, and our clip today comes from Jay Leno. He was talking about Ted Williams. Williams is the homeless man with that great voice who is now the toast of the town, getting job offers left and right.
He and his mother have been all over the morning shows this week. So that's why Jay decided to go on his own homeless star search.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAY LENO, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW": I think this story has given hope to homeless people all across the country.
You know, just coming in today, I - I saw it. I saw a couple of homeless guys.
Well, here, take a look. Here's me coming in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LENO: I'm driving in. Look, there's a homeless guy up there.
Hey buddy, how you doing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, I'm good, man. What - you got a little something for me? Like a dollar (INAUDIBLE)
LENO: Well, yes. Let's see what you can do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK now.
(SINGING)
LENO: There's another guy up there.
(LAUGHTER)
LENO: A magician is pretty good.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(LAUGHTER)
KAYE: All right.
Remember Edison Pena?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: You may recall, he helped keep morale high while trapped in that mine in Chile. He did it by singing Elvis. And now free, he's finally living out one of his biggest dreams.
But first, for job seekers across the country, here's a list that might bring you some hope: Careercast.com just released a list of the best cities to find a job. The Washington metro area tops the list, actually seeing more gains than losses in December 2010.
Second is Boston, followed by San Francisco, Seattle and Baltimore.
Coming up after the break, the cities that didn't fare so well last month.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: To job seekers looking for greener pastures, don't move just yet. A recent report lists the cities with the best and worth job growth last month.
Riverside, California, came out on the bottom as the worst city to find a job. Faring only slightly better: Memphis, Tennessee, followed by Detroit; Tampa, Florida; and Louisville, Kentucky.
You can look up your city on Careercast.com.
Globe trekking now, and we're taking you to Sudan, with actor and activist George Clooney. He's there because of a major vote this weekend. Voters will decide whether southern Sudan should be split off into an independent country.
Clooney has been active in groups monitoring Sudan and the violence in Darfur. He has now launched a satellite surveillance project that will help monitor during this weekend's vote.
He spoke with CNN International's Becky Anderson about his hopes for Sudan's future.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLOONEY: It faces a - a chance of absolute failure. It also faces the great challenge and the - the possibility of being one of the great success, you know, in Africa. And it will depend on the leadership here, and it will depend on the government.
All of those things are very promising when you know the government here. When you know Sudan President Salva Kiir, you know that there's a - a real possibility for that.
But there - there - it - it's all the challenges that we know exist in every country that has succeeded and every country's that's failed.
The first time since I've been here - and I've been here - this is my fourth time - there's a real excitement here. There is a feeling that the - a new nation is going to be formed, and it's inevitable. And I think they're very excited about that. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a moment - probably the most important moment in southern Sudan's history. Fifty-five years these people have fought for independence and for freedom. People couldn't be excited about the prospect of an independent state.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: George Clooney is also a guest this weekend on "FAREED ZAKARIA GPS." He'll join Fareed from Sudan to talk about the vote. You can see it all on "FAREED ZAKARIA GPS," tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. Eastern.
If you can cast a spell or predict the future, get ready to be taxed. At least in Romania. A new law classifies witches and fortune tellers as - quote - professionals. That means they'll have to declare their economy and pay taxes on that income.
Also paying extra now: Valets models and astrologers. Basically, anybody who is self-employed. The government says the new labor laws will help prevent tax evasion.
One witch told Romanian television that if witches are forced to pay taxes, they'll cast a curse on lawmakers. Spooky, eh?
A reunion 16 years in the making.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CHEERING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: The exclusive reunion between the Scott sisters and their family. Their story next.
Plus, when the word "simulator" comes to mind, most people think of a video game. But the Air Force is using them to help airmen train for the scenarios they might face while deployed.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: It is 6:31 on this Saturday. Welcome back. I'm Randi Kay. Thanks for starting your day with us. Checking top stories now.
Jailed for life, but embracing freedom. Sisters Gladys and Jamie Scott walked out of prison yesterday. The two had served 16 years for an armed robbery that netted as little as $11. They drove through the night from Mississippi to Florida where they reunited with their mother in Pensacola, just about three hours ago. The condition of their release, that Gladys donate a kidney to Jamie who has diabetes.
Gladys and her daughter say they have a lot to talk about.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GLADYS SCOTT, RELEASED FROM PRISON: I had faith in the back of my mind but going through the process of your appeals and getting denied. Every time you go, you get denied. I really never thought this day would come.
OLIVIA, GLADYS SCOTT'S DAUGHTER: It was a dream come true. It's like none other. I was happy she was on her way home to us and her grand kids. We got so much to do, everything. A lot of catch up time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: A bomb scare in Washington state. Four improvised explosives were found buried near an abandoned well house in Puyallup, Washington. Police also found guns, ammunition, and a 37 millimeter shell. Two homes were evacuated. The explosive devices were detonated by authorities. A federal agent says they may have been buried by a person shot by police just last month.
President Obama has a new director of the National Economic Council. He has named Gene Sperling counselor to Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner to replace Larry Somers. It's a key policy post he held during the final two years of the Clinton administration. The president says Sperling contributed to the policies that helped turn deficits to surpluses. But some of the blame for the financial meltdown has been laid on decisions Sperling oversaw in the Clinton years.
Is North Korea having a change of heart? Pyongyang released a statement today saying the two countries should resume talks and reopen a border crossing. South Korean officials are discussing just how to respond. Tensions have been extremely high since they fired several artillery shells on a South Korean island near its border in November. Four South Koreans were killed.
A former Pentagon official whose body was found in a garbage truck on New Year's Eve apparently called for a taxi from Delaware to Philadelphia, but disappeared before the cab ever arrived. Wheeler served in the past three Republican administrations and once headed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. His death has been ruled a homicide. Our Susan Candiotti spoke with Wheeler's neighbors.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERT DILL, WHEELER'S NEIGHBOR: That's really all I know about him.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Robert and Phoebe Dill are as baffled as anyone about the mysterious and bizarre final hours of their neighbor John Wheeler. They called him Jack.
R. DILL: What do you think? Gosh, what's he doing? But, I have never seen him like that before.
PHOEBE DILL, WHEELER'S NEIGHBOR: He, obviously, something was wrong.
CANDIOTTI: Seeing him apparently disoriented, wearing only one shoe on a parking garage video two days before his death has thrown them for a loop.
R. DILL: I mean, it has got us totally confused. When you see all these pieces, nothing fits together.
P. DILL: It's certainly unbelievable. It's a story that you might expect to see in the movies but you wouldn't expect to see it with people that you know.
CANDIOTTI: Mr. Dill dropped off Wheeler at the Wilmington train station heading to New York Christmas Eve. In his briefcase, an antique dish, a Christmas present for his wife. It's the last time Dill saw his friend.
R. DILL: I helped him get his stuff out of the inside of the car and said, see you, Jack. That was it. I was out of there.
CANDIOTTI: Like investigators, the Dills cannot figure out how Wheeler got from this office building in Wilmington to a dumpster in Newark at least five miles away.
R. DILL: Somebody had to be up to something.
CANDIOTTI: But what?
R. DILL: I just hope they solve this thing and figure out what happened to him.
CANDIOTTI: Police now say Wheeler changed his clothes from when he was roaming around that parking garage to when he was wandering about that office building on the final night of his life. One more open question, one more gap in a time line, leading to his death. Susan Candiotti, CNN, New Castle, Delaware.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Now, another story we are following, today. Twitter is being ordered to hand over information involving WikiLeaks and founder Julian Assange, according to documents posted online by Salon.com and CNet. The order is for things like subscriber names, screen names, and addresses. It's part of the investigation into leaks of thousands of sensitive government cables and documents, and the involvement of Private Bradley Manning. Manning is accused of leaking the information to WikiLeaks.
More frustration for a space program already facing funding and technical challenges; the launch of Shuttle Discovery is pushed back again. NASA had scheduled the final flight for February 3, but now because of problems with the fuel tank it will take at least a couple weeks longer.
What is bigger than your average fish and very hungry? This guy. Oh yes. He gave fishermen the scare of their lives when he tried to take a bite out of their boat. I'll tell you how this story plays out, straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: A snowy weekend on tap for much of the Eastern U.S. The Northeast getting its share today. Tomorrow, it is the Southeast. Look out, says meteorologist Reynolds Wolf. With another check of the forecast.
(NATIONAL WEATHER REPORT)
KAYE: Time now to take a look at the hot topics crossing the CNN Political Ticker. That includes news on some big names who could have a significant impact on the race for the White House in 2012.
Here is CNN's Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Good morning, Randi.
Let's talk about the next race for the White House: Here is a name everybody knows: Donald Trump. Well, for a while he's been flirting with possibly running for the Republican presidential nomination. Now he says he's seriously thinking about it. He is seriously talking to friends. They are talking to him.
Take a listen to what he told our John King on "JKUSA."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION: I am seriously considering it. I see what's going on with the country. I see how other countries are just absolutely taking advantage of us, like we're a whipping post.
I see what OPEC is doing. You know, John, when they talk about the economy's getting better, it can't get better because every time it gets better, OPEC raises the price of oil and they drain the blood out of the country. So, I see what's going on, and I am seriously considering it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEINHAUSER: You know, Randi, when you are running for president, one thing that really comes in handy is money. We know that Donald Trump has lot of money. How about another New Yorker who also has a lot of money and that is the mayor there, Michael Bloomberg. Remember he got a lot of criticism for how the city handled that big snowstorm a couple weeks back. Well, check this out, brand new polling indicates New Yorkers, Randi, don't think so highly of him anymore. His approval rating, 37 percent now, as you can see, it used to be 50 percent back in October.
Randi, that's what I have on the CNN Political Ticker, right now. Back to you.
KAYE: Thank you, Paul.
A pair of Republican House members are apologizing for missing their oath of office Wednesday. Pennsylvania's Mike Fitzpatrick and Pete Sessions, of Texas, were at a reception for constituents when the rest of the House was being sworn in. Both then made House votes before taking the official oath. Democrats complained. And the vote actually had to be stricken.
"We understand our error allowed the integrity of this great legislative body's proceedings to be called into question. We regret that this incident adversely affected House proceedings and apologize for any individual inconvenience our actions may have caused."
Take a look at this. Talk about going down with the ship. Why would anyone want to sink a perfectly good one? I'll explain next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: It is 6:44 on this Saturday. Time to take a look at the cool stuff we saw this week. We like to call them the extremes of the week. You know, the best video, the best stories that really caught our eye.
Let's start with a Navy ship sinking off the coast of the Cayman Islands. This, of course, was planned. You can see, right there, the USS Kitty Wake (ph), flooding with water and going straight down. The ship was sunk to make an artificial reef, a haven for scuba divers and of course, the fish. The Kitty Wake was first commissioned in 1945, as a submarine rescue ship. It went out of service in the '90s.
Speaking of fish, well, check out this video from Australia, yes, that's a big one. Some guys were out fishing when jaws swam up to take a closer look, you might call it. Yes, that is a 15-foot long great white shark. But this predator did more than just take a look. After circling for a while it tried to actually eat the boat's propeller, almost knocking some of the guys into the water. They stuck around to take the video. Crazy. Luckily, though, that never happened. He never got the propeller.
Stay inside and hide your livestock that was the order in one town in the Netherlands after a chemical fire broke out. It burned for 30 hours-look at those flames-before the firefighters got it under control. It is unclear what caused the fire at the chemical plant, or how toxic that smoke was. Radio Netherlands reports people there are being told not to let children play outside and they shouldn't eat vegetables from their gardens.
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EDISON PENA, CHILEAN MINER (signing): Are you lonesome tonight? Do you miss me tonight? Are you sorry we drifted apart?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Ah, yes. Remember that? That Chilean miner, Edison Pena, serenading me, what you just saw, with an Elvis classic. Pena was one of 33 miners trapped underground for 69 days. He help keep morale high by singing and leading Elvis sing-a-longs.
Yesterday, one of his dreams came true. Pena was honored Elvis Pressley's special guest, for his annual birthday celebration. He was flown to Memphis for the grand celebration and tour of Graceland. Elvis would have turned 76 years old today.
What if I told you the military is basically using video games to train troops getting ready to deploy? Well, they are, and they work. Reynolds Wolf got an up close look at this virtual war zone.
Pretty cool.
WOLF: Absolutely. They say practice makes perfect. We are going to show viewers how some of the best men and women in the armed forces prepare for battle at Moody Air Force Base. That's coming up on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
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KAYE: Welcome back.
Whether it is on the battlefield or in the skies making mistake could be deadly. Now, through new technologies troops can train in a dangerous war zone without ever leaving base. Reynolds Wolf traveled to Moody Air Force Base to check it all out for us.
WOLF: You know it is an amazing thing. Especially when you compare it with how training has been in the past, you think about the American soldier during the revolutionary war, the civil war, World War I, where basically they were taught how to load a rifle, how to fire it, how to stand in formation, how to march. That was basically it.
Now, they have made it so realistic, it is as though a soldier can actually get a taste of battle without even being overseas.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, our mission is to conduct a humanitarian supply operation in the village of Sunna (ph). Our dismount should be right here, in this area.
We are supposed to meet up with the village Mukhtar (ph). The village Mukhtar is going to introduce us to the hospital administrator.
Well, you know, we brought you some stuff for your hospital.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We brought you some stuff for your school as well.
If we encounter small arms, gunners you will return fire.
(SHOUTING, GUNFIRE)
WOLF (voice-over): Though it may look real, and sound real, it isn't actual combat. It's reality based training at Moody Air Force Base, where airmen learn lessons without worrying about paying the ultimate price.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Surviving first contact is pretty much everything. That first couple of seconds may be the difference between whether you live or die or if you guys all go home.
WOLF: To help meet that objective, realism is key. This block of buildings in rural Georgia is modeled after an Iraqi village half a world away. From the garb of the attackers to the weapons they use, the idea is to mirror what troops will see in the field.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We try to get the conditions as close to down range as we can absolutely can get it, to get in the heads of troops of what we need to concentrate on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fire!
WOLF: This firearms training center is a simulated war zone. Although the battlefield can change the mission remains the same, to defeat a virtual enemy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In going over there, you're not going to know what to expect.
WOLF (on camera): I know it's impossible to replicate it, perfectly, but is this pretty close?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's pretty dang close. With the building set up, the hills, the mounds, it's pretty close. With ours, you can see here that we really don't have too much to hide behind. In fact, that is reality.
WOLF (voice over): This virtual training isn't limited to ground forces. With the flip of a switch, Captain Rick Mitchell is flying over Kandahar.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to find these tanks. We're going to prosecute them with a 30-millimeter cannon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This simulator is almost exactly correct in the exact lay out of the land of where the guys are actually fighting in right now.
WOLF (on camera): How valuable is this training, especially for someone who has not been in the theater?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Incredibly valuable. I'm able to threat react. When we are done with the simulator, we are able to evaluate if my threat reaction maneuver was enough to defeat the threat.
WOLF: At the end of the day, no two exercises are ever alike. So, from the cockpit to the firing line, and to the convoy on patrol, no equipment is damaged, no bullets fired, and no lives lost.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thousand nine, ten, go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These guys get to go back today and they get to talk about what did we do good today? Then they'll talk about, what did we do bad today? I got shot in the leg in training. Guess, what, it was in training. That's the bottom line, the bottom line right there. The training we do pays off on the battlefield tomorrow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF: You know, it just makes sense, Randi. This is one of those things where you compare it to say, like a football team. Practice makes perfect. They guys are able to make these mistakes, they are able to really improve.
KAYE: In a safe environment.
WOLF: In a safe environment, improve upon their craft, and really there's very little penalty. They can become better, they can become stronger, much more efficient, and much more effective in the battlefield, again, like you say, with minimum loss.
KAYE: Probably really improves their confidence once they do get out there.
WOLF: No question.
KAYE: Great story. Thank you.
A boy who thought he was about to sing for a school show gets something to really sing about. Details ahead about a touching surprise reunion between a military father and his family.
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KAYE: Welcome back. Coming up on just two minutes before the hour. Time to head cross country for a quick look at stories drawing our attention. We start in Boston. Don't look now, but there could be a snake loose on the city's subway system. Yuck! A woman who gave the name Melissa, posted a missing snake alert on Craigslist. She writes the snake, a boa named Penelope, is less than three feet long, very mellow and never hisses or bites. Yes, right.
Now check out this reunion in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. That's six-year-old Gavin Able, getting a surprise from his soldier dad Paul Brown, home on leave from the Middle East. Gavin says at first he didn't even recognize his father. He called this the happiest day of his young life.
In Pittsburgh, a bedbug problem at a University of Pittsburgh dorm. The school fumigated one floor of Southerland Hall and plans further treatments to rid the buildings of those bedbugs.
Travel troubles no matter how you are getting around in the New York area, we'll tell you who got the worst of the storm in the North and why the deep South has reason to worry later this weekend.
That for sale sign. Get used to it. In several cities the housing market has gone from bad to worse to worst. The grim numbers in the towns where sellers have a fighting chance, coming right up.
Well, the rest of us are saying Happy New Year, in one corner of the world, it's still a Merry Christmas. Try celebrating the holidays the Rasta way. It's early, we are on it. From CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It's January 8. Good morning, everyone. I'm Randi Kay.
Right now, much of southern Connecticut is under a winter weather advisory with more snow expected today. Friday's slow moving storms dropped as much as a foot or more in some spots. You know what that means. Drivers had to deal with travel headaches. Some schools and businesses were closed.
It's 7:00 a.m. Let's get the latest on this big snow storm in the Northeast. Meteorologist Reynolds Wolf is tracking it all.
WOLF: Absolutely. Perspective is needed in a thing like this. While this is a decent snowstorm. When you compare it with what we had over the last couple weekends, this is-it's not bad. It's not bad. The thing is you have just been so inundated in parts of New York and Boston, with the heavy snow, you really don't want a whole lot more.
This is certainly enough that it may cause some delays at the all of your major airports, including Logan up in Boston. Keep that in mind. I know it is frustrating, but this is what we have to deal with.
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KAYE: It sounds pretty messy.
WOLF: Absolutely.
KAYE: OK. Thanks, Reynolds.
WOLF: You bet.
