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CNN Saturday Morning News

Tucson Shooting Victim Pam Simon Speaks Out; Tunisia Gets Interim Leader; New Chairman Takes Over RNC; The Deadliest Menu on the Planet; How to Get That Tax Refund Fast and Accurate; Top Sports Moments of the Week

Aired January 15, 2011 - 06:58   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.

A U.S. ally in the fight against terror is in the middle of a revolution. Now, Tunisia's political crisis is drawing reaction from the president and around the world. The latest, straight ahead.

Can't wait for your tax refund? Some preparers have a quick fix, the refund anticipation loan, but it comes with, yes, with strings. We'll have tips on what you want to hear before signing that bottom line.

And food fit for the most daring travelers. We are serving up one of the deadliest meals on the planet.

It's early, we are on it. From CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It's Saturday, January 15th. Good morning to you, I'm Martin Savidge.

But we will start in Tucson where the Safeway grocery store where 19 people were shot is reopening about two hours from now. A wreath is being placed in front of the store in honor of the victims. Six people died there one week ago, 13 others were wounded, including Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. We'll take you there live for the reopening.

And among those wounded were Congressman Gabby Giffords and two of her aides, Ron Barber and Pam Simon. Giffords remains in hospital this morning, he doctors say she is progressing as well as can be hoped. Barber was released Friday and Simon on Thursday.

Here is a picture of Pam Simon with President Obama during his visit Wednesday. Our Randi Kaye sat down with her to talk about the tragedy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Do you remember when that shot was fired at the congresswoman?

PAM SIMON, SHOOTING VICTIM: Everything happened probably in a matter of seconds. My feeling is that he was whirling. His back was to me. I saw the congresswoman go down. I saw Ron go down. And then I think I must have been one of the next people hit, because from that point on, I was laying on the ground.

KAYE: Did you ever actually see the gunman's face?

SIMON: No, no. I did not.

KAYE: What was that moment like for you when you knew that you had been shot?

SIMON: You know -- it took a few seconds to actually -- for the reality. I think I was on the ground before I thought this is actually happening.

KAYE: Were you scared? I mean, did you understand what had happened?

SIMON: I don't remember the emotion of fear at all. I just remembered kind of survival instincts kicking in. I laid very still and played dead. I didn't know if he was still around.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: Pam Simon was shot twice, once in the wrist, once in the chest. That bullet traveled through her body and is lodged in her thigh. We'll hear more throughout the morning.

Civil unrest in Tunisia leads to a chance. Violence protests over poor living conditions and accusations of government corruption at the highest levels apparently triggered that change.

Our Ben Wedeman reports the country's parliament speaker has announced that he has assumed the powers of the presidency. Ben says he saw army troops dragging protesters away. He also reports the military seems to be in control right now. The speaker says presidential elections will be held in 60 days.

Tunisia's president fled that country yesterday. The events in Tunisia are being closely watched by other African nations.

Thirty years of freedom for a fugitive comes to an end in central Florida. Ian Jackson McDonald had faked a heart attack to escape jail. That's him on the right 30 years ago and how he looks today on the left. Federal marshals arrested Jackson in central Florida this week. The drug trafficking suspect from Canada was arrested in 1980 but escaped after four months in custody.

And a so-called virtual fence along the U.S.-Mexico border is being scrapped virtually. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano cited technical problems and delay as reasons for any delays rather is reasons for ending that project. It has cost $1 billion just to cover 53 miles of the 2,000-mile border. The network of cameras and sensors are already in place, will part of the new plan that will take advantage of advanced technology like unmanned drones and thermal imaging devices. Michael Steele -- he is out as chairman of the Republican National Committee. He was plagued by controversy and criticism even though he did preside over the retaking of the House. Some critics thought that they should have been even more successful in midterms.

Wisconsin GOP Chairman Reince Priebus was elected as the new chairman.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REINCE PRIEBUS, RNC CHAIRMAN: With the election over, now is the time for the committee to unite. We must come together for our common interest, for the betterment of our party and our country. With that in mind, I want you to know that I am here to earn the trust and support of each and every one of you. I told you I would serve in humility and work hard. I'm going to start working right now as your chairman.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: Priebus was actually behind the campaign to get Steele elected as RNC chairman in the first place. First on his agenda will be to raise money for the 2012 presidential campaign and to fix the $21 million deficit Steele left behind.

Ron Reagan now says that his father may have been showing signs of Alzheimer's disease as early as his first term. He makes that connection in a new book, saying he had, quote, "the first shivers" of concern three years into Ronald Reagan's presidency. He says he believes his father would have stepped down if he had been diagnosed while in office. President Reagan disclosed that he had Alzheimer's in 1994. That's five years after leaving office.

You'd probably seen ads "get your income tax refund early," but for a price. And is it worth it? A tax specialist joins us live in about 15 minutes -- Reynolds.

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: And coming up: we're going to talk about the possibility of flooding in the Pacific Northwest and the eventual warm up in the East. That's moments away.

You are watching CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: Six minutes now past the hour. Reynolds Wolf. It says "Reynolds Wolf back," but it's just Reynolds Wolf.

WOLF: Reynolds Wolf back, I mean, you know, it's applicable. It certainly works. Hey, you want to do a weather tour around the country?

SAVIDGE: I would love to.

WOLF: Let's do that. Let's go to the Eastern Seaboard. No, Peoria with this one, which, we love our friends in Peoria. We're going to go right up the coast and show you what we have starting off with Atlanta -- live view from Atlanta at this hour. Sure, things are looking pretty good, a bit on the cool side. Parts of the city --

SAVIDGE: Wow, beautiful. Look at that.

WOLF: It's a spectacular beginning to the day. We still have some ice on some of the streets. But it is a huge improvement when we had, say, 72 hours, certainly better than we had a week ago. And it looks like things are going to continue to -- slowly continue in a good way.

Up in D.C., it's a beautiful morning there, too. Skies cobalt blue and a little bit of a trip. There's a step in here.

Come back to me for a second.

(CROSSTALK)

WOLF: Let me show you. Come back to me. Right here, this step, this might be Mt. Everest this morning.

Let's see if I can do this better. OK, here we go, wow.

OK. Now, let's step on to another live camera shot this morning. This is with very little coffee.

Here's another shot we have of the Statue of Liberty. It looks pretty good, standing tall, no trip up there. You see a little bit of snow in the ground. It should be snow-free as we make our way into the next couple days.

All right. Let's continue on with that trip. If you have a trip you're taking around the country, you might run into a few delays. Believe it or not, the delays at New York metro is due to the wind. You could be on the ground anywhere from 30 minutes to a full hour. Folks are never going to hear the end of this one.

In Cleveland, Detroit and Chicago might have a delay for a couple reasons -- low clouds, but also the snowfall. In Dallas, low clouds and rain, anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes. The rain may cause delays in a few other spots, namely into Pacific Northwest where we have big, big continued shower and storm. One after another moving across parts of the streets in Juan de Fuca back into Seattle, as far south as Olympia, even into places like Portland at this hour.

And what we're going to be seeing is the potential for flooding, not just due to one to two inches of rain they may receive there, but something else. There's warm conditions, warm temperatures, well above the freezing point, may melt some of that snow pack. And, of course, as the snow melts, the water goes to the hillside, down the mountain tops. And what it's going to do is fill up some of the rivers, the small tributaries; you might see some ponding on some roadways.

Currently, 60 degrees in Seattle at this time. Olympia with 46. On the other side of the range, in Yakima, it's currently 38 degrees this hour.

Now, the snow level, they got some snow up there, but it's going to be about 7,000 feet and up at this point. And as we take a look at the rest of the forecast, here's what you can expect. (INAUDIBLE) the high in Seattle, 75 in San Diego, 49 in Dallas, 47 in Atlanta, 35 in New York. Minneapolis, the cool spot in the country both literally and figuratively with 15 degrees.

All right. You're up to speed. OK. Let's send it back over to Martin.

SAVIDGE: And I'm talking engineering. The step is gone. When you come back, it will be a ramp.

WOLF: I don't know if I can fix my reputation.

SAVIDGE: You're always a step above.

WOLF: There you go.

SAVIDGE: Dining with danger. We mean that literally. Some exotic dishes served around the world can kill you. Our Nadia Bilchik has tips to make sure a dish in a country far from doesn't end up being your last supper. I like that.

But, first, the morning paper and a cup of Joe -- a possibly fading past time? Well, not for some cities. A new study came out ranking the most literate cities in the U.S., in part based on library resources, bookstores, and yes, newspapers circulation. Ranking at number five, Pittsburgh. Followed by Atlanta. And then Minneapolis at number three.

Here's the tease. We'll tell you the two most literate cities right after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: For book lovers and newspaper readers out there, before the break, we brought the list of the most literate cities in the U.S. Now for the top cities -- the second place ranking went to Seattle. And the top spot, not sure it's a big surprise, Washington, D.C., although maybe you thought New York.

Well, it's something a lot of American travelers look forward to, tasting exotic dishes native to each country. But some of these delicacies can cost you much more than an upset stomach. They can actually kill you.

Nadia Bilchik joining me now with what must be the deadliest menu on the planet.

Very nice to see you this morning.

NADIA BILCHIK, EDITORIAL PRODUCER: Lovely to see you.

Well, in Japan, they serve something called fugu or puffer fish. So, you've heard of that. Have you tried it?

SAVIDGE: No, I haven't. Because of the fact it can kill you.

BILCHIK: Well, in fact, it's so poisonous if not prepared correctly. But the Japanese emperor is now allowed to eat it. However, it is such a delicacy and there are chefs in Japan that train anywhere between two to seven years to actually prepare the fish to take out the liver, which has a neurotoxin. So, they're very skillful and they can prepare this in such a way. Now, there are actually fugu restaurants specially licensed in Japan, you even get fugu sake.

SAVIDGE: No kidding.

BILCHIK: You can get side dishes.

SAVIDGE: Have you ever had it?

BILCHIK: I haven't, but I would like to because it does -- if it's prepared correctly. I think it would be wonderful.

SAVIDGE: We'll go. You eat, I'll watch.

BILCHIK: Well, and you know that if that happens, if someone does treat us, it is a great honor because they are treating you to such a delicacy.

SAVIDGE: All right. I believe that, I guess.

BILCHIK: Now, we're moving on to something a little more interesting, so not for the fainthearted. And this is called sannakji, which is live baby octopus served almost live. So, you know, this is a culture where you want things to be very fresh. In fact, just freshly killed.

SAVIDGE: Look at that.

BILCHIK: So, the baby octopus -- they are still alive. They are cut up, but the caveat here is they have a suction cup. And the sensation is the suction as it goes down your throat.

SAVIDGE: Really?

BILCHIK: The very sensation that is supposed to be wonderful can also cause blockage. Sannakji and it's served with sesame oil and maybe sesames. It's an unusual sensation.

SAVIDGE: I avoid food that tends to cool of the plate before I can get it. But I must say, it does look intriguing.

BILCHIK: Intriguing, yes. Maybe a bit vile to some.

Now, very well known is the famous fruit of Jamaica, which is ackee. And this is a beautiful fruit because once it ripen, it's a glorious color. But the idea of the time, ackee, if you take a look, is that you only eat the fleshy part, not those black seeds that you're seeing now because they have something called hypoglycins. And what it does, it causes enormous drop in your blood sugar.

Now, the famous Jamaican dish is salt fish and a ackee. And if it's apparently quite sublime. I'm looking forward to that one.

And we have a Jamaican on our team called (INAUDIBLE). And she says that this is a food that she is going to prepare especially for us.

SAVIDGE: Really?

BILCHIK: Yes. Then we have one of my most favorites, which is, and I'm going to move to bird nest soup.

SAVIDGE: I have heard of this.

BILCHIK: Bird nest soup, you heard of? So you know what it's made of?

SAVIDGE: Well, let me take a stab at it, bird nests?

BILCHIK: Martin -- but it's made from the saliva of swiftlets. It's made from salivas. Can you imagine these birds actually build a nest from their saliva? And that's why it can be deadly because what if the bird is infected. However, this is considered such a great delicacy that it's anything up to $10,000. We got this from a wonderful blogger called Journeyman, bird nest soup.

And the sensation again, it's the texture because you do it in chicken broth

SAVIDGE: I would think it would be chewy.

BILCHIK: It would be quite chewy. And again, something exotic and maybe, one day, we will taste.

SAVIDGE: Well, Nadia, I just -- you know, your amazing ability to take thing that are deadly and make them sound absolutely delightful.

BILCHIK: Well, I supposed, if prepared the right way, this is the whole thing -- if you know how to do it, isn't that true of life, Martin?

SAVIDGE: I suppose it is.

BILCHIK: If you know how to do things, and with all of these dishes, when prepared skillfully, they are superb. But there's a deadly side. I supposed that's an analogy for life.

SAVIDGE: I think it's your -- it's just your delightful personality, really. It does.

BILCHIK: Thank you, Martin. And I promise you I won't be giving you any food.

SAVIDGE: Well, we'll see. I might like to try it. All right. Thanks very much.

BILCHIK: Thank you.

SAVIDGE: Well, the bills from the holiday shopping -- oh, yes -- starting to roll in, just when you want to get your tax refund ready. Maybe a refund anticipation loan is right for you. Well, maybe you should think about it. We've got some great advice. That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: It is almost the time of year -- that time of year -- a lot of people are looking forward to their tax return refunds. But what if you don't want to wait weeks or maybe months to get your money?

Well, financial and business consultant Eric Amado joins us live from Dallas.

Good morning to you, sir. Eric, you know, I have seen these ads for refund anticipation loans. Can you tell us just what are they?

ERIC AMADO, TAX EXPERT: Absolutely. These types of loans are short term cash advances based on anticipated tax refund from the IRS. These loans are predominantly sought in low income and minority neighborhoods and have very, very high interest rates.

SAVIDGE: So, when I hear that, almost sounds predatory. So, what are the advantages and what are the disadvantages of these sorts of loans?

AMADO: Absolutely. Well, the advantage is that, if you need fast cash, a lot of people will go this route. With these types of loans, you can get your money within one to three days. If you are having problems paying your bills, some people will try these loans.

Now, the disadvantage is, like you said, it's predatory. The fees can be very, very high -- a lot of big fees inside. And what makes this very controversial is that a lot of people don't know exactly what they're paying for.

SAVIDGE: And, you know, I can see where the anticipation builds into this. You want your money. Of course, you want it right away. You believe you're entitled to it. So, why should you have to wait?

AMADO: Absolutely.

SAVIDGE: But why should you really avoid these refund anticipation loans. I presumed, because just as you described, you're going to pay for it.

AMADO: Absolutely. It's a very, very bad thing, I think.

Let's talk about example I have for the viewers so we can explain what's happening here.

SAVIDGE: Sure.

AMADO: So, basically, let's say, for example, you get a $2,000 refund, all right? Now, you may pay a fee of $75 for a loan fee. You may pay $75 for administrative fee and you may pay $100 for a tax preparation fee. Of course, these fees can change. Now, you might have a total fee of 250 bucks. But you might say to yourself, you know what? I have $1,750, I'm feeling good.

But the problem is that you pay the APR of around 300 percent. And might say, Eric, what is APR. Well, APR is the annual percentage rate.

And it's the best way to judge a loan if you're looking at a credit card, card note, because it says everything that's (INAUDIBLE) loan. The annual percentage rate is the best to look at. And these loans are very, very dangerous.

SAVIDGE: Those are some pretty staggering figures there. I presume this information is presented to the person before they sign on the dotted line, right?

AMADO: It is -- it is presented to them, the information. But in the past, there was problems where people h didn't know exactly what was going on. But you have to understand that some of the people that are getting these loans, they're not very financially astute. And they don't always know what's happening here.

So, if I tell you, you're paying this amount of money, you might not always recognize it right now because you need your money. You got to pay your bills.

SAVIDGE: Right. And like a lot of us, we tend to just ignore the fine print and sign.

AMADO: Absolutely.

SAVIDGE: What are better tax refund options then?

AMADO: That's a great question. Some of the best tax refund options out there is the e-file. IRS has done a great job with e- file. About 70 percent of taxpayers are e-filing right now. And you can get your money within one to two weeks.

Also, you can look into doing something like a direct deposit. And what that is, is that you can have your money directly deposited into your checking account. You had to have a good routing number and that's very easy as well.

Also, you can look into electronic filing. And one more thing you can look into is the pre-paid debit card. If you don't have a checking account, you might have to pay a little money for this. You can have your money go to a pre-paid debit card. But before you get that, make sure you understand the fees associated with that card and using that card.

SAVIDGE: Right. The online stuff, really, really does seem to work and it does work very quickly, as you point out.

Eric Amado, thanks so much for joining us this morning.

AMADO: Yes, appreciate it. Thank you.

SAVIDGE: A kid sent home from school for showing support for the wrong team.

Plus, a 39-year-old is zeroing in on his dream to become starting center on his college basketball team.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: Checking top stories:

The Safeway grocery store in Tucson, Arizona, where 19 people were shot, will reopen this morning. A wreath is being placed in front of that store in honor of the victims. Six people died there one week ago today. Thirteen others were wounded, including Congresswoman Gabby Giffords.

The new chairman of the Republican National Committee says he wants to earn the trust and support of the party. Reince Priebus who ran the Wisconsin Republican Party replaces Michael Steele. Steele saw his support declined even though the party won huge gains in midterm elections.

(VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: Rhythm and blues singer Etta James, who's signature song "At Last," is one of the most popular winning songs ever. She's reported to be very ill. James has been diagnosed with dementia and is being treated for leukemia. "The Press-Enterprise" of Riverside County, California, reports her husband is seeking control of her estate.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: So, what were the sports moments this week that made you go wow.

HLN sports anchor Joe Carter sharing them with us.

Good morning, Joe. Good to see you.

JOE CARTER, HLN SPORTS ANCHOR: Hey. Good morning, Martin.

Yes, this is an interesting story because there was a middle school in the Seattle area that decided to have Seahawks Appreciation Day, OK? You know, Seahawks are playing this weekend, made it to playoffs. Everybody is excited about their team.

One student, though, decided to show up in a different color jersey and the school said, no, no, you're going to have to go home.

There he is right there, Grendon. As you can see, he's clearly not a Seahawks fan. He showed up in his favorite team jersey, which happened to be the Pittsburgh Steelers.

And the school is a uniformed school, typically. They said, Friday, we're going to make an exception. Let the kids wear blue or green, anything with Seahawks colors on it. He showed up, tried to bend the rule, they said, nope, you're going home.

But he did end up getting an autographed picture that's going to be sent by LaMarr Woodley, a former Steelers linebacker who's -- that's the jersey he happens to be wearing. So --

SAVIDGE: Sweet revenge.

CARTER: All ends well for Grendon.

Also happening in sports, this is interesting -- a freshman, very hard at work right now, trying to make the College of DuPage basketball team. Typical freshman, you know, working hard in the hardwood, except there's nothing typical about this guy -- Jermaine Townes, 39 years old.

Now, after high school, he decided to join the Navy. Veteran in the first Persian Gulf War, fought for our country. Now, he decided, hey, I want to go back to school, earned a degree and also I want to play the game I've always loved to play, which is basketball.

He asked the coach, can I try out? The coach said, of course. He's not going (INAUDIBLE) a veteran. It turns out the guy has got a pretty jump shot and he's also got better work ethic, shows up early, stays late, great for his younger teammates to see. And he hopes to make the starting lineup and also earn a scholarship.

And, finally, reports coming in that superstar pop star Christina Aguilera may sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl. Do you like that choice?

SAVIDGE: I do. I do like that choice. We were just talking about Whitney Houston, remember when she sang.

CARTER: Yes, she did a great job. You know, Christina sang at the NBA all-star game back in 2007, blew the roof off the place. I hope it's her. Hope she's the choice. NFL had no comment on that yet, only confirmed act is Black-Eyed Peas, which will perform at halftime.

But I hope it's her. She's great.

SAVIDGE: Joe, good to see you this morning.

CARTER: You, too, Martin.

SAVIDGE: Thanks.

CARTER: You bet.

SAVIDGE: Superstar Charlie Sheen, he may be running out of second chances. Network honchos finally speak out about "The Two and A Half Men" star's most recent tabloid headlines.

And then, take a good look at what your kids are eating for breakfast. Could that meal contribute to future health problems like diabetes? Take our quiz, learn the smartest food choices for children. That is what's new in our next hour.

Join us for that and the day's top stories in just 30 minutes. A special edition of "SANJAY GUPTA, M.D." starts right now.