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CNN Saturday Morning News
Egypt Pipeline Attacked as Political Turmoil Persists; Payrolls Barely Grow, But Unemployment Rate Plummets; Mubarak Protestors Expect ElBaradei To Take The Podium In Tahrir Square
Aired February 05, 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, everyone.
Tahrir Square in Cairo is tense but peaceful right now. But that wasn't the case just hours ago, when gunshots could be heard in the night. Military troops firing warning shots to protesters entering the square.
Meantime, opposition parties now agreeing to meet with Egypt's new vice president today.
But the violence continues to spread. New this morning: A possible terrorist attack shuts down a critical gas pipeline in Egypt. According to Egypt's state television, it's one of the main gas pipelines running to Jordan and Syria.
And here at home, the football hasn't even been thrown yet, but six people were injured when ice fell from the roof of Cowboys Stadium. One man was hit in the head, another in the shoulder. None of the injuries are life-threatening. The high in Dallas today: A balmy 42 degrees. Normally, it would be about 60.
It's early and we're on it.
From CNN Center, good morning. I'm Randi Kaye. This is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It is February 5. So glad you're with us.
It's 6 a.m. on the East Coast; 1 p.m. in Egypt.
We start with the latest from Egypt, and a tense calm in Cairo. Protesters are still in the main square, but so far we haven't seen the violence that punctuated the protests earlier this week. There was gunfire a few hours ago, but that was the military firing into the air as a warning to pro-government demonstrators who were heading into the square.
Outside of Cairo, Egypt's state TV reports that a suspected terrorist attack has shut down a gas pipeline in northern Sinai. That pipeline feeds gas to Jordan and Syria.
On the political front, some of the opposition groups have now agreed to meet with Egypt's vice president to talk about what comes next. Meanwhile, President Mubarak is meeting this morning with some of his new government ministers. For the latest on what is happening on the ground in Egypt, we're joined by CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson in Alexandria, Egypt.
Good morning, Nic.
Let's talk about this "day of departure." This was the big yesterday. Meanwhile, Mubarak is still there, still in the palace, possibly still in power.
So now what?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Now, frustration and now divisions and now the potential for chaos and further crisis.
I have to say, looking out at the streets of Alexandria this morning, it feels more normal than we've seen it for several days. There are actually traffic cops with a motorbike out on the Corniche behind me. We haven't seen that since the police were beaten off the streets over - over a week ago.
However, overnight at a - at an anti-Mubarak rally, pro- government supporters tried to disrupt that rally. The tension was defused. But it really underlines what's happening in this city. People - and across the country, people are getting divided. Some people saying, look, it's time now to stop the protests, stop talking, accept the - what they could - what the government's offered so far and work with that. And the others are saying, 'No, we should carry on.'
So it - what - what is - what is building up here is a situation that's sort of tending towards a very sort of chaotic environment where no one is really in control, no decisions are getting made, and - and if what we're hearing from state television about this terrorist act against the pipeline, that - that some of the institutions that protect this country are actually not functioning as - as they should be, and people are taking advantage of it, Randi.
KAYE: And Nic, we've heard so much in recent days about journalists being attacked. I know you yourself had some scary moments just yesterday on - on the streets of Alexandria.
Can you tell us briefly what happened to you?
ROBERTSON: And - and it's the same experience that other journalists are sharing. Here in Alexandria, it's not been as brutal as the experiences our colleagues in Cairo have had. But just as an indication of those divisions, when we went to a demonstration last night, an anti-Mubarak demonstration, there were - there men guarding their neighborhoods and - and clubs at the side of the road. And some of these men decided, even as we were being escorted towards the demonstration by - by anti-Mubarak supporters, they decided to intervene, demand our documents, accuse of us being foreigners, accuse us of being spies, accuse of coming to show a negative side of Egypt. So even while you have these demonstrations going on, there are other people - the - the sort of pro-Mubarak faction who are willing to step in and try and take control. And we were physically led out of that are by people who didn't want us there. And that was despite the support of all those demonstrators demonstrating against President Mubarak, Randi.
KAYE: Still so much anger and so much frustration, as you said.
Is there any sign - do you have any sense that the protesters are losing steam? We've heard some talk that they might even start working in shifts so they can get a break.
ROBERTSON: Well, what they say that they're going to do here in Alexandria is they'll have a - a - a - demonstration in about - well, right - right - right about now, actually, at the main central mosque. It will probably be small compared to some demonstrations. They'll have a larger demonstration late afternoon.
But what they say they're going to do is have big demonstrations on Fridays, on Sundays and on Tuesdays so that people - a lot of people can get some kind of rest in between, and then they can try and sort of focus and - and keep - and try and keep the momentum going, rather than demand everyone come out all the time - just focus on those particular days.
But it is settling down now into a real standoff with the government, and the government's holding its position. And - and I guess they're going to try and use the fact that people are unhappy with the demonstrators destroying the economy, ruining their lives, putting danger into - you know, their daily business. Government's going to try and use that to wear them down - Randi.
KAYE: All right. Our Nic Robertson live for us this morning in Alexandria, Egypt. Great to have you with us, Nic. Thank you.
Time for the "Weekend Wheel" now, the stories you need to know to get your day started.
President Obama is pressing Egypt's leaders to begin the transition now and not wait until elections in September. The administration calls today's expected meetings with opposition leaders a positive first step.
Speaking in Washington yesterday, President Obama talked about the need for calm and an end to the violence we've seen over the past few days.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Continue to be crystal clear that we oppose violence as a response to this crisis. In recent days, we've seen violence and harassment erupt on the streets of Egypt that violates human rights, universal values and international norms. So we are sending a strong and unequivocal message: Attacks on reporters are unacceptable. Attacks on human-rights activists are unacceptable. Attacks on peaceful protesters are unacceptable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: According to "The Washington Post," administration officials say Mubarak's speedy departure is key to advancing any talks with members of the opposition.
Now check out this video. Look for the headlights at the top of your screen there. You are watching a big white van drive straight through a group of anti-government protesters. There are reports that the van belongs to the United States. The U.S. Embassy reports that as many as 20 vehicles have been stolen from there since the uprising began.
A U.S. House member says he is concerned about the health of the Army soldier suspected in the WikiLeaks case. Ohio's Dennis Kucinich is asking the Defense Department to allow him to visit Private Bradley Manning. Manning is being held in a Marine Corps Brig at Quantico, Virginia. His lawyers have set up a Facebook account seeking donations for his legal defense.
This man has been arrested for allegedly messing with the Super Bowl. Frank Gonzalez accused of inserting X-rated images into the coverage of the big game two years ago. Prosecutors say he interrupted the Comcast cable broadcast in Tucson, Arizona, for 37 seconds. Gonzalez faces fraud and computer-tampering charges.
Astronaut Mark Kelly is a go for launch. Kelly, of course, is married to Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who is recovering at a Houston-area rehab clinic. There was speculation that Kelly might skip his mission, but he says he and Gabby are both ready to go.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK KELLY, NASA ASTRONAUT: I have every intention, that - that she'll be there for the launch. I've already talked to her doctors about it. So there should be - there really shouldn't be any reason why she can't go to the launch.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Commander Mark Kelly will resume his flight training on Monday for the space shuttle Endeavour's scheduled launch, which is April 19. It's the next-to-last shuttle flight on NASA's launch schedule.
And take a look at this. It's sure to teach you or your kids to watch where you're going. A 10-year-old boy in Italy recently learned that the hard way. He was so engrossed playing his handheld video game that he fell onto the tracks, as you see there, while walking along on a subway platform.
Lucky for him, there was no inbound train. A quick-thinking policeman quickly pulled him to safety. Wow.
Well, no good deeds goes unpunished. The owner of this pickup truck knows that. He was helping a couple of fishermen, driving them to their spot on Maine Sebago Lake Friday, when he found a soft spot in the ice - and yes, he went right in, along with his truck. He was able to get out in time, but his truck sure needed a tow.
Falling ice is putting a chill on Super Bowl festivities at Cowboy Stadium prior to Sunday's big game. Gusty winds blew big chunks of ice from the roof of the facility yesterday, injuring at least six people. Officials hope the ice will melt before Sunday's showdown between the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAYE: Well, do you want to work at Google? You are not the only one. You won't believe how many people applied in just one week. I'll tell you next.
Plus, how long will Christina Aguilera hold the last note when she sings the national anthem on Sunday's Super Bowl? Millions of dollars could be riding on the answer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC, DOLLY PARTON, "9 TO 5")
KAYE: That'll wake you up.
We got kind of a mixed bag in the new monthly jobs report. The unemployment rate is down, but job growth was slower than expected. We only added 36,000 jobs, most of them in the manufacturing sector, while the unemployment rate actually dropped from 9.4 percent to an even 9 percent.
Economists are having a hard time explaining the drop.
CNN's Christine Romans sorts through the numbers for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Randi, it was a jobs report with an awfully lot of conflicting information. You had the unemployment rate fall, but only 36,000 jobs were created.
What does that mean for you? Well, it means the economy still is not creating a whole bunch of jobs - enough jobs to employ all those people who lose their jobs during the Great Recession.
But there is one thing in this report that's interesting: The unemployment rate for people with a bachelor's degree fell to 4.2 percent - 4.2 percent is very, very low. It means that people in science, technology, engineering, math - people who have - are in the professional trades are starting to see some movement again in their jobs. Where do the jobs go or come by industry? Well, manufacturing added some jobs. You saw retail trade add some jobs. Business and professional services added jobs. You lost jobs in construction and transportation warehousing. The reason, most likely, is because of all of those winter storms in the Northeast that meant that many companies simply were not calling people in for a job interview and hiring people when they were hunkered down under all those storms.
Bottom line here: It's a very confusing report. Even economists are saying, don't make too much of it because it's the report of the year. There were some statistical problems in it. But overall, the economy's still not adding the jobs that you would like to see 19 months into an economic recovery - Randi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Thanks, Christine.
It seems like everyone wants to work at the Internet giant Google. Google is on a hiring spree, and they've got plenty of would- be workers to choose from, it turns out. Seventy-five thousand people applied last week alone.
Google had more than 24,000 employees at the end of 2010. It announced last week it will add more than 6,000 workers this year.
Pressure on Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to step aside is growing and not just from inside the country. President Obama says the transition of power has to start now.
But how is it all going to play out? We'll talk about negotiating the future of Egypt next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: "Globe Trekking" now.
We take you back to Egypt, where Cairo has been the scene of the most violent protests. Those are the pictures that kept us riveted to our TVs.
But outside Egypt's capital city, more protests against President Hosni Mubarak.
CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is in Alexandria, Egypt, where he found the discussion is starting to change.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Divisions in Alexandria are growing, even street corners becoming centers of heated debate
(MAN YELLING IN MEGAPHONE)
ROBERTSON: Inside cafes, the talk is of the violent clashes in Cairo, pausing only to watch as protesters pass by.
A week ago, this man was one of the protesters trying to oust the president.
Not anymore.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, they are destroying Egypt.
ROBERTSON (on camera): Really?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I sent my demands to the president, and he agreed with most of these demands, so now, we have to be quiet and give all the responsible people a chance to adjust to all the damage that happened.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Inside the same cafe, anti-Mubarak activists claim pro-government factions stalking Alexandria's streets are paid to attack them and tell me they're not going to give up until Mubarak goes.
By the seafront, far from the protests, patience among this ancient city's fishermen long since ran out. Net maker Ali Farhad (ph) is furious.
"This is wrong," he says. "They're destroying the country, stopping business for all the people. We're with Mubarak. We need calm."
His son, Mohammed Ali (ph) is angry, too. The protesters are hurting our business and bringing armed thugs to the streets.
Battle lines are being drawn, the middle ground evaporating.
TAREK EL-TAWIL, SENIOR JUDGE: The regime is panicking, are frustrated, they don't know what to do. But never -- there have been never used to see this kind of demonstration.
ROBERTSON: Tarek el-Tawil, a senior judge, thought Mubarak was backing down, until he saw the violence in Cairo. Now, he says, the president should face trial for war crimes.
EL-TAWIL: It's against humanity, what they did yesterday. They massacred -- call it a massacre. Of course, of course. We've seen very recently that international lawyers and stuff like that and human-rights organizations will start to push, of course.
ROBERTSON (on camera): And will that convince him to step down?
EL-TAWIL: Of course, of course, if they have no choice.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): It's a very, very uneasy calm.
Over there on the corner are Mubarak loyalists waiting for anti- Mubarak demonstrators to come along, waiting for confrontation. So far, at least, the anti-Mubarak supporters have been able to avoid violent clashes. Nic Robertson, CNN, Alexandria, Egypt.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Well, they say when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. When Mother Nature gives you lots of snow - well, you make this.
Also, after a quick break, we'll talk more about Egypt and the next steps. What is the military possibly doing to reduce the power of Hosni Mubarak? That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: As the protests in Egypt go on, there is growing pressure on President Hosni Mubarak to speed the pace of reform. President Obama is saying the transition of power in Egypt cannot wait.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: And the future of Egypt will be determined by its people. It's also clear that there needs to be a transition process that begins now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: The Egyptian government has different ideas. It says it could be months before any kind of transformation takes place.
This is what the Egyptian foreign minister told CNN's Hala Gorani.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AHMED ABOUL GHEIT, EGYPTIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: We Egyptians do not like imposition (ph) from abroad.
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: But this is your own people asking you to do this.
GHEIT: No. No, it is not our own people.
GORANI: There are protesters out there saying, 'We want change quickly.'
GHEIT: The president is to transform the country. And we - all of us will transform the country. And we will transform the country not through chaos, but we will transform the country through an orderly transformation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Mona Eltahawy is an Egyptian-born freelance journalist and a former columnist for "ASharka Al-Asfat" (ph). She joins us me from Los Angles.
Mona, what do you say to that statement from the foreign minister?
MONA ELTAHAWY, FREELANCE JOURNALIST: I think the foreign minister's statement - in the same way that statements by other members of the Mubarak regime, indicates to me that they operate in an alternate reality that is absolutely out of touch with what's been happening on the Egyptian streets.
This is the 12th day of an uprising that has made it very clear to Hosni Mubarak and his regime that Egyptians want him to go. It has nothing to do with the outside world.
And yet, as part of this kind of war of attrition, the Mubarak regime is trying to divide Egyptians by spreading rumors and propaganda about it being some kind of plot from abroad. And it's simply not true.
I think it shows the desperation and it shows just how out of touch they are with Egyptians' desire for freedom.
KAYE: Well, let's talk about the desire for freedom and the opposition movement. The protesters still really don't seem to have a clear leader.
So who do you expect to merge - emerge out of all of this?
ELTAHAWY: You know, we hear a lot that the protesters don't have a clear leader. But if you look at the way that they've been conducting themselves inside Tahrir Square - basically cut off from the rest of Cairo - they've shown incredible amounts of leadership. They've set up a field hospital to tend to the wounded; they've set up - you know, parts of them are in charge of security and taking care of defending the pro-democracy people against the Mubarak thugs. You know, they've managed to get water and medical supplies and food in from - from outside of Tahrir Square.
KAYE: Yes, as - as a group. But what - but what about a single name possibly who might emerge as a leader here?
ELTAHAWY: Yes. What they don't want here is just a single name because they don't want replace Mubarak with just another kind of Mubarak light, or Mubarak from the other side.
So what we hear about is a committee that's been put together of 10 people that represent various factions that are there on - on the street - on the streets of Cairo. Now, they include names that we will recognize, like Mohamed ElBaradei. Like veteran Egyptian parliamentarian Ayman Noor (ph). So there are people there.
And what they're also trying to do is include young people who belong to the youth movement that launched this uprising.
So my point is, there are many people there who can replace Hosni Mubarak. He just needs to go so that the negotiations for the transition of power can start immediately.
KAYE: And - and Mona, there are reports this morning that the military is looking to limit the authority of Hosni Mubarak, maybe even remove him from the presidential palace.
Is that possible?
ELTAHAWY: It depends.
You know, I mean, we've - for days now, we've been sitting here trying to kind of guess and - and read the minds of the armed forces. Sometimes they seem to be on the demonstrators' side; sometimes they seem to be against them. And sometimes, in - by just being neutral and not defending them against Mubarak thugs, they seem to be taking Mubarak's side.
Don't forget Mubarak was the head of the air force. So he does have loyalty within the armed forces. But I think the armed forces recognize that the pro-democracy demonstrators in Tahrir Square and in other parts of Egypt - this is not just limited to Cairo - are determined. They've already called next week "the week of resistance." And every time they call for a rally, more and more people come out.
So I think on some level, the armed forces recognize that there are lots of Egyptians who want Mubarak to go, and they must see that for the sake of the country, he is the destabilizing force and he is the reason for chaos.
KAYE: Mona Eltahawy for us this morning. We'll check back with you later this morning as well.
Thank you, Mona.
And right now in Egypt, journalists are the targets of violence. We'll take a look at who or what is behind these attacks.
Plus, why is Congress picking a fight with Facebook? I'll explain next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: It is half past the hour. Welcome back, I'm Randi Kaye. Thanks for starting your day with us. Time now for a check on the top stories.
There are new developments in Egypt's ongoing anti-government demonstrations. Foreign terrorists are being blamed for blowing up a critical gas pipeline that services Jordan and Syria. It happened yesterday in the northern Sinai town of El Alrish (ph). The local governor there says firefighters are trying to get the fire under control.
The co-chairs of the House by-partisan Privacy Caucus have issued a deadline for Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. They want to know more about the social network's every changing privacy policy. Specifically, a plan to make user home addresses and cell phone numbers available to third party websites and application developers. Zuckerberg has 15 business days to get them the answers. Tomorrow marks what would have been the 100th birthday of U.S. President Ronald Reagan. CNN's John King hosts our special coverage of the centennial celebration at the Reagan Presidential Library starting tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Yesterday former GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin kicked off the celebration at Reagan's California ranch, rallying against big government and the Obama administration.
A tense but calm mood has descended on Cairo's Liberation Square this hour. Here is a quick look at the turmoil in Egypt now. The Egyptian military is overseeing security for anti-government demonstrators in Tahrir Square. No reports of the violence that was evident earlier in the week when pro-government demonstrators clashed with those who want the president to step down. Opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei is in the square. ElBaradei's National Association for Change movement tells CNN he will make his way to the podium and speak to the crowd. But we don't know exactly when that will happen.
Meanwhile, embattled President Hosni Mubarak met today at the presidential palace with the minister of finance, oil, trade and industry. No word on exactly what they discussed.
Let's get to Cairo now for the scene. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen in the Egyptian capital. He joins us now by phone.
Fred, if you can, good morning to you, describe the scene there. Lots of anti-Mubarak demonstrators in the square.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Absolutely, Randi, good morning to you, as well.
There are still several thousand out there demonstrating on the square. I was at the podium just a couple of minutes ago. I didn't see Mohammed ElBaradei there yet. However his people did tell us that he was going to speak at some point. So we'll wait to see when that happens.
Also, as you said, the military has massively stepped up its presence around the square. They are also trying to keep pro-Mubarak demonstrators, who have been instigating fights, away from the area. It's far more elite troops that are down there than have been before. They are some airborne soldiers who really have a much better grip of the situation than was going on before.
The other thing that's happening is I would say a sort of a sense of normalcy is coming back to central Cairo now. You have this area around Tahrir Square, which is still cordoned off, which has all these protestors. But in front of that I'm seeing a big highway overpass, which was really battle ground yesterday. And right now, it's full of cars, the usual sort of Cairo traffic rolling through there. It appears as though, at least many people are trying to get on with their lives, as these large demonstrations continue. And the protesters tell us they are nowhere near stopping their demonstrations, Randi.
KAYE: Fred, we are now in day 12 of this. The organizers have said they will continue to protest, right, until Mubarak steps down? But is that even feasible?
PLEITGEN: It isn't at this point. It seems as though the Mubarak regime is still very much continuing its tough stance. There is a negotiation meeting going on today with the vice president and some opposition groups. We are going to wait and see what we hear from that.
Right now, of course, Mubarak says he still wants to finish his term in office. The other thing that is really aiding Mubarak, I would say, in that is the fact the opposition movement has yet to come up with someone to take his place. I was just there and I talked to a lot of people. I talked to the Muslim Brotherhood, which of course is one organization. I talked to a couple of other opposition organizations.
They tell us none of them really want to take the lead in all this. None of them want to become the face of the opposition movement. Some of the young people I spoke with down there, who have been involved in these street battles and are telling me they feel this is their revolution. They're saying they don't want anyone to speak for them. They want Mubarak to fall, and then they want something like elections, then they say they want to elect their leader. But right now, really the opposition doesn't have anybody who could speak for it as a unifying speaker at this point, Randi.
KAYE: Yet they are certainly still fired up. Our Fred Pleitgen for us this morning. Thank you, Fred.
One big concern in Washington is that the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt would come into power if Mubarak resigns. Last night, CNN's John King asked the leader of the Brotherhood about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ESSAM EL-ERIAN, MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD LEADER: I think any dialogue must be started after the departure of Mubarak. Because the people are protesting in the streets and square and they are insisting to continue, until Mubarak step down from office.
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: As you know, a lot of people in the United States are suspicious of the Muslim Brotherhood. A lot of politicians in the United States would prefer to stay with President Mubarak because of the fear the Muslim Brotherhood would take power in Egypt, break the peace treaty with Israel, and have a hostile relationship with the United States.
EL-ERIAN: We are not going to run in the general election. You are keen to be part of the new era, participating in the parliament mainly, and if there is any need for the cabinet to have participation from us, we can discuss this later. We are not looking for power at all. We are not going to hand the power to ourselves, or to negotiate about that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Just a short while ago, we learned that protesters have formed a new opposition group to represent anti-government demonstrators. The new group includes Mohammed ElBaradei of the Association for National Change, and the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood.
It's been a difficult winter for parts of the Midwest, and today is not much different. Meteorologist Karen Maginnis will have that forecast for you. Plus you Super Bowl weather forecast. All coming your way.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back. Roughly 20 minutes before the top of the hour. Let's get a check on the forecast. Karen Maginnis is live in the CNN Severe Weather Center with the latest for us.
Good morning.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAYE: Time to take a look at some of the extreme pictures we have seen this week. This is one of our favorite parts of the show. This weekend it is the snow edition. In Salem, New Hampshire, the snowy roads got pretty slick, leading to several accidents, including the one you see here. Yes, it is a car stuck nose-first in a snow bank. Look at that video. That is definitely something you don't see every day. Don't worry. No one was seriously injured. As hard as that might be to believe.
That is nothing compared to this.
Oh, yes. This is what happens when you have too much snow on the roof. It happened in Easton, Massachusetts. Luckily, the people who work there heard the creaks before it was too late. Had some quick thinking there and they all got out of the building before the roof and the walls caved in.
Check out this snow man or maybe we should call it a snow giant. The Scobal (ph) family in Champion, New York builds a big snowman every year. This time, yes, they have outdone themselves. This one is around 35 feet tall. It's not just snow. The buttons are actually racing tires. That's how big this snow man is. The hat, where do you find a hat to fit a 35 foot tall showman? It's a actually plastic swimming pool. It took 50 people to build this snowy masterpiece. So what do you do next year to top all of this? Well, we'll have to wait and see.
When it comes to the Super Bowl, all bets are on from how long it will take Christina Aguilera to sing the national anthem, to how many times Brett Favre will be mentioned. You can bet on anything. I'll explain straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE (voice over): Journalist rushed to cover the uprising in Egypt and bring the story to people around the world. But they were quickly silenced. On Wednesday, CNN's Anderson Cooper and his team were attacked in Tahrir Square while covering the protests.
ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER 360": I have been hit like 10 times.
KAYE: That same day, CNN International Correspondent Hala Gorani was also roughed up covering the story. A stranger escorted her to safety.
GORANI: This is a little chaotic. I have someone helping me out here.
On Thursday when Anderson Cooper ventured out again to capture the protests, his car window was smashed. He Tweeted, "The vehicle I was in attacked. My window smashed. All OK."
COOPER: We were all OK. We started screaming to the driver, go, go, go. And we were able to get out of there. The car was pretty badly damaged. Again, that was a minor incident compared to what happened to numerous journalists today.
KAYE: Anderson had to broadcast his nightly program, "AC 360," from an undisclosed location Thursday due to safety concerns.
COOPER: I can't tell you where we are, frankly, for our own safety.
KAYE: It wasn't just CNN. Reporter Laura Logan (ph) from CBS was marched back to her hotel at gunpoint. An ABC producer and cameraman were carjacked at a check point and driven to a compound where men threatened to behead them. A FOX News Channel correspondent and producer attacked so severely, they were hospitalized. All, it seemed, a coordinated effort to instill fear, destroy camera equipment and stop the story from spreading.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton took notice.
HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We condemn, in the strongest terms attacks on the reporters covering the ongoing situation in Egypt.
KAYE: Who was to blame for the attacks on the press?
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Senior State Department officials say that they have information that shows there was some type of connection between the ministry of the interior and the attacks.
KAYE: But the Egyptian ambassador told CNN the government condemned the attacks and was not behind them. Still, in a televised address, Vice President Omar Suleiman singled out international TV reporters.
OMAR SULEIMAN, EGYPTIAN VICE PRESIDENT: I actually blame certain friendly nations who have television channels that are not friendly at all.
KAYE: Meanwhile, on Friday, the attacks continued. The Arabic network Al Jazeera reported its office in Cairo had been attacked by, quote, a gang of thugs. The office and all of the equipment inside burned. The Al Jazeera Network's office had been closed days earlier after it broadcast video of anti-Mubarak protestors.
(Voice over): The only media it seems that is free to broadcast is state-run Nile TV, a pro-Mubarak network. Early on, Nile TV called the protests, quote, "riots" and accused protesters of violating the security of the country.
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, INTERNATIONAL ASSIGNMENT EDITOR: Well, since the beginning they have been covering the protests, but they have mainly been focusing on pro-Mubarak rallies, rather than anti-Mubarak rallies.
KAYE: Nile TV has since backed off a bit. Telling the protesters to go home. That their message has been heard. Still, their coverage apparently too slanted even for a Nile TV anchor woman, who walked off the job this week, in protest.
SHAHIRA AMIN, FMR. SENIOR CORRESPONDENT, NILE TV: I don't want to be part of the propaganda machine of this regime. I'm on the side of the people.
KAYE: The people, and the protesters, who want their story told, by journalists who now find it too dangerous to do their job.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: The attacks haven't just been against TV journalists. Newspaper and Internet reporters have also been targeted. The committee to protect journalist says there has been more than 100 attacks against journalists and facilities in the past week. That includes one person, one journalist, who was killed.
When it comes to the Super Bowl, we all know about office pools and bets on the actual game. What about bets on the national anthem. Yes, believe it.
And later a look at whether Dallas will be able to get the ice cleaned up in time for the big game.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: A little Christina Aguilera this morning.
Are you willing to take a gamble this weekend? Experts figure about $10 billion will be on Sunday's Super Bowl. Half of those wagers will have nothing to do with point spreads or even football. There will be proposition bets, as they are called. For example, you can place a wager on how many times the FOX announcers will mention former Packer Brett Favre's' name. The over under is 2.5. Or who will the Super Bowl MVP thank first, after the game. His coach, 10 to 1 odds, his family, 4 to1 odds, or God, he's a 3 to 2 favorite. You can even bet on how long it will take for Christina Aguilera to sing the national anthem. The over/under is 1.54 minute. How long she'll hold the final note, possibly. The over/under there, 6 seconds. A bet comedian Jimmy Kimmel may be planning to place.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY KIMMEL, COMEDIAN: I'm going with the under. I'm going with under 6 seconds. I think she's going to do it under 6 seconds. Almost every person I talk to thinks she'll go longer to show off because it's the Super Bowl. I don't think Christina Aguilera is a show-off. You hear that, Christina? I don't think you are a show- off. Only a show-off would sing the word brave for more than six seconds.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Very funny.
We are just one day away from all those expensive and often very funny Super Bowl commercials that come out this time of year. Oh, and by the way, the Steelers and Packers are playing football, too. Jeanne Moos previewed some of the ads that made the Super Bowl cut including some clever ones that didn't come from a top ad agency.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Forget Roethlisberger and Rodgers, the up and coming stars of the Super Bowl could be a pug, a beaver, a pint-sized Darth Vader, maybe even Adam and Eve.
Most advertisers spend a bundle making professional commercials. Bridgestone tires used a real beaver and a stunt beaver. But there were also be a half dozen homemade Super Bowl commercials. Doritos and Pepsi Max asked folks to make their own ads.
(VIDEO CLIP, CRASHTHESUPERBOWL.COM)
MOOS: J.R. Burningham created "Pug Attack."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've always thought pugs running in slow motion was funny.
MOOS: So he borrowed a friend's pug -- there were over 5,600 entries competing for cash and exposure. The sauna wasn't a finalist, Adam and Eve was.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Different take on an old story.
(VIDEO CLIP, CRASHTHESUPERBOWL.COM)
MOOS: Some aspiring ad makers had the same creative concept. For instance, the chip on the butt. Neither of those made the finals, but one called "The Best Part" did.
(VIDEO CLIP, CRASHTHESUPERBOWL.COM)
MOOS: OK, that isn't as cute as say Volkswagen's Super Bowl spot featuring a miniature Darth Vader who finally gets the force to work when his dad gives him a hand.
(on camera): In the days leading up to the game, some advertisers even release trailers for their commercials.
(voice-over): For instance, the tale of a scorpion and the Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales is to be continued. Ditto for another Bridgestone tire ad.
(VIDEO CLIP, BRIDGESTONE AD)
MOOS: But those are created by agencies. The amateurs stand to win up to a million bucks if their homemade ads make it to the top of the "USA Today" ad meter.
(on camera): Now, if I were a betting girl, I'd put my chips on the pug.
MOOS (voice-over): Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: I love that pug. So, what are the hits and misses of this year's Super Bowl ads? We'll put that question to the executive editor of "Ad Week," James Cooper. That is live tomorrow morning on Super Sunday. We'll give you a sneak peak at the ads once again, and rate them. That is 8:00 a.m., on "CNN SUNDAY MORNING."
And they said soccer wasn't a full contact sport. Take a look at this. You see exactly what has happened after a regular soccer game turned into fight night at the WWE.
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KAYE: Let's go "Across the Country" now for stories our affiliates are covering.
First stop, Corker, California and the buzzer beater at a high school game they cannot stop talking about. Check it out. The short rebound, then incoming, swish. That should have been a four-point shot. Don't you think? Look at that.
To Florida where a soccer game erupted into a full scale brawl. Soccer players usually use their feet. These guys are throwing blows. One player was arrested after all that. But students complain the pepper spray school personnel used to break up the brawl was a bit excessive.
Last stop, Lansing, Michigan, where a dozen postal workers just lucked out in the Mega Millions Lottery. They will split $46.5 million after a third is shaved off for taxes. One of the winners, that you just saw there? Yes, that guy says that he's going to keep his job at the post office. Yes. Keep his job. Don't they always say that?
