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CNN Saturday Morning News
House Cuts $60 Billion; Americans Hijacked Off Somalia; Deadly Protests in Bahrain; Tree-Huggers By the Hundreds; Wall Street to Main Street; Why We're Watching Wisconsin; Joseph Lowery Speaks
Aired February 19, 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.
The house pulls an all-nighter passing a bill that keeps the government up and running, but at a high cost. We go live to Capitol Hill to find out what programs got slashed and whether the services important to you survived tough cuts.
Revolution comes at a price in Bahrain. Protests escalate, shots are fired. And one of the most disturbing incidents was caught on tape. We'll bring that to you.
And Somali pirates strike again. This time, Americans on around the world trip are believed to be held for ransom this morning.
It is early and we are on it. From CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It's February 19th. Good morning everyone. I'm Randi Kaye and thanks for waking up with us this morning, a busy morning in our newsroom. We'll get you caught up on those developing stories.
Plus, a consumer alert for anyone headed to the grocery store today. Here's a hint, there's a shocker waiting for you at the cash register.
Oprah Winfrey School for South African Girls is back on the news for a terrible reason.
And those teacher protests in Wisconsin could get bigger before things get better.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is wrong, desperately wrong. We will not stand for it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Thousands are expected back on at the State House to protest drastic budget cuts. And now, Tea Party activists promise to join the fray today.
Other governors facing tough budget decisions will be watching this showdown, no doubt. Auburn University's beloved trees are barely surviving an attack by a vandal armed with plant killers. That's right - poison. Later this morning, thousands of students and grads, many brought together by Facebook are fighting back. We'll have the latest from there.
And we'll catch you up with an icon who's had a front row seat to some of the biggest moments in the civil rights struggle. But what was the most powerful influential moment for Reverend Joseph Lowery? He'll tell us about that and about his new book, later this hour.
We start on Capitol Hill where it is all about your money. And the House just wrapped up a marathon session passing a huge package of spending cuts. The Republican-led House approved slashing more than $60 billion from this year's budget, the House trying to beat a March 4th government shutdown.
At stake if the government does shut down, benefits for veterans, social security checks for older Americans, even airport security could be affected.
CNN Congressional Correspondent Brianna Keilar is in Washington. Brianna, good morning to you.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Randi.
This is a really big deal. It's not very often that we see the House of Representatives staying in until the 4:00 A.M. hour. And this was really in a line of days this week where they were dealing with this spending cuts bill.
Bottom line, this cuts more than $60 billion from the current budget for the remaining seven months in the current budget. At least this is what the House action was. And there were also a number of changes.
This is what took so long. You had hundreds of amendments from Democrats and Republicans. They had this process were they all got a proposed changes. They want it and a number of them were very controversial. The most controversial one had to do with defunding health care reform. Republicans have said that they weren't going to be able to repeal it outright. This was the route they were going to take. And House Republicans did pass this change yesterday.
There was also an amendment that passed that would have cut out federal funding for Planned Parenthood. And another one that failed so that in the end, Randi, the Pentagon can continue to sponsor NASCAR race teams. I mean, this just round the gamut.
KAYE: Sure. But this isn't certainly the end of it. I mean, there are some obstacles -
KEILAR: No.
KAYE: -- here. The Senate and the White House certainly not on board with what just happened here. KEILAR: No. There are a number of cuts in this underlying bill that Democrats in the Senate and that President Obama are not going to stand for. There are cuts for the Nutrition Assistance Program to Women, Infants and Children. You may know it as WIC. There are billions of dollars in cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency.
And what you're dealing with here is raising the spectrum really of a government shutdown. Because, right now, the government is operating on a temporary funding measure. It's a stuck up (ph) measure and it only takes the government, in terms of funding, to the next two weeks. March 4th is the date that we're going to be watching. That's when it expires - Randi.
KAYE: And aren't we cutting this pretty close? Because the Senate really might not come back and even take this up until - what - February 28th, which is just days before the shutdown.
KEILAR: We are cutting this close. Actually, I thought Candy Crowley said it best yesterday when she said we're looking at two weeks until this stuck up (ph) measure expires. She said that was a nanosecond when you're talking about how long it takes Congress to get moving on something. And the issue really here is that House Republicans, there's a whole conservative contingent, especially new freshmen, who say, you know, we want these cuts. We're going to be unbending on it.
What I do know, I spoke with a House Republican leadership, (INAUDIBLE), who told me that leaders have been talking now for over a week to these conservative members and saying, you know what, we may have to go with another one of these temporary funding measures to really get these cuts that we want. So everyone's kind of trying to tamp down the idea that we'll have a government shutdown, which would be a huge deal.
KAYE: Certainly, it would be. Brianna Keilar for us in Washington this morning. Thanks, Brianna.
KEILAR: Sure.
KAYE: And a hijacking on the high seas now. Somali pirates, this morning, are holding four Americans after boarding their yacht in the Indian Ocean. The identities of the Americans are not known. But a piracy watch dog group says the S/V Quest Yacht is owned by Jean and Scott Adam. They're on a seven-year around the world voyage.
CNN's David McKenzie on the phone with us from Nairobi, Kenya. He's actually Skyping with us. David, any - any demands yet?
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, nod demands yet, Randi. In fact, it's very early day. Both NATO and the Piracy Watchdog said that this yacht SV Quest was taken off the Coast of Oman, which if off the Coast of the Arabian Peninsula.
Jean and Scott Adam are believed to be on board as well as two other Americans. I spoke to the U.S. Military over (INAUDIBLE) and they said that they are closely watching this, Randi, and checking in on any radio signals, anything coming from there.
My sources in Somalia have not seen any yacht approaching some of the notorious pirate dens in that region. Generally, what happen is that people who are captured are taken towards the Coast of Somalia and held there and then they ask for ransom. At this stage, very troubling, four Americans captured it seems by Somali pirates, but the details are still coming up - Randi.
KAYE: Certainly, numerous layers to check. But this couple did post on their website, if it is indeed them, that they were going through these waters of the Indian Ocean there well known certainly traveled by pirates. So they seem to be aware of some risks. Are people there aware of these risks that the pirates are - are looking for them?
MCKENZIE: Well, the Adams is certainly would have been aware of the - of the risk, Randi. I mean, this area is a pirate hot spot all the way from India including the Seychelles Island as you go toward the Gulf of Aden. This is just swamped by Somali pirates. There have been several attacks and successful hijacks even in recent weeks. And even on their websites, they say they are keeping in touch with State Department travel warnings.
But if you look at the recent State Department travel warning, it explicitly warns people, particularly American citizens from going through those regions. They've been traveling on this boat since 2005. They left from California.
And one of the missions they say they're on is to distribute Bibles along the way. They've done it in the South Seas, across New Zealand. This is a very experienced couple. We don't know yet whether it is them 100 percent sure and we don't know who the other two Americans are on board. But, certainly, you know, people can wait up to a year, six months to a year to negotiate.
What the Navy will be doing - the U.S. Navy and others in the coalition forces there potentially will be trying and block the yacht from getting towards land. Because once hostages hit the land, really, there's very little that can be done except for the families to wait to hear from the pirates and start negotiating - Randi.
KAYE: This could be a very long wait for their family if they try to get some information. All right. Our David McKenzie in Nairobi, Kenya. David, thank you.
And protesters are promising to be back on the streets in Bahrain today. And just moments ago, we saw armored personnel carriers and tanks moving away from the main square. Bahrain is one of several countries in the region now seeing increased anti-government demonstrations.
But those protests turned deadly yesterday. Take a look at this. This is a YouTube video supposedly showing one of the protests in the capital Manama, then shots ring out. Amazing video. At least four people were killed. Hospital sources say as many as 50 people injured. Well, this is dramatic video. We do have to stress that CNN cannot confirm the authenticity of video posted on YouTube, but we have corroborated the images with corresponding news reports. This video does appear to be from the same location where our teams were working earlier on Friday.
Here's part of the report from CNN's Arwa Damon, who was on the street shortly after the shots were fired.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Covered in blood, Muhammad (ph) says. I told everyone to put their hands up as a sign of peace. Then I saw the military crouch down like this. A man standing next to him was shot in the head, he tells us. Our conversation ends abruptly when the military opens fire, once again, using steel pellets and live ammunition.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: And we'll have a live report from Arwa coming up in just around 15 minutes.
Time now for our "Weekend Wheel", a look at other stories on our radar. We start in Wisconsin, where a huge budget battle is having a national impact.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is wrong. Desperately wrong. We will not stand for it.
KAYE (voice-over): Massive demonstrations at the state capital in Madison, where Democratic lawmakers yesterday delayed a vote on Governor Scott Walker's budget plan. The governor is proposing legislation that would remove most collective bargaining rights for public workers. He wants state, local and school workers to pay half the cost of pensions and at least 12.6 percent of their health care premiums.
GOV. SCOTT WALKER (R), WISCONSIN: Certainly, the thousands of people here and outside the capital have every right to be heard. But I want to make sure that not for one moment are their voices drowning out the voices of the millions of taxpayers all across the State of Wisconsin, which I've toured the state over the last couple days and even before that and made it clear that they think what we're doing is a politically bold move, it is a modest request of our employees at the state and local level.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Even President Obama is commenting on the controversy. He calls the governor's proposal an assault on unions.
Police in South Africa are investigating the death of a small baby found in a bag of a girl who attends Oprah Winfrey's School near Johannesburg. Police say they believe the 17-year-old student gave birth at the school. No charges have been brought in the case, but the investigation is ongoing.
We wouldn't get a look at the search warrant in the Jerry Lee Loughner case anytime soon. A federal judge says it cannot be released because the investigation is ongoing and more charges might be filed. Loughner, as you know, is the suspect in last month's Tucson shooting spree. The judge also says he'll let the U.S. Marshal Service decide whether to release two mug shots of Loughner.
Media outlets are trying to get access to those pictures and to the search warrant information.
A firefighter who refused to respond to the Tucson shooting is now giving more detail on his decision. Mark Ekstrum says he was distracted by what he thought the attack would do to the country. So he thought it was best if the rest of the crew went without him. But they had to stop and pick up a replacement on their way, delaying their arrival at the scene.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ASST. CHIEF JOE GULOTTA, TUCSON FIRE DEPARTMENT: Once he made the decision not to go on that call, that was the last time he worked as a firefighter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Ekstrum, a 28-year veteran retired just two days after the shooting. His crew was called to the scene 90 minutes after the attack to help handle victims that were not seriously injured. Six people died and 13 people were wounded in that shooting.
And this one is for the foot and mouth file. Today's price goes to John Kasich, newly-elected governor of the State of Ohio. What could have prompted this?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. JOHN KASICH, OHIO: Think about this. Have you ever been stopped by a policeman who was an idiot? I had this idiot pull me over on 315.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Yes, you heard. He did say that. Ohio's men and women in blue had to love hearing that, right, from the governor. In fact, the Fraternal Order of Police called the governor out, called his statement offensive. And now the governor's phoned the officer he called an idiot to say that he is sorry.
This speech, by the way, was a pep talk to state employees and the governor was trying to make a point about customer service.
Well, a college rivalry goes way too far, threatening the survival of pair of century old trees. They have been poisoned. We'll tell you all about that and give you the very latest from Auburn, Alabama next. Our Reynolds Wolf is standing by in the Weather Center to weigh in on this. What else is going on out there, Reynolds?
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Oh, we've got (INAUDIBLE) in the Weather Department.
You know, here in the southeast, the weather has been picture perfect. We've got temperatures in the 70s, some places very close to the 80s with plenty of sunshine. So spring is here, right? We've got some winter weather that's developing out towards the west. Some places possibly several feet of snow and wind gusts that could be topping 60 miles an hour.
Wow. We're going to talk about it all, coming up right here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING. See you in a few.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Beautiful shot of Atlanta this morning. It is 15 minutes past the hour. Time for a check on today's weather with meteorologist Reynolds Wolf live in the CNN Sever Weather Center.
Reynolds, you say a big storm, huh, beginning to bare down on parts of the country?
WOLF: Absolutely. Possibilities in very strong winds and very poor driving conditions due to the wind along, but they will be bring in the ice and the possibility of snowfall. It could be pretty interesting.
This is not going to be in terms of ice, not - not so much in that category, but snow, possibly several feet especially in a few regions specifically over into the Sierra Nevadas, back into (INAUDIBLE), the Wasatch Range. And the Central and Northern Rockies may get hammered by this system. It is all coming out of - out of the Pacific. And as it comes across, interacts with that cold air along, we've got some really rough stuff you'll be dealing with.
However, great for skiers, bad for drivers along parts of 15 and over towards 70. It could be just treacherous especially by late afternoon.
Here, again, is the reason why it's all happening, this area of low pressure. However, this low that we see back over towards parts of Texas is going to be a mechanism that brings in plenty of warm and muggy air and possibly a few scattered showers across parts of Missouri and Arkansas by late in the afternoon.
Snow showers a possibility also in parts of the extreme northeast like (INAUDIBLE) snowfall for Buffalo, perhaps even into Eerie, Pennsylvania. Then the southeast, we're talking about pure bliss. It's going to be incredible. Lots of sunshine for today in places like Auburn, Alabama; or highs - you're going to warm up into the 70s; Atlanta was 73 degrees; New York and Boston a little bit cooler into the 40s for highs; 38 degrees in Chicago; 32 Minneapolis; back into Billings, 14; 41 in Salt Lake City; 60 Los Angeles; 43 degrees expected for San Francisco. In El Paso, a beautiful day for you, is 81; 75 in Dallas. Houston with 71. And Austin, Texas, basically the same situation, 70s with plenty of sunshine and humidity a bit on the high side.
Randi, that's the latest we got for you. Let's kick it right back over to you.
KAYE: All right. You know, Reynolds we're going to talk next about this topic that I know is very near and dear to your heart - these thousands of tree-huggers now going to -
WOLF: Oh, yes.
KAYE: -- hug the trees and hopefully make them well, maybe. We'll see. This is all happening on Auburn, Alabama this morning. But these aren't your every day garden variety type of environmentalists. We're talking about many are university alumni or fans and (INAUDIBLE) by an act of vandalism targeting a long standing source of campus pride, which Reynolds is all too familiar with.
We're talking about the poisoning of a pair of 130-year-old oak trees that adorned Toomer's Corner, an intersection popularized by Auburn fans after winning football games.
Charged hours after Auburn confirmed the poisoning, 62-year-old Harvey Updyke of nearby Dadeville. A self professed Alabama fan, who may have outed himself actually. Updyke is believed to have called the Birmingham Sports Radio Show to brag days after his team lost to Auburn.
(BEGIN AUDIO TAPE)
HARVEY UPDYKE, CHARGED OF POISONING A PAIR OF 130-YEAR-OLD OAK TREE: The weekend after the Iron Bowl, I went to Auburn, Alabama because I live 30 miles away.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure.
UPDYKE: And I poisoned the two Toomer's trees. They're not dead yet, but they - they definitely will die.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is that against the - the law to poison a tree?
UPDYKE: Oh, do you think I care?
(END AUDIO TAPE)
WOLF: Wow.
KAYE: Nice, right? I mean, first of all, if he's convicted, he's facing a possible 10 years in jail. But who - who does that, first of all? And then who calls the radio station to brag about it?
WOLF: Well, not only did he do that, but he actually called a - a professor at the university, called (INAUDIBLE), actually bragged about doing this.
This is a really heartbreaking thing if you happen to be an Auburn fan, because since about 1964, they've been going to Toomer's Corner. And it's not just for victories in football, it could be basketball, baseball, women's softball. It could be anything. It could be a graduation (INAUDIBLE) the trees.
People have, you know, proposed under those trees. They've had weddings there underneath the trees since 1964. It's a - it's a tremendous thing. And yet, the thing is since 1964, you've had people that have been coming by. And then in the '80s, those graduates will bring their children. And now their kids are bringing their own kids, their own infants to Toomer's Corner.
KAYE: And to poison them. I mean, just to go out there over a - over a rivalry. It's just hard to believe.
WOLF: It's a (INAUDIBLE) thing. No question.
KAYE: Well, we are going to talk about this. We're going to have actually some of the people who are organizing this - this mass hug, if you want to call it that. And I know you're going to join that conversation coming up in a little bit. So we'll see you then.
And speaking of teams who just can't get along, a bleacher report put out a list of the top rivalries in sports history. Now, I know Auburn and Alabama are huge rivals, but a big factor in making this list is how long the rivalry has actually been going on.
At number five, the Green Bay Packers versus the Chicago Bears. It is the oldest and longest-running rivalry in the NFL. Number four, the Los Angeles Lakers versus the Boston Celtics. Most of us remember one of their greatest showdowns in the 2010 NBA finals. In third place, a head-to-head matchup that's lasted more than a century, the Dodgers versus the Giants.
So, do you know who are the two toughest rivals in sports history? We're going to check and we'll have the answer for you right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Before the break, we took a look at the toughest rivals in sports history. And now, to the teams hitting the number two spot, the Boston Red Sox versus the New York Yankees, a match up that's lasted since 1901. But nabbing the best or worst, however you see it, in rivalry in history, the Ohio State Buckeyes versus the Michigan Wolverines. Yes, I've been to one of those games, and it's ugly. They've been battling it out on the turf since 1897.
You can check out the list at BleacherReport.com.
OK, so the economy may still be sputtering, but that doesn't mean prices can't go up. CNN's Stephanie Elam tells us where you're going to be paying more and why as she kicks off this morning's "Business Minute." (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Prices at the mall are rising, and analysts tells us clothing prices will rise 10 percent by July and another 12 percent in the second half of the year. This comes as cotton prices soar to levels not seen since the Civil War.
General Motors is giving all of its factory workers a record- setting bonus. Line workers will get $4,000 each. Since emerging from bankruptcy, GM has returned to profitability. Salaried workers will get bonuses as well.
Sending a greeting card just got easier. Hallmark has a new line of cards that include the postage. It works like a forever stamp, meaning it's immune to stamp price increases. The cards will sell for up to $4.
Poppy Harlow has a look at what's coming up. Hi, Poppy.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: I'm Poppy Harlow in New York.
While Wall Street is gearing up this week for a slew of corporate earnings, including Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Hewlett Packard and Target, we'll also get a look at how people are feeling about the economy with the latest Consumer Confidence Reading. That comes on Tuesday. And housing will take center stage midweek with the latest new and existing home sales reports.
And on Friday, Apple will hold its annual shareholder meeting. This is the first meeting since CEO Steve Jobs announced he's taking a second medical leave of absence. Of course, we'll track it all for you on CNNMoney.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Just a week ago, Egyptians were celebrating the forced resignation of 30-year President Hosni Mubarak. That spirit of revolution is now spreading throughout the Mideast - Bahrain, Libya, Yemen. Protests there are now all surging.
Ahead, we will give you the breakdown and tell you why it might be important to you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back.
Earlier, we showed you dramatic video from Bahrain showing protesters running for cover when shots rang out during anti- government demonstrations. At least four people were killed.
Our Arwa Damon was there shortly after shots were fired. Arwa, earlier we heard your conversation with one man. Was there any type of warning before the shots were fired? What did he tell you?
DAMON: No, Randi. He says that there wasn't. And what we did see in the YouTube video is - seems to confirm that as well. You saw the anti-government demonstrators walking towards the military barricade, their hands up. They were chanting peacefully. Peacefully. And then the military literally mowed them down.
And it did not end there. We saw this happening time and time again. The demonstrators would try to move forward only to be shot at. The military using, it would seem live ammunitions as pellet bullets as well as tear gas to try to push the demonstrators back.
Later on that same evening, we've heard from the government, saying that now it was the time for dialogue with all parties. The opposition coming out and saying that they would not talk until the military had left the streets.
We can now confirm that the military is not present at Pearl Square. However, there is a very heavy police presence. And we just heard from a member of the Wefaq (ph) Party - that is the largest opposition party here - saying that they have demonstrations planned for 3:00 P.M. That is in around half an hour, saying that if those demonstrations go peacefully, then they will be willing to speak with the government.
So very tense times ahead here, Randi.
KAYE: And Arwa, I have to ask you, because you were there on the street and then - then shots rang out again. What did you do when that happened?
DAMON: Well, Randi, we ran away, just as everyone else was doing at that point in time. It was quite an intense barrage of tear gas. Everybody was trying to get away from it as fast as possible.
We ran past ambulances with bodies being thrown into the backs of them. People trying to evacuate the wounded as fast as possible. When we got to a safe distance away, we regrouped in a bunch and we came back to file the story. But, you know, we've been going through this, as have the demonstrators ever since the government decided to crack down.
KAYE: Arwa Damon joining us this morning from Bahrain. Arwa, thank you.
President Obama called Bahrain's king and stressed his condemnation of the violence against protesters and called on the government to show restraint.
Bahrain is a strategic ally of the United States. It has a major base that's home to the U.S. Fifth Fleet. The Fifth Fleet has more than 30 vessels and 30,000 personnel. The fleet patrols the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea and East Africa. That includes the pirate- infested waters off Somalia.
The budget battle in Wisconsin rages on. It's having a ripple effect across the country. Democrats hate the bill so much, they fled the state to avoid a vote on it. It's happened before. One of the first politicians to do it is now an American icon. I'll give you a hint. He was said to be very honest. Yes, go figure.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Glad you are with us. Thirty-two minutes past the hour. Welcome back. I'm Randi Kaye. And thanks for starting your day with us.
Checking top stories, After a late night legislative marathon, the House of Representatives passed a spending bill to cut about $60 billion from the remaining year's budget. The vote happening about 90 minutes ago.
The bill now heads to the Senate -- and a likely veto from President Obama should it survive there. But it adds to the budding budget showdown between Republicans and Democrats. With only two weeks before the funding of federal agencies is set to expire March 4th.
Police in South Africa are investigating the death of a small baby found in a bag of a girl who attends Oprah Winfrey's school near Johannesburg. Police say they believe the 17-year-old student gave birth at the school. No charges have been brought in that case.
Now to Bahrain, where tanks and other military vehicles abruptly hold out at Pearl Square in the capital of Manama earlier today. This comes hours after Shiite opposition leaders rejected the royal family's call for dialogue and vowed even more protests. Security forces fired on demonstrators yesterday, killing four people and wounding at least 50. At least 10 have died since the protest begun Monday in Bahrain.
A budget battle in the Wisconsin capitol is being watched by government across the country. The governor is proposing legislation that would remove most collective bargaining rights for public workers. No vote, though, that's because 14 Democratic senators said, "See ya." Yes, they fled the state to stop it. And that has angered Republicans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
GLENN GROTHMAN (R), ASST. MAJ. LEADER, WIS. SENATE: I wish they would come back. It would be nice to wrap things up. I know their own staff is under a lot of pressure in the building and they are getting paid $50,000 here to do the people's work. Not to mention, if they call the average guy in their district, they'll find that they want them to go back and vote as well.
CHRIS LARSON (D), WISCONSIN STATE SENATOR: We had to step away from the situation. And we hope that the governor takes this time to actually listen to the people who are speaking and pay attention to what the thousands of people who are turning out having to say. What they don't want is their rights trampled on, their rights to organize as a union. And they don't want this debt to flow to the middle class in Wisconsin.
We have been surprised by the outpouring of support. And as long as that public support continues, we will be continued to be motivated to stand with them.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
KAYE: Thousands of demonstrators showed up at the Wisconsin capital. But this isn't just about Wisconsin. The stakes are high for other states facing serious budget problems.
Senior White House correspondent Ed Henry explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Randi, House Speaker John Boehner raised the stakes on Friday by charging President Obama and his allies of whipping up what he called Greece-style protests. And the Republican leader said this is undermining bipartisan efforts to solve this budget crisis not just in Wisconsin but all around the country.
(CHANTING)
HENRY (voice-over): Think this is just a narrow budget fight in one state? Think again.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Some of what I have heard coming out of Wisconsin, where you are just making it harder for public employees to bargain generally seems like more of an assault on unions.
HENRY: The president knows Wisconsin is just round one in the national battle for control of the budget message. So, he sent his outside political team, Organizing for America, to help build even larger crowds. And union officials are vowing to keep up the fight in key 2012 political battlegrounds.
(on camera): And this is beyond Wisconsin, it seems.
ARLENE HOLT BAKER, AFL-CIO EXECUTIVE V.P.: Absolutely. It is beyond Wisconsin. It is, quite frankly, throughout the country. Whether it's in Ohio, New Jersey, New Hampshire, you see these attacks on workers.
HENRY (voice-over): Labor officials charge teachers in Wisconsin are being unfairly targeted for deep cuts. They get smaller raises, more out of pocket for pensions and health care and lose collective bargaining rights for both.
Wisconsin's Republican Governor Scott Walker staring at a $3.6 billion state deficit says he needs to cut somewhere. And he's getting air cover from House Speaker John Boehner, who, like the president, knows Wisconsin is really just a proxy for their own showdown coming March 4th, when founding for the federal government runs out and a possible shutdown is looming. REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: He was elected to lead, not to sit on the sidelines.
HENRY: Boehner aides privately tell CNN they believe Democrats are trying to stop Walker because they are worried he and other governors will be able to, quote, "pull a Chris Christie," as in the Republican in New Jersey who faced down unions.
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: We have two choices, to either stand-up and do the right thing, to speak the truth and speak it bluntly and directly, or to join the long parade of leaders who have come before us and failed.
HENRY: White House aides note that in his interview with the Wisconsin station, the president did say leaders at all levels will have to make tough choices.
OBAMA: Everybody has got to make some adjustments to new fiscal realities. We had to impose, for example, a freeze on pay increases for federal workers.
HENRY (on camera): But Republicans say the president started this week at a White House news conference saying he wanted, quote, "adult conversation" with Republicans to figure out how to pay for all these government programs. And now, he's ending the week trying to expand the protests that may make it harder for both sides to come together -- Randi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Thank you, Ed.
A little different story for teachers in Syracuse, New York. Teachers, teaching assistants and even school administrators in West Genesee School District say they will accept a wage freeze for the 2011-2012 school year. That will save the district about $900,000. The teachers union says that the pay cuts were necessary to help stem layoffs and keep smaller class sizes.
Politicians on the lam. We've seen them in Wisconsin where Democrats are hiding out to block the governor's agenda. It's high stakes political poker and there is no telling who will blink first. But this sort of gamesmanship, it turns out, is actually nothing new. And when it comes to poker, nobody does it like Texas.
Back in 2003, some Democrats walked out of the statehouse in Austin. They were trying to block a Republican redistricting plan. They stayed in Oklahoma until they thought they had won. But when they returned, Governor Rick Perry tried to pass it again. This time, the Democrats ran off to New Mexico for a month. But they eventually missed their families so much, they came back to work and the legislation passed.
Members of the 1891 Florida Senate took off to Georgia in a bid to prevent a quorum for the election of a U.S. senator. But the earliest case actually dates back to Honest Abe. In 1840, young Abraham Lincoln was a member of the Illinois legislature. The Democrats wanted to kill the state bank, but Lincoln was so determined to save it. He tried to leave the statehouse to delay the vote, but the Democrats locked the doors.
And it's when the future 16th president took matters into his own hands. Get this - he climbed out the window and ran away. Honest Abe for you.
Ever heard of snow biking? Yes. Well, neither had CNN meteorologist Reynolds Wolf. And I guess that might explain this.
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REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: To the right. Whoa!
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KAYE: Yes. Can you say wipe out? Poor Reynolds.
But he did recover. He got back on the snow bike. We'll show you the recovery and all the fun -- straight ahead.
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WOLF: Whew! On your right. Whoa.
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KAYE: All downhill from there. Not exactly the agony of defeat. But CNN's meteorology crew Rob Marciano and Reynolds Wolf enjoying the snow-packed slopes of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, last month. Not skiing or snowboarding -- no, they had to go all out. They went snow biking, a relatively new extreme sport.
WOLF: Well, it's a third option. It's a third option for people.
KAYE: Not one I would take. But you did this?
WOLF: Yes, it was a lot of fun. And it was actually part of the chorus that you'd take and you have to go through an instructional process before they let you get on these bikes and go in the side of the mountain. Once you finish up, they give you a little license, which you'll see in the picture in just a little bit. But we did make it into a little bit of a challenge, the one with Rob and you'll have a chance to see it in mere seconds.
And let me warn you, the results are not pretty.
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TRAVIS CROOKE, STEAMBOAT SKI RESORT: The snow bike is super easy to learn really quickly. And so, as a result, you can get those people who have the opportunity to travel around, you can have them up on the mountain within a few hours.
All right. You guys have just passed your first test of snow biking. Remember, lots of high fives, possibly a fist bump. There we go. It's what I'm talking ability.
WOLF: All right.
CROOKE: We're going to go all the way to the top now.
WOLF: Nice.
Now, we all know Rob is much more of a natural skier. What advice would you give me in this race? I mean, there's got to be some kind of advice, some pointer you can give me?
CROOKE: Tip the bike and go as fast as you possibly can. Don't hold back.
WOLF: You know, as a meteorologist, part of my job is making predictions. Well, I can tell you, I predict that Rob is going to win this race. If we're able to make it down the hill with our arms and legs attached and our faces looking about the same, aren't we all winners? I think we are.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: This is one of the few times I actually agree with Reynolds forecast. I am going to win.
CROOKE: O your mark, get set, snow!
MARCIANO: Go, go, go.
WOLF: On your right. Oh! Yes, I'm all good.
MARCIANO: You back there? Oh, geez. Come on, Reynolds. Come on. Whew!
WOLF: Whoa, whoa.
MARCIANO: Watch out for the girls.
WOLF: He's right on me.
MARCIANO: You are right, Reynolds, we're both winners. That was awesome. That was too much fun.
WOLF: Good times, man.
MARCIANO: Too much fun. Let's do it again?
WOLF: Yes, we could do it one more time.
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WOLF: It was Marciano by a nose, if I'm using an elephant's trunk.
KAYE: You predicted it right.
WOLF: Yes. I mean, it was a lot of fun. And again, at the very end, at the very bottom of the hill, they got our pictures made. And again, first reaction, I'm going to see if you can zoom in and get the shot.
KAYE: If you can see, first of all, you look terrified.
WOLF: I look absolutely horrified. I look like I belong on "America's Most Wanted" or something. I mean, it's terrible. I mean --
KAYE: So, how does that work? There's a ski on the front and ski on the back? What makes it a bike?
WOLF: Think of a mountain bike with you on the front and back, you have skis instead of wheels. And then on each of your feet, you have the small set --
KAYE: Oh, you have little skis on your feet.
WOLF: Little skis, too. And it all goes together in one, little nice package disaster.
KAYE: Yes, it seemed to work well for Rob. Not so much for you. Sorry.
WOLF: He's a natural athlete. It happens.
KAYE: Well, Reynolds, it was fun. And I'm glad you shared with us, even though you lost. It's good stuff.
WOLF: You bet.
KAYE: I'll just keep saying that. I'll just keep reminding you that you lost.
WOLF: I need it. You bet.
KAYE: It's good though. I might have to try to take it. I'll take you on. You win that one.
All right. We'll check in with you again in a little bit.
To catch a thief swiping sausage of all things. Yes, he was stealing sausage. Retirement home residence set up a camera to see who is stealing from them. Well, they get their answer and a whole lot more. Yes, we will show you, coming up.
WOLF: Naked sausage man? What?
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KAYE: Welcome back. Forty-eight minutes past the hour. Time now for our Florida edition of extremes of the week. And we start with a little surveillance video at a retirement community near Fort Myers. You are not going to believe this one. Residents there, well, they wanted to know who stole their sausage. And, boy, they got an eyeful -- a naked man making himself right at home.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a lot of rules in here. But I don't think we have a rule against streaking in the clubhouse. But we might have to add that. When you get up here at 55 plus, you don't get a whole lot of excitement. So, this is great.
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KAYE: That's their excitement -- a naked man stealing their sausage. When police saw the tape, they recognized the suspected sausage thief and they actually made an arrest. Good stuff.
Police in West Palm Beach are looking for a woman who slapped a city bus driver. It seems that she was upset that he kicked her off the bus after she refused to pay the fare, then the door hit her on the way out. There she goes. Wow. So, she took a swing at 72-year- old driver.
Now, take a look at this sight of Florida's east coast, down around Palm Beach County. All those little blotches that you see down there in the water, those are actually sharks. There's hundreds of them gathered near a spot appropriately named Shark Ledge. This is the time of year when sharks come just a little bit closer to shore for food. So, watch all that swimming and sunbathing, folks.
Joseph Lowery, American icon, civil rights legend and subject of a recent interview. How often do you get to chat with a piece of history? Well, we did and we'll tell you about it, straight ahead.
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KAYE: When you talk about the civil rights movement, certain names are synonymous with the era, one of them is the Reverend Joseph Lowery, who cofounded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a group that helped drive the fight for racial equality.
The 89-year-old preacher has a new book out, a collection of his sermons called "Joseph E. Lowery: Singing the Lord's Song in a Strange Land."
The civil rights icon has been a witness to change. And you might be surprised at what he calls the most important moment of his life.
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REV. JOSEPH E. LOWERY, CIVIL RIGHTS ICON: God of our weary ears.
KAYE (voice-over): When America's first black president was looking for someone to deliver his inaugurations' benediction, Barack Obama chose the Reverend Joseph Lowery. The preacher says while standing at the podium that day, he couldn't help reminiscing about another historical moment.
Lowery was with Martin Luther King, Jr. at the 1963 march on Washington. And he recalls a conversation between members of their inner circle.
LOWERY: We talked about how long before we would see a black president. And as I recall, none of us saw ourselves witnessing the first black president. We felt that we'd be -- at least we're watching from glory. We didn't think we'd live to see it.
KAYE: The man known as the dean of the civil rights movement calls the inaugural benediction one of the most memorable of his career -- that saying a lot for a man who helped plan the Montgomery bus boycott and lived to tell about the riots that followed King's death.
But the one event Lowery calls the most important of his life -- it happened in Decatur, Alabama, May 1979, during his 20-year reign as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The organization was there to protest the conviction of a mentally challenged man named Tommy Lee Hines, convicted of rape and fleeing the scene in a car.
LOWERY: And Tommy couldn't ride a bike. He didn't have the coordination, the motor control, you know, between mind and body to drive a car, let alone to ride a bike.
KAYE: Lowery says on the day of the march, there were reports of Ku Klux Klan CB radio conversations about killing march leaders. Later, shots rang out.
LOWERY: I heard bullets whining over my head. My wife was driving behind us in the car. And when they started shooting, the crowd scattered and exposed her in the car. And they shot in the car, splattered glass all over her body. The young men who were marching with us sort of picked me up and carried me out of the line of fire.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You once told me it was one of the most important marches you had ever been a part of. Why?
LOWERY: I guess because it almost took my life and my wife's life. And it was -- it showed the ugliness of the Klan.
KAYE: Lowery says that march help bring national pressure on the Klan, pressure that led to arrests and convictions of various crimes.
When asked if there was anything he could change --
LOWERY: Why change the hearts of men. We are going backwards a little bit I think, the last election, the reaction to Barack Obama's election carries with it some elements of racial hatred, some resentment to the fact that even though the country did a great thing, they are those who resent the election of a black president. And I think that's a part of what's happening in the political world.
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KAYE: Lowery says he doesn't know when he will deliver another sermon. He also hasn't ruled out a second book of sermons or possibly writing an autobiography.
Tomorrow night, CNN spotlights another man at the center of the civil rights movement. But was he a hero or was he a traitor? His camera lens captured pivotal moments in African-American history. Now, FBI documents exposed a darker angel. Join Soledad O'Brien for the special investigation, "Pictures Don't Lie." That is Sunday night at 8:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.
Time now for a quick break. When we come back, first, there was Tunisia, then there was Egypt. Now, the climate of popular unrest is spreading across the Mideast.
Ahead, we'll show you all the hot spots and show you why they matter to you.
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