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CNN Saturday Morning News

New List of Seven Wonders of the Natural World Named; Penn State to Play First Football Game without Joe Paterno in Over 40 Years; Kidnapped Major League Baseball Player in Venezuela Rescued; Political Analysts Examine GOP Presidential Field; Herman Cain Gives Speech to Young Republicans; U.S. to Host Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit; Program Teaches Vets to Play Guitar

Aired November 12, 2011 - 10:00   ET

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

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Good Saturday morning to you all.

And we're about to see something here in a couple of hours that we have not seen in 46 years. A Penn State football team will play a game without Joe Paterno as head coach. A week after allegations of sex abuse rocked the campus a lot of people are still weighing in, including students, alumni, parents, including President Obama among them speaking out, as well. You'll hear what he had to say last night.

Plus, imagine getting your child's report card and there is an ad plastered at the bottom of it. Yes, advertisements are now finding a new place to get your attention. Is this a good idea? You can send us your thoughts, as always, on Twitter, reading your comments as we speak @TJHolmes, or you can paste it on my Facebook page.

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, this is your CNN Saturday morning. It's 10:00 a.m. here in Atlanta, 9:00 a.m. in Fayetteville, Arkansas, 5:00 a.m. in Honolulu where the president is. Wherever you may be, we're glad you are right here.

Let's start, though, at Penn State University, two hours away now from kickoff, the first time since 1966 head coach Joe Paterno will not be leading that team. Take a quick look back at what happened last night. Students gathered on campus for a candlelight vigil to show support for the victims of the sexual abuse scandal. This is the same place you see students here now that you saw students rioting just a couple of days ago. Here is what some of the students had to say at last night's ceremony.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JESSICA GOLD, PENN STATE STUDENT: It's so important to put the victims first. I think they've gotten really lost in all of this. All the media attention has been focused on Sandusky and the university and our reaction, and it should be focused on helping these victims and stopping it from happening again.

PATRICK JOHNSON, PENN STATE STUDENT: This wasn't about Joe Paterno, this wasn't about Spanier. This wasn't about anything going on with them. This is about the victims and us trying to help raise awareness.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: And we are hearing from the Paterno family. Joe Paterno's son released a statement on his father's behalf saying "My father is experiencing a range of powerful emotions. He is absolutely distraught over what happened to the children and their families. He also wants very much to speak publicly and answer questions. At this stage, however, he has no choice but to be patient and defer to the legal process. He cooperated fully with the grand jury and he will continue to cooperate with the investigation as we move forward."

Meanwhile, Penn State's new president says he will appoint an ethics officer to report directly to him in addition to a committee that's being created to review sexual abuse allegations at the school. Now, as for Jerry Sandusky, the former coach at the center of this scandal, somebody threw a couple cinderblocks through his bedroom window. Sandusky still lives in state college. He, however, was not home at the time.

This abuse scandal raises a lot of legal questions. Earlier, I asked our legal analysts Avery Friedman and Richard Herman to weigh in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: I think not only is the campus under-struck with what is going on, but there needs to be a re- examination of what is called the mandatory reporter law. That means anyone, a social worker, teacher, lawyer, doctor, when you see abuse, you have to report it.

And the arguments being advanced in Pennsylvania is that as long as you tell the boss, you're covered. And that's where, I think if we zero in on the issue, where the problem is. If victims are going to be protected, you have to go to law enforcement and that didn't happen here.

RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Penn State University police reported they had knowledge of this. The district attorney's office had -- where is the district attorney who was around back then? Where is he? He's nowhere to be found. T.J., this is the tip of the iceberg here. How does McQueary, a 28-year-old grad student look in the showers of a facility and see a grown man raping a 10-year-old child and not instinctively grab a baseball bat and not protect this child? How does he live with himself?

FRIEDMAN: Or report it to law enforcement, Richard.

HERMAN: Or call the police, something. Give me a break.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: They went on to say Paterno faces possibly perjury charges if it turns out he lied to a grand jury. We do have our reporters there who are on campus getting ready for this game two hours away now. We're going to check in with our Athena Jones. Our Mike Galanos has been reporting there for us, as well.

It's four minutes past the hour. A Major League Baseball player kidnapped in Venezuela has apparently been rescued. Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos, these are the first pictures we've seen of him after being rescued from a mountainous area in northern Venezuela. Ramos says he's thankful for the rescuers who found him in a remote jungle. "New York Times" is reported security forces swept in by air to rescue him two days after being taken from his home by armed men. The Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez gave the go-ahead for the rescue mission.

Back at home Occupy protesters may be wearing out their welcome in some cities, possibly Oakland, California. The mayor had police enter the Occupy encampment to hand deliver eviction notices yesterday. There was a fatal shooting near the Occupy camp on Thursday. Even though police and the protesters say the shooting was not related to the movement, city leaders are worried about safety at the camp. Meanwhile in Salt Lake City yesterday authorities say another Occupy protestor found another demonstrator dead in his tent yesterday. The cause of death is unknown, but it's not believed to be suspicious.

Meanwhile, President Obama in his home state of Hawaii arriving with the first lady in Honolulu, just a little while ago. He begins a nine-day trip focusing on the nation's trans-Pacific trade partners. The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit gets underway a little later today. The President's next stop, Australia. He'll wrap up the trip next Saturday in Indonesia.

APEC, it's the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation. It's the main economic forum for the region has 21 member nations, including the U.S., Australia, China, Japan, and Mexico. It's the United States' turn this time to host the summit. The focus is trade and investment as well as technical cooperation between member nations.

And did you see the site last night? Reynolds, within it was one of the coolest sporting events I have ever seen. But it was on the deck of the "USS Carl Vinson." They had a basketball game there. You're seeing time lapsed video right now of how they built and convert an aircraft carrier into a basketball court. But yes, they put a court there. You had North Carolina playing Michigan State. This was really a show for the troops, a way for them to bring attention to the troops on Veterans Day and to say thank you.

The president was in attendance. They were able to get some 8,000 people aboard for that game. You had a lot of celebrities and things. Magic Johnson, but mainly in the audience, you had currently serving members of the military. Some of the video here, you look at it, maybe you can't even realize it's outside on an aircraft carrier. But there were several shots during the game where you could tell where they were. It was a spectacular sight last night on the USS Carl Vinson.

Seven minutes past the hour. We are, of course, keeping a close eye on politics today and a man whose name has been in the news a lot out there on the trail, Herman Cain. He had right up the street from us in downtown Atlanta Georgia addressing a group of young Republicans. Let's listen in for a second.

HERMAN CAIN, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: -- peace through strength and clarity. We must clarify who our friends are, clarify who our enemies are, and stop giving money to the enemies.

(APPLAUSE)

CAIN: And we must clarify who our friends are so we can let the rest of the world know who our friends are and they will know who we're going to stand with, starting with Israel we will stand with. They are our friends.

(APPLAUSE)

CAIN: Then our biggest domestic crisis is this stalled economy. I hear stories all over this country from business people about how they're trying to hang in there. One of the reasons this economy is stalled is quite simply because this administration and this president do not understand a very fundamental economic principle, that the business sector is the engine of economic growth. This administration continues to put stuff in the caboose. When was the last time you saw a caboose push an engine up a hill? It doesn't happen.

Obamacare, dead weight in the caboose. By the way, we're going to repeal Obama care as soon as we can when I become president.

(APPLAUSE)

And we're going to do the right kind of health care reform. Remember I said work on the right problem? We do not have a health care problem in America. We have a health care cost problem in America. They didn't work on the right problem.

(APPLAUSE)

CAIN: Because they worked on the wrong problem with the wrong so- called solution, it's going to mess up health care, which is why we must repeal that legislation.

And so business people are trying to hang on. And the biggest thing that's causing them to not be able to grow is all of this uncertainty.

Before I made the decision to run for president, some of you may recall I had a little radio show here in Atlanta. In fact, it wasn't so little. And I used to get calls three or four years ago from people who said they were concerned about the future of America. After President Obama took office, those calls went from concerned to fearful about the future of this country.

And that's what is in the heart of a lot of people today -- fearful about the future of this country because of a lack of leadership to truly move this economy, which is why I have put a bold solution on the table. First, we throw out the current tax code. That's step number one. We have been complaining about the tax code for decades. It has been an albatross around our neck for decades. But nobody has been bold enough to say let's throw the sucker out. Well, I'm saying let's throw the sucker out.

(APPLAUSE)

CAIN: And let's put in my nine-nine-nine plan.

(APPLAUSE)

HOLMES: On that note, you've heard it plenty of times, nine-nine- nine. He's trying to get back on message. And he has been off message, really, for the past week or so with the sexual harassment allegations against him when one of the accusers came out, showed her face and said her name publicly describing what she says he did to her so many years ago back in the 90s. But still he's saying he didn't even remember that particular woman and he never would sexually harass anyone. But Herman Cain this morning right up the street here in Atlanta speaking to some young Republicans, getting back on message this morning. We'll have more about the week for Herman Cain and the week for Rick Perry and the rest of the Republicans, including Newt Gingrich, who seems to be making some traction in a lot of polls. Lenny and Maria, our political friends will be here with us in just about 15 minutes from now.

At 12 minutes past the hour, a lot of places, beautiful, beautiful spots around the world. We can only name seven, only seven can be the seven natural wonderers of the world. You're looking at one of them. It's pretty impressive, right? See how impressed you are with the other six when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: All right, quarter past the hour this CNN Saturday morning.

(WEATHER BREAK)

HOLMES: All right, seven wonders of the world, seven natural wonders of the world. We have a new list for you, Reynolds.

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Bring it on.

HOLMES: We got a new list, a worldwide vote. Did you get your vote in?

WOLF: I did not get my ballot in this year. They didn't even ask me.

HOLMES: That's OK. But a lot of people got involved in this. This organization, the Swiss Foundation, the new seven wonders, they announced it last night. But this could be a big deal for the countries where some of these spots are. It gets people thinking about it. Maybe it gets people wanting to take a vacation.

WOLF: It is attractive. Who would not want to see a seven wonder in the bucket list?

HOLMES: Do you want to go to the a Amazon? You've already been.

WOLF: I've been there.

HOLMES: The Amazon, one of the seven wonders. You spent, how long, 10 days?

WOLF: Ten days, saw some incredible wildlife, incredible birds, mosquito-sized birds. I've see dolphins swimming through the river. It is truly a sight to behold, but yes, certainly it fits on that list.

HOLMES: Halong Bay in Vietnam. Another, Iguazo Falls. This is in Argentina and Brazil. One side of it is in Brazil, the other is in Argentina. Also, let's go to Degu Island in South Korea. In Indonesia, the Kamoto Islands. Also, we'll move forward to the underground river in the Philippines. And then finally in Cape Town, Table Mountain.

WOLF: Thanks heavens. You think I'm joking. I have not slept well all week long because I was really worried about Table Mountain. Would they make it? I knew they were on the precipice. I didn't know if they would make it. I wanted them on the table where they belong as one of the seven wonders of the world.

HOLMES: Off the table right now, though, Kilimanjaro, the Dead Sea, Grand Canyon, Australia's Great Barrier Reef. People got to vote on these. These are the provisional results. They are going to get an official tally, if you will. It is possible something could change, but for the most part, this is going to be it.

WOLF: No Yellowstone National Park.

HOLMES: I know you're a Yellowstone guy.

We were asking you all's opinions to weigh in on the seven wonders, tell us what you think needs to be on the list. We have some of your seasons. Seattle, among the most beautiful settings in our nation.

WOLF: Love Seattle.

HOLMES: Love Seattle.

West Memphis, Arkansas. Who is this?

(LAUGHTER)

HOLMES: The Seven Mile Bayou in West Memphis. That's my hometown. Something is playing a trick on me there. Another says I thought Niagara Falls was a sure thing. Guess I was wrong. Thanks to Patrick for writing that in. One more, "So many wonders, I praise the lord for every breath, especially the smile, laugh of my son and love of my wife." That is one viewer who writes in often, is very engaged in our show. We appreciate that nice note this morning. Reynolds, thank you.

We're 20 past the hour now here in Atlanta. It's about 5:20 in Honolulu. That is where the president is waking up this morning. He is home. The live picture this morning. You can't see a whole lot, but you get the idea, don't you? Yes. The president is there but this is no vacation. We'll tell you how his trip to Hawaii could impact jobs right here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: It's 22 minutes past the hour now in this CNN Saturday morning. President Obama in Hawaii for a big economic summit that could prove key to trade in exports with Asia and create more jobs right here in the U.S., part of a nine-day trip through the Asia Pacific region. The president hosting the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit or APEC. Our Dan Lothian is there with the president in Honolulu. Dan, good morning to you.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

HOLMES: Before we get to the summit and the trade talk that might be taking place, the president is chiming in on what really has been the story of the week. That's what's happening at Penn State.

LOTHIAN: That's right.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Obviously, this whole situation is heartbreaking. And we think first and foremost of the victims of these alleged crimes. But I think it's a good time for us to do some soul searching, every institution, not just Penn State, about what our priorities are and making sure that we understand that our first priority is protecting our kids. And, you know, we all have a responsibility. We can't leave it to a system. We can't leave it to somebody else. Each of us has to take it upon ourselves to make sure that our kids have the love and support and protection that they deserve.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: And my apologies there to you, Dan. We jumped the gun on you a little bit. But the president last night taking a moment because he made a stop before he made his way over to Hawaii.

LOTHIAN: That's right. The president stopped in San Diego. He was taking part, at least watching the carrier classic. It was a basketball game taking place here aboard the same vessel that was used to bury Osama bin Laden at sea. So the president there honoring veterans, not only those who have come back and are now looking to find employment. The president talking about how the U.S. will do everything possible to make sure that they can get jobs, the president saluting those who can get lives to protecting this country, T.J.

HOLMES: And back to the business, if you will now, the president there hosting the APEC summit and remind our viewers, like I was mentioning to you earlier, also oftentimes can be numb. At the end of it, what are we really going to get out of it?

LOTHIAN: That's right. And you will have more world leaders there, 21 of them to be exact. The focus this time obviously will be on tapping the growth in the Asia pacific region while other parts of the globe have been struggling. We see what's been happening in Greece, what has been happening in Italy. But there's been a boom across Asia.

And the U.S. is looking to tap into that region, hopefully with additional exports in order to create more jobs at home. So that will be the theme of the president's mission here in Hawaii. In addition, he'll be having sidelined face-to-face meetings with the leaders of China, also Japan and Russia in addition to that meeting with the CEOs of big companies like GE and Caterpillar. And what they want to see is how can trade benefit them? They want to be able to sell their goods overseas. They want to be able to create more jobs, to hire more people. And so that will be part of the discussion here at APEC.

HOLMES: Dan Lothian there in Honolulu for us. Dan, thank you, as always.

At 25 minutes past the hour now, marketing is big business, plastered just about everywhere, billboards, magazines. But have you ever seen an ad on a child's report card? Yep. It's happening, folks. We'll get to that in a moment.

Plus, it's tough for most college graduates to find work these days. But did you know if you're an astronomy or astrophysics major, you're almost guaranteed a job after school? We'll show you some other majors with almost no unemployment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Despite the jobless rate, some college grads are getting into fields are virtually no unemployment. That includes astronomy and astrophysics. There are a couple of others. Software engineers have pretty good job security. Other good fields to get into, pharmacology. My baby cousin is going to be OK. Geological engineering and military technologies, all of these fields pretty much guaranteed a job.

A school district in Jefferson County, Colorado, facing a $70 million crisis and has to raise cash fast. But are elementary school report cards the right place to solicit advertising? Take a listen to this report from our affiliate KCNC.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jefferson County schools aren't new to the business of selling ads. They have them on buses, in stadiums, and starting next week, on every elementary school card.

LORIE GILLIS, DISTRICT CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER: We understand people have varying opinions. My phone has been ringing and I've been answering questions.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lorie Gillis, the district's chief financial officer, sent a letter to parents explaining the district is facing $70 million in cuts. And the nonprofit College Invest will pay $30,000 a year for ad space. KERI LEE, PTA PRESIDENT: I kind of was a little surprised, but we need to revenue.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: : PTA President Carrie Lee says she feels better the ad is from an entity that helps save for college but can't help but wonder who is next and where.

(on camera): Do you see the day when there are ads in hallways, in schools, in classrooms?

LEE: I -- honestly, I can see it.

KELLY JOHNSON, PARENT: We have to get creative about how we can get some more public school funding.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (voice-over): But parent Kelly Johnson says that creativity should be tempered with caution. In Seminole County, Florida, McDonald's advertises on report cards.

(On camera): Where is the line? Where do we see, no, that is not appropriate?

GILLIS: I would say probably the most important is what lines with our mission and what works with educating students.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: We certainly would like to know what you think about this one. You know where to find us. But do you think they would cross the line? Is that going too far to put ads on a report card? But hey, you have to do what you've got to do. Hit us up on our blog at CNN.com/T.J. or Twitter, @tjholmes. Also, you can post on the Facebook page.

As we get close to the bottom of the hour, a brain freeze -- you've had one, I've had one, we have them often. But this time we're talking about a presidential candidate on stage during a debate -- a major flub by Rick Perry.

Also, Herman Cain still trying to get back on message, has a speech right now up the street here in downtown Atlanta. Can he really get back on message after the sexual harassment allegations against him? We have our Maria Cardona and Lenny McAllister, good friends of our show who will join me after the break. We'll talk politics. Stay here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: We are just past the bottom of the hour. Welcome back, everybody. T.J. Holmes. Glad you could spend part of your weekend here with us.

Looking at the stories making headlines today, for the first time in 62 years Joe Paterno is not part of the Penn State game plan, fired in the wake of the child rape scandal involving an ex assistant coach. And 90 minutes from now, his former team will take the field against Nebraska and Penn State's final home game of the season.

And two days after he was snatched from his mother's house in Venezuela by gun-toting kidnappers, Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos is now free. We don't have any details, but Venezuela's state run television says the 24-year-old major leaguer was rescued by the country's security forces. He's reportedly in good health and he was not harmed.

Well, Governor Rick Perry, it was an interesting week, wasn't it? He has taken some of the heat off of some of his fellow candidates.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICK PERRY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And I will tell you, it's three agencies of government when I get there that are gone. Commerce, education and the -- what's the third one there, let's see.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But you can't name the third one?

PERRY: The third agency of government I would do away with the Education, the Commerce, and let's see -- I can't. The third one, I can't. Sorry. Oops.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Oops is right. All that may be good news for Herman Cain. He's still trying to move past the story of sexual harassment complaints. CBS polls show Cain on top with Newt Gingrich moving into a tie for second with Mitt Romney. Also a new McClatchy Maris poll also shows Gingrich doing pretty well, along in second place behind Romney.

It's time to turn now and have a conversation about politics. But first, we have to say a happy birthday to our Maria Cardona. We pulled that out just for you. She's here on our birthday. Lenny, we'll find you a song later.

(LAUGHTER)

HOLMES: Maria, happy birthday to you. How are you doing? What's your plan for today?

MARIA CARDONA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I have lots of plans, T.J. Spend time with my two wonderful children, my husband, my mom is in town. But I am here with you, the first thing I'm doing. That's how much I love you.

HOLMES: We appreciate it. But let's start and go to the politics. And we'll start with the question we always start with. To the birthday girl, what was your political highlight of the week?

CARDONA: Well, the Republican whack-a-mole process is in full force. First it was Bachmann, then Perry, then it was Cain. Is Newt Gingrich the next one to get whacked? HOLMES: Lenny, what is your political highlight of the week?

LENNY MCALLISTER, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: I actually have three of them. One is Cain, Cain, more Cain. The second one is Perry's brain freeze. And the third one is -- the third one is --

HOLMES: Stop. Stop. Give the guy a break. Maria, can't we give the guy a break? We have all done this. He just happened to do it on this stage.

CARDONA: I wasn't even going to go there, Lenny. Even when you just showed that clip, T.J., I cringed. I feel badly for the guy. I'm sure every American did, too. But what it does, the damage here is that it underscores every single thing, not just his critics, but those who might have been thinking about perhaps supporting him, but have heard the criticism solidified everything that had been talked about in terms of him not being ready for primetime, not being quick on his feet, not being prepared and seriously not really ready to do this in -- on the national stage. That is a problem for him.

HOLMES: Lenny, did a company our other candidates like this for different reasons. Herman Cain might have liked it for one reason and Newt Gingrich might have liked to see Perry have this issue for another reason.

MCALLISTER: Of course they would have. But here is the thing with Rick Perry. The last time we saw him at a debate, he was scatter shot all over the place. He was very aggressive. Then you saw him in his performance up in New Hampshire. Then you heard him say he doesn't want to do these debates any more. Then he said, yes, I'll do the debates and this is what he does. That's why it was so bad earlier this week.

Now with that said, yes, it took a lot of heat off of Cain. And Gingrich, who, again, has always looked the most presidential on stage now is starting to get past Rick Perry and now only has Mitt Romney, who they don't like. They're looking for the anti-Romney, and Herman Cain who is slipping at the polls. I'm telling you, if this momentum continues, Newt Gingrich is going to be the Republican nominee.

HOLMES: Lenny, is Cain back on message?

MCALLISTER: Cain is trying to get back on message, but here is the problem. Cain was once, at one point in time, the candidate that was the nonpolitician that was doing it for his children and his grandchildren. Now he is coming across with the bravado that does not behoove him. And even though he's talking about nine-nine-nine, he's trying to talk about his message, his image has been sullied. He is no longer the darling that people feel they can connect to on a personal level. And if he can't recapture that, he doesn't have a lot of positives out there that he can gravitate to as a presidential candidate, which leaves room for Romney and maybe at this point in time Gingrich.

HOLMES: And Maria, you heard Lenny say he believes Gingrich can be the nominee here. It's one thing when you're polling down in single digits, but once you come to the top, people start examining your past again.

CARDONA: Exactly. That's my analogy about the whack-a-mole. Once Newt rises once again, he has a tremendous history in terms of a record. And you know that not just Democrats, but, you know, there are a lot of Republicans who also don't think that he should be the one because of that record. And he is very vulnerable.

And, you know, you talk about everyone who is looking for the anti- Romney, but when Newt first got in, you heard a lot of talk about conservatives not wanting Newt to be their standard bearer because he has personal issues, too. The three marriages, what he went through with his first wife, all of that is going to be dredged up once again. He was already on the national stage and a lot of people did not like what he had to offer. But we'll see. This has been a very topsy- turvy process. So who knows?

HOLMES: Guys, I will leave it there. What's the political highlight next week, though, Lenny?

MCALLISTER: The political highlight, we're going to find out what's going to happen with this debate tonight. And let's be real. If the momentum with Gingrich continues going forward, the ring that Republicans are going to look at is can our candidate beat President Obama in a debate two out of three times? And Gingrich is pretty much the person on that stage that can do it.

HOLMES: Maria, any idea what's going to be the highlight next week?

CARDONA: I think the highlight next week will be the CNN foreign policy debate. And it will be interesting because you have somebody like Cain looking to get back on message. But one of the things that was missed because of all the allegations, this is someone who thinks China is not a nuclear power. They have been a nuclear power for decades.

HOLMES: He says he misspoke.

CARDONA: How many times does he misspoken? He doesn't get that time chances.

HOLMES: Watch the next block of this show. I'll misspeak several times.

(LAUGHTER)

CARDONA: You're not running for president.

MCALLISTER: Thank you so much. Happy birthday, Maria.

CARDONA: Thank you so much.

MCALLISTER: God bless everybody.

HOLMES: It's 20 till the top of the hour now. We're going to head back to Penn State because something is going to happen in about an hour and a half, something that hasn't happened in some 46 years. They're not going to have Joe Paterno as their head coach when they take the field.

Also, news coming out, that man right there, he's at the center of this unfolding scandal in a way, an assistant coach who has been put on administrative leave because of his actions in this whole scandal. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: We're about a quarter to the top of the hour this morning. Penn State assistant coach Mike McQueary has been placed on administrative leave. He says he told Joe Paterno about alleged sexual abuse years ago and many on campus are wondering why he didn't call police, as well. CNN's Mary Snow reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: His name is Mike McQueary, an assistant football coach at Penn State, and it's what he saw in 2002, say authorities, that led in part to child sex abuse charges against Jerry Sandusky. McQueary grew up around Penn State, becoming a quarterback for the team. At 28 when he was a graduate assistant, according to a grand jury report, he witnessed Sandusky having sex with a boy believed to be 10-years-old in a locker room shower at Penn State.

McQueary was described as being distraught and leaving immediately, turning to his father, and then going to coach Joe Paterno. Paterno told grand jurors Sandusky was doing something of a sexual nature to a young boy. With Paterno and the Penn State president ousted, questions are now focused on McQueary, who's keeping his assistant coaching job. Tom Bradley is Penn State's new interim coach.

BRADLEY: Mike McQueary will be coaching on Saturday.

SNOW: On campus, there are open calls for McQueary to also go. Many question why he didn't call police.

MARK CARROLL, PENN STATE STUDENT: I feel like any normal human being when they see something like that happening and they would react a lot more with better intent than he did.

SAM MESSA, PENN STATE STUDENT: I figure if you're going to fire Joe Paterno, you should fire him, because he did exactly the same thing Joe Paterno did.

SNOW: McQueary's father, John, told us he has been advised not to talk because he has part of the investigation. As for his son, John McQuery is quoted "The New York Times" saying he thinks it is eating up his son to not be able to tell his side of the story, and adds, "He'll make it. He's a tough kid."

Pennsylvania's attorney general has stressed that grand jurors found Mike McQueary to be a credible witness. CNN has reached out to McQueary several times but so far hasn't gotten a response. Others here at Penn State involved in the investigation have said that they've been advised not to talk.

Mary Snow, CNN, State College, Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: We're at 46 minutes past the hour now. Coming up next, guitars and this country's veterans.

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HOLMES: Take a look. This is a new way to possibly relieve the effects of PTSD. We'll tell you all about this coming next on this CNN Saturday morning.

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HOLMES: About 10 minutes till the top of the hour now. And Veterans in Focus -- there's a new program out there that helps vets deal with posttraumatic stress disorder. It's called "Guitars for Vets." Teaching them to play gives them a chance to focus on something new. Check this out.

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MIKE COLLAWN, INSTRUCTOR, GUITARS FOR VETS: I've been playing guitar since I was in the seventh grade. I just love doing it. It's a freedom when I play guitar. I can take every emotion I had, whether it's mad or glad or whatever, and I can put it out in a song. My name is Mike Juan. I'm one of the instructors with guitars for vets.

CHARLES MULLENIX, U.S. ARMY VETERAN: I was in the army, stationed in Missouri.

VICKI BAYTON, U.S. ARMY VETERAN: I went to the first Gulf war in '91 and the second one in '03.

MATTHEW MOSLEY, U.S. ARMY VETERAN: I'm home based out of Norfolk, Virginia.

COLLAWN: It's more informal. It's not a strict teacher. We just kind of hang out and talk.

BAYTON: When I feel like I'm about to slip away, I look across the room, I pick up the guitar, pull out some of the sheet music and the tabs and I start playing and I just get lost in it.

MULLENIX: It sooths me. It makes me feel comfortable. I'm away from everybody.

COLLAWN: One of my guys told me, he goes, I don't get out of bed because I'm depressed. Now he's playing guitar and he's like, I have an excuse to get up now because I can go play guitar and it gives me something to do in my idle time.

MOSLEY: I just can't stop. Once you pick it up, it's hard to put it down. MULLENIX: I like rock, country, bluegrass.

PEG ANDRAE, CHAPTER COORDINATOR, RICHMOND GUITARS FOR VETS: It's more than just guitar lessons and that's the vehicle. It's about human interaction. It's about trust, goal setting, accomplishment.

MULLENIX: It's not as easy as it looks.

BAYTON: Getting your fingers in the right position for the chords.

MOSLEY: That's the hardest part for me.

COLLAWN: Once they've completed the course, Washburn has donated guitars and they've got guitar cases and tuners that are donated to them.

BAYTON: It's fun. I'm learning something new. We should all be students in some shape, form, or fashion.

MOSLEY: This is just another stepping stone for me, something to better myself in and to hopefully carry back to my community.

COLLAWN: It's just a great feeling to know that you're doing something to give back. People that have done so much for us and given so much to us, no one can take the music away from them. They'll always have that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: And you can see more stories like this on our CNN special. "Vets in Focus" comes your way today as 2:30 eastern time right here on CNN.

Reynolds Wolf is coming up next after the break. He has your forecast. And I asked him right before I came on here what should I tell the people to stick around and hear about? He said tell them that winter hell breaks loose in the Rockies. Reynolds is next to explain.

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HOLMES: Getting close to the top of the hour.

WOLF: You ought to be ashamed of yourself. I'm not going to embarrass you, but some of the things that happened during the commercial break would have blown your mind. We're talking about snow.

HOLMES: Are you going to deliver on the tease?

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HOLMES: We're just a couple minutes to the top of the hour. We're going to reset, give you the very latest on all the top stories of the day and news that will be made here in just about one hour as Penn State takes the field. Quick break, right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)