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CNN Saturday Morning News
Penn State Football Game; Kidnapped Baseball Player Rescued; GOP Looking For Front-Runner; GOP Hopefuls To Debate In South Carolina; Stealing Your Retirement; Next Seven Wonders of the World; Major Pressure Over Pivotal Test; Carrier Classic Aboard USS Vinson; Where Spacecraft Are Born; Nixon Tapes Released; Finding the Next Steve Jobs
Aired November 12, 2011 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Well, we're at the top of the hour and from the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, this is your CNN SATURDAY MORNING for this November 12th. I'm T.J. Holmes.
And ahead this hour, it's a day of drama and uncertainty.
At Penn State three days after football coach Joe Paterno was fired over child sex abuse scandal involving a former assistant coach, the team is now playing its last home game. Paterno's firing sparked riots on the campus. You've seen those over the past couple of days. We'll have a live report in just a few moments.
Also in Venezuela, kidnapped Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos has been found alive. His rescue by Venezuelan security forces, the details, we're just starting to get more of them. We'll have those for you.
Also, some of the most breathtaking spots on earth are part of a new list -- the seven natural wonders of the world.
But let's start this morning on the campus of Penn State University. We have a team of reporters there covering this child sex abuse scandal that erupted this week. There have been several new developments in the case.
Our Mike Galanos is outside the football stadium where Penn State will be playing its final home game today. Our Athena Jones will join me here with more reaction from the campus in just a moment.
But Mike, I need to get back to you with some of the news we are getting. The interim president says he'll appoint an ethics officer who will report directly to him. Erickson is his name, Rodney Erickson is the one who is replacing the -- the one who was fired actually the other -- Spanier is his name, the former president.
Also the assistant football coach, Mike McQueary, we've learned that he's put on administrative leave. Now he's the one who reported the sexual abuse incident to Paterno back in 2002. According to the school, he's now been getting threats. And then there is the game. A Nebraska game, they play in Nebraska today, it's the last home game of the year for Penn State. This kicks off at noon time.
So Mike, let me bring you in with all of that news today. We saw a different scene from the students last night. I guess still people are wondering what the scene is going to be today.
MIKE GALANOS, HLN ANCHOR: It is a little different. We're going to hear from some of those fans in a minute.
Let me get you caught on some a little bit more T.J. There was a bomb threat at Beaver Stadium last night. To the tune of bomb sniffing dogs had to be called in, personnel brought in nothing found. There's a beefed up police presence here. Security officials making sure nothing -- nothing is going to happen here. Everybody is going to be safe we're not going to see that same kind of mayhem.
That's some of the news.
How about Joe Paterno? We wonder what he's going through. His son issued a statement. Let me read part of it. This is from his son, Scott saying, "My father is experiencing a powerful range of emotions. He's 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."
And T.J., also this, ESPN reporting that Joe Paterno sent a letter to his team basically saying, "I'm sorry I'm not there. Focus on the game, not me". And there's even word that they may take him the game ball afterwards.
So much going on here and you had mentioned the students. You talk about a different set of emotions. Let's show everybody just a little bit of that. There's a candlelight vigil last night. Thousands of students showed up. It was to show that yes, the victims were number one here. Allegedly children who had their innocence stolen, that's where they went.
Then you fast forward to today, and you've got people out tailgating, hoping football can be a respite. T.J. I've talked to a few of the fans and you know they wanted to be the same, but they know it's a lot different after the tumultuous week they've been through. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very strange. It's almost feels like a cloud over the university. It's hard to tell which side of the fence you're on, too.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right now, it feels like a normal game because we're trying to get over what happened. And I think we're finally in the acceptance mood. Knowing that it's happened. And I've received calls with people like saying, be safe, be smart. But nobody that I've talked wants to -- wants violence. We just want to be a normal game right now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody is a little more somber, a little more sad, people were just -- you can just tell they're a little upset today just with all the events that happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GALANOS: And T.J., these fans know there is not a cloud in the sky here at state college. But they know there's a cloud hovering. They hope that football can lift that. It's going to be interesting to see what kind of emotions we see in that stadium behind me just a little bit.
HOLMES: All right. Mike Galanos thanks to you once again this morning.
I want to turn to my other colleague, Athena Jones, who has been there as people are getting ready for the game. She has been in the middle of the crowd there and she is on the line with me now.
Athena, we have all been to football games before during the tailgating thing. We know the atmosphere that surrounds certainly a college football game. Does it feel like a college football game? Does it feel like that mood we're all used to having outside of a stadium or is it totally different today?
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): No, no, you know it really does feel like a normal college football game T.J. There are people who have been lining up here, arriving, setting up. They're starting to cook. They're starting to drink or in many cases continuing to drink. There's a lot of excitement, the usual excitement you see.
People wearing Penn State gear, Penn State garb and also people talking just as Mike was talking about, the way the school handled the issue with Coach Paterno, expressing their concern. Wishing that things have could have shaken out a little differently.
One interesting thing I should mention is that someone hired a plane, one of those small planes with a banner to fly around the stadium and the banner reads, "Joe is so dirty he needs a shower."
So there's definitely a big mix of emotion around here. There are a lot of people who are here who want to support Joe Paterno. We've seen people wearing a shirt saying "The Legend" with his years of service written under it. A lot of people saying "We are still Joe" and yet -- and yet you also have that -- that they know what's going on just this past week and how difficult this is for them and they had a lot of problems with how they've been portrayed.
And so they're trying to come to (INAUDIBLE) and hope that this football game can be a time for that.
HOLMES: And one last thing, Athena. No signs of any trouble with people who have issues with that or concerns about it? I know security has been stepped up the past couple of days after the riots, but no signs of any issues this morning?
JONES: There is no signs of any issues right now. We have seen a pretty good police presence around here. Policemen on foot and at least half a dozen we've seen on horseback, riding around the stadium. So far so good; people seem to be having a good time and in good spirit. Nothing too rowdy just yet -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right, Athena Jones for us there on campus, as well. Thank you so much.
And we're coming up on seven minutes past the hour.
We'll turning to Venezuela now. The relief of the family of kidnapped Washington National baseball player Wilson Ramos, he's been found alive. He was kidnapped Wednesday night from his mother's home in Venezuela. The Venezuelan government says he was rescued by security forces.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILSON RAMOS, WASHINGTON NATIONAL (through translator): I am very happy for the rescue operation they carried out. I'm very thankful to the government and the National Army. I didn't expect them. Where they were holding me captive was a very remote place, basically a jungle. And see I was praying to God to bring me home safely to my family.
And look at these guys, they risked their lives to save mine and I am very thankful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: We will have a live update on this story coming your way ahead this hour.
Also this morning, in a vote, the economies around the world watch with bated breath today as Italy's Lower House of Parliament is voting on austerity measures. The Senate the package which includes spending cuts and proposals to boost growth. This was yesterday.
The move is the last act for Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. He could resign as soon as tonight. Italy has the fourth largest economy in Europe; a meltdown there would have a huge impact on global markets.
Let's turn to Iran now where state-run news media reporting that at least 27 people have been killed in two explosions at a military base. This happened at a Revolutionary Guard munitions depot at a base in western Iran. Rescue workers are on the scene right now.
And President Obama, he has stopped by his home state of Hawaii. The first couple arrived in Hawaii a little earlier this morning. His first stop on a nine-day trip to the Asia Pacific region. The President is hosting an economic conference there this weekend and plans to meet privately with the leaders of Mexico, Canada, Japan, Russia as well as China. But in his weekly address, recorded aboard the "USS Carl Vinson" President Obama calls on all Americans to honor U.S. veterans for their sacrifice and their service. Beyond that, he's urging companies to lend them a hiring hand. The thing Republicans are also pushing this Veterans weekend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: To give our veterans the opportunities they've earned, I've directed the federal government to lead by example and already we've hired 120,000 veterans. We've also challenged private companies to hire or train 100,000 post-9/11 veterans or their spouses by the end of 2013.
So far, many patriotic companies have answered the call, hiring more than 16,000 Americans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We owe it to our veterans to ensure they come home to a strong economy so they can transition into civilian life and support their family with a good-paying job. Together, we can rise above politics to make certain our nation remains great and worthy of our veterans' sacrifices.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, we're at nine minutes past the hour now. We'll turn to the campaign trail and more off-the-cuff remarks caught on camera. Herman Cain's comment about Anita Hill is now making the rounds.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well we're 12 minutes past the hour now.
And Herman Cain he's in Atlanta right now, right up the road from where we are here in downtown Atlanta. And so far, not talking about something he said regarding Anita Hill. You might remember her sexual harassment allegations against then Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas. It made headlines 20 years ago.
Now Cain is facing allegations of inappropriate behavior of his own. And at a campaign event in Thursday in Michigan he was asked if he had heard from Anita Hill. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you hear the latest news today? Anita Hill is going to come out --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is she going to endorse me?
(END VIDEO CLIP) HOLMES: Well, for Cain and the other Republican presidential hopefuls, it's debate night again tonight. And as our deputy political director Paul Steinhauser tells us, there is no clear front- runner, still not one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Just over seven weeks to go until the first votes in primary and caucus season. New polls indicate there's a crowd at the top of the field.
NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It is a wide open race.
STEINHAUSER: And Newt Gingrich, you know he has a point. Check out this new national survey from McClatchy-Marist, the former House Speaker is just four points behind Mitt Romney in the race for the Republican presidential nomination.
But when you take into account the survey sampling error, guess what Gingrich and the former Massachusetts governor are basically all tied.
And a new CBS poll indicates a three-way battle for the top spot between businessman Herman Cain, Gingrich and Romney.
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There's this funny thing about democracy which is you have competition. It might be easier for me if I didn't. But I -- I do have competition and I will face other people who will do well.
STEINHAUSER: Another take away from both polls, Republicans haven't made up their minds. Nearly one-fifth of them in each survey say they're still undecided when it comes to which candidate they're backing.
GINGRICH: I think that the American people are looking, asking questions, thinking about it and I think it will stay wide open until January.
STEINHAUSER: While Cain is right up there at the top, if you dig deeper the polls indicate the sexual harassment allegations he's facing and denying maybe starting to hurt as his support among Republican women appears to be dropping.
Tonight, all the major candidates face off on the same stage in a debate in South Carolina. The focus is on foreign policy and national security. The candidates will tangle again in a week and a half at a CNN debate right here in Washington.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: All right. Paul joining me live now. Paul, I mean, you can't miss a debate. Something happens to each and every one of these.
STEINHAUSER: Oh no doubt about it. And T.J., you know I think tonight, remember what happened on Wednesday night with Rick Perry? HOLMES: Oh yes.
STEINHAUSER: So I think tonight the spotlight is going to be on him. We're going to see whether he has any oops moment or the pressure is going to be on Rick Perry regardless of the topics. Rick Perry in the spotlight for sure tonight.
Two other people, though, I want to talk about real quickly, because this is a foreign policy and national security debate in South Carolina. So two candidates you don't see a lot of: Rick Santorum the former senator from Pennsylvania, remember he has a lot of experience from his years in the Senate on those committees; and Jon Huntsman, of course, he spent two years as our U.S. ambassador to China. So, for them foreign policy their forte -- T.J.
HOLMES: And we mentioned Herman Cain. He's trying to get back on message. What was his message? What was his focus today? He was here in Atlanta.
STEINHAUSER: Yes. He was just a couple of blocks from you guys speaking to the Young Republicans. And it was mostly domestic this morning for his speech though he did have some comments on foreign policy. And I saw you dipped into that last hour.
Now, for Herman Cain tonight, though, T.J. when he gets to that debate in South Carolina, there's going to be a little pressure on him. He has not performed well when it comes to dealing with foreign policy questions during the debates. And remember, he had a stumble just a few weeks ago on whether China does or does not have a nuclear program -- nuclear weapons program.
So, I think for him, he'll also be in the spotlight tonight because of that and also because of the sexual harassment allegations against him the last two weeks -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right. He took some time here in Atlanta campaigning a little bit. What about the other Republicans? Did they just go ahead and make their way to South Carolina or are they out debating -- excuse me -- campaigning, as well?
STEINHAUSER: We're seeing some of them on the campaign trail today in South Carolina, some of them got there yesterday for Veterans Day. We saw Mitt Romney there, somewhere in New Hampshire. But yes, by this afternoon, all of them are in the Palmetto State. Of course, South Carolina the first southern state to vote in the race for the White House. Their primary January 22nd but, you know, we're just over seven weeks away now from those first votes that will be in Iowa on January 3rd -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Paul Steinhauser, a pleasure as always. Thanks so much.
And to our viewers, you can also join Fredericka Whitfield to talk politics every Sunday afternoon 4:00 Eastern at a special hour dedicated to the presidential contenders in the 2012 election. You can also join Fredericka. She'll be joining me here shortly in just about 30 minutes from now to give us a look at what she'll have coming up at her show at noon Eastern time.
Also if you're nearing retirement age, be careful how you use that nest egg. Scammers are out in force right now. They could wipe you out in days. We'll tell you what to look for.
Stay with me on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING, will you?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: We're about 19 minutes past the hour now.
You need to beware. Scammers are out there trying to use this tough economy to take advantage. Often their victims are vulnerable, trusting retirees who end up losing the money they've been saving throughout their lives -- they end up losing it just in a matter of days sometimes.
Earlier I talked to our financial expert Clyde Anderson about the most common tactics they use.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Some of these sound familiar and we should know better. Phantom riches, we get these in our e-mail sometimes, some of us. But they say essentially we're going to make you some money.
CLYDE ANDERSON, CNN FINANCIAL EXPERT: Yes, we're going to make you some money and we're going to make you a lot of money. They'll name that amount that they can make you and say, all you have to do is this. And you can make this amount of money. And usually if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is and that's what we've got to realize and remember.
HOLMES: I have to ask you this, are any of these ever legit? If somebody's promising you riches?
ANDERSON: I haven't seen any.
HOLMES: Have not seen one yet.
ANDERSON: I have not seen one yet.
HOLMES: Ok. You wouldn't have to get up on Saturday morning.
ANDERSON: Exactly.
HOLMES: You need work.
ANDERSON: There you go.
HOLMES: Here is another one, someone saying, they have these expert credentials of some kind.
ANDERSON: Yes. Yes. I've got expert credentials. I'm the vice president. I'm the CEO. I'm the head of this corporation and we have this deal for you. And if you take advantage of it right now. You're not going to get that. You think about it. Why are they calling you to tell you about this deal? Why are they trying to track you? If I'm the CEO of a company, that's not what I'm going to do.
And so you really just kind of step back and think about it and put it into perspective. And a lot of times, when we think with our right minds, we'll get it. But a lot of times we get caught up in the chase of the deal or the thrill of the excitement of making something.
HOLMES: Ok. As I'm looking at the list, and the next one here. This old -- everybody's doing it. Everybody's doing it you can get in too.
ANDERSON: Exactly.
HOLMES: But some of these seem like common sense but we have them on the list for a reason because people are falling for them.
ANDERSON: Right. I mean you think about it. It's human psyche. If you tell me Warren Buffett is involved in this deal, and you know, Peter Lynch is involved in it and you need to get involved in it, too, or you're going to miss out. And again if they're all involved in it, why am I trying to call you to get you to trust me to get involved in something that's that good?
HOLMES: We think we're special.
ANDERSON: We think we're special.
HOLMES: They appeal to our ego.
ANDERSON: Their ego -- the human psyche. It's the ego.
HOLMES: The other here is this tit for tat. What they say, I've got -- if you do this, I'll do this.
ANDERSON: Yes. If you do this, I'll cut my commission if you go ahead and sign up right now. You know, why?
HOLMES: I have to jump on that deal.
ANDERSON: You have to jump on the deal, right?
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: It may not be there later, right? That's what we're thinking. But no, it's going to be there. If the deal is good, it's going to be there. You can't get caught up in that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right. 21 minutes past the hour now.
Do you think you could handle the pressure? If somebody told you the rest of your life depends on one test that you need to take? That's exactly what's happening for kids in South Korea. Taking their version of an SAT test and the whole country comes to a halt to help them out.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. About 24 minutes past the hour on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
You've got some traveling to do. Seven new wonders of the world for you to see. These are the next seven natural wonders of the world. They were announced yesterday and they were chosen in an online vote.
So here we are on the list: The Amazon; Halong Bay in Vietnam; Iguazu Falls in Brazil; Jeju Island in South Korea; the Komodo Island in Indonesia; and Puerto Princesa Underground River in the Philippines; also rounding up the list, Table Mountain in South Africa.
They call this a provisional list right now. They have to go back and make sure they add up the numbers just right and the votes. But they believe these will remain on the list. The official announcement will come next year.
Also in today's "Morning Passport", the South Korean equivalent of the SAT, some pretty intense pressure on these kids. Yes, it's intense pressure here as well but this test could literally shape the rest of these kids' lives; even have an impact on who they marry. The country comes to a complete standstill for these kids.
Here now, our producer, Nadia Bilchik in our "Morning Passport".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NADIA BILCHIK, CNN EDITORIAL PRODUCER: About 700,000 South Korean children took this test on Thursday. And as you said, the whole country came to a complete standstill. People were told please not to honk their horns. The stock exchange even opened an hour later. And even certain flights were stopped so there wouldn't be a noise for these children.
There you're seeing a police escort for a child who would have been late. That's how much emphasis. But it's really interesting. When you look at South Korean culture, it's rooted in Confucianism, which means that the education is absolutely critical. Social status is about your education and your level of education.
As we said earlier, parents are absolutely obsessed. They'll go to temples with photographs of their children and pray. They'll even only serve their children certain foods. For example, you'll have something sticky like sticky rice cakes or sticky buns so that the knowledge sticks. And toffee so that it sticks. But you won't have bananas or seaweed so that the knowledge is slippery.
But looking at this, the amount of pressure that these children are under. And yes, you can say 17-year-olds are not necessarily children, but in around 2009, about 200 children committed suicide. In 2010, it was about 150.
They study for so many hours that the current administration has banned classes taking place after 10:00 p.m.
HOLMES: Ok. That is something unimaginable in this country. Now, it's certainly unfortunate to hear about the suicides and the pressure that some of the kids are under. But they also get results. These kids take these tests and what's the number that go to college?
BILCHIK: Well, 80 percent go to college. But the idea is to get into the three main universities. They call them SKY: Seoul National, Korean University and Yonsei. So the acronym is SKY. The pressure to get into one of these three universities, your whole life depends on it. Who you're going to marry, your social status, your paycheck.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: We're at 27 minutes past the hour now. Stay with us on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
People are saying their good-byes to one of boxing's greats. Smokin' Joe Frazier being remembered today.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: We're at the bottom of the hour on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Give you a look at news making headlines right now.
A vote that economies around the world are watching closely, Italy's Lower House of Parliament is voting on austerity measures. The Senate approved the package yesterday. It includes spending cuts and proposals to boost growth. The move was the last act for Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is expected to resign as soon as tonight.
A state-run news media in Iran is reporting that at least 27 people have been killed in two explosions at a military base. More than a dozen others hurt. Happened at a revolutionary guard munitions depot at a base in Western Iraq - excuse me - Iran. Rescue workers are at the scene.
Also, fans of Joe Frazier paying their last respects to the legendary boxer this weekend. A two-day public memorial taking place at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The 67-year-old died this week from cancer. His funeral set for Monday.
One fan urging others to make sure they turn out today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM CONWAY, FRAZIER FAN: Young people out there, you get a chance to meet your hero. Take it because you never know whether you're going to get another shot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now, 32 minutes past the hour now.
We turn to Venezuela. There's a celebration by the family of kidnapped Washington Nationals baseball player, Wilson Ramos. He's been rescued by Venezuelan Security Forces.
CNN's Luis Carlos Velez following this story for us. Luis, do we have many details about how this went down?
LUIS CARLOS VELEZ, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, not many details, T.J. But what we know right now is that Wilson Ramos is back with his friends and with his family in Venezuela. He was rescued yesterday by Security Forces.
He already talked to the Venezuela National Television. He said that the kidnappers and the police exchanged heavy gunfire during his rescue. This is what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILSON RAMOS, RESCUED BASEBALL PLAYER (through translator): I am very happy for the rescue operation they carried out. Very thankful to the government and the National Army. I didn't expect them.
Where they were holding me captive was a very remote place, basically a jungle. And, see, I was praying to God to bring me home safely to my family. And look at these guys, they risked their lives to save mine and I am very thankful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ: Wilson Ramos, who's only 24 years old, said that he believed that his captors are Columbians. He's saying that because he noticed something in his - in their accent. And he already said that he's looking forward to be back playing with his team - T.J.
HOLMES: And Luis, they haven't caught the kidnappers, is that right? Did they ever make demands?
VELEZ: Well, they caught them. Apparently the authorities have said that they caught five -
HOLMES: Yes.
VELEZ: Yes, five people.
HOLMES: OK.
VELEZ: And they're investigating the case as it is right now. And the Minister of Interior said that President Hugo Chavez himself ordered this operation - this huge operation yesterday morning, T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Luis, we appreciate you on this story for us. A happy ending for that ball player and for his family. Luis, thanks so much.
VELEZ: Thank you.
HOLMES: We're coming up on 34 minutes past the hour now.
And it was just a basketball game, but it was one of the coolest sporting events you have ever seen. Look at that picture, folks. A college basketball game taking place on the deck of an aircraft carrier.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: We're 37 minutes past the hour now in this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
Reynolds and I, as many people watch this show, know we're big sports fans.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Huge.
HOLMES: And sometimes it's just a cool event. Just another basketball game is one thing. But this one happened on the deck of an aircraft carrier.
WOLF: It's beautiful.
HOLMES: The "USS Carl Vinson" out in San Diego. Now, this is the - some of the time lapsed video of them putting this thing together. Yes, they've converted - look at that. That is just cool.
But North Carolina and Michigan State played last night, the carrier classic. Now, this was really something for the troops to focus on, they have to give them a treat. ESPN was on the deck of that ship for this carrier for a week doing their broadcast. It just gave a lot of attention to the military, to a lot of veteran on this Veterans Day and also active duty military.
Most of them made up the crowd, about 8,000 people were there. And you had Magic Johnson. You had - well, what am I saying? President Obama, the fan in chief was there last night. What are you saying?
WOLF: I didn't notice on the uniforms, they have almost that military kind of motif, almost like the faux camouflage kind of thing.
HOLMES: And none of them, none of the players had their last names on the back. It says USA on the back.
WOLF: It's teamwork. That's what it is.
You know, what's amazing about this. One of the objectives (INAUDIBLE) was to make it look as though the basketball court had always been like it belonged there.
HOLMES: Right.
WOLF: I think they accomplished that mission. And speaking of mission about the "Carl Vinson," this ship was named after a congressman who had been - who had served on the Naval Affairs Committee for 26 years.
This boat, also amazing about it, our own Sanjay Gupta performed surgery on that ship during the earthquake in Haiti. So we're talking about an act. This is a not a ship that's just been sitting here a month or (ph) forever. This is a very active ship, great crew.
HOLMES: Also the one that buried Osama Bin Laden at sea just a few months ago or was it like that now? I'm getting my days mixed up.
WOLF: Of course not.
HOLMES: You remember this, folks. So, yes, there's a lot of history on this particular aircraft carrier and now something else to add to it. Here they are performing again. You wouldn't know that it was an aircraft carrier if you weren't - you know, depending on which shot they used, it just looked like another - another jam, another stadium. But that is just cool.
WOLF: Awesome. It's beautiful to see.
You know, the veterans make up - well, actually, the active duty people make up less than one percent of our population. Think about that.
HOLMES: Yes.
WOLF: Less than one percent of our population, a volunteer force, it's wonderful seeing them have the opportunity to seeing one of those things first hand. And they say that sports are so - it's such a motivational factor for the troops. The troops -
HOLMES: Yes.
WOLF: -- truly box them up (ph). You've got to love that.
HOLMES: Yes. That's great stuff. I'm sure they'll continue that for years to come now. But it went off without a hitch last night.
WOLF: Of course.
HOLMES: Reynolds, thank you. We're going to get some weather in with Reynolds here in just a bit.
Game day forecast, a lot of people are going to be paying attention. We'll talk to you again here shortly.
WOLF: OK.
HOLMES: Forty minutes past the hour now.
Space geeks we're getting an up close and personal look at the place where NASA's spacecrafts are born. The agency's vehicle assembly building is open for tourists. Our John Zarrella is giving you a tour.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These folks are some of the first inside. For more than 30 years, it had been closed to visitors.
(on camera): Took lots of pictures.
DAVID SCHWAEGER, TOUR VISITOR: I did. And some of them I don't even understand because how do you take a picture of this? How do you take a picture of the ceilings? Unbelievable.
ZARRELLA (voice-over): If you think that's unbelievable -
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shuttle orbiter "Endeavour."
ZARRELLA: For current and future space geeks, this is heaven. A pinch-ly (ph) moment. "Endeavour" is being housed here until it's California museum home is ready.
(on camera): Do you know what you're looking at back there?
JAMEY MESSETT, TOUR VISITOR: Yes.
ZARRELLA: What is it?
MESSETT: A space rocket.
ZARRELLA (voice-over): This is the Vehicle Assembly Building, VAB at the Kennedy Space Center, rich in history, and now reopen for public tours.
From here, the massive Saturn 5 moon rockets were assembled before rolling out to the launch pad.
CONRAD NAGEL, FORMER SHUTTLE FLOW DIRECTOR: Here, we're just so busy in here. We had thousands of people living and (INAUDIBLE) here at the time. There were probably 6,000 people in this building.
ZARRELLA: Conrad Nagel worked on both the Apollo and Space Shuttle programs.
NAGEL: We're probably not going to see anything like this in our lifetime.
ZARRELLA: All 135 shuttles started out from this building, too, made into the fuel tanks and booster rockets. Because of the volatile fuels and chemicals used during the shuttle era, NASA closed the VAB's doors to outsiders in 1978.
With the shuttle program over, NASA is, again, allowing tours from the visitor complex to stop here.
DAVE MESSETT, TOUR VISITOR: We just sort of said, well, we absolutely have to do that part of the tour. That it's just not optional.
ZARRELLA: To this day, the VAB remains one of the biggest buildings in the world - 525 feet high. By volume, it's the fourth largest in the world.
(on camera): So here is one of those interesting NASA factoids, that, of course, the Vehicle Assembly Building behind me. And that American flag you see there, well, it is so large that you can fit a city bus inside each of the stripes.
NAGEL: When you look at that big flag out there hanging on the side of this thing, 210 feet long, wow, what a flag.
ZARRELLA (voice-over): Within a few years, NASA hopes to start assembling its next generation rocket in here, one that will take astronauts perhaps to Mars. The space agency has not decided yet whether the welcome mat will remain out once that new rocket gets here.
John Zarrella, CNN, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Forty-two minutes past the hour.
And recordings from President Richard Nixon never heard before now, new information on the Watergate scandal. We have the sound you don't want to miss.
Also, look at who is entering the room. Nobody just glides into the studio like Fredericka Whitfield.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Are you going to join me here?
HOLMES: I am going to join you in just a moment. Let me get to this commercial break so I can get over there.
WHITFIELD: All right. Great.
HOLMES: Stay with us, folks.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, about a quarter to the top of the hour.
And tapes from President Richard Nixon never heard by the public until now. Take a listen as our CNN Athena Jones reports.
JONES: T.J., it isn't every day that we get to read our president's secret Grand Jury testimony in which he answers questions about the scandal that ended his presidency or to hear him talk about a late night meeting at one of Washington's most iconic sights.
That's exactly what happened with the latest release of transcripts and recording of President Richard Nixon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): Years after his fall from grace, it's Richard Nixon in his own words.
RICHARD NIXON, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (voice- over): "I got dressed and at approximately 4:35, we left the White House and drove to the Lincoln Memorial." JONES: New transcripts and audio recordings released by the National Archives and the Nixon Library to provide a glimpse into the minds of that nation's 37th president.
NIXON: "I have never seen the Secret Service quite so petrified with apprehension."
JONES: As he reminisces about an impromptu predawn meeting with anti- war protesters at the Lincoln Memorial, just five days after members of the Ohio National Guard killed demonstrators at Kent State University.
NIXON: "A few not so - a few small groups of students had begun to congregate in the Rotunda of the Memorial. I walked over to a group of them and walked up to them and shook hands. They were not unfriendly."
JONES: He said he tried to explain to the students why the U.S. had invaded Cambodia, expanding the unpopular Vietnam War.
NIXON: "Our goal was not to get into Cambodia by what we were doing, but to get out of Vietnam."
JONES: Then there's the secret Grand Jury testimony in which a testy Nixon is pressed repeatedly about the 18 and a half minute gap in an audio tape of his conversation with Chief of Staff H.R. Alderman about the Watergate break-in. Nixon said, "I have never heard this conversation that you have alluded to, this so-called 18-1/2 minute gap."
Asked to explain how that part of the tape was lost, he said, "If you were interested in my view as to what happened, it is very simple. It is that it was an accident. I don't know how it happened."
And throughout the testimony, Nixon denied ordering the IRS to go after Democrats in the months before the 1972 election.
TIMOTHY NAFTALI, DIRECTOR, NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY: I am not a lawyer, but I think lawyers and those who want to be lawyers will recognize in the president's statements a very intelligent lawyer, who is not - not offering anything beyond what he knows or thinks he know the prosecution knows. There's very little information that is offered.
JONES: Nixon appeared before the Grand Jury in June 1975. Ten months after he resigned in a dramatic television address from the Oval Office.
NIXON (on camera): I have never been a quitter.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JONES: In making the decision to release the former president's Grand Jury testimony, the federal judge in the case said doing so would enhance historical records, foster further scholarly discussion and improve the public's understanding of a significant historical event. The historians and legal scholars who sued for the release of the transcript will certainly be pleased - T.J.
WHITFIELD: I know.
HOLMES: All right. About 10 minutes to the top of the hour. Looky, looky who we've got here?
WHITFIELD: Hi.
HOLMES: Fredricka Whitfield coming up in just a few -
WHITFIELD: Good to see you.
HOLMES: -- at the top of the hour.
WHITFIELD: We were starting our tease a little bit too early. Sorry about that.
HOLMES: Yes, but we were talking about what we always talk about here, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: What you always like to talk about.
HOLMES: But you don't ever engage with me in that conversation. She's @fwhitfield, people, on Twitter you chime in. She'll get right back to you.
WHITFIELD: That's right. When it gets to a point when you're out and about and people stop you and say, hey, I know T.J. is trying to get you to tweet more. I'm like, I'm going to get you, T.J. Yes. I'm trying to be in the Twitter universe as you are and it's just not going to happen.
HOLMES: It's all right.
WHITFIELD: Not the extent that you are dedicated, but -
HOLMES: You'll get there.
WHITFIELD: -- baby steps still for me.
HOLMES: Yes. That's all this is. What you guys have got coming up?
WHITFIELD: Well, I know you had Adrian Richard (ph) on earlier. Aren't they incredible?
HOLMES: We'll give them that.
WHITFIELD: I'm going to have them - yes. I know.
HOLMES: OK. But thanks for letting us borrow them.
WHITFIELD: Thank you very much. Thanks for releasing them so they can still be with us in the noon Eastern hour.
We're going to talk about a host of legal cases including one that involves a 9-year-old reportedly having a little too much Halloween candy and reportedly using profanities and allegedly spitting at the bus driver and then it leads her to juvenile detention. But the family says there may be a medical explanation. We're going to talk about the various angles of that case. Very fascinating.
And then Black Friday. Do you get excited about Black Friday and the whole shopping?
HOLMES: I love it.
WHITFIELD: You do?
HOLMES: I love it. I don't go to shop.
WHITFIELD: I see you for cyber Monday.
HOLMES: No, no, no. I don't go to shop.
WHITFIELD: OK.
HOLMES: I go the day after Thanksgiving and I do it after Christmas to just see the spectacle. I love it.
WHITFIELD: Oh. Well, Carol Lee (ph) is going to be along with us to tell us why -
HOLMES: Why -
WHITFIELD: -- you may not want to get so entrapped by the whole Black Friday thing. All the great deals may not be taking place on Black Friday. You may want to wait. She's going to explain.
HOLMES: Don't go?
WHITFIELD: The pitfall -
HOLMES: Does she say don't go?
WHITFIELD: -- on Black Friday.
HOLMES: Does she say there's some things to watch out for?
WHITFIELD: You need to be judicious. How is that?
HOLMES: OK.
WHITFIELD: And she's going to give us some tips on how to be that way.
HOLMES: OK.
WHITFIELD: Yes. And then 3:00 Eastern hour, we're going to talk about a documentary that has been termed as rather controversial. Because it is looking at the challenges of egg donor programs for couples who are trying to have a baby and go the route of egg donors. We're going to have an interesting discussion about the pros and the cons, say, those guests that are going to be along with us about the egg donor program and what perhaps is not public knowledge to a lot of folks.
So they're kind of - the documentary kind of reveals a bit more about what some believe is not completely disclosed to people who are involved in the egg donor program. A little touchy subject.
HOLMES: Yes.
WHITFIELD: All right. And then you know coming up in January is going to be the Red Tails movie, that's the George Lucas film that is going to be showcasing the life of the Tuskegee Airmen. Well, preceding that, George Lucas has helped put out a documentary called "Double Victory" that's been screened in various cities all week long.
We're going to have with us two Tuskegee Airmen -
HOLMES: Wow.
WHITFIELD: -- and historian. Their stories are very much being showcased in both the documentary and the upcoming movie. They're going to talk with us about how after all these years, we're talking after more than 60 years their stories are being told in fuller context in large part because these men and women in their 80s and 90s are sharing details of their stories that they haven't for a long time.
You know, my dad is a Tuskegee airman and for many years he never talked about it.
HOLMES: Was that because people -
WHITFIELD: And that apparently is very common.
HOLMES: -- were people not asking or just they didn't want to talk?
WHITFIELD: They didn't want to talk about it. It was a difficult phase.
And while we celebrate our Tuskegee airmen, their sacrifices and their stories very much underscore some very difficult times.
HOLMES: Yes.
WHITFIELD: And so for many of them, they suppressed a lot of those memories, didn't want to talk about it and really just wanted to move on with the rest of their lives. So we're going to have an interesting conversation at 4:00 Eastern Time.
HOLMES: Very nice. Fredricka Whitfield coming your way in just seven minutes from now at the top of the hour. Good to see you as always.
WHITFIELD: Good to see you.
HOLMES: I'll see you here in a second.
All right, folks. As we get close to the top of the hour, another Steve Jobs. Who's the next one out there? Well, some stars on the rise out there. And how can you actually spot them and then foster them and get those tech talents out of your kids?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Some stories making news cross-country.
Look at this guy right here. This guy is from Bristol, Illinois. He called 911 five times. What was his emergency? Fredricka, his smartphone was not working. Yes.
WHITFIELD: That was the emergency?
HOLMES: That was the emergency and he called them five times.
WHITFIELD: OK.
HOLMES: Sheriff's deputies were called to the man's house. They want a disorderly conduct call. They ended up arresting the guy for resisting an officer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT THIBODAUX, ACCIDENTAL MILLIONAIRE: This is the million dollar ticket. Yes, yes, yes! I won a lot of money.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Yes. You'll be saying yes, yes, yes if you won a million dollars, too, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD (voice-over): Yes.
HOLMES: This is down in New Orleans where an accidental millionaire is what he is. He's making good on a promise. His name is Robert Thibodaux. This guy.
WHITFIELD: Oh, yes.
HOLMES: Yes.
WHITFIELD: I remember.
HOLMES: He won an extra $800,000 when a convenience store cashier, Jamie Thibodeaux - no relation, just happened to have the same last name - inadvertently gave him the Power Play option. And because she made a mistake ends up giving him an extra $800,000.
Now, he gave her some money. We don't know how much that he gave to the cashier. What do you think is fair, though, Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: $200,000.
HOLMES: Do you think so?
WHITFIELD: Fair. Isn't that what it was? That was the promise.
HOLMES: You're a better person that I am. WHITFIELD: That was the promise, right?
HOLMES: No.
WHITFIELD: Am I wrong?
HOLMES: I mean, he got an extra $800,000. He's promised to give her something. We don't know what he gave her. But what's fair? You think $200,000 is fair?
WHITFIELD: Why not? It's $200,000 he didn't have before, thanks to her.
HOLMES: Yes. I think a 50 would get it done.
WHITFIELD: $50? Oh, no, come on, T.J., you're much more generous than that.
HOLMES: Let's turn to Florida now where a man's frantic search for his wife's diamond ring paid off a few weeks ago that Brian McGuinn's wife gave him the ring to put in the jewelry box. He accidentally threw this thing away, end up in the trash. That sent out a search in a landfill and we did have a happy ending to the story. He ended up finding it, but he had to go under tons of trash to find it.
And as we get close to the top of the hour, finding and fostering the next Steve Jobs. African-American entrepreneurs taking on Silicon Valley in our next installment of "Black in America." We're calling this the "New Promise Land," airs tomorrow night actually.
But what can parents do right now to spur their kids' imaginations? Well, Mario Armstrong has the answer for you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIO ARMSTRONG, CNN DIGITAL LIFESTYLE EXPERT: I think what's going on is we're pushing so many of our kids into technology, get it, get it, do science, do math. And kids don't understand the connection. They're not relating to the relevancy of why.
So what I'm saying to teachers and adults and caregivers across the country on these tours when I'm meeting with kids is push their passions. So what you want to do is really sit back, identify the kid's passion and then find the science and technology that's in that passion and you will find kids more interested in learning the science of their passion.
HOLMES: OK. Give me - give me an example of that. If like a kid has a passion for - what, astronomy or for music, how do you do that?
ARMSTRONG: That's right. So, OK, music would be a great one. A lot of kids maybe want to be musicians or create music. Well, that opens up a discussion for sound engineering. It's OK for you to just create music, but what's it like to actually know the science behind the sound of music. What if you want to score a film? What if you want to be able to create music for a video game? Those are real jobs with real salaries that involve technology backgrounds.
But what if you're into sports, you can look at the first down yellow marker in football, instead of having a conversation with the kid, saying let's talk about augmented reality, you talk about the sport of football. So you know that first down marker, yes, that's technology. Let's talk about that technology and how it actually works. And then you have a kid interested in that discussion.
HOLMES: Actually, how does that thing work, Mario? I'll ask you about that later.
But do we need and we know to a certain extent kids are attracted to stars. Big named celebrities sometimes, but were you know this from sports and movies and entertainment. So star technology, we can put up Mario Armstrong and this is the guy you can be. But other than you --
ARMSTRONG: Yes. I'm not the star. Really the people that are behind the scenes people that aren't on the camera. So people like Jerome Solomon. This guy is a phenomenal star. He works for Lucas Arts. He's been an animator, programmer, designer, all involved in the transformers movie. So that's huge.
You have people like Clarence Wooten (ph). Clarence Wooten is a serial entrepreneur. This is a guy who built a company back before the dotcom bust, sold it for close to $30 million and has now launched two more companies where he's hiring people and so our kids need to know that these role models exist. We can start shaping who they really look up to as future stars.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
