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CNN Saturday Morning News
Report: 24 soldiers Killed in Pakistan; American Students Headed Home; Tentative NBA Deal Reached; Stop Romney Effort in Iowa; Cyber Monday Tips; Virtual Bell Ringers; Violent Black Friday; Mission to Mars
Aired November 26, 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, from the CNN Headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, this is your CNN SATURDAY MORNING for this November 26th. I'm T.J. Holmes. Let me tell you what we've got ahead for you this hour.
Seething anger in Pakistan after NATO helicopters reportedly opened fire on checkpoints killing at least two dozen Pakistani soldiers. A live report in just a moment.
Also, back in the U.S., Thanksgiving weekend celebrations by the families of three American college students. They're heading home from Egypt after they were arrested during a protest and then released.
Also, NBA fans, if you're still out there, maybe have something to celebrate, the whole season won't be a total loss. Owners and players have reached a tentative deal in the lockout and start playing ball on Christmas Day.
But at the top of the hour, let's start with this outrage and accusations after NATO helicopters reportedly attacked two Pakistani checkpoints killing at least 24 soldiers. The attack got a kick response. Pakistan cut off NATO supply lines to Afghanistan. The incident will likely damage the already estranged relationship between the U.S. and Pakistan.
Our Nick Paton Walsh joins us now live from Kabul. Nick are we starting to get more official word from NATO now?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely.
Let's start with what Pakistan has originally accused NATO of here. They're saying two separate checkpoints were attacked inside Pakistani territory, killing between 24, 26 Pakistani soldiers, injuring about a dozen, outrage on the Pakistani's side of the border. The Prime Minister cancelling a trip scheduling a meeting with security chiefs and also supply lines through Pakistan into Afghanistan and Kabul.
We have in the last hour though heard from NATO a final acknowledgement that they think it is, quote, "Highly likely that what they refer to as close air support, now to you and me, that's some kind of air strike, or support to trips fighting on the ground from aircraft in the sky caused these casualties". We also believe now they seem to be indicating that they accept this was on the Pakistani side of the border.
Still, a significant amount of confusion here, but ISAF also keen to point out they want a swift conclusion to the investigation they're currently conducting and also express their condolences to any families of the Pakistani casualties from this -- T.J.
HOLMES: Right, Nick Paton Walsh for us in Kabul, thank you once again. We'll stay on top of that story.
We're just past the top of the hour here now and we turn to Egypt where a protester was killed in Cairo today after he was struck by a police truck trying to retreat from the chaos in the city. The government issued an apology and expressed condolences to the family.
The most recent clashes has started when police tried to move protesters who were blocking the entrance of the Parliament building in anticipation of the arrival of the newly-appointed Prime Minister.
Our Susan Candiotti joins me now though with an update on another part of this story. Three American students who were arrested. Susan it appears they are out or they have been released from custody there in Egypt, but they're also on the way home.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A lot of sighs of relief, T.J. Three American college students on their way home from an experience they won't forget. They are Derek Sweeney, goes to Georgetown University; Gregory Porter from Drexel University, both 19; and Luke Gates, 21, from Indiana University.
They were all studying at American University in Cairo and were accused of throwing gasoline bombs from a rooftop at security forces in Tahrir Square forces who were clashing with protesters. A prosecutor said the young men denied the charge and said the empty bottles that were found belonged to their friends, not to them.
After their arrests this week, the boys were released. Sweeney's parents said they did nothing wrong and were falsely accused. The students are free and are already en route back to the states to their respective homes celebrating a belated Thanksgiving, and certainly in more ways than one, due back late tonight, T.J.
And in Derek Sweeney's case, his dad says he has no intention of returning to Cairo to finish his studies. Not a surprise there -- T.J.
HOLMES: Yes not at all but so that's it, they're done; they're not facing any kind of charges over there? This is just an ordeal that's over for them?
CANDIOTTI: That would seem to be the case.
HOLMES: Right.
CANDIOTTI: And of course we're also waiting to hear from the State Department to see if they're going to weigh in, as well.
HOLMES: All right, Susan Candiotti on it for us. Thank you so much.
And we're four minutes past the hour now and we turn to NBA basketball. At least it looks like the season could be saved. NBA players and owners reached a tentative deal early this morning to end the lockouts.
Our Joe Carter of HLN Sports stopped by earlier giving us some of the details here, including, for you NBA fans, when we could see that first game.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE CARTER, HLN SPORTS: A tentative agreement was reached early this morning, around 3:00 a.m. Eastern Time. And it gives you any idea how much pressure they were feeling internally. These guys met for 17 hours yesterday, hammered it out, got the deal done. It looks like we're going to have a 66-game season, which is only 16 games less than they would normally have.
So all things considered, they got the job done. It's a ten-year deal. Each side can opt out of the deal after six years. But just remember one week ago David Stern called this as -- this time as the league and the owners was heading into a nuclear winter, totally different tone this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID STERN, NBA COMMISSIONER: We've reached a tentative understanding that is subject to a variety of approvals and very complex machinations. But we're optimistic that that will all come to pass and that the NBA season will begin on December 25th, Christmas Day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARTER: All right, so that's the owners' take on this new deal. The players' take, Derek Fisher representing all the players, basically said this morning that they felt the pressure both from the players' side and for any person, any business making a living off the NBA.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEREK FISHER, NATIONAL BASKETBALL PLAYERS ASSOCIATION: The most important key, I think, here is that, you know, our fans and the support from the people and the patience, you know, through a large part of this process, that's where a lot of this credit goes to. You know, the efforts that have been have been largely with them in mind.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARTER: All right. So we're looking at about 30 days before the basketball season gets up and running. You know a lot has to happen between now and Christmas Day. First of all the players have to recertify as a union. HOLMES: Yes.
CARTER: Secondly, they've got to get this tentative deal official which means they actually have to write the deal. Then a fast frenzy of free agency will begin which is going to be kind of exciting because we saw that in the NFL.
HOLMES: Yes.
CARTER: We can see a lot of trades, a lot of moves in about a week's worth of time. And they're going to open training camp around December 9th and then the tip off to the season tentatively planned for December 25th, Christmas Day, like I said, with a triple header.
At this point, there was going be some matchups that we already knew about.
HOLMES: Yes.
CARTER: David Stern says to be announce but expect big teams like the Heat, the Lakers, the Mavericks, those kinds of things, the Celtics, the Knicks going at out at Christmas Day.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And we turn now to the Syracuse University basketball team. Team one, its NIT season tip-off without its assistant coach, Bernie Fine is on administrative leave after being accused of sexual molestation. Police searched Fine's home yesterday, eight days after two men say he molested them when they were teen ball boys. The claims go back as far to 1970s. The 65-year-old Fine denies the allegations.
Well, NASA has sent Curiosity now to Mars. The mission launched just a short time ago. And they are out there looking for life. They will be in a little a while, the mission began with a picture-perfect launch. This happened just about an hour ago. The rocket is carrying a rover called Curiosity that would collect rocks and soil on the Red Planet in hopes of finding organic matter. We'll have a live report for you once again from the Kennedy Space Center a little later this hour.
And in the race for the White House, some social conservatives in Iowa have launched a stop Mitt Romney movement. That can't feel good for this front-runner. We've got a live report coming your way. Stay with us on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, we're about ten minutes past the hour now. And in the race for the White House, just over a month -- can you believe it -- before they start voting in Iowa. And now social conservative leaders in that state are getting together to stop Mitt Romney. They actually held a secret meeting this week.
Our political reporter Shannon Travis is the one who broke this story. He's with us now from Chicago. A secret meeting? Who was at this meeting and what exactly we're they talking about?
SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: It sounds almost like a little bit of a political thriller on those movies. Who was at the meeting were representatives from some of the biggest social conservative groups in Iowa.
Groups like the Family Leader, Iowa Facing Freedom Coalition. About 20 to 25 people happened last Monday, T.J., in Des Moines. They're planning on having another one of these meetings on Monday, this coming Monday. And the point, as you just mentioned, was to see if some of these social conservatives could not splinter the vote, avoid splintering the vote and coalesce around one potential candidate to stop Romney in Iowa and possibly beyond.
They feel like he's not a true conservative and they want someone to take him on, T.J.
HOLMES: Ok, around one candidate, who is that one?
TRAVIS: Well, they haven't come up with one yet. I mean, at this meeting, I'm told that they narrowed it down to four. Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator. So they are trying to see if they can come up with one person that they could back.
Ironically enough, Herman Cain and Ron Paul was not on their list. They kind of kicked them off the list for consideration. They had some -- some issues, some concerns about whether Herman Cain really has his bona fide in terms of foreign policy expertise and Ron Paul, some things that he has about libertarian leanings and state rights -- T.J.
HOLMES: Are we hearing from Romney about this. Are they concerned at all?
TRAVIS: Yes, absolutely. I reached out to them and said, hey, I've learned about this secret meeting to try and have an anti-Romney candidate. And they say, you know what? Governor Romney is going to run a 50-state campaign. He's going to compete in Iowa and New Hampshire and beyond. They also beat back any criticism any claims that he's a flip-flopper. They say that he's been totally consistent. So that's what the Romney campaign says.
They're not -- they didn't seem at least to me to be taking this all that seriously. He's up in the Mirror polls. He's up in money, just got a major endorsement the other day from John Thune of South Dakota; so that's what they're saying.
HOLMES: Yes you say he's up in polls and up in money. The polls we have seen, I assume you're talking about some national ones. Is he polling that well in Iowa right now, Romney?
TRAVIS: He is still doing very well nationally, but take a look at this American Research Group Poll that's out pretty recently. Romney is still doing pretty well. Gingrich is up, though, 27 percent. Romney right there in the middle, 20 percent, T.J., and Ron Paul at 16 percent.
Other polls mirror are kind of the same thing or show Romney on top tied with Herman Cain. So again, he's got a lot of support out there.
HOLMES: All right but still, he's gaining. Romney at least here, he is gaining more support. Pretty big endorsement from a Senator from maybe a small state population wise, but still, a recognizable and an important endorsement.
TRAVIS: Yes. A name that maybe not a lot of people outside of South Dakota may have heard of or what have you. But John Thune was going to run for president. He was thinking about it, I should say considering it himself he decided against it. But he threw his weight, his support behind Romney the other day. This may help him because South Dakota neighbors Iowa. This may help him in western parts of Iowa with the caucuses. So a big get for Romney -- T.J.
HOLMES: And finally, did they take the weekend off a lot of these candidates to just spend time with family? Or they're not -- they're not wasting days right now, are they?
TRAVIS: I think it's a safe bet that most of them didn't go on Black Friday shopping sales. You've got some of the candidates T.J., taking to the campaign trail this weekend. For the next two days, pretty much Huntsman and Santorum are kind of all across New Hampshire. Bachmann is all across Iowa. And Florida is where Gingrich is for today.
HOLMES: All right, Shannon Travis for us in Chicago right now. We'll see you plenty throughout this campaign. Thanks so much.
And a program note to our viewers here, you can join Fredericka Whitfield every Sunday afternoon at 4:00 Eastern for a special hour dedicated to the presidential contenders in the 2012. Again that's every Sunday, 4:00 Eastern with Fredricka Whitfield.
But you don't have to wait that long to see here. She'll be here in about 45 minutes to start her show, but even earlier, she's going to come hang out with me for a little bit, so she's coming your way in just a few minutes.
Cyber Monday is around the corner, but do you know what to do on Cyber Monday, necessarily? You have to have a plan. You have to be focused. We'll tell you exactly where you need to be to find the best deals online. And also you need to look out for the folks who are coming after your money.
Also, some trivia before we go to break here. CNN Money taking a look at the gap between rich and poor in America. Where do you think income inequality is greatest in this country? Is it D.C.? Is it New York? Is it Connecticut? Is it Florida? I'll tell you when this CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. About 18 minutes past the hour now. Before the break, I asked you where income inequality is the greatest according to CNNMOney.com. Is it New York, D.C., Connecticut or Florida? The right answer is Washington, D.C. Those at the top earn a lot as government contractors and lobbyists and those at the bottom are stuck with low-wage jobs.
A lot of people sat out Black Friday. Were you one of them because you knew Cyber Monday was coming.
Earlier we talked to our tech expert, Katie Linendoll. She told us how to take advantage of what's happening online without getting scammed at the same time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATIE LINENDOLL, TECH EXPERT: First off, let's go to cybermonday.com. It's a great site to aggregate a number of the ads, a number of the deals. It's a subsidiary of shop.org, really a great site to look at to make sure that you're staying in touch with everything that's going to be on sale.
Also, if you're really into a big brand, what I recommend doing is going on to their Facebook page and hitting that "like" button. Because now more than ever, online retailers are using social media sites to make sure they are rewarding their loyal fans.
And also two sites that I use year-round, T.J., retailmenot.com and also savings.com. They typically will always have a promotional code at the least for free shipping. But sometimes you get about 10, 20 percent off.
So this is definitely a day that you want to stay tuned. Again, big bonus. You don't have to be fighting with people in the store over a $2 waffle iron.
HOLMES: Yes. Ok. But if everybody knows that we're going to be online on Monday, you know, you've got some criminals out there who are pretty smart and they're getting ready for Monday as well.
LINENDOLL: Yes, absolutely. And some things to take precautions on Monday. First and foremost, phishing schemes; all those cameras are going to be trying to lure you with big ticket items and promises that are too good to be true. And it still amazes me how realistic these ads look like. Make sure you know what you're clicking on before you click on it.
Also, make sure that you're using credit cards instead of debit cards. You're going to be better protected from fraud and face less liability in the event that your credit card number is stolen.
Also, when you are shopping online, look for that https up in that in the address bar, that's going to mean that you're in a secure site before you're putting in your info.
And this is kind of not so much as scamming thing but something I like to say, hey heads up. Look for restocking fees. People see a couple hundred dollars off on those big ticket electronic items and they impulse buy. But sometimes you can get hit with a 25 percent restocking fee, especially when it comes to TVs, laptops, computers. You want to make sure that you absolutely do want that product and make sure that you're not making any purchases on public Wi-Fi.
And last but not least, protect your Smartphone. 53 percent of consumers are planning to shop on their Smartphones this holiday season. Download an app like Lookout that will protect your Smartphone and also wipe all your data should you happen to lose it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: All right. Well, it's 21 minutes past the hour now.
And the Salvation Army is recruiting and maybe you can be a bell ringer. But you don't have to go outside and stand there and ring the bell. You can be a virtual bell ringer.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: That familiar sound around the holidays. The bells out there in front of the stores and, of course, those red kettles; they've been a staple in this country for literally more than a century now.
But now the Salvation Army is finding a new way to get you to give. Virtual bell ringers who are using social media, of course, to try to get the message out.
I talked to Major George Hood, he's a national community relations secretary for the Salvation Army; asked him about the new efforts to go high tech.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAJOR GEORGE HOOD, SALVATION ARMY: It's important as technology is introduced that we are at a point where we can communicate with consumers and donors who want to make contributions. And more and more we're finding people don't want to be carrying money in their pocket when they're out shopping. So we've created some online opportunities not only to make contributions but also to select angels to provide Christmas presents for needy children.
So we've really gone to the online environment, the digital age, and we're finding that many people, particularly the emerging generations, love these options as they want to become loyal donors.
HOLMES: So is it a matter of, say I was a virtual bell ringer, if you will, am I actively seeking people out online?
HOOD: It's a viral relationship where you volunteer to be an online bell ringer, and you send e-mail blasts to all of your friends, people you work with, your neighbors, your relatives, and you ask them to donate to your red kettle. And there's a thermometer there in the software package that allows you to set a goal and then track how much contributions you're receiving, and see if you can reach your goal before Christmas Day.
HOLMES: Oh. Ok. That's pretty cool.
Now, tell me about the traditional bell ringers. Do you find that that still works? You mentioned that a lot of people just not carrying a lot of cash these days, but does that still work and you still are able to pull in a good number of contributions during the holiday season?
HOOD: Well, I'll tell you, about eight years ago I forecasted we looking at the end of the red kettle. How much did I know? Last year we raised $142 million in those red kettles across America.
HOLMES: Wow. So that still is going to be what gets it done for you. Can you imagine a day, though, when online -- the online, the virtual red kettles will be pulling in more than those out in the streets?
HOOD: Well, we think that that may happen over a period of time. It's not going to happen in the next couple of years. But the idea is, let's be accessible where the donor wants to find us, that's what the technical world and the digital world is all about.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: If you want more information on the virtual bell ringer program, you can check out the Salvation Army's Web site at salvationarmyusa.org.
We're getting close to the bottom of the hour now. And Black Friday shopping, did you go out there and brave the crowds? There was a lot more to it than just trying to beat somebody to a good deal. There was a lot of pushing and shoving and yes, violent incidents taking place across the country. And a California woman even turned pepper spray on her fellow shoppers. We've got the report for you.
Stay with me.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, at the bottom of the hour now, I'll give you a look at some of the stories making headlines.
Pakistan's leaders are condemning a NATO attack they say killed at least two dozen soldiers. It happened in the Mohmand Agency. This is along about the border with Afghanistan.
In response, Pakistan has cut off NATO supply lines into Afghanistan. The prime minister has also called an emergency meeting with his military chiefs.
Also, basketball fans - well, NBA basketball fans, that is, they could get basketball by Christmas Day. The NBA and the players - NBA players and the owners have reached a tentative deal. This happened early this morning. They announced it literally overnight, 3:00, 4:00 A.M.
Their plan is to start training camps on December 9th and have a triple header on Christmas Day. There will be 66 games in the season. That's just 16 games shy of a normal season. The players still have to ratify this agreement.
Also, to Syracuse, the university basketball team won last night's NIT season tip off without its assistant coach. Two former ball boys say Bernie Fine molested them in the '70s and '90s.
Police searched Fine's home yesterday but wouldn't say what they were looking for. The 65-year-old Fine denies the allegations. The university has placed him on paid administrative leave.
And it's called Black Friday, one of the biggest shopping days of the year. But the rush for bargains got a little out of control in a number of places across the country yesterday. And, in California, police are trying to track down a woman who was trying so hard to get a great deal on a video game console she allegedly doused fellow shoppers with pepper spray.
The story now with our Sandra Endo.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Police say the woman in her 30s pepper sprayed the crowd inside the Walmart as the Black Friday items went on sale. They were around that area where Xboxes were going for sale, and 10 victims were treated here on the scene.
We spoke to one witness who felt the effects of the spray and recorded the frenzy on his cell phone.
Tell me about this woman. Did you see her before in line, waiting for this deal to open up?
JUAN CASTRO, WITNESS: I didn't see her personally, but I sure got the scent of mace. I got it and my throat is burning. I saw people around me, they got it really bad.
As you can see in the video, some woman was crying, "My eyes! My eyes!" I tried to get away from it as quickly as possible because I - I didn't think those was worth it. No deal was worth that.
ENDO: A spokesperson for Walmart says, "It was an unfortunate situation, but we are glad everyone seem to be OK. We are working with law enforcement to provide any assistance we can."
Police say the woman paid for her purchases before leaving the store. This was, of course, before cops arrived here on the scene.
As for the witness we spoke with, all he made out with was a $2 DVD.
Sandra Endo, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE) HOLMES: And were you able to see this this morning? Just a picture perfect launch in Florida, but what was no doubt a historic mission that's just getting underway, NASA sending up the most sophisticated vehicle ever, and it's headed to Mars.
We are live with an update on a journey that is just getting underway.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right, 36 minutes past the hour. Let's say good morning once again to our Bonnie Schneider.
All right, Bonnie, they got to grandma's house. Now you got to get back home, and they might have a weather issue or two.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: That's true. Getting there was no problem. We had some great weather for Thanksgiving and for Black Friday, but there's still a lot of shopping going on, a lot of traveling happening.
OK, we've got one delay to tell you about, and this one is in Houston, Texas. And, I can tell you, in Houston, the weather's actually going to be changing, if that's where you're headed. Notice the departure delays are on the increasing side, meaning they will get worse from 30 minutes.
And Houston's actually going to see some colder weather later tonight and into tomorrow, especially Monday morning. So big changes in the forecast for Houston, Texas, and we'll be looking for that.
Other places we're anticipating delays would be Chicago, into Dallas and Houston, as well as Memphis and St. Louis, Minneapolis facing winds and low clouds. You're actually going to see some snow showers there later on tonight.
And in Miami, Florida, well, the temperatures are beautiful. It will be breezy.
Much of the country is going to be affected and impacted by one weather system, and this one is already triggering some heavy winds and rain across much of the Midwest. The wind will be picking up and getting much stronger, meaning it will also feel a lot colder because of that.
Some light snow falling at this hour in Minnesota and Michigan. We have winter weather advisories in those areas.
And then to the south, it's a strong line of thunderstorms sweeping across Shreveport, Louisiana at this hour. To the north as well, some heavier rains, but the severe weather threat is mainly along the Gulf Coast. This is where we're anticipating some severe storms, two strong areas of low pressure, and then right on behind it is high pressure. So we're going to see a strong pressure gradient, and that means windy weather, really fierce winds with advisories posted for the Northern, Central and Southern Plain states, straight for the rest of the weekend. Mild conditions in the southwest, and very warm in advance of this system, which will be nice. Temperatures are nice and mild for today.
Big changes are ahead. We've got a cool down coming on up. As you can see, we go into this week, high temperatures will be in the 30s in the Midwest, low temperatures will be in the 20s. And notice this bit of blue, this dark blue, where the temperatures are in the 30s, that's dropping pretty far south into Missouri and Kentucky, so we're going to start feeling a lot colder around here, T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Bonnie Schneider, thank you so much.
We're 38 minutes past the hour now. And are we alone in the universe? Well, NASA will have an answer for you shortly. Well, they hope to. That's the question, though.
A new Mars Rover is on its way. The journey to the Red Planet started about an hour and a half ago. The rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying the Rover that's known as "Curiosity."
John Zarrella looked at this latest mission to Mars.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Mars. Does life exist there? Did it ever?
NASA is poised to take its boldest step towards (INAUDIBLE) questions that could change forever our view of humanity's place in the universe.
SETH SHOSTAK, SETI INSTITUTE SENIOR ASTRONOMER: I think the best way of saying why we're so excited about this mission is that it sets us up for the future of - of finally answering that - that, you know, really age old question of does life exist on other planets?
ZARRELLA: The mission is called the Mars Science Laboratory, or MSL. The most sophisticated vehicle ever sent to Mars, it has the capability to detect signs of life.
If it works, come next August, after traveling 350 million miles, a 2,000 pound six-wheel rover called Curiosity will arrive at the Red Planet. Using a tether system never tried before, it will be lowered down to a place called the Gale Crater.
The size of a small car, Curiosity is the Cadillac of rovers.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're choosing the make the rovers bigger and bigger because we want to cover more ground. We want to be able to put an arm out and drill a rock.
ZARRELLA: Drill a rock? Why?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On Mars, if you - if life exists as single cell organisms, or if it ever existed, we believe it will be under the ground or inside rocks. ZARRELLA: Inside Gale Crater sits what scientists believe is a layered mountain. In essence, the history of Mars, told in the layers. And if water ever flowed on Mars, it might have been in that crater.
"Curiosity's" arm will collect samples and place them in its onboard laboratory with the ability to detect organic material.
SHOSTAK: Now, if we discover organic materials on Mars, that - then it gets very exciting. You know, the chances of it may be low, but the payoff is huge. Organic materials are required for life as we know it.
ZARRELLA: But it won't mean life exists, just the building blocks.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you go to a - the driest desert on Earth, can you find life on your - on your samples if you do a - a year of robotic study? Probably not. It's actually quite difficult. Life has to stick up and - and make itself seen.
ZARRELLA: Finding life itself would be left to the next wave of explorers, robotic and perhaps even human.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right. And, as we mentioned, it launched about an hour and a half ago. John Zarrella has been with me all morning for this, and you told me there was a kind of a - a danger zone there about 30 to 40 minutes after the launch. Apparently, are you telling me it - it made it through that? So it's on its way?
ZARRELLA: Oh, yes. You know, T.J., we knew it made it when we heard the cheers and all. And, in fact, there was actually - there was actually a video from space of the separation from that upper stage booster and the spacecraft as it separated and - and took off now, traveling at about 22,000 miles an hour. The Mars Science Lab and the Curiosity rover headed to Mars, August 6th.
As I mentioned to you at one time, T.J., if you and I were standing on the surface of Mars on August 6th, it would be about 3:00 in the afternoon, we - we look up and there it would be.
HOLMES: One day we'll get there. And John -
ZARRELLA: Yes?
HOLMES: -- give people an idea. This rover is not just - this ain't your granddaddy's rover here, you know? The little things we're thinking of -
ZARRELLA: No, it is not.
HOLMES: Give us an idea of the size of this sucker.
ZARRELLA: OK. So the Sojourner Rover, that first one they sent back on Pathfinder, was about yea big, the rover, the whole thing. This is a mock-up of a wheel, one of the six wheels on Curiosity. So the wheel itself is as big, if not bigger, than the entire Sojourner Rover was that landed on Mars, the first of those Mars Rovers that landed. So a 2,000 pound vehicle, it is - it is really the granddaddy of rovers, and they are hoping to get some incredible, incredible science out of it, and I'm already booking my tickets to Pasadena, California, to the jet propulsion laboratory, because I want to be there when that thing lands on Mars in August, I tell you that, T.J.
HOLMES: In August.
Good stuff this morning, and thank you so much for - for walking us through it.
ZARRELLA: Yes.
HOLMES: You've been with us all morning.
ZARRELLA: Absolutely.
HOLMES: We certainly appreciate you, as always, John Zarrella.
ZARRELLA: Sure.
HOLMES: And coming up next as well, what is Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, what does he have to do with this launch today? Yes, he was there. He has a mission of his own. I'll let you hear it from him in just a bit.
And you know who else we're going to hear from? Just one of the highlights of my CNN SATURDAY MORNING, Fredericka Whitfield will be here with - there she is, getting herself ready to come have a little chat with me.
Come on in here, Fredericka. We'll see you in a second.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Just about a quarter to the top of the hour.
NASA hoping that today's mission doesn't just start the next chapter exploration of Mars, they also hope it sparks the imagination of kids and maybe jumpstarts their desire to learn more about space and science.
I talked to astronaut Leland Melvin, as well as Will.i.am from the Black Eyed Peas, about is this mission today really going to help them in their mission to get kids excited.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL.I.AM, BLACK EYED PEAS: I'm blown away and inspired by these kids, especially the kids that work within U.S. FIRST Dean Kamen's robotics program. And there's like 200,000-plus kids who are writing code, building robots, doing amazing things with their skill set, and it's not like kids aren't, it's just that we haven't shined a light on the kids that are to inspire other kids to - to get involved, as well.
HOLMES: Yet, Leland -
WILL.I.AM: So, I'm like really, really inspired by these kids.
HOLMES: Yet, Leland, you pick up that point for me there. I guess, translate this for us. How do we get from launch today and how does that translate into getting some kid in a classroom somewhere in this country involved in a field of math and science and maybe even a career?
LELAND MELVIN, ASTRONAUT: Well, when I think about a - a kid seeing Curiosity, this rover, going around the surface of Mars taking samples, doing things - I was a chemistry major. I mixed these two chemicals together and blew up this creative explosion in my mom's living room. And that got me fueled and - and energized.
But - so, maybe there's going to be a kid watching Curiosity going around the surface of Mars and they may think, well, how do I become a scientist or engineer? How do I become a musician? Because music and math use both the right and left sides of the brain, so if you know music, you know math, and let them see that the art - there's - there's science and engineering in the arts, too.
HOLMES: Uh-oh. Whose phone - is that your phone ringing? You want to answer that?
WILL.I.AM: No, no. I got that. I'm sorry.
HOLMES: No, I'm kidding. I'm kidding, my man. That's quite all right.
But one other thing - one other thing to you here, Will, what - what got you into it in the first place? I guess what triggered your curiosity about these types of fields, about NASA, about science, about robotics?
WILL.I.AM: Well, I went to the Brentwood Science Magnet School, so my education early on got me into science. But, through my career in music, I realized in - I realized that our industry, the music industry, relies on engineering and science also.
You know, it's about solutions. How do we change America's inner cities? And getting kids excited about stem education, to take careers and become young entrepreneurs and innovators, that's what's going to change our country around. So I'm about solutions and stems -
MELVIN: And about the SYSTEM, right?
WILL.I.AM: Yes, the SYSTEM.
HOLMES: All right -
WILL.I.AM: So I came up with this concept called the SYSTEM, which stands for Stimulating Youth around Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
And so, I'm - that's my mission now, is to change the neighborhood I come from.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Another note on Will.i.am, he's helping us out with the Fifth Annual All Star Tribute to the CNN Heroes. He's one of the co-hosts for the special show on December 11th. You can see it right here, 8:00 Eastern Time. We unveil the CNN Hero of the Year, but you still have time to chime in and vote at CNNHeroes.com.
And at 11 minutes to the top of the hour. Looky-looky here.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello.
HOLMES: Fredricka, always good to see you.
WHITFIELD: T.J. happy post Thanksgiving.
HOLMES: Post Thanksgiving -
WHITFIELD: But we saw each other every day this week.
HOLMES: Yes.
WHITFIELD: But don't say it like that. Yes.
HOLMES: No, no, no, no, no. I'll say - when you think about it, we - well, I should spend more time with my family than with Fredricka, and -
WHITFIELD: I'm sorry.
HOLMES: -- it's been kind of a weird week.
WHITFIELD: Sorry, family.
HOLMES: That's all right.
WHITFIELD: I know.
But here we are again.
HOLMES: Here we are again.
WHITFIELD: We've got a lot straight ahead. That was a very interesting interview with them. That was fun.
HOLMES: Yes. Did you watch the launch?
WHITFIELD: The projects. I like the idea of getting kids involved.
Sorry, no.
HOLMES: Did you see the launch? WHITFIELD: No. I missed the launch, but I saw it on tape.
HOLMES: It's exciting, no matter what.
WHITFIELD: It is very exciting.
HOLMES: It's just -
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: We have a lot of balls in the air that we're juggling, so sometimes we can't see it all.
But anyway, you can see it all as it's happening. Noon Eastern Time, our legal guys are going to be along with us, talking about a very interesting case out of Sheboygan, Wisconsin. A mayor is not so happy that a Twitter account has been opened up in his name. He had nothing to do with it. He's blaming a 17 year old who apparently is not only using the mayor's name, but tweeting some rather unsavory, uncomplimentary things, and so the mayor wants an injunction imposed.
But other legal guys are going to be along to say, you know what? Not so easy because he's a public figure.
HOLMES: Wait a minute, but they can't assume your identity like that and start putting out things on your behalf, almost, can they?
WHITFIELD: You're going to have to listen to our legal guys.
HOLMES: Wait a minute, now this is -
WHITFIELD: It's not going to be an easy case.
HOLMES: Well, this is of interest to -
WHITFIELD: Noon Eastern Time.
HOLMES: OK. I'm sorry.
WHITFIELD: Because last time you had me giving away everything.
HOLMES: I'm sorry.
WHITFIELD: I'm like, now - so I got to, you know, you want to watch.
HOLMES: OK. Sorry.
WHITFIELD: Noon Eastern, to find out.
HOLMES: OK.
WHITFIELD: Dot, dot, dot, fill in the blanks.
And then, I know you're a big Black Friday shopper.
HOLMES: Love that stuff. WHITFIELD: Even though we were here, so you didn't get a chance to. You had football plans as well.
HOLMES: Yes.
WHITFIELD: So then you have another chance, Cyber Monday.
HOLMES: Cyber - I'm going today, actually.
WHITFIELD: Oh, very good.
HOLMES: I'm going to hit the malls. But Cyber Monday, I was asking someone earlier, is this just kind of a made up holiday (INAUDIBLE) or...?
WHITFIELD: Well, we - we are going to have an interesting segment, how to avoid scams, because you can be had on Cyber Monday, because very enticing deals that may come by way of e-mail, advertisement, and you indulge and then you find yourself in trouble.
So, we're indulge on that one, on that topic.
HOLMES: OK.
WHITFIELD: And then, "Face to Face" with Isaiah Washington.
HOLMES: Yes. Been waiting to hear this. Yes.
WHITFIELD: You know, you have been used to him on - whether it be "Grey's Anatomy" or a - a number of movies since the '90s. And he's going to talk about some of his favorite projects along the way, and he's also going to talk about what his personal and professional life has been like post "Grey's Anatomy." "Face to Face" with Isaiah Washington.
And then holiday movies. This is a great weekend in which to see a lot of movies out there. "My Week with Marilyn," Marilyn Monroe -
HOLMES: That looks interesting to me.
WHITFIELD: Michelle Williams, her rendition of Marilyn Monroe. We're going to have Matt Atchity. He's going to be along with us to tell you and me whether that's a movie we need to see.
And then "The Muppets." You grew up with "Sesame Street," right?
HOLMES: We all did.
WHITFIELD: I know. We all did.
HOLMES: Of course.
WHITFIELD: And so "The Muppets Movie," and it's already getting lots of great rave reviews. What does Matt's think.
HOLMES: Really? WHITFIELD: Let's find out. Yes.
HOLMES: OK. But it was - last week was the - the vampire - the "Twilight" scene.
WHITFIELD: Oh, yes. That's right.
HOLMES: That was last week.
WHITFIELD: Yes. And that's -
HOLMES: Are you into those?
WHITFIELD: No. I'm sorry. I'm not.
HOLMES: OK.
WHITFIELD: A little too gruesome for me. I'm kind of a wimp.
HOLMES: OK.
WHITFIELD: I like happy stuff. I don't like to get scared.
HOLMES: OK, well -
WHITFIELD: You know? Yes, happy movies for me.
And then also, "The Descendants" too -
HOLMES: OK.
WHITFIELD: -- with George Clooney. He'll be reviewing that.
HOLMES: All right. Fredricka Whitfield -
WHITFIELD: Yes. I like to keep it happy.
HOLMES: -- always a pleasure.
You keep me - you make me happy. Every time you show up, this is a good time.
Seven minutes to the top of the hour. We'll see you in seven minutes. And so, Fredricka Whitfield -
WHITFIELD: Yes.
HOLMES: We'll see you here in a second.
All right, coming up, around the holidays those credit card companies offering you those deals they claim are too good to pass up. Well, our financial analyst, Clyde Anderson, is going to be up next to tell you, you need to pass them up. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right, just a few minutes to the top of the hour now. Let's take a look at stories making news cross country.
In San Francisco, police officers in riot gear faced off with Occupy Wall Street protesters. The demonstrators were holding a rally in the city's Union Square area. They blocked intersections and disrupted the San Francisco Municipal Railway service.
Last night protesters returned to try to keep shoppers from spending money downtown, but they left when police showed up.
Also, Washington may be getting involved and getting rid of some airline baggage fees. A proposed bill would require every U.S. airline to accept one checked back and one carry-on bag for free. Right now some airlines charge up to $35 for that first bag.
Also, an Alabama man is skydiving 100 times in a day. He's doing this in honor - he's trying to remember or wants to do this in remembrance of the first American killed in combat in Afghanistan in November of 2001.
And here we are, three minutes to the top of the hour, and credit card companies are pulling out all the stops this holiday season. They're promising you bonuses, cash back, whatever they have to do to try to get you to use their cards.
Well, our financial analyst, Clyde Anderson, was here. He says you need to be careful of what deal you take advantage of.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLYDE ANDERSON, FINANCIAL ANALYST: Amazon is doing a thing right now where they're saying if you used your card online from the 15th to the end of the year, they'll give you money back - or up until Christmas, they'll give you money back just for swiping a card or buying something online.
HOLMES: Tell me, what is the problem with that? That sounds legit. I need the money back - I'm going to spend this money anyway, right?
ANDERSON: Well, you're going to spend it. A lot of times you are. But, sometimes, it's an incentive to spend.
Sometimes you've been using your credit card throughout the year, and that's fine if you accumulated points doing regular things. But sometimes they'll say if you spend $200, we'll give you 25 percent off. You weren't going to spend $200 anyway. So, if you weren't going to spend the money, then it's not really a true reward.
HOLMES: OK. But if you were going to spend the $200 -
ANDERSON: Yes.
HOLMES: -- then some of these things can pay off.
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Some of them things can pay off. Now, the key is that - you've got to remember, though, that you've got to pay it off on time because now, if you don't pay it off on time, all the rewards go out the window because now you've accumulated the interest. So, you've got to be really careful and you've got to be strategic about how you use it, as well.
HOLMES: OK. What about these rewards points?
ANDERSON: Yes.
HOLMES: I hear this all the time. I need to get into this a little more. I don't get it, really, but can these be beneficial?
ANDERSON: Well, they reward you for using the card. So, what they're saying, basically, the more you swipe, the more points we're going to give you. So, they can be beneficial, again, if you're not just solely in it for the rewards.
Some people are using the card just to get the rewards, which doesn't really make sense if you weren't going to use the card but just using it to get some sort of benefit at the end. But sometimes it's 10, 20 percent.
Now, we see it often in - in the department stores, where they're offering you these cards or get our card from the department store or the box store.
HOLMES: Yes, yes, yes. All the time.
ANDERSON: All the time. A lot of times they're higher interest rate, and they also can have a bigger ding on your credit report because of third party finance companies. So you've got to be careful about that, as well.
HOLMES: OK. You always put it - just rain on my parade, because I want to think - and they come after us aggressively during the holidays, right?
ANDERSON: Definitely. This is their time.
HOLMES: It is. It's their time. They know we're about to spend.
ANDERSON: They know you're about to spend. They know this is when people are spending money.
We've talked about the average person spends about $725, $750 (ph) on Christmas gifts alone. So now, they can get some of that interest - they're not doing it just for the goodness of their hearts, they're doing it to get some of that interest.
And so, they're assuming and knowing that most people aren't going to pay that credit card off on time, and so they're going to pay interest. And so they're financing their Christmas.
HOLMES: You're killing me here. What else do we need to - to keep an eye out for? And my - my question was going to be - and it sounds like there could be an upside if you're actually going to spend that much.
ANDERSON: Yes.
HOLMES: But what they're doing is playing on us and they're forcing - not forcing us, we can't say that. But they're getting us. They're playing with our heads in such a way they're making us spend more than we were going to.
ANDERSON: Yes. It seems wonderful. It makes it easier to spend. So, they're saying, go ahead and spend now.
Again, if you - if you're going to shop throughout the year or if you know stores that you're going to frequent often, it may be a good idea to go ahead and get that card from the store.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right, I'm going to go ignore every bit of advice he just gave me.
WHITFIELD: I know you are because you have shopping plans. You can't wait.
HOLMES: I have shopping plans today.
WHITFIELD: And we were delayed yesterday. You're a big "Black Friday" shopper, or at least observer.
HOLMES: Oh, that's all it is.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
HOLMES: I just --
WHITFIELD: I know you like to keep a watch.
HOLMES: Won't buy a thing.
WHITFIELD: So today, you're going to spend.
HOLMES: Yes, but it's been kind of dangerous out there.
WHITFIELD: I know!
HOLMES: So many incidents across the country.
WHITFIELD: Oh, yes.
HOLMES: Maybe I shouldn't be out there.
WHITFIELD: I know. People, come on! Calm down. Just enjoy the experience. Don't get too hot-headed over it. But I don't expect that out of you. HOLMES: Yes, I'll let you know. I might do a live report from the mall --
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: OK. All right, tweet me or something. Kidding! Kidding.
HOLMES: She's @fwhitfield, by the way, folks.
WHITFIELD: We won't get started --
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: Just kidding.
HOLMES: See you, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, have a good day. Thanks so much T.J.
