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CNN Saturday Morning News

Life In Prison For Hosni Mubarak; Jobs Report Sinks Dow; A Royal Extravaganza; Zimmerman Ordered Back to Jail; Elite Air Force Unit; Nutritionist Gives Weight Loss Tips

Aired June 02, 2012 - 06:00   ET

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

ROB MARCIANO, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN worldwide headquarters in Atlanta, this is EARLY START WEEKEND.

The Dow plunges 275 points, making it negative for the year. We'll explain the reason for the free-fall.

Plus, complicit in killing. That's the verdict from an Egyptian court for notorious dictator Hosni Mubarak, sentenced to life in prison. Mubarak is the first leader put on trial for his crimes during the Arab Spring. We'll bring you live to Egypt for the explosive reactions.

And later, 1,000 ships, a million people. Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee kicks off today. We have team coverage. Bring you one of the biggest royal celebrations in modern history.

It is Saturday, June 2nd. Good morning, everyone. I'm Rob Marciano, in today for Randi Kaye.

Lots going on overnight while you slept, so let's get right to it.

The man who ruled Egypt with an iron fist for 30 years is now in a maximum security prison where he will spend the rest of his life. Just a short time ago, an Egyptian court found former President Hosni Mubarak guilty of ordering troops to shoot and kill hundreds of anti- government protesters last year. The ailing Mubarak was taken by ambulance to the Cairo Police Academy where the verdict of life sentence was handed down. He was wheeled in on a gurney under heavy guards, sun glasses hiding his eyes.

His lawyer says he's appealing. He could have gotten the death sentence though. Mubarak's former interior minister has also been found guilty and sentenced to life behind bars. The but the former president's two sons and six of his former military men were acquitted. That sparked an uproar inside and outside the courtroom.

Furious protesters called the verdict illegitimate and chanted "the people want to topple the regime." Some fought with the former president's supporters outside the building. Some demonstrators remained calm, but other pr-Mubarak supporters threw stones at police. Security is very tight. Five thousand police have been deployed.

Huge crowds had gathered outside the court for what many called Egypt's trial of the century. Mubarak supporters waved his picture in the air and chanted "innocent," but others carried pictures of dead loved ones and chanted "execution is the only solution."

Our senior international correspondent, Ben Wedeman, joins me now from -- on the phone just outside the Cairo Police Academy.

Ben, I can just imagine that emotions are high. Describe the scene for us.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): It was an incredible scene, Rob, when the news was first announced that Hosni Mubarak had been sentenced to life in prison for ordering the killing of the protesters. The crowd went wild. People shouting, clapping and singing, firing fireworks into the air.

But when the news came out that all those senior advisors and aides and the interior minister had been acquitted, that Hosni Mubarak's two sons, Gamal and Alaa, had been found innocent, the mood changed very rapidly. People very angry. They started to clash with the security forces who are here, as you said, in the thousands. And it was just incredible to see the changing mood of the people here when they realized that it wasn't quite so cut and dry as all that.

And I spoke to some of the anti-Mubarak people outside the court who said that they believe that this (INAUDIBLE) verdict is a prelude to, in fact, another sentence, a rather an appeal that will lead to, they think, Hosni Mubarak being found innocent. The mood changed very quickly and now it's quite sour.

Rob.

MARCIANO: Yes, it was an unusual scene watching the verdict come down, Ben. I mean the judge seemed to praise the revolution. He described the 30 year regime as being dark times. Was that unusual or at all symbolic?

WEDEMAN: Well, certainly it does represent a dramatic break from the past when the -- sort of every borgin (ph) of the Egyptian government seemed geared to build up the president. But it's true, the verdict is a very mixed verdict.

And despite the historic nature of it, you have to realize that it's not just Egypt that's watching this. It's the entire Arab world that's been racked (ph) by this year (INAUDIBLE) of upheaval that's been watching this trial very, very closely. And they're looking at the other leaders who are now embattled. For instance, Bashar al-Assad of Syria, many people there would like to see him suffer the same fate as Hosni Mubarak, or worse.

But as is often the case in Egypt, nothing is crystal clear. People thought that there was a clear verdict, but as it turns out, not so clear. There could be an appeal. So this drama is far from over -- Rob.

MARCIANO: And, Ben, there was certainly drama in the courtroom. All those men standing up and seemingly unhappy with the verdict itself. From what you've seen, though, I mean there's got to be some Mubarak supporters out there. About what percentage on either side of that have you seen? And have they been vocal?

WEDEMAN: I would say that for every pro-Mubarak person, there's probably four (ph) anti-Mubarak here. They're definitely outnumbered.

Now, we spoke to them as well before the verdict and many of them said that this trial is unfair. That Hosni Mubarak served the country for 30 years as president, before that its vice president, before that as head of the Air Force and that he simply does not deserve to be treated like that. Several of the Mubarak supporters I spoke to said that they believe that the entire Egyptian revolution and the revolutions that have exploded across the Arab world were simply part of a plot -- Rob.

MARCIANO: A big day. A big day in Cairo, Egypt. And our Ben Wedeman is there. We'll be checking back with you. Thanks very much, Ben.

Well, the verdict comes at a turbulent time for Egypt. The country's presidential run-off happens later this month on June 16th and 17th. I'm joined now by Egyptian journalist Mona Eltahawy in New York.

Mona, on a grander sense, the big picture, what does this verdict mean for Egypt?

MONA ELTAHAWY, EGYPTIAN JOURNALIST: Well, the verdict overall, Rob, is seen by many people in Egypt as the latest blow, the latest blow of injustice basically from the military junta that has been ruling Egypt since the revolution forced Mubarak to step down on February 11th. A lot of people feel that there was lots of forgery during the election. That we have the run-off coming up on the 16th and the 17th, as you said, and they're very dissatisfied with the two contenders. One is considered a part of the old regime, Ahmad Shafiq, and one is from the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohammad Mursi.

And people are looking -- people are putting this verdict in the middle of this whole big bag and saying, this is just a big charade by the military junta and that despite the life sentence that Mubarak got, the fact that his sons were acquitted and all of those interior ministry officials were acquitted, and on top of that not a single police officer over the past 15 months has been found guilty of killing the almost 1,000 people who have died during the revolution, all of that has caused a tremendous amount of anger that you saw explode in the courtroom. And the people weren't just chanting "the people demand the fall of the regime," they're also very importantly chanting, "the people demand the cleansing of the judiciary," because this is all considered part of a very, very corrupt regime that remains very much in place.

MARCIANO: So where do we go here? I mean you -- at the very beginning there you made the point that the two presidential run-off candidates are pretty much from the old regime. So what are citizens of Egypt saying about that? They must be furious and frustrated.

ELTAHAWY: Well, they are. One is from the old regime. He was Mubarak's prime minister. Last prime minister. And one is from the Muslim Brotherhood, who's one of the longest opposition parties in the country. And one of them only got 25 percent and one got 24 percent. So just -- that just shows you how few votes each of them got. And now the country has to choose between the two, which is why, you know, I stress that people feel a lot of anger in Egypt and they feel really cornered by a military junta that they see determined to hold on to the reins of power.

We -- I've always said that we replace one Hosni Mubarak with 19 Hosni Mubaraks, and they're the generals who formed the supreme council of the armed forces. And people see them as very much manipulating everything on the scene in Egypt. And that's what's driving the anger.

I'm hearing from some social media reports that police are trying to close the roads leading into Tahrir Square. I don't know if this is confirmed or not. But this is by way of showing you that people want to go on the street and demonstrate against what they consider a great injustice.

MARCIANO: Mona Eltahawy, thanks for that great insight. We'll check back with you.

Back to the states now. George Zimmerman could be back in jail as soon as today. A Florida judge has revoked his bond and ordered him to surrender no later than Sunday afternoon. His bond had been set at $150,000 after pleading not guilty in April to second degree murder in the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. But the judge now says Zimmerman blatantly lied to him about how much money he had and was unfairly reaping the benefits of a low bond.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK O'MARA, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: You know, the revocation of bond, I hope, is temporary. I hope that they will, you know, give us a day in court to explain George's behavior and look at all the circumstances, even the discovery that's come out to date, in determining what he's going to do about letting him back out on bond.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: Prosecutors argued Zimmerman had thousands of dollars in donations from a PayPal account but pretended to be indigent and recorded phone conversations with his wife to prove that.

Now, news about the economy. Investors didn't take too kindly to the new jobs report. U.S. stocks took a beating yesterday with the Dow plunging 275 points. It erased all the gains for the year. Employers added only 69,000 jobs in May, less than half of what analysts expected. And for the first time in a year, unemployment edged higher, now standing at 8.2 percent.

And another story that has a lot of people talking, the zombie-like attack out of Miami. Investigators are still trying to determine what prompted 31-year-old Rudy Eugene to attack a homeless man and chew off most of his face. An officer shot and killed Eugene eventually. We're now hearing the 911 calls that poured in, including this one from a Miami bus driver passing by the scene.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DISPATCHER: Do you have an emergency?

CALLER: Yes, I do.

DISPATCHER: What is your emergency, ma'am?

CALLER: There is a -- there is a naked man on the McCaucus (ph) causeway. At the end of the causeway coming toward (ph) Biscayne Boulevard (ph). He is beating another man to a pulp, like on top of the man, beating him. The man is bleeding.

DISPATCHER: Somebody's beating on him? Is he getting -- being beaten?

CALLER: I'm a bus driver. I passed by and I saw what was happening. I pulled over --

DISPATCHER: No, I'm talking about -- no, I'm talking to my dispatcher. OK.

CALLER: OK. So someone --

DISPATCHER: OK. He's been beaten you said?

CALLER: He's beating another man. It's a naked man --

DISPATCHER: Oh, a naked man --

CALLER: Beating another man.

DISPATCHER: A naked man beating another -- beating another man.

CALLER: (INAUDIBLE). Yes, on the McCaucus causeway, like toward the Miami Harold (ph) end of the causeway. But he's going to kill that man, I promise you.

DISPATCHER: OK. OK.

CALLER: OK. Thank you.

DISPATCHER: OK, ma'am. You're welcome.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: The victim, 65-year-old Ronald Poppo, is in critical condition.

A janitor in Toronto is accused of plotting to blow up a Catholic school. Police say St. Joseph's College School in downtown Toronto was the target. The suspect is 67-year-old Vincent Perna. A spokesman described the plot and the worst charges the janitor could face.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONSTABLE TONY VELLA, TORONTO POLICE SERVICE: Actually, when he cut the gas line, he went to the kitchen area, then he attempted to light one of the stoves. So we're quite concerned this situation could have been much worse. But the man has been arrested and charged. And the most serious charge we're looking at is attempt murder.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: Perna appeared in court Friday and faces six charges total, including arson and attempted murder.

Well, it took more than 8,000 games and a half a century, but the New York Mets finally have a no-hitter. Johan Santana was the pitcher with the historic game against the St. Louis Cardinals. They were the victims, losing 8-0. Santana's no-no leaves the San Diego Padres as the only baseball team that has never had a pitcher throw a no-hitter. Congratulations to the Mets.

Here's a rundown of some of the stories we are working on today.

Only one other person has been on the British thrown longer than Queen Elizabeth. And today her country kicks off a massive celebration in her honor.

Then, a steep hill, a runaway stroller and a quick-thinking truck driver. Wait until you see how this all ends.

And later, training for the Air Force at a place called the mob school? Oh, yeah.

Plus, John Edwards is focusing on his future after a jury deadlocked in his corruption trial. They'll explain why they couldn't put the former presidential candidate behind bars.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARCIANO: Good morning, New York. A live shot there. Southwest corner of the park. There's Columbus Circle. Looks a little bit wet, but we'll try to clear some of those clouds out and give you a couple of peeks of sunshine maybe later today and at least some cooler weather to enjoy.

Well, speaking of freefalling, a dismal May jobs report triggered the Dow's worse loss this year. Stocks plummeted 275 points yesterday on news that employers added less than half the number of jobs they expected. Here's Christine Romans.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: No other word but disappointing for job creation and the economy in the month of May. Sixty-nine thousand jobs created. Not something that's robust enough in a healthy economy. And, quite frankly, 8.2 percent unemployment rate. It ticked up just a little bit here, mostly because discouraged workers were coming back in to the labor market to try to look.

I want to take a look at some of the bright spots. You had health care jobs, 34,000 health care jobs created in the month. For the year, so far, 340,000 health care jobs have been created. But that, quite frankly, is one of the rare bright spots in the economy. You're losing public sector jobs, 13,000 public sector jobs lost in the period. Also the private sector, 82,000 jobs created. That's simply not enough even to absorb new people into the workforce.

Let's take a look at the trend, because this is what's really interesting here. I want you to zero in on these last three months. This shows a slow-down in hiring in this country. This shows a weak period much like we saw a year ago in the spring and early summer when hiring slowed. You've got businesses, big and small, that are turning cautious.

One reason why big businesses might be cautious is because of Europe. The Eurozone is the largest destination for U.S. exports. When you have recessions in some of those countries, obviously when your biggest customer is in recession, they're not ordering as many goods and you can't hire more workers. That's a problem there. And on -- for smaller workers in this -- or smaller companies, rather, in this country, there's just a lot of concern in general about the health of demand and the health of the economy, and they're holding of as long as they can on hiring workers.

So, 69,000 jobs created in the month. A bit of a slowdown here. We now know -- they say in economics, it's all about the trend. The trend is for slower job creation, a stalling of the U.S. labor market.

Christine Romans, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARCIANO: All right, for brighter news, let's go overseas. It hasn't happened in 115 years and now Britain is once again rolling out the royal red carpet in honor of the queen's Diamond Jubilee. And guess who's there. Brooke Baldwin standing by in London.

Hello, London.

She'll be with us live in a minute.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Rob Marciano.

It is a beautiful, sunny, maybe not so sunny, but the future, at least, of the weekend is bright here for us in London as we're gathered here along the River Thames, Tower Bridge is the backdrop. We're going to preview this entire 1,000 boat flotilla that happens. The queen, the royal family all tomorrow here as part of this massive Diamond Jubilee celebration. Sixty years on the throne. We're live from the River Thames after this quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARCIANO: Ah, yeah, cue the classy music. It is an event 60 years in the making. The Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. And after a lot of anticipation, four days of celebration about to kick off today. Officials completing the final rehearsals for events including a 1,000 boat flotilla down the River Thames, a royal carriage procession through the streets of London, and a star-studded concert featuring Sir Paul McCartney and Elton John among others. Brooke Baldwin is in London this morning. She's been there several days. What an assignment this is, Brooke. Good to see you. What is the vibe like there?

BALDWIN: I know. Really, Rob, just pinch me when they said, would you like to go cover the Diamond Jubilee and cover her majesty? I said, ah, yes. It's incredibly exciting. I got here two days ago, hit the ground running. We've been talked to so many people ever since.

It really is this party atmosphere. I mean you walk up and down major thoroughfares like Regent Street here in London and you see all the shops. In shop window after shop window is' full of Union Jacks and it's just -- everyone is excited. We thought that the royal wedding was a huge deal and America is so in love with the story of Prince William -- rather William and then Catherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. I mean this is really a bigger deal if you ask anyone it seems here in London.

What -- let me just give you the quick lay of the land. Tower Bridge here, over my left shoulder, and this is where basically this entire 1,000 boat flotilla will culminate tomorrow. A thousand boats. The final boat will be the London Philharmonic Orchestra. I spoke with the conductor of the orchestra yesterday and he really hit it home for me that this is truly historic. I mean this is the first time since Queen Victoria, and that was 1897, that people here in their lifetime have seen something like this with the queen celebrating 60 years. It's a huge deal, Rob.

MARCIANO: Now, Brooke, now being an American, I mean it's got to be kind of weird to take all this in. I mean how are the commoners amongst the folks from London, how do they take all this on? I mean, do they celebrate it as much as everybody else?

BALDWIN: How do people in London celebrate this? Is that what you're asking?

MARCIANO: Yes, well, you know, the common folk in London. I mean is it, among all the classes, is it a class-wide celebration of the queen's 60 years?

BALDWIN: Absolutely. It's a pride thing. It's a pride thing. No matter who you are, what class, it's proud to be British because this is their queen. She is above it all. And so they're celebrating her. They're very, very proud. People love the queen. They love the royal family. I think especially since recently with the younger generation coming along, with the royal wedding, people are proud, very proud. And it's obvious when you walk along the streets, no matter who you talk to, it's a big weekend here for sure.

MARCIANO: All right. Well, we're proud to have you there. Of course we've had our problems with kings and queens over there, but we've patched things up over the years, right? It's all good. All good going forward. And congratulations --

BALDWIN: It's all good. It's all good.

MARCIANO: That's right. All right, Brooke Baldwin live from London, thanks.

And tomorrow join Brooke and Piers Morgan. They're going to have a special going on. They'll be live there for the royal extravaganza. Our coverage of the Diamond Jubilee begins at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time right here on CNN.

All right, a baby in a runaway stroller -- it sounds scary -- headed towards a busy intersection. You'll hear from one of these people whose quick thinking got the baby out of harm's way.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARCIANO: Good morning, Washington, D.C., There's the big house. Boy, you had some rough weather last night, didn't you? A little bit more calm weather expected today. And those that got damage last night, you'll enjoy some more tranquil stuff today to clean up.

All right, checking stories around the country this morning. Let's get to it.

An 11-year-old boy who attended President Obama's rally in Minnesota on a school day was shocked when the president offered to write him an excused absence note.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TYLER SULLIVAN, 11-YEAR-OLD STUDENT: Really? He's going to really write me an excuse note? "Mr. Acreman (ph), please excuse Tyler. He was with me, Barack Obama." And then I kind of want to brag at school and tell them, look at what I got!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: If that doesn't do it, I don't know what will. Hold on to that note and the contact, kid. Tyler Sullivan was in the front row in the VIP area, so he also got to shake the president's hand. He says he was already excused from class, though, so no worries.

And in California, a little league concession stand was victim of a snack attack. Police say three adults and a teenage girl raided the stand and left a Hansel and Gretel like trail of chips, cookies and candy behind. The trail led to a house a few blocks away. Police say they found the snacks and the register inside the home. The suspects were arrested, accused of burglary.

And also, a Seattle truck driver is being called a hero after he ran to the rescue of a baby in a runaway stroller. Jeff Blackburn -- check it out. Oh, yeah -- says he saw the stroller start rolling down the hill, away from the mother, and was worried it would roll right into a busy intersection.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFF BLACKBURN, GARBAGE TRUCK DRIVER: I hit the brake and jumped out of the truck and tried to run other there and grab it. And luckily when I was honking the horn, there was a FedEx truck that was coming through the intersection and he stopped because he heard my horn honking.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: He says the baby boy was smiling when he got to him, but the mother was frantic, as you can imagine, and really shooken up. And behalf of all dads out there, nice work.

Speaking of dads. Now to a controversy that's been brewing about P. Diddy. UCLA is defending its decision to offer P. Diddy's son a $54,000 athletic scholarship. The debate started with critics arguing the school shouldn't spend money on the son of a multi-millionaire, especially because the school is already cash-strapped. But the university says the full football scholarship was merit-based, justified, and not funded with taxpayer money. It's paid for by athletic ticket sales and private donors. But here's where the outrage comes. In this clip of MTV's "My Super Sweet 16," P. Diddy gave his son, Justin, a $365,000 Maybach for his birthday. And that's not all.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I (ph) want to shoot you today.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know how much money you spent?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because your dad's notorious for these parties.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm lost at what I'm doing right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: Justin Combs responded to the criticism on Twitter saying, "regardless what the circumstances are, I put that work in, period. "The L.A. Times" reports the defensive back graduated from a New York prep school with a 3.75 GPA and was also offered scholarships from Illinois, Virginia and Wyoming.

So, we want to know what you think about all this. Should a rich man's son get free tuition? Or are merit based scholarships for everyone? Tweet me up, there it is, here's my handle, #robmarcianoCNN. And we'll read your stuff on the air.

Chaos breaks out in the courtroom as Egypt's Hosni Mubarak is convicted in the killing of protesters during the last year's Arab spring. We'll bring you the latest from Cairo. Stay there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARCIANO: It's 33 minutes after the hour. Welcome back, I'm Rob Marciano in today for Randi Kaye. Thanks for starting your day with us.

Well, it's a momentous day in Egypt, which has already seen an extraordinary year, right? A military helicopter just moments ago flew former President Hosni Mubarak to the Toro (ph) maximum security prison, where he could spend the rest of his life. Earlier today, the man who ruled Egypt for three decades was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison for ordering the killings of hundreds of protesters during last year's Arab spring. The ailing Mubarak, who was wheeled into court on a gurney, could have gotten the death penalty. His lawyer says he will appeal.

But fury, fury broke out in the courtroom when Mubarak's two sons and a handful of his former top security aides were acquitted. Pro-and anti-Mubarak demonstrators fought with each other. Thousands of police and demonstrators surrounded the court. The verdict comes at a turbulent time for Egypt. Later this month, a presidential runoff will pit the once-banned Muslim Brotherhood against Mubarak's last prime minister.

And back here in the U.S., George Zimmerman could be back in jail today. He has been free on bail for weeks after he pleaded not guilty to murdering Trayvon Martin. But in what Martin family attorneys are calling a significant move, the judge revoked Zimmerman's bond yesterday, because he says Zimmerman blatantly lied to him.

Martin Savidge is in Sanford, Florida.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rob, the clock is ticking down for George Zimmerman. He is going to have to turn himself in either later today or by mid-day tomorrow to be in compliance with that judge's order. The state maintains that it really all comes down to money. Here's what I mean by that. If you'll harken back to the original bond hearing, George Zimmerman and his family had maintained that they didn't have any money, and thereby bond should be set low. But then it was revealed there was a lot of money sitting in a Paypal account as a result of donations that had been made to a George Zimmerman defense fund. And then the state on Friday revealed they had transcripts of recorded conversations between George Zimmerman and his wife a couple of days before the court hearing, in which they were talking about that money. In other words, when they were questioned at the hearing, they lied. At least that is what the state maintains.

BERNIE DE LA RIONDA, ASSISTANT DA, DUVAL COUNTY: Why did they lie about it? Why was it necessary for the defendant's wife to unequivocally say they had no money? When in fact she knew they had money. So this can all be tied to the defendant, and that is why our position is that his bond should be revoked.

SAVIDGE: After the court hearing, Mark O'Mara, who is the defense attorney for George Zimmerman, tried to put the best face on things. He says that of course his client will comply and turn himself in, but he hopes he won't be behind bars for long.

MARK O'MARA, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: They'll give us a day in court to explain George's behavior and look at all the circumstances, even the discovery that came out today, in determining what he's going to do about letting him back out on bond.

SAVIDGE: Also speaking out was the attorney who represents the family of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin -- that's the young man that George Zimmerman is accused of killing. And he raises the question here, if George Zimmerman was lying about the money, what else might he be not telling the truth about? And that is especially important when it comes down to a self-defense case, in which there was only one survivor. Rob.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARCIANO: OK. Thanks, Marty.

Only Air Force servicemen who are tough as nails can make it in what they call the Mob. Our own resident tough guy, Reynolds Wolf, trained with this elite unit to see first hand why so much depends on what they do when they go in a war zone.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC)

REYNOLDS WOLF: Are you a Dave Matthews fan?

MARCIANO: You know, I respect him. I'm not like, oh my goodness, Dave Matthews is in town, let's get the kids in the car and the cat and -- let's go -- everyone brings a cat to his concerts.

WOLF: Dogs like him.

MARCIANO: He was in town, actually.

WOLF: Are you serious?

MARCIANO: A couple of weeks ago.

(CROSSTALK)

MARCIANO: Anyway, it's a beautiful morning in Atlanta, and resident tough guy here, Reynolds Wolf, is here to share a little experience he had with us. These Mob guys, they are Air Force elite training guys, and you got to spend some time with them to see exactly how they tick. It's amazing to me that you got that kind of access, and I'm excited to see the piece. Tell me what, is Mob an acronym -- they seem to have acronyms for everything. Does Mob stand for something?

WOLF: It's a mobility unit, and you're going to learn more about it in mere moments. But the thing that's most important to know about this group of guys, Rob, is when you -- when the United States goes to war someplace, you basically are starting off with a clean slate. Someone has got to go in first. Someone goes in first and someone is going to lay down the groundwork, they've got to establish basically runways for planes, they have to establish places where they can get something to drink, places to sleep, that kind of thing. The group that does that is the Mob, and they are really the very best at what they do.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WOLF: In modern combat, targeting and taking out enemy combatants is crucial to military success. There is one elite Air Force unit that lays the groundwork for it all.

COLONEL JOSEPH SCHERRER, COMMANDER, 689TH COMBAT COMMUNICATIONS GROUP: We just had a team in Afghanistan working with Army Ranger forces that were up-close-and-personal with the Taliban, and they were feeding downlinked imagery to be able to find, fix, target and finish those adversaries out there.

WOLF: That team is the 5th Combat Communications Group, known as the Mob. They are literally the first to deploy and the last to leave.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're always first. First ones out the door, first ones in excellence.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When we go out, we're building up for installing initial communications. And make it so that we can actually get up within just a few days and have communications with the outside world.

WOLF: This is really the first step to base building. I mean, this is it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely.

WOLF: All begins here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir.

WOLF: To get a better understanding of what the Mob does, I was made an honorary member for the day. From communications to shelter, to air traffic control and supplying troops in the field, the Mob does it all.

You guys make the complex look easy, and it's not easy at all.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's training, that is all it is. Just training.

WOLF: There is a lot to this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We put the tax dollars to work.

WOLF: But their mission doesn't come without risk.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our business is a life and death business for soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines.

WOLF: So again, we're covering a lot of ground. These are guys who are going to deal with electronics, they are going to deal with engineering, but they are also going to be soldiers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They may be in an environment where bad guys want to do them harm. They need to be prepared to face that as well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Follow me, follow me.

WOLF: Yes, sir, yes, sir, right behind you. Right behind you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Back up against the door, let's go. Roger that. Wolf.

WOLF: Yes, sir.

This aspect of the training brings it home.

(CROSSTALK)

WOLF: Shouldering a weapon in, well, let's say adverse circumstances.

That was intense. How can you not respect these airmen that are out here doing this stuff? Seriously, from the high tech gadgetry to all the electrical engineering, to the day-to-day tactics to this stuff, it's amazing. A lot of respect for them.

SCHERRER: We pick up and go someplace where we have never been before potentially. It requires us to operate as a team, to depend on each other, and to rely on each other's expertise to get us through potentially hazardous and stressful situations.

SR. AIRMAN JAMES FERGUSON, U.S. AIR FORCE: Whoever the higher up is, makes that call, like I want to send the Fifth Mob out, we're already good. You know, we're basically a plane ticket away.

WOLF: Always ready?

FERGUSON: Oh, yeah, always. Everybody loves the Mob.

WOLF: Reynolds Wolf, CNN, Robbins Air Force base.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WOLF: Yes, Rob, we live in a day and age where it is sometimes hard to find heroes, but really, you have to look no further than men and women of the United States armed forces. They are incredible, especially this unit. What they are able to do, they are the first to arrive in the battle, they are the very first to leave. An incredible group of men and women, we are very lucky to have them.

MARCIANO: I know you feel very strongly about that, very patriotic guy. But I got to tell you, with no military training, you had the look, man, with the hat on, the fatigues. You could be a field general out there.

WOLF: That is nice of you to say, but I'll tell you, especially doing some of the live-fire exercises with these guys, man, if you want to feel old and fat, basically go in my shoes and follow these young men around. They are just incredible. Even the guys who are a few years older -- I'm 42 -- you had a couple guys there who were older than I were, just tiptop shape and some of the very best. That was just you saw the yellow suit with the chemical mask that was on my face --

MARCIANO: What did that feel like?

WOLF: You can find out how your breath smells with one of those things on. It's a good breathalyzer kind of thing. No, but it was amazing, it was intense heat, and they actually use that when they are doing some of the chemical warfare training. And a lot of times they do it where it's 120 degrees in the desert, and they are trying to deal with those kind of elements, and under those adverse situations. It's just -- it is amazing, truly.

MARCIANO: Great piece, thank you for taking us on that journey.

WOLF: You bet, thank you.

MARCIANO: Good stuff. I know Reynolds is a big fan of the Big Gulp, who isn't? Right? But they are not so much a fan in New York City anymore. If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere, they say, but the mayor has something to say about those big sugary drinks. And there is a controversy. We're going to bring that up coming up next.

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MARCIANO: I know you probably let out a big gulp when you heard that the New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is about to ban the Big Gulp, along with every other sugary soft drink over 16 ounces. But the big question is, do we have to protect ourselves from ourselves when it comes to keeping our own weight down? Take a look at these numbers. Adult obesity is twice what it was in 1980. More and more young people are overweight. And annual medical costs related to obesity are approaching $150 billion.

Let's talk about it. Joining me now, Sheryl Westerman, who has been helping people shed weight now and eat well, dispel the myths of dieting, for more than 35 years. So you're the go-to gal when it comes to this. What are your thoughts on regulating, government getting in here to tell us what to eat and what not to eat?

SHERYL WESTERMAN, NUTRITIONIST: Well, I think it's a good beginning and I think it's awareness, but most importantly, I think it's the -- every person's -- the individual who has to make the choices.

MARCIANO: And is sugar the culprit, or is the other fatty foods that we eat?

WESTERMAN: Well, sugar is certainly the drug, but the other fatty foods, you know, it's all about calories, and I think each person should be aware of the quantity that they are eating, and they are always good choices and bad choices. It's just a matter of understanding what the consequences are going to be if you continue eating the way that you are. Every year you're going do gain more pounds.

MARCIANO: You know, you go outside the U.S., and you order a Coke at a restaurant, they typically give you a little bitty bottle. But at the U.S. restaurants at least the last couple of decades, I mean, they fill them up and fill them up. It's unlimited refills. I know it's not that expensive for the restaurants to do that, and I don't know, I guess it keeps the customers coming back, but maybe we could start there, and it might even be a cost saving measure for them.

WESTERMAN: I think it's the beginning. And the awareness, if they are billboards and signs that there are with drunken driving and making people aware, and hopefully other, you know, states will take on and stop refills. Because people will eat and drink if it's there, but if they have restrictions, they may think twice about it, and those small steps will make big changes eventually.

MARCIANO: All right, so small steps, big changes. Let's say I have got, you know, a beach day coming up. I have got to lose 10 pounds in a short amount of time. Give me some quick tips to make that happen.

WESTERMAN: Well, I think first of all, you have to make sure that you know how many calories you need to eat a day. And for someone like you, to lose weight, you mostly don't want to be eating more than about 1,500 calories in that short period of time. So making sure that you have a good breakfast, something like an egg, two slices of toast, yogurt, making sure that you also eat in between meals, that you don't get over-hungry. So a piece of fruit or a protein bar. Lunch, you want to be careful of salads that have I call them designer salads, salads that have all the fancy cheeses and nuts and croutons and cranberries--

MARCIANO: Can a crouton equate to something like this -- I assume -- I've seen this before on TV, I never touched it. I assume this is -- this is fat. Please tell me it's make-believe. This is just an illustration.

WESTERMAN: That is just an illustration, 5.2 pounds.

MARCIANO: But this is like -- this is what 5 pounds of fat looks like.

WESTERMAN: Correct.

MARCIANO: Buried deep in our bodies. It's a nasty, unhealthy looking thing, as you would imagine. And you're saying some of the steps you just told me will help shed twice this much.

WESTERMAN: Totally. And also watching alcohol and exercising, but remembering that exercising is only 20 percent of it. If you have a big night out and you think you are going to work it off the next day, you have got to work off a lot of calories. So better to make choices. And I think every person's gateway to success or failure is thinking differently. You have to think about it. You have good choices and bad choices. You can't overspend, because then we know there is a trouble.

MARCIANO: It's a lifestyle change.

WESTERMAN: It's a total lifestyle change. But when you see the results in small steps and you see how much better you feel, how much better you look, how much more energy you have, the end result is so worth it.

MARCIANO: What do you think is going to happen in New York? Do you think they are going to be able to withhold this suggestion of banning these big drinks?

WESTERMAN: I hope so. I think people most probably do feel uncomfortable, and maybe they sort of need this jump-start, and hopefully they will, and hopefully they'll realize that going back to refill is not the answer, and it will certainly get people talking.

MARCIANO: That it's doing for sure. All right. We'll see what happens, cheers to you and thank you for joining us.

WESTERMAN: Thank you so much.

MARCIANO: Sheryl Westerman, with great advice and great insight, as always.

Well, nine days of deliberations end in a mistrial for John Edwards, and now we're learning exactly what was on the minds of the jurors. That story straight ahead.

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MARCIANO: Jurors in the John Edwards trial are breaking their silence, following a federal corruption case that highlighted the former presidential candidate's spectacular fall from grace. A mistrial was declared in all but one of the charges, with the jury finding him not guilty of receiving illegal campaign contributions.

In an interview with my colleague Anderson Cooper, the jurors explained how they arrived at their decision.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: All three of you believe that he was guilty on some of the charges. What did you think he was guilty of, do you know?

DAVID RECCHION, JURY FOREMAN: You know, as it related to him being guilty, I think the charges were very clearly defined by the prosecution, and the instructions were defined by the judge. So we applied the rule of law based on the judge, Judge Eagles, and also the evidence that was able to support at least my opinion in some of the cases where there was guilt.

COOPER: So you think he did do something wrong but they just couldn't prove it? They didn't have the evidence to prove it, is that accurate?

RECCHION: That would be my assessment.

LADONNA FOSTER, JUROR: We actually wished that there had been more evidence and that we were actually able to follow the money to John Edwards, but that wasn't the case.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: No word yet on whether Edwards will face a retrial.

Well, thanks for starting your morning with us. We have got much more ahead on CNN SATURDAY MORNING, which starts right after this.

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