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CNN Saturday Morning News
Millions Powerless; Colorado on Fire; Morsi Sworn In as Egyptian President; New Rules for Juvenile Offenders
Aired June 30, 2012 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): From CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
Colorado on fire: 17,000 acres burned, more than 300 homes destroyed. And now, at least two dead. We are putting the inferno in focus.
And later, a massive blackout leaves millions powerless. A dangerous heat wave scorches the central and eastern U.S. No air-conditioning and no refrigeration could prove deadly.
Plus, TomKat split, Elmo gone wild and a trademark unibrow, comedian Bill Santiago breaks down the latest on pop culture.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Good morning, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye. It is 7:00 on the East Coast, 4:00 a.m. out West. Thanks for waking up with us.
We start with record heat and millions without power. It is a dangerous and potentially deadly mix. Take a look at this map. It shows the states where there are big outages. Virginia is the hardest hit with over 1 million homes left in the dark. Ohio is close to that many.
What could make it worse is another day of 100 degree plus temperatures and no air-conditioning. The extreme heat may be responsible for at least three deaths near Kansas City.
Athena Jones is in Rockville, Maryland, for us this morning where the power is out.
Athena, good morning. What are crews doing to try to get the power back on?
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Randi.
Well, the utility companies say they are out assessing the damage. They are trying to get this power restored as quickly as possible. I spoke with people on the street walking around who said there is power on some streets, many streets do not have it.
I spoke with a man who couldn't sleep last night because it was so warm. So, they're really hoping to see that power restored. As you mentioned, we're talking about millions of people, 3.7 million around, which is our latest estimate across the wide swath of United -- the central and eastern United States, stretching from as far west as Indiana and Kentucky, all the way over to here. And, of course, Virginia being hard hit.
We're all looking to see how quickly they can get this power restored as we approach more days of 100-plus temperatures.
KAYE: And as you said, it is supposed to get over 100 degrees there, today. Are there fears the heat will be too much for a lot of people without air-conditioning? I mean, I don't know how you feel right now, but I imagine it's pretty sticky there.
JONES: Well, right now, it's OK. But just in a few hours, if yesterday is any indication, it's going to be quite hot. The real issue also is humidity. Certainly, yesterday, around here, you had a lot of people complaining and pumping up their air-conditioning. In fact, it's the overuse, in some ways of air-conditioning to cool down here that already had the grid overtaxed.
So, the issue, again, today, is going to be this -- how to cool people down. Washington, D.C., the metro police talked about opening cooling centers, they're extending pool hours. They have emergency centers for the homeless, for senior citizens.
So, they are going to try to do it all day to make sure people have access to some cool air. But we'll have to wait and see what happens, especially if not only we are expected in this area to reach above 100 degrees. But if the humidity remains as high as it was yesterday, we are going to face some real challenges and a dangerous situation, Randi.
KAYE: Yes, it is terrible for so many.
Athena Jones, thank you very for your reporting this morning.
President Obama toured the area around Colorado Springs yesterday, getting a firsthand look at the destruction there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have been putting everything we have into trying to deal with what's one of the worst fires we have seen here in Colorado. It's still early in the fire season. We've still got a lot more work to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Here are some of the numbers on the Waldo Canyon fire. Two people are dead, found in a burned out home, 346 homes are destroyed, thousands more are threatened. Seventeen thousand acres burned. And right now, the fire is only about 25 percent contained.
Our Rob Marciano is in Colorado Springs this morning. Rob, it is 5:00 a.m. there.
Are firefighters out there in the dark trying to stop this thing?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Oh, sure. Especially on the western flank of the fire. You got to remember that we've been paying close attention to Colorado Springs and the homes burned out here.
But this is a fire that extends west of the ridge, the Front Range and communities on the western side. And it's where a lot of the ground crews are camped out and doing some night work. Air operations, obviously, are not conducted during the nighttime hours. So, that won't get going for two or three hours here. But it is cool at this time of day.
This is the time where the fire starts to lay down. We don't see nearly as much activity. It's remarkable, Randi, once the sun comes up, just that heat from the sun, how it activates the fires that just have been smoldering overnight and all of a sudden, you have more flame, more plume and you have firefighters that have much more on their hands than they did when it was nighttime and cooler.
KAYE: Yes, the pictures of the flames and the smoke as we look at it this morning. It's amazing the work these firefighters are doing. But I guess do they get an early start. They are out there right now.
MARCIANO: Absolutely. There is an air of confidence that I sense from the firefighters that I talked to yesterday, compared to what it was like a few days before. Twenty-five percent containment doesn't sound like a lot, but some of the lines they have begun to dig gives them a little bit more confidence.
What they are worried about and what they don't trust is the behavior of this fire. It is still very active and very close to residential homes. So, those people are not allowed to go back. Really, from the sound of it, they're not allowing them to go back anytime soon. Even the folks that have seen their homes either burned out or threatened have not been allowed to even look.
Tomorrow, they will allow some of those people, actually a lot of them, 3,000 or 4,000 will be allowed to get on to buses and travel back into their community and just look. They're not going to be able to go out of the buses, just going to be a visual tour to kind of give them, I don't know, some closure or peace of mind. But 346 homes destroyed, you can imagine the emotions that are rippling through this community. It's a sad time for Colorado Springs, for sure.
KAYE: Yes. And again, just incredible pictures of the devastation there.
Rob Marciano, thank you very much.
The FBI has joined the investigation to what caused the Waldo Canyon fire. Part of that investigation is focusing on a white SUV seen near the site of the fire in the early hours. Investigators say they just want to know what the two men in that vehicle saw. They say they are looking at a lot of video from the scene and want to hear from anyone who may have information on the cause of this fire. We'll have much more on the fires throughout the morning. Coming up in just about five minutes, we'll talk to the guy who took this picture, and this one. I'll ask what it's like to get so close, personal with that fire.
So, what did you think of the Supreme Court's decision on health care. They let the law stand by a 5-4 margin. But check this "USA Today"/Gallup poll. It shows that the country is pretty evenly split on the whole decision. Forty-six percent say they agree and yes, 46 percent say they disagree.
A bit of a slip of the tongue for Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. He was chiming in on a Republican national convention conference call to talk about the Supreme Court's ruling on health care. Listen to what he said.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
GOV. BOBBY JINDAL (R), LOUISIANA: There's only one candidate, Governor Romney, who will repeal the Obamney -- the Obamacare tax increase. He will appeal Obamacare as soon as he's elected.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
KAYE: Yes, you probably heard it there. He said Obamaney. That doesn't help when you have people talking about Obamacare and comparing it to Romneycare in Massachusetts. We'll have more on the politics of Supreme Court's decision a little bit later on this morning.
Attorney General Eric Holder won't be (AUDIO BREAK). The House voted to hold him in criminal contempt for not turning over some documents associated with Fast and Furious. Many of the House Democrats walked out on the vote. The Justice Department, which Holder runs, says they won't prosecute Holder on that charge. Holder has cited executive privilege at the reason for not releasing those documents.
Now to a story out of New York, where an American Eagle flight attendant descended into absolute craziness after hours of delays. Passengers took this video of a flight losing his cool and he dared passengers who wanted to leave to just try it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FLIGHT ATTENDANT: I don't want to hear anything. We will not hear anything once we close the door. So -- if you have balls --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you have balls, is that what he said?
FLIGHT ATTENDANT: This is your time. Otherwise, you are going to have to fly with Jose.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: The flight was on the tarmac for five hours delayed by thunderstorms then returned to the gate to refuel and was eventually canceled. American Airlines apologized for the crew's behavior. In those Colorado wildfire, crews were on the front lines working to save lives and one daring photographer is sacrificing his own safety to show awesome pictures of the fire and the heroes who are battling it. He'll join me live.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Those are some incredible photographs of what's happening in Colorado. It is really hard to gauge the destruction of Colorado's massive wildfires you are there on the ground to see it for yourself.
So, take a look at these pictures taken by a Denver-based photographer. He has been risking his safety to share these incredible images.
Trevor Brown joins us live now from Denver, Colorado, where you are on safe ground this morning.
These are incredible pictures. Some intense picture that you have witnessed, some terrifying moments this week as well. Any particular situation for you, Trevor, that really stands out?
TREVOR BROWN, PHOTOGRAPHER: Tuesday, when the fire rolled down the mountain into the mountain shadows neighborhood was terrifying. I was standing there by the loaf and jag that is 30th Street and Garden of the Gods Road. Seeing the fire come down the mountain as the helicopters were going back and forth from a nearby reservoir to dump water on houses and, you know, to protect the structures was just, it was something like I have never seen before in my life.
KAYE: We have been showing some of your pictures. But let's look at one in particular. And as you look at me it with me, tell me what was going on here. We see the helicopter and the road really just black out. How difficult is it to get around in something like that?
BROWN: They do have a lot of roadblocks set up. You know, they obviously don't want you getting anywhere near the fire. So, just about anywhere you try to go to get a good shot of it, they are there to stop you. So, you do spend a lot of time driving around trying to find a good angle. But that particular (AUDIO BREAK) towards the Kissing Camels neighborhoods. Basically, I just saw a bunch of smoke and as I was driving, I was taking pictures. Probably not the safest thing, but --
KAYE: Yes.
BROWN: It was just billowing. Truly the biggest -- I mean, I have never seen smoke like that in my life.
KAYE: Let's look at another one. Obviously, there's been a lot of coverage of this story. But in one picture, there were crowds of people taking in this unbelievable sight. Does it surprise you that they would stick around and take all this in?
BROWN: Yes. There was definitely a lot of people who were curious and wanted to see it. When I was at the intersection of 30th and Garden of the Gods, there were a lot of people there watching what was going on. But as soon as the fire started coming down the mountain, you could see there was definitely urgency in the air. People started getting out of there because the was getting so bad.
KAYE: How close were you able to get to the fire and the smoke?
BROWN: As it came down the mountain, I was right there. It got to the point where the smoke was so thick I decided to leave because my eyes were burning. I was having -- my throat was burning, I was having trouble breathing, because it was just billowing right at us. All of a sudden, 60-mile-an-hour winds coming right in our face.
KAYE: Do you know anyone who lost their home? Do you have friends or family in that area?
BROWN: I don't. I know some people who lived down there who are in evacuation areas, but as of this time, I don't know anybody who has lost their home.
KAYE: I'm sure your mom is happy you are back safe and sound from this project?
BROWN: She is. Definitely. Definitely.
KAYE: It's amazing what you do and what all the folks there on the ground are doing as well to get the fire under control.
But, Trevor, thank you for sharing your pictures with us. We appreciate that.
Trevor Brown, stay safe. Thank you.
BROWN: Thank you.
KAYE: Next hour, I'll speak to the chief of the U.S. Forest Service. He'll talk about how the feds are rushing in to Colorado to aid in the fight against the fire.
It is hard to find good news out of these wildfires. But we've got a picture that just might bring a smile to your face. Take a look -- iReporter Bethany Belfort (ph) shared this photo. It shows a firefighter holding an injured fawn right after it was rescued from a burning home in Colorado springs. I'm not sure if we can drop the banner there.
But you can see there under that banner, you see the fawn's little paw all taped up with a bandage showing the fawn's wounds. It's just an incredible story to see what a sweet little rescue there. The fawn is now in the care of the Colorado Division of Wildfire. Nice to see.
An adorable puppy trapped in a well. See how rescuers saved his life. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Checking stories cross country. First in Arizona, police blame a naked carjacking suspect for multiple wrecks. They say the rampage started when he got in a crash yesterday. He jumped of his car, he started yelling before pulling off his he climbed on the roof car, pulled out the driver, jumped and fled, and then crashed into four more cars before police stopped him.
One of those (AUDIO BREAK) was a pregnant woman, say the suspect may have been on drugs. It certainly looks that way.
And check this out. It's extremely rare white buffalo was born on a farm in Connecticut. He's two weeks old. Only one in 10 million buffalo are white. He certainly stands out in the crowd.
The bison on the farm are usually sold for bison burgers. But the farmer says this guy is an exception.
White buffalo are sacred to certain Native American tribes. This one will go through a formal naming ceremony next month.
Now to North Carolina where a 7-month-old puppy was trapped at the bottom of a well after he ran away. He was just seven months old. The rescue squad rushed in to get him out. A rescuer tied the dog to a rope and carried him up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He jumped into my arms, kind of hard to tie him up. But he was friendly. I love animals myself. So, I wouldn't want my pet down there in the hole.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: The pup, we are happy to report is OK. The property owner now plans to cover up that well. Good idea.
Congress has finally done something at least 7 million Americans will be happy about. Interest rates on their federal student loans will not be going up. College students may save about 1,000 bucks at the same time.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back.
Interest rates on federal subsidized student loans will hold steady for at least one year. Those rates were set to double from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent. But Congress pushed through a bill yesterday that will to help about 7 million students save an average of $1,000 over the life of their loan.
Financial planner Karen Lee is here with me this morning to talk about this. Good morning to you.
KAREN LEE, FINANCIAL PLANNER: Good morning.
KAYE: Love the red dress. You obviously got the memo. LEE: I did.
KAYE: I'm glad.
LEE: Right.
KAYE: So, let's talk about this, because many students are graduating really with no job. Many of -- you know, moms and dads, maybe the grandmas and grandpas are going to have to pick up the slack for them.
LEE: Yes.
KAYE: So, what are loan forgiveness programs out there?
LEE: Well, I'm thrilled that you are asking me about the loan forgiveness programs because I think very few people even know about them. The federal government is always saying they get very few applications for these.
They have been around for a long time. You can get between $5,000 up to $100,000 of student loans forgiven for these programs if you do certain public sector work, so anything from teaching in high risk school areas, providing medical services also in low areas that have a higher need and a low doctors and nurses.
So, what you want to do is look into these and see if out of college you might be able to get a job that allows you to get out of paying student loans. There's a new program called the student loan forgiveness program of 2012. But it hasn't passed, yet. But if it does, it would say that after 10 years of working in one of these public services and making your payments, at the end, any loans left are forgiven.
KAYE: Wow. That's great. I wasn't aware that these programs exist.
LEE: Yes.
KAYE: But let's talk about the current student loan debt, because kids are heading back to college soon, in a couple months. They'll be applying for loans. Are there certain loans they should consider and maybe certain loans that they might want to avoid?
LEE: Last I had looked about 87 percent of student loans were federally subsidized. So, what you want to do is go for one of those versus a private loan, which might have a higher rate, (AUDIO BREAK) from a bank. You have the golden opportunity to get that at 3.4 percent.
KAYE: What about parents? Is there any way parents can avoid the loan debt traps?
LEE: Well, we always tell parents in our practice, don't forsake your own retirement to fund your kid's college. But, hey, they're our children.
KAYE: Yes. LEE: I think some creative financing always needs to be looked at. If you are likely enough to not be under water on your mortgage, a home equity line of credit is still a great option, rates as low as 2.5 percent to 4 percent, tax deductible.
But let's talk about the grandparents. They have money at the bank. They have been used to earning 3 percent, 4 percent, 5 percent, they are earning next to nothing.
So maybe talk to a grandparent, can we loan from you? Pay you 3 percent or 4 percent, get your income back to where it needs to be.
KAYE: That's a better idea. Keep it in the family.
LEE: I recommend when you do that, to do it officially, with a promissory note and amortization schedule. Let the other siblings --
KAYE: Not just hey, grandma.
LEE: Right.
KAYE: Good idea. What about a solution? Is there a solution with all the debt hanging out there? What can college students do to maybe keep that down?
LEE: Well, I think that's really the bigger question, because we -- our rates are going to go up over time. We are at historically low rates across the board on everything. We need to counsel kids about how to obtain that college degree without accruing this debt burden. I love the idea of taking core curriculum at a local community college, staying in state. Maybe then, in your last year or two transfer to the school of your dreams so your degree is from that school.
Yes, I think there are a lot of ideas like that, working while you are in school, taking a lower course load. Really, we have to get these kids to understand, you don't want to walk out of college with $100,000, $200,000 worth of debt. It will hang over you for the rest of your life.
KAYE: Especially if you don't have a job to pay it off.
LEE: Exactly.
KAYE: Karen, thank you very much.
LEE: Good to be here, Randi. You too.
KAYE: A historic day in Egypt. A new president just sworn in ready to lead the country as the first d elected leader. We are live in Cairo.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Bottom of the hour now. Welcome back, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye. Thanks for starting your Saturday with us.
It is official. Egypt has a new president. Mohamed Morsi was sworn in just a short time ago, taking a short oath to lead the country in a new direction.
CNN senior international correspondent Dan Rivers is live in Cairo this morning.
Dan, Morsi promised to bring unity to the country. Did he repeat that message today? Has he spoken?
DAN RIVERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, yes. He gave a short speech as he was being sworn or just after he'd taken the oath of office, taking place at the supreme constitutional court, because normally this would happen at parliament, but the parliament has been dissolved by the military.
So, that was a reminder that things aren't as quite perfect as everyone hopes. But nevertheless a hugely historic and symbolic day. The first time Egyptians have seen a democratically elected president in 7,000 years of history.
Let's just get a flavor of the kind of message he was giving.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOHAMED MORSI, EGYPTIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): In the name of Allah, the most gracious, the most merciful, I swear -- the Republican system and respect the constitution and the law to look after and safeguard the interest of the people, complete safeguarding and to maintain --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIVERS: So, that was him actually taking the oath of office. He then went on afterwards to talk about representing the entire country, a better tomorrow for a new Egypt. He talked about it being a second republic with complete freedom and true democracy safeguarding the independence of the judiciary and the legislature, apparently hitting all the right notes of what the West and moderates fear the secular Egypt wants to hear.
He's now about to speak at Cairo University. I think we have live shots of the scene there as a whole cross section of Egypt gathers to wait to hear him speak some more in the audience there. We've got relatives of martyrs who were killed in the revolution, we've got Christians, we've got women, we've got academics, intellectuals and so on. So, a broad, cross section of the party that maybe concerned about his Islamist agenda.
But so far, he's gone out of his way to reassure them he is not going to turn this country into an Islamic republic, on the Sharia law, that he will govern for all Egyptians.
KAYE: Dan Rivers in Cairo -- Dan, thank you very much.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Switzerland meeting with other major foreign powers. They're to come up with a plan to end the bloody 16-month-old conflict in Syria. Russia and the U.S. have been at odds about how to end the violence. But after a meeting with Mrs. Clinton on Friday, the Russian foreign minister said both sides were moving closer together.
Another major ruling by the Supreme Court. This one throwing out some mandatory sentences for minors. I'll talk with an expert about the decision and what it means to kids behind bars
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: An update now on a bullying story that we told you about last week. Four middle school students caught on camera harassing their bus monitor have been suspended for one year. They'll also have to complete 50 hours of community service. You remember the video, I'm sure. The students seem to really enjoy hurling insults and a steady stream of profanity at this grandmother of eight. I spoke with her at her home last week.
Take a listen to some of the video posted on YouTube.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED KID: If I stabbed you in the stomach, (EXPLETIVE DELETED) my knife would go through you like butter because it's all (EXPLETIVE DELETED) lard.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Really incredible what they had to say to her. We all hope that these kids learn a thing or two. But does the punishment fit the crime? Let me know if you think a year of suspension is the right punishment for these students. You can tweet me @RandiKayeCNN and I'll read some of your comments later on on the air.
Most of the attention this week on Supreme Court has revolved around the health care decision and Arizona immigration. But there was another ruling that you need to know about. The justices ruled 5-4 that life without parole sentences are cruel and unusual punishment for juvenile offenders. That's anyone under the age of 18 regardless of the crime. Those mandatory sentences exist in 28 states or they did exist in 28 states.
Earlier, I spoke with Marsha Levick, the deputy director of the Juvenile Law Center, and asked her what she thought, was it the right move?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARSHA LEVICK, DEPUTY DIR., JUVENILE LAW CENTER: I think it was absolutely the right move. I think it's the fourth time in the last seven year that the United States Supreme Court has issued rulings recognizing that kids are different. And their differences matter in terms of, in particular, sentencing under the Constitution and how we treat them in the criminal justice system.
KAYE: How much of this has to do, do you think, with research on the adolescent brain development? Because from what I understand, the less formed brains of the young make them less morally culpable. LEVICK: I think it has a lot to do with that research. It also has a lot to do with psychological and developmental research, behavioral science, that has really demonstrated I think quite conclusively over the last several years that kids are less culpable, they are more susceptible to peer pressure. And I think importantly, they are really uniquely capable of reform and rehabilitation and transformation.
KAYE: How would you describe what's been going on? Would you call it cruel and unusual punishment?
LEVICK: I would call it cruel and unusual punishment. We have a system in this country where we require the sentences be proportionate. That's a historic value that we have held to. When we impose the same kinds of punishments on juvenile that we impose on adults, we really violate that proportionality principle and importantly, we violate the cruel and unusual punishments clause.
KAYE: So, this decision reportedly will lead to the resentencing hearing for over 2,000 or 2,500 convicts, some of them well into middle age in more than two dozen states, right? So, how is this going to work? I mean, are they guaranteed freedom?
LEVICK: Oh, absolutely not. You know, there are many individuals who are, in fact, well into their 50s, 60s, and 70s. We have an inmate here in Pennsylvania who's in his mid-70s.
No one is guaranteed freedom. What they are guaranteed is the opportunity for review, the opportunity for parole. The opportunity to demonstrate they have matured, that they have been rehabilitated, that they have accepted responsibility for what they have done. That's really all the court is requiring and I think that's all that we are asking, is that juveniles be given a second chance.
KAYE: There are strong opinions on both sides. I'm curious what you have to say to the victim's families, you know, the survivors, who want these criminals, even if they were juveniles at the time lock up forever. I mean, some have been convicted of chilling crimes.
LEVICK: Absolutely. I think that, you know, often my response is there's very little we can say. I don't think we can, if we haven't walked in their shoes, we can't appreciate the grief they have experienced. We cannot bring back victims and family members that they have lost.
But I think I would say to them that -- two things. Number one, we live in a country of laws. And our sentencing scheme as well as any other laws in this country, ultimately, have to be consistent with the United States Constitution. It's what the Supreme Court did here. And we need to honor that and we need to recognize that.
KAYE: In terms of research, I'm just curious -- is there a link between youth and adult behavior? I mean, is there a way to know how, say, a 14-year-old criminal or violent offender may behave later in life as an adult?
LEVICK: You know, it's very difficult to predict that. We know that 90 percent of juvenile offenders actually don't reoffend. So, I think the notion that we are creating or that we have a generation of hardcore criminals who, if we let them out will reoffend, first of all is wrong. But I think what's behind the Supreme Court decision is this understanding it is difficult to predict future behavior.
And so, we don't want to make a decision on day one that will force kids to essentially die in prison because we have made a wrong judgment about their future behavior.
KAYE: Marsh Levick, appreciate your time this morning.
LEVICK: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Dozens of people tripping on that same pesky steps. The video went viral, and now, the steps days are numbered.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Have you ever happened to trip in the same spot over and over? Well, it is not just you. There is one pesky step in New York City that trips countless people every day.
Here is CNN's Jeanne Moos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is hard not to stare when everyone is tripping on the subway stairs or, more precisely, on one particular step.
(on camera): Everybody loves to watch people trip, though.
DEAN PETERSON, VIDEOGRAPHER: It's true, as long as it's not you.
MOOS (voice-over): But it was him. This is filmmaker Dean Peterson's subway stop in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. He videoed all of these other people tripping, because he kept tripping on that one step that was slightly higher than the others.
PETERSON: And I know that it's there but that doesn't stop me from tripping.
MOOS (voice-over): And it definitely didn't stop him from editing together and putting to music a montage of trippers, 17 of them, shot over a total of about an hour. There is even a guy carrying a kid.
PETERSON: I felt bad videotaping some of the people. And, luckily, nobody got hurt.
MOOS (voice-over): But they did get famous after Dean posted his montage.
(on camera): The next thing you know, the video was on a trip of its own around the world on the Internet. MOOS (voice-over): "Let's all laugh at people tripping on stairs," was the headline out of Australia.
But you know who wasn't laughing? The Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The day after the video went viral, repair guys were pacing the steps. At least this guy didn't trip. Neither did this one. Commuters were happy to see them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I almost busted my entire behind on that step.
MOOS (voice-over): This can't be what the MTA means when they say, have a nice trip.
Jeanne Moos, CNN --
(EXPLETIVE DELETED)
MOOS: -- New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: He's the newest edition to the NBA and already Anthony Davis is making a name for himself. Not just for his moves on the court, it's his unibrow. That's become the focus of so much fodder. Up next, how Davis is getting the last laugh.
And coming up tomorrow on "THE NEXT LIST", one man with a unique approach to keeping kids in school.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This car was billed as a hybrid. We've raced for the last three years. The success of success has been trusting kids to be able to solve really complex problems.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, you know what, it's interesting.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're building a hybrid car that gets over 100 miles per gallon. Those are the kids that are just as important as the fundamental basics of reading, writing and arithmetic.
My name is Simon Hauger and I'm the founder of the Hybrid X Team and I'm the founder of the Sustainability Workshop.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: The NBA's top draft pick is turning some heads, not for his multi-million dollar contract but for his famous facial feature. The ink isn't dry on Anthony Davis $4 million deal but he's already inking a few phrases about that unibrow. Yes, you can see it there.
Let's bring in "Huffington Post" blogger and comedian Bill Santiago.
Bill, good morning to you. BILL SANTIAGO, COMEDIAN: Hey. Good morning, Randi. How are you?
KAYE: I'm well. Thank you.
So, you've seen the picture. I mean, let's forget that fact that Anthony Davis is the top NBA draft pick, right? He's also made headlines about this unibrow and he's trademarking the phrases "fear the brow" and "raise the brow".
SANTIAGO: Fear the brow. Fear the brow, I've heard that before. It sounds like a Homeland Security profiling slogan so that agents can figure out how to randomly frisk at the airport.
You know, I mean, go for it. I think it sounds ridiculous. But he should be -- he should be careful. A lot of people are not unibrow tolerant. I'm pretty sure the younger Romney would have tackled him a long time ago and give him a nonconsensual threading.
And, you know, of course, he's not the first one to be identified with unibrow . Frida Kahlo's birthday is coming up in a few days and she really rocked it early on. She was so associated with the look (AUDIO BREAK) the brow. It was even better -- more positive than fear the brow.
But good luck to him. It was shrewd and ludicrous.
KAYE: Yes, it might work for him --
SANTIAGO: Brow savvy.
KAYE: It might work for him on the court.
SANTIAGO: I wish him well.
KAYE: All right. Let's talk about something very bizarre happening in the Big Apple. One of America's favorite furry friends Elmo, one of the Elmos has been apparently terrorizing tourists in Central Park. Is this true?
Look at this, we have the video.
SANTIAGO: Yes.
KAYE: What is going on there?
SANTIAGO: It was unbelievable. I saw it, too. Anti-Semitic Elmo. My first thought was, hey, I hope Mel Gibson has an alibi. He's the first suspect to come to mind.
My second thought was two words, bath salts. I think that would certainly explain how someone could be so out of their mind. We're lucky that he didn't eat some of those frightened children in that video --
KAYE: What would have said to that Elmo? What would you have said if that Elmo came at you? (LAUGHTER)
SANTIAGO: Well, I'm hoping it doesn't become a trend. I don't think I would want to see a SpongeBob having a Michael Richards incident in front of the Apollo Theatre. Let's hope this is an isolated incident.
KAYE: Let's hope so.
All right. From bad-mouthing Elmo to a blockbuster breakup. I'm sure you've heard the gossip this morning. We're talking to the TomKat, Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes splitting. After their 2006 wedding, it appears the fairytale was too good to be true. Can you believe it?
SANTIAGO: Oh, man. It's a divorce shocker. Who would have thought?
I'm sure it must be very difficult Tom Cruise. This is the third time that he's gone through a divorce. I'm sure he's under a lot of stress. I hope that John Travolta can recommend a good masseuse to help alleviate some of his suffering.
You know, there's a lot to talk about how this makes a mockery of the sanctity of Oprah's couch. I think that's a good metaphor relationship of the couch. The jumping on the couch phase of love doesn't last very long. Eventually you wear out the springs completely and just got to face the facts.
KAYE: That was when he was announcing --
SANTIAGO: Re-up holster and move on with your life.
KAYE: He was professing his love for Katie Holmes in that incident when he was dancing up and down, jumping up and down like a crazy guy on the couch. But apparently, she wants custody of Suri, too, or primary custody of Suri as well.
SANTIAGO: Yes. No one is sure exactly what the grounds for divorce are. I understand that in scientology the expiration date for the marriage is built right into the contract. Who knows?
Maybe she just wasn't happy with scientology. You know, it could be a religious conflict. Maybe she didn't think it was kooky enough so she's divorcing him so that she can become a Mormon, which is an even more made-up religion. I mean, I don't know the details, I can only guess.
KAYE: Yes. Well, I'm sure it will be an interesting settlement. No doubt, no matter which way it goes.
Bill Santiago, are you in Boston today? Is that where you are?
SANTIAGO: Yes, I'm in Boston, talking about the most important thing in the news like Tom Cruise's very unexpected divorce.
By the way, there's a lot of buzz on Twitter about who he'll be paired up with next. You know, I hate to say it but again Tomvolta is the winning guess. KAYE: We're not going through. We're going to stop you right there.
SANTIAGO: I didn't do it. I'm reading it off my feed.
KAYE: You went there. All right. Now, we're going to say good-bye to you and have a wonderful Saturday, Bill. Thank you.
SANTIAGO: We'll see you next week. Thank you so much. Bye-bye.
KAYE: Four middle school students caught on camera harassing their bus monitor has been suspended for a year. But does the punishment fit the crime?
You can tweet me your thoughts @RandiKayeCNN. I love to hear from you. Let me know what you think. I'll read your comments on the air next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Here on this show, we focus a lot on the issue of bullying.
You may remember the story of four middle school students caught on camera harassing their bus monitor. The students hurled insults and a steady stream of profanity at this grandmother of eight. Well, now, we have an update. The kids have been suspended from school for one year. They'll also have to complete 50 hours of community service.
Now, before the break and all morning long I asked for your thoughts on this punishment.
Blake wrote us a powerful message on Twitter. "I'm happy to see some punishment, but no matter what they get, it can never remove the emotional scars. I speak from experience."
(AUDIO BREAK) interesting idea. "Yes and they should have to clean her gutters, paint her house, and do her yard work and take out her trash for a year." I think that's an excellent idea.
What do you think -- does the punishment fit the crime? Let me know your thoughts on the one year suspension of these kids. You can tweet me @RandiKayeCNN.
