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Washington Redskins Players and Fans Remember Sean Taylor; Outcome of Venezuela's Election; Campaigning in Iowa

Aired December 02, 2007 - 17:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, talk about surprises. You never know what's going to happen when you go to see Santa. This woman got a gift that she never expected, her soldier husband home for the holidays.
Plus, you might not be voting in Venezuela's election, but the outcome could affect how much you pay for gasoline.

We'll have live reports from Venezuela.

And topping our news this hour, the cheering stops across the NFL, at least for a moment.

Hello again.

I'm Fredricka Whitfield, and you're in the NEWSROOM, where we're tracking several new developments in the Sean Taylor murder investigation and an emotional afternoon for NFL fans everywhere.

Here now is the latest.

Nineteen-year-old Jason Scott Mitchell's request for bond was denied, just as it was for three other defendants. This afternoon, the league observed a moment of silence before kickoff at every game. And players are wearing number 21 in honor of the Redskins' safety.

Fans are sending a message as well.

On jerseys, towels, signs, the number 21 was everywhere today as the Redskins played their first game since Taylor's death. When the players lined up for the first play, they did so with 10 players on the field instead of the usual 11. A very emotional day.

Gary Nurenberg is at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland -- Gary.

GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, it's normally a big party here before games. Today, it wasn't.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NURENBERG (voice over): The normally raucous tailgating parties were somber as Taylor fans lighted candles in his memory and prayed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We cannot know what lies ahead from day to passing day. What changes God is planning in his wise and loving way.

NURENBERG: Fans stopped at a shrine to Taylor, left flowers and homemade tributes, took pictures to remember the day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a day that we'll never forget and a game we'll never forget because of the memory of him and honor of him.

NURENBERG: One mother help her 8-year-old write "Rest in peace." What she rembers most was Taylor's spirit.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He really got the team going. We always watched him in our binoculars as they were warming up, and he was always, you know, dancing and getting everybody, you know, into it and pumped up during the game. And I think it hit us all hard, very hard.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tough on everybody. Not just the Redskins family. Everybody.

NURENBERG: Veteran fans say they can't remember a day like this one.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've had season tickets for 45 years, and to lose someone like Sean Taylor, we're here in his honor, but our feelings and thoughts are with his family.

NURENBERG: The NFL honored Taylor, too, at every game.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and Gentlemen, at this time, we ask you to please stand for a moment of silence.

NURENBERG: Everyone in the NFL wore the number 21 on their helmet Sunday. In Florida, a fourth defendant made an initial appearance via video conference on murder charges in the case. As with the others, no bond was granted.

On the field, one of Taylor's closest friends on the team, Clinton Portis, scored the first touchdown of the game, a poetic start to the team's future without the player, who is now part of its past.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NURENBERG: The team lost here today a close one, adding to the somber mood. The entire team, the whole organization, flies to Florida tomorrow for Taylor's funeral, and then back for a couple of days of practice before the next game on Thursday.

It's a busy week -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: It is, indeed. And actually, it starts, at least the mourning in Miami, in just less than an hour from now.

Gary Nurenberg, thank you so much.

And in less than an hour from now, Taylor's alma mater, the University of Miami, will host a candlelight vigil in his honor outside the BankUnited Center. It is open to the public and thousands are expected.

Taylor's last season with the Hurricanes was 2003. He was then drafted by the NFL. His funeral is set for tomorrow, as Gary was saying. A lot of his player/comrades are going to be attending that funeral. A public viewing is taking place right now at a Baptist church in a Miami suburb.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Well, it's not our country, it's not our vote, but we could feel the fallout, particularly at the pump. U.S. gas and oil prices could skyrocket even higher if Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez backs up his latest threat against Washington. It all means that there are ties between today's constitutional referendum in Venezuela and his threats.

CNN's Harris Whitbeck is live from Caracas with more -- Harris.

HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, President Chavez renewed his threat to cut off oil supplies to the United States if he thinks that Washington in any way interferes with the referendum that is taking place today. At this hour, we still have not heard if polling centers have officially closed. We've already heard from election officials who have said that so far the election day here has gone off without any major hitches.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITBECK (voice over): The morning headline, potentially 16 million voters could decide on the future of Venezuela's constitution. Since the early morning hours, voters lined up at polling stations across the country to vote a simple yes or no.

President Chavez himself said this is the most crucial electoral process his government has ever faced. At stake, 69 constitutional amendments that would make it easier for Chavez to implement a full socialist state in Venezuela. Mayo Cervinas (ph) waited for hours to cast his vote in a middle class district in the capital.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm comfortable with social democracy. I'm not comfortable with communists. And I don't like to be told what to do. I like to have freedom. I love freedom.

WHITBECK: Across town in a working-class neighborhood, Ceralla Romero (ph) also cast her vote early on Sunday. She said she did it for her six children "There has to be more equality," she said. "No more 'I belong here and you belong there.'"

Crowds at many polling centers were relatively small. Some voters said there were long waits due to malfunctioning voting machines. And while they waited, many wondered what the headline tomorrow will be.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITBECK: President Chavez has already called a press conference tonight. He asked foreign correspondents to show up at the presidential palace. He wants to speak to the foreign press as soon as the official results are in -- Fredricka. WHITFIELD: All right. Harris Whitbeck, thanks so much in Caracas.

We're going to break down President Chavez's latest threat with Peter Beutel, author of "Surviving Energy Prices," to kind of give us an idea of exactly what all of these threats might mean to you at home. And Headline News host and best-selling author Glenn Beck weighs in as well.

Both of them coming up a little later on this hour here in the NEWSROOM.

Well, Venezuelans weren't the only ones casting ballots today. Russians went to the polls as well to elect a new lower house of parliament.

According to The Associated Press, exit polls suggest that President Vladimir Putin's party has taken more than 60 percent of the vote. Putin's second and final term ends next year, and he's floated the idea of taking the prime minister's post if his party wins big today. Opposition leaders accused the Kremlin of rigging the vote to bolster Putin's power.

We'll bring you updates on Russia's election results as we get them. And later tonight, "Czar Putin," Christiane Amanpour's report from the CNN Special Investigations Unit. "Czar Putin" airs 10:00 Eastern right here on CNN.

Presidential politics in this country. John McCain's campaign gets a pretty good boost in New Hampshire. Plus, new poll numbers to chew on just a month before the state's first in the nation caucus.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well, now to the campaign trail, where Republican presidential candidate John McCain has picked up an endorsement conservatives crave. Today "The New Hampshire Union Leader" officially endorsed the Arizona Republican. The newspaper says McCain is the most trustworthy, competent and conservative of all the candidates seeking nomination. Its conservative editorial page is influential among Republican and Republican-leaning voters.

A new poll shows the three leading Democratic presidential candidates in a tossup in Iowa. The poll for "The Des Moines Register" shows that Barack Obama has 28 percent, Hillary Clinton 25 percent, John Edwards 23 percent. The poll comes barely a month before the Iowa caucuses.

And then on the Republican side, the poll shows Mike Huckabee leading the race in Iowa with 29 percent; Mitt Romney 24 percent; Rudy Giuliani third, with 13 percent. The rankings are a change from earlier polls, by the way. For months they have shown Romney leading in Iowa.

Well, Iowa is indeed a must-win caucus state. And that's why candidates wanted to be there at all costs despite that nasty weather. Earlier, I spoke with CNN's Jessica Yellin in Des Moines.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Given the snowstorm and, you know, the big chill there in Iowa, there were a few candidates who weren't able to be where they wanted to be.

How much of an impact does that make on their campaign?

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, Fredricka, it does make a difference. For example, Mitt Romney had a full day of events planned yesterday and had to cancel them all because of the snow emergency here.

And Hillary Clinton was planning to be at an event here in town. She had to call in instead and was up via phone. And that sort of lost her a connection with the audience.

All of the other Democratic candidates attended in person. She was able to fly in later in the day, but Joseph Biden, he says he didn't have a plane to fly in on, so he had to drive all the way from Chicago.

WHITFIELD: Oh, man.

YELLIN: So it really did throw -- yes, some roadblocks in the candidates' way.

WHITFIELD: So it really was a race of how badly do you want it at the same time.

Well, let's talk about the Black & Brown campaign -- or forum -- what that was all about. Was it very successful, given that the weather did hamper a few plans?

YELLIN: You know, it was an interesting evening. All the participants ended up making it by midway through. Biden showed up. And they talked about a number of substantive issues that don't always get addressed in the mainstream debates, like hate crimes legislation and bankruptcy reform laws that often affect minority borrowers, et cetera.

It also had an unusual element. The candidates were allowed to question each other, and that led to some amusing moments and also a few sharp exchanges, which added a nice sort of new mix to the whole situation.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, let's talk about Senator John McCain, Republican.

He got quite a significant boost leading into the season of caucuses and primaries, this time from a New Hampshire leading newspaper. How much of a difference does this make for him?

YELLIN: You know, it's a very, very important endorsement. "The New Hampshire Union Leader" says that John McCain is their candidate. It is it a newspaper that's highly influential in the state, and especially among conservative voters. That is the base that McCain has to get out.

Now, you'll recall he won New Hampshire in 2000. For McCain to be successful and to, you know, have a real comeback, he really wants to win New Hampshire. So this could make all the difference for him.

He is not leading in any of the polls there yet, although he has polled ahead to number two in one poll that's out by FOX News, trailing in a third-place race in another poll. But what we should point out is this same newspaper in the past three elections endorsed Steve Forbes once and Pat Buchanan twice, so it doesn't necessarily pick the winner -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jessica Yellin, you look real cool in that bone-chilling Iowa. But I would say it's time now for a little hot cocoa.

YELLIN: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Jessica Yellin, part of the best political team on television.

The Iowa caucuses will be January 3rd, the leadoff to what's shaping up as a horse race to the White House.

Lifting their voices to shout down a killer.

Annie Lennox among them with the big voices on the stage. A wrap-up of World AIDS Day concert next in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well, the day after World AIDS Day, Nelson Mandela is vowing to continue the fight against the deadly disease and he wants you to join him. The former South African president hosted a 10-hour musical extravaganza yesterday. And CNN's Robyn Curnow had a ticket.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBYN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): At 89, Nelson Mandela can still throw a party. Surrounded by some of the biggest names in music, the former South African president issued another call to arms in the battle against HIV/AIDS.

NELSON MANDELA, FMR. SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT: If we are to stop the AIDS epidemic from expanding, we have to break the cycle of new HIV infections. All of us working together, governments, communities, and civil society, can make the difference that is needed.

CURNOW: Using his old prison number as the rallying call for action, this is the fifth 4664 concert Mandela has hosted. The theme this year, "It's in our Hands," calls on people to take responsibility for their actions.

(on camera): Nelson Mandela has joked that the youth don't listen to old people or politicians. And seeing he's both of those, he says the only way to get his AIDS awareness message across is to turn to celebrities and musicians to do the job for him.

(voice over): So on stage, urging people to get tested, supermodel Naomi Campbell.

NAOMI CAMPBELL, MODEL: Fear is something that makes you not want to go and find out if you have it or not. You need to know. You need to protect yourself.

CURNOW: Also here, Annie Lennox, calling on people to take a stand.

ANNIE LENNOX, MUSICIAN: There is a kind of genocide taking place here when you are ignoring something that could be tackled and handled properly with treatment. It's not acceptable.

CURNOW: All the stars we spoke to said music has the power to make a difference.

LUDACRIS, RAP ARTIST: Rap definitely does speak directly to the youth. So I think it's important that everybody understand that we're here and we want to be educated. We want to evoke change, and we're ready for that power.

CURNOW: But judging by the reaction when Mandela appeared on stage, he can still move people 70 years younger than himself. And as these artists have said before, when Nelson Mandela calls, you don't say no.

Robyn Curnow, CNN, Johannesburg, South Africa.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And then there's fallout already from a vote today in South America. And could that affect how much you pay at the gas pump?

We go live to Venezuela next in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: President for life? Some say that's the end game Hugo Chavez has in mind for today's constitutional referendum in Venezuela. Voter turnout is being termed massive by the government. At least the government is saying that.

Let's go to CNN en Espanol senior anchor Patricia Janiot in Caracas.

Patricia, are there still lots of lines at these polling stations or have they closed them all by now? PATRICIA JANIOT, CNN EN ESPANOL SENIOR ANCHOR: I think most of them have been closed, although the government hasn't said that they have all closed. We don't know in what part of the country they are still open, but officially they closed a few hours ago. They said that after all of them close we're going to find out at least the first announcement of the official vote.

We were here last year when they had presidential elections, and by 10:00 local time they came out with the first announcement, and that announcement contained almost 60 percent of the vote.

But we are now waiting -- we have to be patient. I mean, they've been -- they've said many, many times that we cannot report exit polls or projections. We have to wait until we hear from them, from the official electoral institute.

WHITFIELD: So while the turnout is huge, is it because most people like the idea of these constitutional amendments and they like the idea of a president for life, or are they voting because they're fearful if they don't vote in favor of these things?

JANOIT: Well, this country is totally divided and polarized. The president has stressed the fact that this election -- he has said vote for him or against him. He has said even that a vote against him is a vote in favor of George Bush. So many people who will vote in favor of his reforms are really giving him -- are voting to approve his government. The people who vote against the reform, they have said that this is voting to take Venezuela to a system that is -- a system that is taking this country to a socialism type, like Cuba.

So they're very concerned because the reforms give the president a lot of power, not only to control the central bank, to name and revoke officials in the military, to control the international reserves, and obviously to do away with his terms limits as long as he is reelected. Also, he can now govern not only six years but seven years.

There are many years that have the opposition very worried in this country about these reforms.

WHITFIELD: A lot at stake. Patricia Janoit of CNN EN ESPANOL.

Thank you so much.

What would it mean for you and me here in the States if, indeed, Hugo Chavez was to make good on his threats and stop the export of oil to the U.S.? For example, if the U.S. indeed, mettles in this referendum vote.

Well, Peter Beutel is a petroleum analyst and president of an energy-risk management firm. He's also the author of the book "Surviving Energy Prices." He's joining me from New Canaan, Connecticut, on the phone.

So, you know, why should we really, I guess, worry about President Chavez? I mean, is he really just kind of bluffing all of us?

PETER BEUTEL, PETROLEUM ANALYST, AUTHOR, "SURVIVING ENERGY PRICES": Well, I don't think he's so much bluffing us as I think he's playing to his domestic audience. The person ahead of me just said that he's made it a referendum for him or for President Bush by extension. For him to threaten the United States, apparently plays well with a certain part of the electorate there.

WHITFIELD: OK. We're talking about Venezuela supplying, what, 15 percent of the oil that we take in. So would he have that much leverage, say, among other OPEC nations to say, you know what, I'm going to withhold any more oil from my country to the U.S.? Can he just do that?

BEUTEL: Well, sure we do that. He has all the power he wants to do what he wants with Venezuelan oil. But he's not going to stop selling it so he'll sell it to somebody else, like the Europeans or somebody in Asia. And then the people who are selling them oil will turn around and sell it to us.

WHITFIELD: OK. So would that mean the prices would change? Bottom line, that's what people want to know. Does that mean my home heating oil will go up? Does it mean when I get gas at the station, it's all going to be higher?

BEUTEL: No -- I don't think so. He picked a particularly poor time to do it. We've just come off without hitting $100. We got very close for two weeks and now we've broken under $90. So he does this at a bad time when the market's already seemingly exhausted with the move higher. So I don't think it means anything to the American consumer.

WHITFIELD: So you allay any fears that really nothing bad can come of this. Is that what you're saying?

BEUTEL: I'm not saying nothing bad can come from it, but I'm saying I don't think anything bad will come from it. You might see a dollar or two rally if he were to decide to go ahead and cut it off to the United States.

First of all, he hasn't said that yet. If he were to do it, I'm convinced he would sell his same oil to somebody else. And we'd get their oil from whomever they're getting it from, say, the Saudis or Nigeria or whomever it might be.

WHITFIELD: Interesting stuff.

Peter Beutel, author of "Surviving Energy Prices."

Thank so much for joining us from Connecticut this afternoon.

BEUTEL: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, let's talk weather. A lot of weather. A lot of bad weather. Severe from coast to coast. Ice, snow, all that being blamed for at least ten deaths on highways from Colorado to Michigan. Utility crews are rushing to restore power to thousands of home in the dark.

The bad weather, guess what, is moving eastward. Maine could get up to 20 inches of snow by Tuesday. The storm also hammered the Great Lakes area, leaving roads in Detroit pretty hazardous. Out West, powerful winds had people in Oregon worried. Gusts on the northern coast could reach 100 miles an hour by morning. Hurricane-strength kind of winds.

Jacqui Jeras in the Severe Weather Center.

Boy, this is a terrible mixed bag.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, it really is. You know, we've already seen a few wind gust reports beyond 100 miles per hour on the Oregon coast. So this is just an incredible system really wound up and has a lot of potential to cause a lot of damage and power outages. Just incredible hazardous travel. You've been enduring this throughout the morning and afternoon, and you've got a full day to go. Most of the advisories don't expire until about 10: 00 tomorrow evening. That's for those high-winds particularly along the coast.

The rain is heavy. The snow is heavy. The current sustained winds in the 20s and 30s, even up to 40 miles per hour at times. Not to mention the gusts that have been beyond that.

Here's Cape Blanco, Oregon, 101 miles per hour, 83 in Long Prairie, even Bremmer into California had wind gusts of 72 miles per hour.

The rain very heavy in Portland, about three inches on average across the city. That's a lot of rain in less than 24 hours. We're very concerned about the flooding here up in the Washington state, especially into the Olympic mountain chain. We could see seven to 10 inches of rainfall. That will go down the rivers and spread out. That could affect millions of people. We could get very significant flooding here. The snow will be heavy into the higher elevations; 10 to 20 inches are going to be expected.

Our storm in the east is causing a lot of delays at the airports. If you have any travel plans, make sure you call ahead because many of these are well over an hour.

Our I-reporter is doing a great job going out and bringing us beautiful pictures. Look at this from Mark Lehman from Cedar Rapids. He took this picture in his front yard yesterday morning. He said he had freezing rain and sleet from 8:30 in the morning until 6:30 in the afternoon.

We also have an I-reporter from Omaha, Nebraska. Paris Shandari sent us this picture. He said he took it outside of his apartment. The ice accumulated to a half-inch thick. Thankfully, he was not one to lose power in the area.

Quite an incredible storm and that's going to be a real hazard tomorrow in the northeast with more snow, ice, and rain and wind gusts around 50 miles per hour. So that storm just kicking out there. WHITFIELD: Wow. Those pictures are beautiful. They kind of bring it home. I'm glad I'm not there. Because that's a big brrr.

All right, Jacqui, thank you so much.

JERAS: Sure.

WHITFIELD: Rob Marciano has much more straight ahead in the "NEWSROOM." Something tells me weather is topping the charts again.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You have to touch on it. It's crazy weather weekend. On top of that and the usual suspects for all the news you need.

We'll talk to a guest about her son. Back in 2003, you may remember some hostages were taken in Colombia, American contract workers. Just this last week, there's been signs of life from a new videotape released after years of not knowing anything. So we're going to talk to the mother of one of these hostages and see what she has to say, how the government has been helping or hurting. Are they doing anything?

WHITFIELD: That's what I was going to ask -- are they getting any assistance?

MARCIANO: And how they're holding up as well, too.

WHITFIELD: Right.

MARCIANO: That, plus the weather, of course.

WHITFIELD: That is tough. We'll be watching.

MARCIANO: 7:00.

WHITFIELD: Can't forget it. Thanks, Rob.

MARCIANO: All right. You've got it.

WHITFIELD: Well, he's got a whole lot to say about a lot of stuff. He's also the author of a current number one best-seller. You know the face. You know the name. Glenn Beck joins us live. That right there is taped. It looks live. He'll be joining us live next in the "NEWSROOM."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well, he is a big man on campus, even though he's not even five feet tall. He can't sign his name. He can't drive a car. And he doesn't even play football. But when it comes to the hearts of USC's players and the coach, he's a great gridiron great.

Kara Finstrom introduces us to Ricky Rosas, the Trojans' inspirational secret weapon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) KARA FINSTROM, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At a school known for football legends, stories of triumphs it's no surprise, but this story isn't about the NFL stars in the making. In their shadows, we found a 4'8" giant.

STAFON JOHNSON, USC TAILBACK: He's a smart guy with a big heart.

FINSTROM: 18-year-old Ricky Rosas is a cancer survivor with a learning disability. Two years ago at a public practice, he met Coach Pete Carroll.

PETE CARROLL, USC COACH: Hey, how are you doing?

He hung around afterward. I told him to come back.

FINSTROM: And kept coming. Before long, Ricky was on the field alongside the coaches five days a week.

RICKY ROSAS, USC #1 FAN: I get the coaches food. I'm there when they need me.

FINSTROM: The team began saving him a chair at the training table, suiting him up in SC garb.

ROSAS: This was given to me by Jared Blank and the shoes were given to me by Lojack (ph).

FINSTROM: Even taking him on the SC jet to an away game and bestowing an unofficial title.

CARROLL: Ricky is the special assistant to the head coach so he's very close to me.

JARED BLANK, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, FOOTBALL OPERATIONS: Whenever he's asked to do something, he goes to his maximum level to get it done. And no one can ask anything more of the kid. It's cool to see.

FINSTROM: But it's not the odd jobs that make unassuming Ricky such an asset. It's the smile, the hugs. The pure joy Ricky takes in being here. It spreads.

ROSAS: You know we got you covered.

I just want to give them a big thanks for letting me be around them for so long.

CARROLL: He's a wonderful kid that brings a spirit and energy about this program that's unique. And once we sensed it, we just need him around.

FINSTROM: Ricky's family always knew he would make his mark.

NICKY ROSAS, RICKY'S SISTER: I'm really proud of him because he's really recognized.

FINSTROM: He lives in east L.A. with his sister, who suffers from a disability that destroyed her leg, and his mother. They say the boy who overcame cancer at age 1 has been undaunted by hardship ever since.

N. ROSAS: It shows us that we -- just because we may have, like, disabilities in our ways, and we still can do just easy ones.

FINSTROM: Ricky, who doesn't have a driver's license, spends an hour and a half and two buses to get to practice every day and games every weekend. All this not to be paid in dollars.

(on camera): What does it feel like being out here?

ROSAS: It feels so good. All the fans.

FINSTROM (voice-over): But to simply live a dream.

CARROLL: He's got a little bit of a heartthrob about him that keeps us all going.

FINSTROM: And to remind all those around him that's exactly what they're doing, too.

KARA FINSTROM for CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Well, you can hear more of Ricky Rosas' story tomorrow. He'll be a guest on "CNN NEWSROOM" with Kara Phillips and Don Lemon. The show begins at 1:00 p.m. eastern.

Add best-selling author to his title. He's not just your ordinary radio and TV host. Glenn Beck is going to be joining us live next to talk about his new book.

Plus, she thought she was going to be alone for the holidays. Then Christmas came early.

(VIDEO)

WHITFIELD: Santa really delivered here. A story you've got to see, coming up. First, time for a news quiz. What is the record for the average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gas in the United States? Is it $3.13, $3.11, $3.09? The answer, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Before the break we asked you this question, what's the record for the average price of a gallon of unleaded gas in the U.S. -- $3.09, $3.11 or $3.13. What's your best guess? Well, if you guess $3.13, you were right. May of 2007, this year, is when we saw that high price of gas.

Now, earlier today, you saw the Redskins team paying homage to one of their players cut down from what appears to be a burglary taking place in his home of Miami earlier in the week. Now you're seeing live pictures of a candlelight tribute being paid to him in Miami in his hometown, if you will, at the Florida International University campus here. You can see a huge number of people who have turned out to pay tribute to number 21, Redskins safety, who was tragically killed in a shootout take being place in his home.

Now we're understanding four suspects are being held. And it is believed there may be a fifth suspect that is being pursued as well by police.

We'll continue to watch the developments there out of Miami and other places around the country. In tribute to Sean Taylor.

Meantime, forget Howard Stern. CNN's Glenn Beck may be the new king of all media. His show on "Headline Prime" is a hit. And he just signed a multimillion dollar contract extension for his radio show.

And then, get this, he has a new book. "An Inconvenient Book" is what it's called. It's number one on the "New York Times" best- sellers list.

Glenn Beck joins us now to talk about this and everything else near and dear to your heart.

First, congratulations.

GLENN BECK, HOST, "HEADLINE PRIME" & AUTHOR, "AN INCONVENIENT BOOK": Thank you. It is really unbelievable.

WHITFIELD: That is really fantastic.

BECK: Yeah. I'm living the American dream.

WHITFIELD: Absolutely. It's a great example. So "Inconvenient Book," this a dig or is it coincidence or something funny about the coincidence of Al Gore's "Inconvenient Truth".

BECK: Yeah. I'm going for the Nobel Prize. Here's the thing that I find most inconvenient. The book is not about global warming, and it has one chapter on that. It's 21 of the world's biggest problems, and the inconvenient part of it is we have so divided ourselves between Republicans and Democrats, conservatives and liberals and we're pointing fingers at each other and calling each other names, whether you're a communist, dope-smoking hippy or a conservative who wants to be a warmonger and starve all children to death. None of those are true.

What we are are Americans and we've got to stop the political correctness. We've got to stop bashing each other and come back towards the center and find reasonable solutions. This book tries to do that with a heavy, heavy dose of sense of humor.

WHITFIELD: Of course, because it's Glenn Beck. What's interesting is, you know, when you talk about "Inconvenient Book," you really are saying, too, all of these problems, talk about poverty, immigration, et cetera, all of these things are fixable, but they're not fixed in this country because it means people would have to be uncomfortable.

BECK: Well, no.

WHITFIELD: It would be inconvenient?

BECK: No. It would mean that they all could be fixed, but the inconvenient part is really -- for those who have power and control, the inconvenient part is they don't really want to solve these things.

The solutions are actually quite simple and full of common sense. As I go across America -- I'm right now on a Christmas tour. I do stage shows every year. I've talked to probably 7,000 people in the last four days, shook their hands, and what I hear over and over again is, "Glenn, how come these solutions aren't being put together?" And they're not even the solutions that I talk about in my book. They just mean the solutions of the problems we're facing today are rooted in common sense. But that doesn't get somebody elected. That doesn't keep somebody in power.

WHITFIELD: OK. So that's what we found once we're in the book. But I can't get past, you know, the front cover, too. What have you got against California here?

BECK: Well, the question would be, am I eating California, or is California being jammed down my throat?

WHITFIELD: Oh.

BECK: That's all I'm saying.

WHITFIELD: OK. What are you saying about these tattered-like pages on the interior to kind of make it look like discarded book, notebook?

BECK: The thing is there's never been a book from a conservative point of view that has been funny, that has been put together like this one is. This has been designed to kind of be in the genre, in a way, of the Jon Stewart book, something that you can read, could get a lot out of, but also is really, really funny and different. We're trying to break the mold of, you know, conservatives having a stick lodged in some or fas of their body.

WHITFIELD: Or California being shoved down the throat.

BECK: I'm just saying. I've got to tell you the truth, though, on the California thing. That was from another photo shoot. I didn't like any of the photos that were taken for the book.

WHITFIELD: You're kidding me. You didn't like the Zoolander kind of shots they were taking.

BECK: I didn't.

WHITFIELD: Why take myself seriously?

BECK: We took that one from something else. So it doesn't mean anything.

WHITFIELD: It works. It gets, you know, your attention. Got my attention.

BECK: Yeah.

WHITFIELD: So, as you, you know, wrote this book, put it together, were you taking this really seriously, like, you think, this has a shot on the best-sellers list, or was it just something to do because TV and radio isn't interesting enough for you?

BECK: No. I wanted to do a book because I'm really very concerned about where we're headed as a country. And I think most people are, on the left and the right. We're concerned about what's happening, and we've got to pull each other together. And I find the best way to do that is through laughter. So I took it very, very seriously.

Also, some of the chapters, for instance, on illegal immigration, the answer that I came up with is not really the answer I want to hold. It's not what I want to believe is going on. It's not an answer of, you know, what do we do to fix it? We know the answer on that. The answer is, why hasn't it been fixed? Who stands to lose money or power if it is?

And, quite honestly, it was a hard chapter for me to write because it's not what I want to believe, but I, unfortunately, believe it's the truth.

WHITFIELD: Poverty?

BECK: Poverty?

WHITFIELD: What were your solutions on that one?

BECK: My thoughts on poverty are, while poverty is difficult, we have fewer homeless people than we have had in the history of our country per capita. Our poverty has gone down as the population has gone up.

While we do have problems in our country on poverty, even our poor here are not facing the kind of struggle that they are on the other sides of the world, and all around the world. And I want to look at that as well.

I talk about poverty and how we can solve it. I also think it's important to look at it and say, gosh, we're a blessed nation. We are really a truly blessed nation.

WHITFIELD: If only we could share the wealth, right?

BECK: Well, I mean, as long as I...

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: You're the one with the multimillion dollar contract. That's all I'm saying. That's all I'm saying.

BECK: I've got to tell you...

WHITFIELD: Glenn Beck.

BECK: I love people who want to share the wealth. I share the wealth. I give a portion to charity. But don't take it from me.

WHITFIELD: OK, I'm cool with it.

BECK: Never felt I'd...

WHITFIELD: Glenn Beck, thanks so much. Got to go.

BECK: You bet.

WHITFIELD: Happy holidays.

Of course, you can watch Glenn Beck, "Headline News Prime" at 7:00 and 9:00 eastern tonight and every night for that matter.

Sneak attack for the holidays from a soldier who serves overseas. We'll take a look. This is Sam Miller of Pennsauken, New Jersey, and her 4-month-old baby, Allison. They're waiting at a mall to visit Santa. And look what happens.

(VIDEO)

WHITFIELD: Oh, what a moment. Oh, it's papa and husband, Adam Miller, right there. A surprise trip home from Afghanistan. It is the first time that he has seen his baby girl.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ADAM MILLER, U.S. SOLDIER: I changed leave with a guy and I came home. I let my mom know. My sister came up with the idea. (Inaudible). You'll see your family. I said that's a great idea.

SAM MILLER, WIFE OF ADAM: I'm really overwhelmed right now. I don't know. I'm just really happy. I didn't think I would see him for a while.

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