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Afghanistan & Joe Biden; Office Hook-up Do's & Don'ts; Dance, Dance, Dance; Clunkers Hangover; Barbers Will Never Go Away

Aired October 08, 2009 - 12:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Time of your top of the hour reset. I'm Tony Harris in the CNN NEWSROOM. It is noon in Washington where a Democratic congressman is under new pressure to give up a powerful committee chairmanship. Staying on Capitol Hill, a key Senate health care reform bill comes in under the target price, setting the stage for a vote.

At the White House, Vice President Biden's role in shaping a new strategy for Afghanistan. Let's get started.

All right, a powerful politician under pressure again. Republicans fail at an effort to remove Representative Charlie Rangel from his chairman's post, but they succeed in keeping the spotlight on Rangel's alleged financial misdeeds. Our senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash caught up with the congressman on Capitol Hill.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Mr. Chairman, why is it that you don't think it's appropriate considering that you are being investigated for tax issues to resign from your post that dictates tax policy in this country?

REP. CHARLIE RANGEL (D), NEW YORK: Because the allegations have been made by newspapers' reporters, and I asked the Ethics Committee to review it and report back to the Congress.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Hmm. And congressional correspondent Brianna Keilar also on this story. She has more on the allegations against Rangel and the effort to oust him from his post.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Republicans third attempt in a year to bump the Democratic chairman of the House Tax Writing Committee from his powerful perch.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This will be a 15-minute vote.

KEILAR: It failed, but they made their point, keeping a spotlight on Charles Rangel's acknowledged failure to pay taxes on $75,000 he earned renting out his beach house in the Dominican Republic. And there are several other alleged ethics related violations.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Representative Rangel acknowledged his failure to pay -- failure to publicly disclose at least half a million dollars in cash assets, tens of thousands of dollars in investment income, and his ownership of two pieces of property in New Jersey.

KEILAR: Rangel has called some of the violations mistakes. As the Ethics Committee continues its yearlong investigation, Rangel continues to defend his post on the committee that's instrumental in drafting legislation on important issues like health care reform and climate change.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you continue to serve as chairman while you are being investigated?

RANGEL: Yes, I can. The way it works in the House is that when allegations are made and referred to the Ethics Committee, what is normally done members wait until the Ethics Committee completes its investigation and its report.

KEILAR: Rangel has the backing of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Speaker Pelosi, do you still support Chairman Rangel?

And her deputy, Steny Hoyer, said the Democrats are awaiting the Ethics Committee's finding.

REP. STENY HOYER (D), MARYLAND: Prior to that any actions with reference to Chairman Rangel would be premature.

KEILAR: But as Republicans keep up their steady drumbeat against Rangel, political analyst Stephen Hess says he has become a liability for Democrats.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These charges are serious. They're -- and they keep adding more charges. So, they're going to have to be met and dealt with and voted upon. They can't be swept under the table.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And Brianna Keilar joining us once again from Capitol Hill. And, Brianna, look, this is a political liability for Rangel and for the Dems, but how big a liability is it, really?

KEILAR: You know, talking with political analyst Stephen Hess, he said this is a minor one. It's a manageable one, Tony, but it certainly opens up the door for Republicans to take these political shots and score some points. And this is really an opportunity that they are relishing.

When I talk with Republican sources, they say this is a win/win situation for them. If Rangel maintains his chairmanship and if Democrats continue to stand behind him, they can just keep hitting him over this. And then if Rangel is bumped out of his chairmanship, then they can claim victory of that. So they are certainly taking full advantage of this opportunity. HARRIS: And Brianna, when will we get the findings from the Ethic Committee?

KEILAR: Ethics Committee hearings are incredibly secretive. So, we only learn information in kind of drips and drabs. So we don't know exactly. They are not saying when they are going to put out their findings, but when they do, Tony, that's when we'll really going to know whether Democrats stand behind Charlie Rangel.

If, for instance, the Ethics Committee hits him very hard in these findings, then that's when we're going to find out exactly what his fate will be.

HARRIS: OK and Brianna, let me do this on the fly here. Let's put together another quick hit with you later this hour because I'm really intrigued by your reporting on comments from Nancy Pelosi about the possibility or the exploration of windfall profits tax, a windfall profits tax on the revenue, the profits, of health insurance companies. Because it seems to me that may be a way to come up with additional revenue to pay for the public option, which I believe is included in all of the house plans that have been passed to this point. So, let's put something together for later and let's talk a bit more about that.

KEILAR: Sure. We'll try to get reaction. Sure. We'll try to get reaction for you.

HARRIS: Thanks, Brianna. Brianna Keilar on Capitol Hill for us.

The numbers are in and now the vote is set on a key health care reform proposal. The Senate Finance Committee will vote next Tuesday on its long-awaited proposal. And analysis by the Congressional Budget Office said the plan will cost $829 billion over the next 10 years. Republicans remain skeptical, but Democrats say it's time to put an end to the political wrangling.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HARRI REID (D-NV), MAJORITY LEADER: There are those who still want to pick fights against us, even though we're interested only in fighting for hard-working American families. There are those who consider this a zero-sum game and will only declare victory if President Obama concedes defeat. So, Mr. President, let me be very, very clear. Just as Democrats believe in ensuring quality, affordable health care for every American citizen, we believe equally as strong that this country have no place for a country that wish its leaders to fail.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), MINORITY LEADER: listening to the proponents of the plans, you get the sense they're more concerned about their legacies than what the American people actually want. This is the moment. Be a part of history. These are the kinds of things they say to each other about health care reform. Well, here's an idea. How about asking the American people what they want instead?

(END VIDEO CLIP) HARRIS: OK. The Senate Finance Committee is the last to finish work on its health care legislation.

The Taliban claiming responsibility for a brazen suicide attack today in Afghanistan. An SUV packed with explosives detonating near the Indian embassy in the heart of Kabul. Officials say at least 17 people were killed. More than 80 others wounded, most of them civilians. The attack comes as the White House discusses future plans for the Afghan war.

President Obama holds another war strategy session tomorrow with his national security team. We're told the sensitive issue of troop levels may be discussed. Our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Suddenly President Obama is looking at the request to send tens of thousands of additional troops to Afghanistan, even though he has not yet announced a decision about a new strategy for the war, which is exactly what the president said he would not do.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't want to put the resource question before the strategy question.

STARR: Last week just before the president met in Copenhagen with his Afghanistan war commander, General Stanley McChrystal, the president asked for a copy of McChrystal's troop request, which is believed to call for as many as 40,000 additional forces. It's not how the military usually makes plans for war.

The president hasn't yet heard troop recommendations from his top military advisers who would normally be part of such a massive decision. Are the top officers being shut out now?

GEOFF MORRELL, PENTAGON SPOKESMAN: I think I'm getting from your line of questioning that there's some concern that the chain of command is being cut out of this process. No, no, no, no, no.

STARR: But Morrell readily admitted that while the Pentagon is now working on its ideas for more troops, it may be meaningless.

MORRELL: I think things can work in parallel in a sense that it can operate through the chain of command for formal vetting and comment and so forth, but ultimately it means frankly nothing until there is a decision made about the way ahead.

STARR: One reason for all of this? The Pentagon was worried the highly classified troop request, just like McChrystal's assessment report, would get out in public.

MORRELL: I think we wanted to avoid any opportunity for leaking of this before the president had an opportunity to see it himself.

STARR: The McChrystal troop request is so sensitive, a top military official tells CNN only a handful of top officers have copies. And the Pentagon leadership knows where all those copies are, all the time. Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: All right, let's get you to Chad Myers now in our Severe Weather Center. And, Chad, a quick question here. Are the ingredients there for some Midwest flooding today?

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: Still to come, a report on CNN yesterday has sparked some action in Capitol Hill. It's all about moves being made by credit card companies that are triggering outrage from customers. We will show you what's happening.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Welcome back, everyone, to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.

David Letterman's workplace shenanigans have triggered a lot of talk about the rules for romantic relationships on the job. We're going to get some tips for what you should and shouldn't be doing. And, yes, this segment has trouble written all over it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Long lines and short tempers. Let's take you to Detroit now. The city had to turn away thousands of people who came to apply for stimulus money set aside for homeless and low-income residents. City officials say they ran out of applications. Police had to break up several fights.

New jobless claims are at their lowest levels since January today. The Labor Department says 521,000 new applications were filed last week. New claims have dropped now four of the last five weeks.

And a preliminary tally shows retail sales eked out a teeny, tiny gain in September. The small increase, a 0.1 percent is the first in the index in 14 months. It's compiled by the trade group the International Council of Shopping Centers.

On Capitol Hill today, lawmakers are looking at a bill that would enforce tough new credit card rules starting in December instead of February. That's because banks are hiking rates and fees and cutting credit lines to beat the new law. Congressional action comes after CNN profiled a couple who saw their credit card payments skyrocket. National political correspondent Jessica Yellin now with the follow- up.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): This week, CNN told you about Chuck and Jeanne Lane, a couple that's played by the rules, but their credit card company, like so many others, has jacked up their payments ahead of new regulations that go into effect next year.

CHUCK LANE, CREDIT CARD CUSTOMER: I'm calling to find out why my payment jumped from $370 to $911 this month.

YELLIN: Through no fault of their own, the Lanes' monthly minimum payment more than doubled. Now they will have to decide whether to pay the card or get surgery Jeanne needs and support Chuck's son in college.

(on camera): Do you have a message you would want to give to Congress?

LANE: I would like Congress to take a stand for the American people and stop credit card companies from making these kind of changes that do have major impacts in people's lives.

YELLIN (voice-over): Guess what? Congress is listening. Freshman Congresswoman Betsy Markey saw the story on CNN.

REP. BETSY MARKEY (D), COLORADO: It gave awareness to people like me, other members of Congress who saw that and were just outraged by the fact that credit card companies are just blatantly increasing rates solely because they know that, once the law takes effect, they are not going to be able to do this anymore.

YELLIN: She and 17 other members have since written the banks, calling on them to stop raising rates and changing policies ahead of the new credit card bill.

Bank of America had already announced it's freezing its rates for now, but Chase, the company that holds the Lanes' credit card, tells CNN they have no plans to do the same. And Wells Fargo, they are raising their interest rate 3 percent.

An industry representative says the card companies are just trying to protect themselves in a rocky economy.

SCOTT TALBOTT, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS, FINANCIAL SERVICES ROUNDTABLE: The industry is not making changes to interest rates or lines of credit in anticipation of the new law. It's simply a reflection of the changing economic times.

YELLIN: Now, some members of Congress are pushing forward with the bill that would actually move up the date when these new consumer protections go into effect. But, banks say they need more time. They say they have to update their computer programs to meet all these new regulations. And that will take months. Jessica Yellin, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: You got to ask yourself -- credit card companies, your friend? Many people are cutting up their credit cards or stuffing them in sock drawers. Consumers borrowed less in August for the seventh month in a row. CNN's Christine Romans is here with the numbers. Your friend? I don't think so. CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Is it any wonder why for seven months consumer credit has been shrinking, shrinking, shrinking, a big squeeze?

HARRIS: Absolutely.

ROMANS: You're borrowing less and they're giving you less money to borrow, it's all happening kind of at the same time.

HARRIS: Way to go.

ROMANS: And let's be honest, this is not a time to be borrowing a lot of money to live your life. We are in the process of what they say in, you know, economic land as deleveraging. People are trying to get rid of their -- their debt. They're not trying to take on new debt.

So, this Federal Reserve report, the Federal Reserve actually measures how much debt we have, how much money we're borrowing. Total outstanding credit, down $12 billion. Credit cards, so this is revolving debt, credit cards, debt shrank, borrowing shrank 13.1 percent and then on auto and student loans only 1.6 percent. Any wonder why? I bet you know why.

Cash for Clunkers on the -- Cash for Clunkers meant people were still borrowing money or borrowing more less -- whatever, you know, they were borrowing money for that.

The unemployment crisis the number one reason here. People are not taking on new debt when they're worried about losing their job. We've seen the unemployment rate simply soar. So as you've seen the unemployment rate go up like this, you have seen borrowing decline either because you can't get more credit --

HARRIS: Right.

ROMANS: -- Or because people are seen the writing on the wall and they are afraid of those unemployment statistics and they want to make sure they don't get into a situation where they have a bunch of debt that they have to service and they don't have income coming in. So, there you go.

HARRIS: Cash is king. Always has been.

ROMANS: Cash is king. That is absolutely right. Absolutely right.

HARRIS: Christine, appreciate it. Thank you.

ROMANS: Yep.

HARRIS: Let's do this. Let's get a check of our top stories here in the NEWSROOM.

House Republicans want Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel of New York to temporarily step aside. Rangel is the subject, as you know, of an ethics investigation in to his finances. Democrats stopped the Republican effort that would have forced him to temporarily step down.

Get ready to wait a little longer for that flight. A new study says airline on-time arrivals will get worse next year. The reason? Air travel is expected to pick up after declines last year and this year. The Brookings Institution study found that since 2000, at least 15 percent of flights have been delayed at least 15 minutes.

Bloodshed on the streets of Kabul today. A suicide bomber detonated an SUV, killing at least 17 people and wounding more than 80 others. The Taliban claiming responsibility for the attack. It happened near the Indian Embassy in the Afghan capital.

We will get another check of our top stories in 20 minutes.

If the U.S. is going to win in Afghanistan, Pakistan must play a positive role. What are Pakistan's leaders saying to that?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Could the key to Afghanistan's future lie outside its borders? The White House now views Pakistan as a critical ally and is considering a new role, despite a relationship that has become increasingly shaky. A closer look now from our foreign affairs correspondent, Jill Dougherty.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The mountainous and porous border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, where terrorists find sanctuary. Stark symbol of why President Barack Obama believes the U.S. cannot win in Afghanistan without commitment from Pakistan.

ROBERT GATES, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Particularly the Afghan/Pakistan border is the modern epicenter of jihad.

DOUGHERTY: But in Pakistan, there's doubt the U.S. is committed to the long haul.

SHAH MEHMOOD QURESHI, PAKISTANI FOREIGN MINISTER: The people of the region have to be reassured that the United States has a long-term vision -- not just for Afghanistan and Pakistan, but the entire region. And when I say that, we have to keep in mind history.

DOUGHERTY: Nearly 30 years ago, the U.S. partnered with Pakistan, supplying mujahadeen fighters with weapons and training to defeat the Soviet Union in Afghanistan.

HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Once that was accomplished, we left. And Pakistan feels like we left them holding the bag, because, all of a sudden, they were awash in weapons, they were awash in drugs; jihadists, who had been trained up in conjunction with us.

DOUGHERTY: Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates insist the U.S. won't repeat the mistakes of the past.

GATES: There should be no uncertainty in terms of our determination to remain in Afghanistan and to continue to build a relationship of partnership and trust with the Pakistanis.

DOUGHERTY: But the U.S. has its own lingering doubts: whether Pakistan is a reliable partner; whether its military intelligence is linked to terrorist organizations; whether its obsession with threats from India diverts it from fighting terrorism.

The Obama administration is tripling economic and social aid to Pakistan, $1.5 billion a year for the next five years, but only on the condition that its president, Asif Ali Zardari pursues terrorists in his own country.

And in the spiral of doubt and reassurances, Pakistan says by making demands like that, the U.S. is interfering in its internal affairs. Jill Dougherty, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: One and a half billion and counting. A new study says that's how many people around the world called themselves Muslims. That's almost a quarter of the world's population. Nearly two out of three of the world's Muslims are in Asia, stretching from Turkey to Indonesia. About one in five of the world's Muslims live in the Middle East and North Africa. The Pew Forum conducted the study and says it's trying to get the overall picture of religion in the world.

And tonight on "The Situation Room," an exclusive interview with the Tibetan spiritual leader, his holiness, the Dalai Lama. We will hear what he has to say about the White House putting off its meeting with President Obama until after the president goes to China. That's tonight at 6:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN.

As President Obama tries to decide how to proceed in Afghanistan, his vice president is playing a big role in the discussion. What impact will Joe Biden's views have on the final decision?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Ok. I'm holding out, holding out, for a number on the NASDAQ, we've got a couple of seconds before we get -- oh, up 28. Ok we got it early, sorry about that.

As always at this time we'd like to remind you if you're looking for the latest financial news and analysis, that's the place to visit, CNNmoney.com.

Our team doing an absolutely terrific job of breaking down some really complex issues right now. And making this information you focused, people focused, once again, that's CNNmoney.com.

Let's get you to the big board now. Three hours straight up, straight down, into the trading day and as you can see, the DOW a nice little rally going on. I believe we're off of session highs a bit, but it is still a triple-digit rally today: the DOW up 105 points, the NASDAQ up 28.

We are following these numbers for you throughout the day with Susan Lisovicz right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

You know, we are learning more about a key player in the closed- door, high-stakes war council meetings at the White House.

CNN's Brian Todd reports on the role Vice President Joe Biden is taking in the debate over a long-term strategy in Afghanistan.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Administration sources tell CNN of a forceful, direct Vice President, in White House situation room meetings on Afghanistan. The sources say Joe Biden has pointedly challenged America's top commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, over McChrystal's proposal to send up to 40,000 more U.S. troops there.

By all accounts, Biden vehemently opposes that plan. Publicly White House spokesman, Robert Gibbs, downplayed the disputes in describing a recent meeting.

ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Nobody raised their voice. Nobody -- there was just a sort of calm discussion about where we are.

TODD: But administration sources tell us in those meetings, Biden has intensely pushed his own proposal, to keep U.S. troop levels where they are and to focus the mission more on rooting out al Qaeda and Taliban fighters with predator drones and special forces raids in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

CNN's senior political analyst, Gloria Borger, has also spoken with administration sources about the meetings.

Has he changed the dynamics of this decision on Afghanistan?

GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Before you had the vice president weighing in, you had a lot of folks just assuming that whatever General McChrystal recommended was what the president was going to approve. After all, McChrystal is his guy.

Now, I think, the conversation inside that room has really shifted, become, a little bit more nuanced. What do we need for counterinsurgency in different parts of Afghanistan?

TODD: Sources say Biden's gotten his own pushback in the meetings from principals who've said his ideas are problematic. As a Senator, Biden opposed the surge of troops in Iraq. But in the Balkans and elsewhere he has favored the use of military force.

Sources say with Afghanistan, Biden has become increasingly disillusioned with the government of President Hamid Karzai.

(END VIDEOTAPE) TODD: Administration sources say none of this is personal, it's not personal between Biden and General McChrystal and not personal between and President Karzai. The sources say that Biden has simply become increasingly concerned about committing more U.S. troops to Afghanistan, to support a government that has not adequately addressed issues of corruption and mismanagement.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

HARRIS: And we have been asking you to tell us what you think about the war in Afghanistan. Hundreds of you have picked up the phone and told us what's on your mind. We certainly appreciate that.

Here's another sampling.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need to get out of the war. We're constantly over there fighting and we talk about all our allies, but why are we the only ones over there fighting and our country going broke? We got a war right here in America that we need to tend on, a war on property. The more we fight in other countries, the worse our dollar gets. We need to tend to our home and let other people tend to their business.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, I just want to say, hey, we need more troops. Not just 40,000 troops. We need 100,000 troops. We need a president to stand up for this country and know that this is the war that needed to be fought. Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello, Tony. Yes, I have a big problem with that war in Afghanistan. It's just killing those poor soldiers, eight years. If we haven't done anything by now, I mean, why kill more people?

You know, let them take care of their own. I know you're tired of hearing this, but let them take care of their own country. We have enough over here. And you're killing those soldiers for nothing. Thank you, darling, have a good day, bye.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

HARRIS: And thank you.

The controversy over David Letterman's workplace confessions sparked a debate at our morning meeting. A difficult conversation at times, tough language, invasive, tawdry; it was uncomfortable. Just what are the rules for dating those you work with? We're going to get some answers on how to navigate this potentially dangerous minefield.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Let's get you caught up on our top stories right now.

The Senate Finance Committee set to vote on its health care reform bill next Tuesday. The announcement coming a short time ago from Democratic leader, Harry Reid.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill will cost $829 billion over the next decade and would reduce the deficit by more than $80 billion.

The Taliban claiming responsibility for a brazen suicide attack today in Afghanistan: an SUV packed with explosive detonating near the Indian Embassy in the heart of Kabul. Officials say at least 17 people were killed. More than 80 others wounded, most of them civilians.

You know, a lot of people are talking about romance in the workplace. The late-night confessions by talk show host David Letterman put the spotlight on the issue.

So, are office hookups a good idea, a bad idea? The only place for you to actually meet someone? Come on.

Cynthia Goode is CEO, founding editor and co-owner of "Pink" a magazine devoted to women in business and she is with us in our Atlanta studio. Cynthia, good to see you.

Help me here, generally speaking, is workplace romance ever a good idea?

CYNTHIA GOODE, FORMER TV NEWS ANCHOR: Well, Tony, it probably is not always a good idea.

HARRIS: And Cynthia, can I have you just tell those folks behind you to keep it down so we can -- so we can hear Cynthia?

GOODE: You guys, I guess there's a lot of breaking news that you're covering today.

HARRIS: Ok...

GOODE: The reality is it's probably not a good idea. But the fact is it is probably inevitable. More than 40 percent of those surveyed say at some point they have had a relationship with co- workers.

So, Tony, this is going to happen whether you like it or not.

HARRIS: Yes, however, ok, so if you feel compelled, or if it just happens, can we agree, Cynthia, that it is best to avoid, at all costs, the supervisor/supervisee relationship?

GOODE: I think that makes sense. I think that's great advice, Tony. Certainly in most companies it is absolutely prohibited for a manager to have a romantic relationship with a subordinate.

These are the cases that are going to land you in legal trouble, so you really want to make sure not to do that. It still does happen, though, in some cases. And we want to mention that sometimes these relationships even end up in marriage.

HARRIS: Yes, sure.

GOODE: ...about 31 percent of the time.

HARRIS: All right, let me drill down on this a little bit more here. In the case -- and maybe I've just been watching too much of that ANC (ph) show "Madmen" but in the case of the bloated supervisor sort of pursuing the relationship with the supervisee, is the rule here, look, if you are not interested, say so? And if this supervisor continues on, look, take it -- take it to HR?

GOODE: Absolutely. And it's really important that these kinds of relationships be disclosed to somebody at a higher level within the organization. You want to make sure that you tell a supervisor. You tell somebody in HR. And if both individuals come forward and say this is a consensual relationship, many companies demand that you put something in writing so that they don't then see legal claims later on when it ends badly.

HARRIS: Yes, and the -- isn't this whole idea of taking this issue to HR potentially problematic? I'm thinking of a scenario where you -- you sense that the manager's a more valued employee than, say, you are -- after all we're talking about the manager here. And do you run the risk of some form of retaliation in its many possible forms?

GOODE: I think that's true as well, Tony. I mean, some companies absolutely will not tolerate these kinds of relationships. So, you're putting your job in jeopardy. At the same time, if it really is going to be a serious relationship, and it's really going somewhere, then you do want to make sure, after a few dates, even, if you think it might be getting serious, that you do let somebody know within the organization.

HARRIS: Ok, that's...

GOODE: Maybe you don't want to bring it all the way to the head of HR, but you want to make sure somebody knows.

HARRI: Yes, well this is a great point. So, you're talking about full disclosure, as we cycle through your advice for us again, you're saying a full disclosure, is the best policy here?

GOODE: Absolutely. You've got to disclose it. But at the same time within your division, you know, right here...

HARRIS: Yes.

GOODE: ...you kind to make sure that you're very discreet. It's not something probably that you want to share with others within the organization, because then the result is often the water cooler gossip.

HARRIS: Yes, yes.

GOODE: ...and then you begin to involve others and it may very well may make your co-workers uncomfortable.

HARRIS: How about the second piece of advice here, consider moving to another division?

GOODE: Well certainly, in fact, as I was coming in today, some of the folks at CNN said, oh I've done it before. Well, CNN is so huge they may never see the co-worker that they're dating. But if you're in a smaller organization and you're going to see that individual that could make uncomfortable for you and the co-workers and yourself as well. So good idea to think about switching divisions if that's something you can do...

HARRIS: Yes.

GOODE: ...and you're really serious about the relationship.

HARRIS: And Cynthia, I want to jump to number five here. We touched on number four. You say, sign a love contract. Is that the so-called cupid contract?

GOODE: Yes, it's been called the love contract, the cupid contract. It is an agreement that you can sign. Many organizations formally do have something like this in place and you sign that, both individuals will sign it saying it is a consensual relationship and that they understand and will abide by the rules within the organization currently and should the relationship end.

HARRIS: Cynthia, that's very good. Thanks for the time.

GOODE: My pleasure.

HARRIS: And I made that through the segment and I don't think I said or did anything that will get me a note from HR.

GOODE: I don't think so.

HARRIS: Did I do ok?

GOODE: I think you did good, and it's really important information for all workers to have, because this is going to happen in your office.

HARRIS: Cynthia, appreciate it. Thank you.

GOODE: Pleasure.

HARRIS: Let's do this. Let's go to Josh now. And Josh has a kind of a statistical breakdown on who is dating whom in the workplace and how many and how often.

Josh, run us through the numbers here.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that means you and I both have another two minutes to say something wrong by mistake, right?

HARRIS: Good point.

LEVS: We're both are going to be really careful. Let's just look at the numbers here. You know what? Cynthia just touched someone actually which I think is interesting.

We're talking about the CNN.com/living and there's a survey here from CareerBuilder and this is what she mentioned that I highlighted here; 31 percent said they went on to marry the person they dated at work. 31 percent of office relationships.

I got the keys to ask for you on the screen. And let's go straight to those.

HARRIS: Sure.

LEVS: Because we talked to 8,000 workers out there, 40 percent have dated a co-worker; 18 percent have dated more than one co-worker.

And on the next screen we learn a little bit about how these romances start in these situations, they say 12 percent, they say, ran into each other outside of work. 11 percent were just working late. 10 percent met at a happy hour.

HARRIS: All right now.

LEVS: And another 10 percent say they met at lunch. So you know what, its typical social stuff, pretty much, the ways that you would think.

Now, this is the key stuff I wanted to see on this last screen for you. Take a look here, how often does it involve a superior? Someone who is in a higher position than you.

HARRIS: Yes.

LEVS: ...34 percent involved said that of these relationships, 30 percent, 40 percent, let me try it again. Of these relationships, a third of them, 34 percent involved someone in a higher position, Tony.

HARRIS: Yes.

LEVS: So that's the kind of thing we're talking about when we hear about the Letterman situation and others. Some people concerned is there a position of power that could, then, make other people feel uncomfortable. So of those office relationships you're finding that about a third of the time there's someone who's in a higher position, that's what's got a lot of people talking -- Tony.

HARRIS: Good stuff. Josh, appreciate it. Thank you. We made it.

LEVS: We made it. I know.

HARRIS: Safe at the plate.

This Saturday CNN's Fredricka Whitfield is devoting an entire hour to the issue of romance in the workplace. What's legal? What's ethical and what's appropriate? Tune in at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time, you can also find Fred, we love Fred, on Facebook and our blog, cnn.com/newsroom. Send her your thoughts about workplace relationships. Fred will share some of your comments on the air in the CNN NEWSROOM. Again, that is this Saturday at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time.

Like a Polaroid picture.

Shake it, rock it, roll it. I really need to be reined in.

More than two dozen over 60 dance team wannabes showed up to try out for the Miami Heat's Golden Oldies Dance Team. Jorge Estevez of our affiliate WFOR showed us how it went down.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JORGE ESTEVEZ, REPORTER, WFOR: You want fame? Well, fame costs. And right here is where the seniors start paying with sweat.

What's it like to watch your mom?

SANDRA ST. AMAND, SUPPORTING MOM: Oh, I think this is just very, very exciting.

ESTEVEZ: A daughter coming out to cheer on mom, number 181.

ST. AMAND: You know, growing up when we were little, our parents would come out to support us and now...

ESTEVEZ: Here you are.

ST. AMAND: Here I am supporting my mom.

ESTEVEZ: Do you remember auditions for her, stuff she did as a kid?

LAURA ST. AMAND, PARTICIPANT: She did ballet.

ESTEVEZ: And you were always there.

L. ST. AMAND: And I was always there.

ESTEVEZ: Now this is your ballet.

L. ST. AMAND: Yes.

ESTEVEZ: And she's here for you.

L. ST. AMAND: And she's here for me.

ESTEVEZ: The Golden Oldies Dance Team tryouts brought out more than two dozen people over the age of 60.

I couldn't help but notice you were shaking your booty out there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, if you look at it, you know it needs to be shaked.

ESTEVEZ: really, is that so?

There was plenty of bumping and grinding.

You are sweating out there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I are.

ESTEVEZ: And the moves were tough.

ROSANNE MORANTZ, PARTICIPANT: Definitely learning the sequence of the dance.

ESTEVEZ: And once you got it down?

MORANTZ: You got it, baby, roll with it, roll with it.

ESTEVEZ: But all the fun did make way for a message.

CAROLYN BERKELEY, PARTICIPANT: I want them to know that, you know, no matter what your age is, you can get up and do something.

ESTEVEZ: So after the performance the judges deliberated while the dancers waited.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 178

ESTEVEZ: Carolyn, Angela, Rosanne, Jerry Lee, all made it, but not our mom Laura.

S. ST. AMAND: I think she did a great, great, great job and next year we'll try harder.

ESTEVEZ: You'll get them next year mom.

L. ST. AMAND: All right. I'll go get them.

ESTEVEZ: That's right.

All right. So these are the winners. They can pretty much shake off their nerves, but there's still going to be added pressure. They're going to continue to perform for you at select home games for the Miami Heat.

Jorge Estevez, CBS 4 News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Let's see, it has been three months since General Motors emerged from bankruptcy, but it hasn't been a particularly smooth ride. Cnnmoney.com's Poppy Harlow is in New York. And, Poppy, how is -- first of all, good to see you.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Good to see you, too, Tony.

HARRIS: How is the GM turnaround coming along here?

HARLOW: They got through bankruptcy in record time; about 40 days in bankruptcy, that's it. A lot of work ahead, though, still as they're trying to rebuild this truly American company.

Some good news at the front of this; the sales of their new launches like the Chevy Equinox, the Buick Lacrosse, all exceeded expectations in September. That's great. Because of it they're going to ramp up production this quarter by about 23 percent.

When you look at the layoff picture there, the company tells us no new layoffs but they still have thousands of planned layoffs that they have to still enact at the end of the year.

The good news there is -- I just got off the phone with GM -- they say they may be able to keep more workers than they thought. Because, for instance, they got white-collar workers to work on that IPO process when they go public again; and also those new launches are doing well, Tony, so they may need more factory workers.

That said, still suffering from a major cash for clunkers hangovers; September sales down 45 percent. That's not good. Other obstacles, $50 billion in debt still to U.S. taxpayers and then on top of it, Tony, last week the deal to sell their Saturn brand to Penske Automotive fell through. That could cost them $100 million to wind down about 350 Saturn dealerships.

Here's what GM's CEO had to say about on that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRITZ HENDERSON, CEO GENERAL MOTORS: The reason that we decided we needed to wind down some of these brands, while a successful brand and while a good dealer in the number sense, actually the results were not good for the company. And we can't run this company with eight brands. We just can't.

So, it's all about getting these four core brands and winning with them and making sure that we -- we put our money behind where we think we can win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: And where GM thinks they can win, the four brands that are left, Chevy, Cadillac, Buick and GMC -- Tony.

HARRIS: Hey, you know, as I recall, Poppy, GM sells more cars overseas than the company does here in the United States.

HARLOW: Yes.

HARRIS: Is there an update out there on GM's overseas operation?

HARLOW: You know, there's been weakness. Just like in the U.S., in Europe. You're right, though, in Asia, they've sold more cars in Asia in the first quarter of this year, Tony, than they did in the United States.

The question about Europe is that GM's going to sell two-thirds of its European brand Opel. A lot of auto experts say what's that going to do for the brand awareness, the sales overseas? Will it hurt our global reach?

And another interesting thing that GM is doing right, Tony, is India. You see so many companies looking to expand in India. We just heard yesterday, GM's partnering with an Indian electric carmaker maybe building some electric cars for that market, trying to make some money over there.

But really interesting points from the GM CEO; the full interview is right there on CNNMoney -- Tony.

HARRIS: I appreciate. Good to see you, Poppy. Thank you.

HARLOW: Thank you.

HARRIS: Last hour we reported on youth violence in Chicago and we've been talking and taking your comments throughout the day really. The question is on our blog page as well.

What steps should Chicago take? How do you get to the root of the problem? And what do you do about it?

Here are some of your responses.

D.J. in Denver writes, "This is what happens when kids have too much unsupervised time. We had really good music and arts programs when I was a kid. We also had a great summer program."

Maybe that shouldn't have been strangled in the last eight years.

This from Sigma who writes, "The people should unite and speak up against what is going on. Most are too afraid and too unwilling to do anything, and this is why the violence continues."

And this from Nancy, "There are many reasons for this violence, but what about hip-hop music filled with violence, abuse and the gangster mentality of snitching?"

If you would like to weigh in on the Chicago violence and really youth violence around the country, let's not just limit to it Chicago, just go to my blog page, cnn.com/Tony.

And if you'd like to weigh in on the Afghanistan war strategy, I believe we have a phone number where you can actually call with your thoughts, 1-877-742-5760. We want to hear your thoughts on the war effort in Afghanistan.

All right, we'll take a quick break. We're coming back with more CNN Newsroom in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HARRIS: No matter what the economy looks like, one thing's for certain. Hair grows, sometimes in some unfortunate places, and it needs to be cut or shaved. CNN photojournalist Joe Delarosa, takes us to a family-owned barber shop in Dallas, Texas. It's part of our "Americana in Focus, Jobs That Last" series.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE DELAROSA, CNN PHOTOJOURNALIST: We're at Mustang Barbers in Dallas, Texas.

PHIL MCALLISTER, OWNER, MUSTANG BARBERS: A shave, a haircut, shoeshine; a full-service barber shop. I've been barbering for 35 years.

Shop's been in the neighborhood for 40 years or so. The old- fashioned shave with the hot lather and the straight razor. The techniques for cutting it hasn't changed a whole lot. Because of that, there hasn't been a need for change.

Techniques are all the same. Once you learn the basics, you just go from there.

TODD BLALOCK, BARBER: The whole experience as you come in, tell the barber, give me the usual, you get a haircut, a shave. You know, you tell a few dirty jokes. Usually leave with a laugh.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've been doing this for 17 years. We have families where we do the grandfathers and the fathers and the sons and the children and the whole families.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll bring my son here when he gets a little older.

BLALOCK: A lot of us grew up going to barbers with our dads and our granddad. Everything else in the world changes so quickly, and I think there's something about coming to a place that has stayed relatively the same for 100 years.

MCALLISTER: I think all my clients are -- are friends as well as clients.

BLALOCK: People feel comfortable here. I can see myself doing this forever.

MCALLISTER: I think it will be around for a long time, because my son will take over when I decide that my wife will let me quit.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Barbering will never go away. It's been around forever and always will be.

BLALOCK: I'm glad to see that there are shops like this and shops, I'm sure, in every city, in every small town, that haven't given up on the old way of doing things.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Looks great. See you next week. MCALLISTER: Have a good day.

(END VIDEOTAPE)