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Sweeping GOP Victories; 10 Bodies Found at Rapist's Home; Hostage Crisis: 30 Years Later

Aired November 04, 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: All right. Time for your top-of-the- hour reset.

I'm Tony Harris in the CNN NEWSROOM.

It is the day after Election Day across America, and the verdict is in from the voters. Results and analysis ahead.

It is noon in Cleveland, where an accused serial killer appears in court. Police say they've now found 10 bodies in the man's home and yard. And they're searching for more.

And it is 1:00 a.m. Thursday in China, where President Obama's half brother makes his media debut.

Let's get started.

Elections 2009. Republican Party Chairman Michael Steele says the GOP is celebrating but not crowing about a double-barrel blowout in New Jersey and Virginia. Even President Obama couldn't help New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine keep his seat. Republican Chris Christie booted him with votes to spare. In Virginia, Republican Robert McDonnell trounced Democrat Creigh Deeds to claim the governor's mansion.

Still, Democrats have something. The party picked up a congressional seat in a GOP stronghold. New York's 23rd district rejected conservative Doug Hoffman in favor of Democrat Bill Owens. That race was complicated when Republican Dede Scozzafava dropped out and threw her support behind Owens.

And you can bet there will be some serious fallout from yesterday's off-year elections. The vote sent out some powerful signals.

Our national political correspondent, Jessica Yellin, joining us now from Washington.

Jessica, good to see you.

Let's start here -- what made the difference for Republicans?

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Two factors, Tony.

First of all, many of those energized voters, Democratic voters who came out for President Obama last time, decided to stay home. That's a signal that in New Jersey and Virginia, at least, the Republican voters right now are more energized than the Democratic voters.

The other piece were independents. President Obama successfully held Independents, even won them in many of these swing states, particularly a state like Virginia, and they overwhelmingly went for Republicans last night.

So, first, in Virginia, let's take a look. The Republican, Bob McDonnell, he got 65 percent of the Independent vote, 34 percent went to the Democrat. Now, you're looking right there at the vote totals, but what I'm talking about are how many Independents went for each guy.

HARRIS: Right. Right.

YELLIN: And then in New Jersey -- there you go, that's it, 65 percent McDonnell, 34 Deeds. In New Jersey, the Republican got 60 percent of the Independents, and the Democrat, just 30 percent.

Tony, if that holds true in the midterms, it will deal a crushing blow to the Democrats. They have to reverse this trend.

HARRIS: Jessica, what could, then, be the real-world consequences for President Obama in these results?

YELLIN: A couple of factors because, you know, we all spin this out and say it's so meaningful. But really, it doesn't change the makeup of Congress, which is where he needs the votes.

HARRIS: Right.

YELLIN: The Democrats actually picked up one vote in Congress.

What this means, though, is that the Republicans now have some wind behind their sails. So this should help them in fund-raising and in encouraging their supporters that they have a shot. Remember everybody was saying, oh, the Republican Party needs to reformulate itself?

HARRIS: Right.

YELLIN: Now they can say we're back. That's one thing looking ahead to the midterm elections.

And then when you look at something like health care, these kind of results are likely to give moderates pause and make them think, hey, maybe I shouldn't align myself too closely with the liberal faction of the Democratic Party. Maybe they'll think twice about some of the compromises they've been working toward with President Obama on some of his initiatives.

And the final piece of this, Tony, just to put President Obama under pressure, the liberal base is saying the message Democrats should take from this is that you've got to be more liberal. If you try to be like a Republican, you lose. So, he's getting pressure from all quarters.

HARRIS: From all quarters, all sides here.

How significant -- final thought here -- was the economy for voters yesterday?

YELLIN: It was everything. In a word, it was everything. People care about jobs, they care about spending, they care about taxes. And the Democrats have to turn this economy around because they're being blamed for it right now -- Tony.

HARRIS: All right. Jessica Yellin for us.

Jessica, good to see you. Thank you.

And once again, for all the election results and breaking political news, be sure to check out the new CNN.com. We've redesigned it with you in mind, making it easier to play videos on your computer -- wow -- to play the videos on your computer, so check it out at CNNPolitics.com. It's an upgrade to be sure.

The Senate's top Democrat hints at a delay in health care reform. Majority Leader Harry Reid is trying to come up with the 60 votes he will need to block a Republican filibuster. Reid was asked about passing health care reform by the end of the year. His response, "We are not going to be bound by any timelines."

House Democrats putting the finishing touches on their 2,000-page health care reform bill. Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the last- minute changes last night. The bill could reach the House floor as soon as Friday, but Democrats are still divided over language to block federal dollars from being used for abortions.

And long lines of people waiting for the H1N1 flu vaccine. Meanwhile, health officials are facing questions on Capitol Hill today about the government's response and the vaccine shortage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. THOMAS FRIEDEN, CDC DIRECTOR: The vaccination campaign is an unprecedented effort. We have substantial amounts becoming available, but not nearly as much as we thought would be available or hoped would be available. With 20/20 hindsight, it's clear that we should have been more skeptical about the projections that were being made, and we anticipated that having five different manufacturers would provide more insurance than it has.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: The CDC says about 30 million doses were available as of this week.

"Gruesome" is how a Cleveland judge is describing the allegations against Anthony Sowell. He was denied bond this morning after the bodies of 10 women were discovered at his Cleveland home.

Here's CNN's Susan Candiotti.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As if the scene weren't gruesome enough, it appears at least one victim was decapitated.

CHIEF MICHAEL MCGRATH, CLEVELAND POLICE: The skulls, discovered wrapped in a paper bag, in a bucket in the basement.

CANDIOTTI: And in the back yard, investigators dug up the remains of four more people, bringing the total now to 10. Six of them are described as African-American women, and at least five of them appeared to have been strangled. They were all found in and around the house of convicted rapist 50-year-old Anthony Sowell.

MCGRATH: It appears that this man had a insatiable appetite that he had to fill.

CANDIOTTI: Police went to the house last week to arrest Sowell on new rape charges. He wasn't there, but they found the first bodies.

A week earlier, neighbors reported seeing a naked woman fall from the second floor, but no charges were filed. The sheriff also made at least one surprise visit to check up on Sowell, who is a registered sex offender. By law, police aren't allowed to go in the house, but neighbors said you didn't have to go inside to know something was wrong.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You could smell it. I come around the corner and I smelled it. You could smell the dead bodies. Are you going to tell me people in the neighborhood didn't smell that?

CANDIOTTI: Some thought the smell came from Ray's (ph) Sausage, which sits right next to Sowell's house. It got so bad, the owner of Ray's (ph) replaced a sewer line and grease traps, thinking they were the source of the odor.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We used to think that it was coming out of Ray's (ph) sausage, but you'd smell these smells -- and I live right there -- and I used to be in the house, like, "Oh." We used to come out here, like "Oh." The smell would just be horrible.

MAYOR FRANK JACKSON, CLEVELAND: And I could imagine how families feel who have reported a missing person, and the anxiety that they're going through. And we want to assure them as soon as we know something, they will be the first to know.

CANDIOTTI: Susan Candiotti, CNN, Cleveland, Ohio.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Boy.

It has been 30 years since Americans were taken hostage at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. A former hostage and one of those who held him are remember those events.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Nine minutes after the hour.

Welcome back, everyone, to the CNN NEWSROOM.

I'm Tony Harris.

Investor Warren Buffett is making a big bet on the U.S. economy. He shared some of his insights with our own Poppy Harlow, and you'll get a chance to hear what he had to say in just minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Cairo today. A last-minute addition to her Mideast swing.

She flew to Egypt to clarify a remark she made in Jerusalem earlier on her trip. Bottom line, U.S. policy on Jewish settlements has not changed. That is, Israel must stop construction. Clinton had called Israel's promise to restrain settlements but not halt them unprecedented. That raised concern in Arab capitals.

Iranians took to the streets today by the tens of thousands. Take a look at the crowds.

November 4th is a national holiday to mark the 30th anniversary of the U.S. hostage crisis. Fifty-two Americans were held for 444 days by Iranian students.

CNN's Christiane Amanpour talked to several key players in the saga for her show this weekend. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JON LIMBERT, FORMER U.S. HOSTAGE: We certainly didn't expect it to last that long. They have said they didn't expect it to last that long. But what they did, in effect, was to create a climate of lawlessness and mob rule that they and their -- and their compatriots are today the greatest victims.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EBRAHIM ASGHARZADEH, ORGANIZED U.S. EMBASSY TAKEOVER (through translator): We were not radical students. We were revolutionary students in the sense that we were defending our country, our people, our nation.

But once the Shah was expelled from the country, no country accepted him because the world public opinion could not accept the behavior of a dictator. That meant that they recognized the Iranian revolution. However, step by step, the Shah brought himself closer to the United States, and once he entered America, we felt threatened. (END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: The full interviews coming this weekend on "AMANPOUR," Sunday afternoon at 2:00 Eastern, only on CNN.

And a little bit of deja vu really from Iran. Images we are getting in from the ground today, a reminder of those from young people after recent post-election violence.

Nicole Lapin joining us live, again, with a look at what we've been able to vet, approve and get on the air -- Nicole.

NICOLE LAPIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we are seeing so many images come in to us so quickly here at the CNN Center in Atlanta, Tony. We have set up a mini Iran desk to try and look at some of these images coming in from the clashes between Basij militia and anti-government protesters. And they are coming in not only in the form of these types of pictures, Tony, but we are also getting in so many YouTube videos.

I want you to just take a listen to some of the chanting that we're getting from the ground.

So, Tony, they are saying, "Obama, either you are with us or you are with them."

And Tony, these images are coming from Tehran, but I've got to tell you that we are not only getting in images from Tehran, but we are getting in images from all across Iran.

Here is another scene from a rally going on as a moderate cleric arrives to talk to some of these protesters, because he's really fighting for their rights. If you remember, he was actually the third candidate during the elections. It was Ahmadinejad, it was Mousavi, and then it was Kourabi, who is helping the people of Iran.

HARRIS: That's right.

LAPIN: And he is fighting for their rights to do just these types of things, just speak in the streets, just chanting there.

We are also seeing some crowds of protesters. Here's another video that we're getting in from YouTube of people peacefully marching in the streets, singing this pro-revolutionary song, "Student Day."

And a lot of students are out there. A lot of young people, Tony. We are getting in these types of videos. We are also getting in images on our Web site. This is the color that we are getting. We are monitoring it here at the CNN Center.

Not only are we looking at the images from today, but we're looking at the remnants of 30 years ago, and a lot of anti-American sentiment that is still visible in and around Tehran today -- Tony.

HARRIS: Absolutely. Yes, absolutely.

OK, Nicole. Appreciate it. Thank you.

LAPIN: You're welcome.

HARRIS: You know, it's been a year since Barack Obama was elected president. People around the world have been watching to see how he's been doing. Are they giving him different grades than voters here at home?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And checking our top stories now.

In Cleveland, investigators are expanding their search at the home of a convicted rapist. Four more women's bodies were discovered buried in the back yard yesterday, just days after six bodies were found at the house. The suspect, Anthony Sowell, is being held without bond.

And checking the unemployment picture. A new report shows job losses slowed to about 200,000 in October. That's the seventh straight monthly decline.

Fired Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina is planning a U.S. Senate bid. If she wins the Republican primary, Fiorina would challenge California Democratic incumbent Barbara Boxer, who faces voters in 2010. Fiorina served as an economic adviser to John McCain's presidential campaign.

Another check of your top stories in 20 minutes.

GOP Chairman Michael Steele says his party is on the move again. His remarks follow sweeping wins in yesterday's off-year elections.

Senior political correspondent Candy Crowley reports Republicans ruled the night.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As it turns out, the Republican Party is not dead.

BOB MCDONNELL (R), GOVERNOR-ELECT OF VIRGINIA: Tonight, you've given me the title of governor of Virginia. But I pledge to you over the next four years action and results.

CROWLEY: With a big assist from independents, Republicans swept Virginia's three statewide races and knocked out an incumbent governor in New Jersey.

CHRISTOPHER CHRISTIE (R), GOVERNOR-ELECT OF NEW JERSEY: Starting tomorrow, we're going to pick Trenton up and we are going to turn it upside down.

CROWLEY: White House aides said the president wasn't going to watch election returns. He probably slept better for that because he was no bystander in these high-profile Democratic defeats. He took one swing through Virginia, a state he won by six points and made three trips to New Jersey, a state he won by more than 15.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will not lose this election if all of you are as committed as you were last year.

CROWLEY: As it turns out, neither mojo nor voters are transferable. The brightest spot for Democrats was a Republican made disaster in a special election for U.S. Congress in upstate New York. A Democrat won that seat that's been held by Republicans for more than a century after a nasty struggle between a moderate Republican and a conservative paved the way.

Note to the GOP: fighting can be fatal. But this all adds up to depends on who does the math. The White House began to subtract itself before the polls closed.

ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We don't look at either of these gubernatorial races or the congressional race as something that portends a lot for our legislative efforts going forward or political prospects in 2010.

CROWLEY: And history offers some shelter for the new administration. The party in the White House has lost both governor races in Virginia and New Jersey since 1989. Still, the exit polls show voters' top concern was the economy. The National Republican Senatorial Committee called the results a vote for reigning in governor spending and restoring fiscal responsibility.

In the end, the politics of the night are not all that complicated. The victors get bragging rights and energy. It's better to win. The Grand Old Party had a great old night. Mostly.

Candy Crowley, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: A year after President Obama's historic election, we are taking a look at how it is playing out in global politics. Has the Obama effect made a difference in other countries?

We begin in Pakistan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Reza Sayah in Islamabad.

Here's how many Pakistanis define success when it comes to President Obama's first year in office. People here said they wanted to see peace in a country that hasn't seen it in years. They also said they wanted respect and an overall change in tone.

A, B, C, D, F. Mr. Obama, here's your year-one report card from Pakistan.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, I'm giving you this C grade because I think that you are not fulfilling your promises. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have promised that you will shape new relations between Pakistan and America. But I think after expiring of one year, there are no new things.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm giving you A for your first year because you are conscious of the difficulties which we are facing.

SAYAH: Mr. President, Nam (ph), Ezran (ph), Abdul Rahman (ph) and Amjud (ph) give you an F because they say you're no different from the rest.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I give you a grade B because I think you have brought in a lot of fresh ideas.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you want that we will support you, please do something which brings all nation of the world -- brings closer.

SAYAH: All right, there you have it, our version of a report card for Mr. Obama's first year in office.

I'd say the grades averaged out to a C. A lot of people think he hasn't delivered on his promises, but they haven't given up hope.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Matthew Chance in Moscow. And what a difference a year makes.

Russia and the United States have been suffering some of their most strained relations since the end of the Cold War, until, that is, President Obama declared that he wanted to reset relations with Moscow and try and find areas of common ground. Crucially, he announced the U-turn on missile defenses in Eastern Europe, a plan that had been fiercely opposed by the Kremlin.

The question now is, will these warmer ties mean closer U.S. cooperation with Russia on issues like Iran's controversial nuclear program? It's a potential, but it's not yet realized.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: I'm Jim Bittermann in France, where President Obama's impact, a year after the election, comes on two levels -- an emotional one -- seven out of 10 French said earlier this year that Obama gives them hope -- and even though that may be dropping somewhat, there's a second, more direct, practical impact.

Since the election, sometimes through the help of the American ambassador and embassy here, the pace of transatlantic contacts has accelerated. Young leaders from the racially diverse suburbs of Paris have traveled to study the cultural diversity in the U.S. And American young people have visited the tough suburbs here.

For France, which is about to begin a cross-country debate on national identity, the American example will no doubt be held up by some as the American ideal.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: You know, we also asked you to weigh in on our blog. How do you think President Obama is doing? Here's what some of you are saying.

Diana from New Jersey says, "I am very pleased at how he is doing. What is important to me was bringing back respect for our country. That he is doing."

Sally says, "I voted for him and I regret it now."

Elliott from Florida says, "Let's see, 54 percent is a failing grade in any school or university."

And Mia says, "He is making tough decisions that are good financial decisions combined with our responsibility to one another morally."

You know, all the auto news lately has been about Ford and GM. But what does new owner Fiat have planned for the future of Chrysler?

We are breaking it down.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: OK. I don't know if you've had a chance to actually visit the re-launch of CNN.com yet. If you haven't, we certainly encourage you to check it out. Everything is simpler, easier, more straightforward. It is a very, very nice upgrade.

And while you're there, why don't you do this. Why don't you click through to cnnmoney.com, get the latest financial news, analysis, special segments, features, reporting specifically on your money, your money concerns. Cnnmoney.com, again.

And it's a nice day on Wall Street. A triple-digit rally three hours into the trading day. As you can see, the Dow is up 117 points. The Nasdaq, at last check, is up -- Joe, was that 13? Nasdaq is up 14 points now. And, of course, we're following these numbers through the day for you with Susan Lisovicz right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

You know, unlike General Motors, we haven't heard much from Chrysler since it emerged from bankruptcy in June. But, boy, that is changing today with the unveiling of a five-year turnaround plan. Cnnmoney.com's Poppy Harlow joining us now.

And, Poppy, the call is going on right now.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Yes.

HARRIS: So, you're getting news . . .

HARLOW: Right as it's happening, Tony. I mean this is, folks, a six-hour marathon event in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It's happening right now. What you see is Fiat. That is the company that owns a controlling minority stake in Chrysler. They are rolling out the new line-up.

What's interesting so far that we're hearing, it's a short-term strategy that they're really leading with here, saying make the current products better, redesign the interiors, improve the suspension. Make what they have better.

What's going to be a big change is for Dodge -- if you own a Dodge out there, if you want to buy one. The product will either be an overall new design, a new product, or a significant redesign of 11 Dodge products by 2014 under that new Fiat ownership.

The Dodge Viper, folks, you remember this car, a pretty cool- looking car. They're going to drop it though, Tony. They're going to drop it and replace it with something new by 2012.

Executives haven't said which specific Fiat models are going to come here. We may not hear that today. We're looking out for that. A lot of emphasis, though, Tony, on that shared technology, shared components. A lot of focus on the call on energy efficiency between Chrysler and Fiat.

HARRIS: Well, based on what we're hearing so far, and as you mentioned, this is a call that's going to be going on for some time to come here.

HARLOW: Right.

HARRIS: The changes announced so far enough to save the company? Any way to know?

HARLOW: Right, will people buy the cars. That's the huge question. I mean big changes. The CEO of Fiat saying finances are improving. That's a good thing. This company has a $13 billion U.S. taxpayer bailout. They said they had break-even performance in September.

And analysts we talked to, though, Tony, said, listen, this is a race against time. And, folks, here's why. Take a look here on your screen. What you're going to see, first of all, is the sales gains made by Chrysler's competitors last month. GM and Ford up. Chrysler down 30 percent in sales. When you look at the market share, again, a similar story, what you saw was GM and Ford increase their market share and Chrysler's fell to just 7.9 percent.

They need to compete. They need new development. They need mid- sized sedans and crossovers to compete. Again, they owe the government, Tony, $13 billion. Treasury said we're not planning to give any more assistance at this time. The question is, will they be out the money or can they reorganize? Are people going to like the cars that come out under the new Fiat name. They're going to keep the names they have, but that's a really big question.

HARRIS: Because if -- and we know this. If gas prices are in a certain range, we still like our sizable, big vehicles, right?

HARLOW: When I was in Detroit a few months ago folks said . . .

HARRIS: Right?

HARLOW: Yes, they said GM shouldn't get rid of all the big cars. We like them.

HARRIS: Right. Right. Yes.

HARLOW: So, you know, Americans like them.

HARRIS: Got to build something that we want to buy.

How about this. We were talking about this last night. You had an opportunity to talk to Warren Buffett about a pretty big investment that he is making.

HARLOW: I did. $44 billion big, yes.

HARRIS: Yes. And you're going to -- we're going to get a bit of that interview coming up in just a couple of minutes here?

HARLOW: That's exactly right.

HARRIS: You are awesome. All right, Poppy, see you in just a couple of minutes.

You know, there is still, believe it or not, activity in the tropics late in the hurricane season. Chad Myers is keeping an eye on things in the severe weather center. We are back. Hi, Warren. There's Chad. We're going to talk to Chad in just a couple of minutes. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: So, I want to get to Chad Myers in the severe weather center for an update on the activity in the tropics.

But, Chad, I also, I've got to tell you, I'm up here in New York City, so you know I need an update on weather conditions for the -- I guess there's a pretty big baseball game here tonight. It's all over the -- splashed all over the papers and, you know, there's this Pedro Martinez character and it's all about your daddy spanking you and who's your daddy. I don't get all of that. But we would love nice temps for tonight's ball game.

(WEATHER REPORT)

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

A Cleveland judge has denied bond for a rapist who had 10 women's bodies hidden at his home. Anthony Sowell is facing multiple charges of murder, rape, assault, and kidnapping. Yesterday investigators discovered four bodies at his home after finding six a few days earlier. And they will continue to keep looking.

The Senate's top Democrat hints at a delay in health care reform. Majority Leader Harry Reid was asked about passing health reform by the end of the year. His response, we are not going to be bound by any time lines.

Iranians mark the 30th anniversary of the U.S. hostage crisis today with massive protests, but some demonstrators used the national holiday to vent over June's disputed presidential election. Security forces broke up the unauthorized rallies, clubbing and kicking dissidents.

Warren Buffett is making the biggest bet of his career. Yesterday, he announced the $44 billion purchase of railroad operator Burlington Northern. Buffett calls it a bet on America. OK. Cnnmoney.com's Poppy Harlow is here with me now.

And, Poppy, the Oracle of Omaha . . .

HARLOW: Right.

HARRIS: What is he saying about this?

HARLOW: This was such an interesting move when we heard about it. When the news broke, I was shocked. I mean you think about railroads, you think about them as a centuries old technology.

HARRIS: Yes, exactly.

HARLOW: What's even more important here, Tony, this is a huge vote of confidence, betting on the American economy, saying we're going to be better in five years than we are right now. Folks, here's what Warren Buffett told us on why he made this $44 billion deal.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WARREN BUFFETT, CEO, BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY (via telephone): It certainly is a vote of confidence by us in the future of America. But that's really not too hard a vote to cast. I mean if you look at the -- if you look at the last couple hundred years, I don't see how you could bet any other way than on the future of America.

And if America has a bright future, the railroads have a bright future. They are going to move around the goods that people want. And there will be more and more people in the country and they'll be consuming more and more goods. And they have to get from one place to another. And there's no better way than railroads.

HARLOW: Yes, I mean, you call this an all-in wager on the economic future of the United States.

BUFFETT: Right.

HARLOW: Is this an endorsement of President Obama's economic policies? I mean it's coming at quite an interesting time when a lot of folks are asking if his plan's the right one to fix our economy.

BUFFETT: Well, it's an endorsement of the American system. I mean we're going to have lots of presidents -- if we own this for 100 years, we're going to have a lot of presidents. And I'm not going to have voted for all of them, that's for sure, even if I live long enough to do it. So it's not an endorsement of any specific president, it's an endorsement of the American system. The American system works.

And if you buy a railroad, you can't move it to China or to India or anyplace else. You are betting on the United States. But I can't think of a surer bet. And, like I say, that -- that -- that goes beyond any one president, although I happen to be an enthusiast for Obama.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Tony, as you heard there, Buffett, a huge supporter of Obama.

A few things here, Tony, that I think are interesting. One, these are jobs you can't outsource if he expands this company. Two, it's a clean energy play. Transporting on trains much more fuel efficient than in cars and trucks. And I asked him later in the interview, how does he grade the administration, Bernanke in particular, the Fed chief. He said he gives him an A, if not an A+.

HARRIS: Really?

HARLOW: He talked about the guts that Bernanke and Paulson and President Obama had going through this crisis that I thought was really interesting.

HARRIS: He would probably lump Tim Geithner in that group as well?

HARLOW: He definitely would. He's a big supporter. There -- Tim Geithner was the head of the New York Fed when all of this went down. Now he's the Treasury secretary. So some interesting perspective. That full interview with him, about 15 minutes, is on cnnmoney.com.

HARRIS: That is terrific stuff. All right, Poppy, appreciate it. Thank you. Good stuff.

Congressman Joe Wilson is back in the spotlight. You remember him. He is the one who shouted "you lie" as President Obama addressed Congress in September. This morning, Wilson and a handful of other Republican lawmakers suggested if Democrats think the public health care option is good for Americans, then members of Congress ought to be required to enroll.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOE WILSON, (R) SOUTH CAROLINA: We will be introducing an amendment that does require members of Congress to take the government-run option. I -- we know why the majority of the Pelosi takeover bill does not provide this. They do know that the government-run option will not be in the interests of the American people. Either individually or for the American citizens at large. And so I'm just very hopeful that they will reconsider, that they will understand if it's good enough for the American people, then it's also good enough for Congress.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: OK. Another lawmaker with Wilson says the vast majority of Republicans in Congress believe anyone who votes for the public option ought to sign up for it.

Rallies against the Democrats' health care reform plan taking place in the heartland. The Tea Party Express rolls in Wichita, Kansas, and Oklahoma City, today. The national bus tour, as you know, is aimed at showing opposition to higher spending and government intervention in the lives of American families and businesses.

You know, Republicans have good reason to be giddy today after sweeping the vote in both Virginia and New Jersey. But what about that pesky little district in upstate New York? Our John Roberts poked RNC Chairman Michael Steele about the loss of a GOP stronghold.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Right off the top, the question to ask, you know, you had some big gains last night in Virginia and New Jersey, but did conservatives blow it in the 23rd district there in New York? I mean that district has been sending Republicans to Congress since Ulysses S. Grant was president.

MICHAEL STEELE, RNC CHAIRMAN: Yes, well, you know, the -- it doesn't take away from what was a great night in New Jersey and in Virginia. Particularly in New Jersey, where no one even gave us a snowball's chance to come close to beating Governor Corzine. And so, you know, hats off to a great effort to both Chris Christie and Bob McDonnell.

New York 23 is an example of what happens if you have a failed process. And there was a failed process there. The days of having a small group of individuals select candidates is over and should be over. I mean, an open primary process works best. You would have gotten the candidate that the people wanted in the first place. Instead of having this long, drawn-out drama.

Great Shakespearian theater at the end there. But, you know, the bottom line is that the GOP, last night, became, I think, transcendent in that it moved beyond the past losses and no message and no meaning for the American people. And I think yesterday we had two candidates who set some milestones for us, achieved some milestones in terms of the turnaround, and now hopefully point the way to 2010 and beyond.

ROBERTS: We'll talk about Virginia and New Jersey in just a second, but I did want to ask you a couple more questions about New York's 23rd district.

STEELE: Oh, sure.

ROBERTS: Did conservatives hijacked that race because you had endorsed Dede Scozzafava?

STEELE: No, come on.

ROBERTS: Pete Sessions had endorsed her. Newt Gingrich had endorsed her. And suddenly Sarah Palin, Tim Pawlenty and others come in and say, no, we don't like her. She's too liberal. We want to go with Doug Hoffman.

STEELE: No. No one hijacked anything. But, look, again, it was a failed process. And the reality of it is, those individuals that endorsed after the nominee was selected, the other candidate, that's their prerogative. That's their choice. But, you know, someone like Pete Sessions and Newt Gingrich and others understand and appreciate she's the Republican nominee. The were supporting the Republican nominee. Whether they picked her or not is irrelevant. Whether they thought she should have been the nominee is irrelevant. She was. My role as the national chairman is to support the nominees of the party. I don't get the luxury of picking and choosing who they are.

ROBERTS: So what does this say about next year in the midterm elections, you know, where you have some moderates who are facing off against more conservative candidates. Florida is one of those races. You've got Charlie Crist against Marco Rubio. Are you expecting that there is going to be another big fight?

STEELE: No, John, all it says is you've got a primary process and the best person chosen by the individuals in that race in Florida, or elsewhere, will win. And whoever that is, guess who's going to support them? Me. Because that's my job. I'm the national chairman.

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HARRIS: Well, OK.

All right. You've heard from the head of the Republican Party. We will get the Democrats' take just ahead.

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HARRIS: So earlier we heard from GOP Chairman Michael Steele about last night's election results. Now it's the Democrats' turn. The chairman of the DNC denies the election was a referendum on President Obama. Governor Tim Kaine talked about the Democrats' losses on CNN's "American Morning."

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KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Talk about Virginia, first of all. What happened to the Democrats in Virginia?

GOV. TIM KAINE, DNC CHAIRMAN: Well, obviously, you know, five years ago the notions that the Republicans would win a race in Virginia was hardly news. It would have been like the sun coming up tomorrow. We've won a lot of races, but it didn't go our way last night.

Kiran, for 36 years in Virginia, the party that wins the White House then loses the governorship the next year. And our candidate, Creigh Deeds, a fantastic state senator. It was a rematch. He had run four years ago against Bob McDonnell for attorney general and lost.

And so when he became our nominee this year, everybody viewed him as the underdog. We've been winning some races with underdogs, but we were not able to prevail last night. Got to give credit to Bob and Creigh has been a great state senator, but we were just not able to overcome the advantages that statewide officeholding had given Bob McDonnell for the last four years.

CHETRY: And, Governor Kaine, you know, we just heard from RNC Chair Michael Steele and he says the GOP victories, particularly in Virginia, are actually the voters' rejection of liberal tax-and-spend policies that Washington Democrats are trying to force on Americans. Those are his words. Do you agree that it had to do with what was going on in Washington, some of the concerns about spending?

KAINE: I really don't, Kiran. I think that Michael may have changed his positions from last night. Last night we were together on "Larry King" and he said that it was not at referendum at all on President Obama. President Obama actually remains very popular in Virginia, with strong job approval numbers. Better than a year ago when he was elected.

And the same holds true in New Jersey. Exit polls show in New Jersey and Virginia both that voters approve of the way President Obama is handling the most difficult economic situation that the nation has been through since the 1930s.

But, again, a rematch race is always tough. We've got a trend -- a 36-year trend that was kind of blowing at us. What we were really interested in last night, obviously, was the race you mentioned, the congressional race in New York, where the Republican candidate, after an investment of $1 million . . .

CHETRY: Right. Actually, look, I want to get to that in one second -- yes, no, I want to get to that in one second because I do want to bring that up. But, first of all, let's get back to the president's approval ratings quickly because you did mention that he had strong approval ratings.

But we actually have seen, though, that they've dropped. Back in February he had a 67 percent approval rating. CNN's latest poll has him at 54 percent. And the big areas of concern or weak spots, I guess you could say, for the president have been the handling of the war in the Afghanistan and the handling of the economy. So the question is, how much of these Democratic losses are a referendum on the job the White House, the administration is doing right now on those two key issues?

KAINE: Well, in exit polls in both Virginia and New Jersey, strong majorities of citizens said their vote was based on local issues and was not at all connected with their views of the president. When they were asked, then, about their views of the president in exit polls in both states, they had good things to say about their approval of the way he was handling his job.

You are right that the president had honeymoon numbers right after inauguration day. Those don't -- those honeymoon numbers never last. But he is more popular today among the American public than he was on election day last year when he won that historic race.

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HARRIS: Governor Kaine says the local races were about local concerns and President Obama has a solid approval rating in Virginia.

President Obama's half brother lives in China these days. He is telling his own story in a new book which reveals a tough relationship with the two men's father.

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HARRIS: In his 1995 memoir "Dreams From My Father," President Obama portrayed his father as an abusive drunk. The president's half brother is weighing in now with his own book. John Vause talks with him for some surprising insight into the family.

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JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He's an Obama you probably never heard of. Mark Obama Ndesandjo, the president's half brother. An engineer by trade, he lost his job in the U.S. seven years ago and moved to the booming city of Shenzhen in China's south, where he owns a small chain of restaurants and, as seen in this YouTube clip, teaches piano to orphans.

MARK OBAMA NDESANDJO, BARACK OBAMA'S HALF BROTHER: In my own way I have tried to make a difference.

VAUSE: After dodging the media for almost a year, he's speaking out now. For one, he's written a book. A semi-autobiographical story called "Nairobi to Shenzhen." And in that book, he reveals that Barack Obama Sr., the father he shares with the president of the United States, was often drunk and physically abusive.

NDESANDJO: My father beat me. He beat my mother. You just do not do that. I shut these thoughts in the back of my mind for many years.

VAUSE: For years he struggled with that name, Obama. Few here ever knew about his famous family connection, but then something happened. A year ago, as thousands gathered in Grant Park to celebrate his brother's victory, his own despair, he says, became hope.

NDESANDJO: I saw the millions of people who loved or supported my brother, Barack. And in the process, in some weird way, I came to terms with many things that I had shut out of my life. Including the Obama name.

VAUSE (on camera): And over the years, Mark Obama says he's only met a few times with his brother, but plans to catch up and introduce his new Chinese wife when President Obama makes his first official visit to China later this month.

VAUSE (voice-over): Being a presidential brother is not easy. Think Billy Carter and Roger Clinton. Mark Obama says now he wants to live his life and tell his own story, not have it told by others.

John Vause, CNN, Guangzhou, China.

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HARRIS: And we are pushing forward now with the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM with Don Lemon.