Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Tuition Fee Hike in UC; Oprah to Go in 2011; Holiday Travel Tips; Saving Money by Saving on Pharmaceuticals

Aired November 20, 2009 - 10:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: We want to check our top stories happening right now. First, we want to check in with Wall Street and see what's going on. The Dow down some 13 points, 13.22; Nasdaq 36.32 down by 1.67 percent. Susan Lisovicz is going to join us in a little bit with a full report.

A former NBA player may have changed his mind about a reported plea deal in a fatal shooting. Associated Press has reported that Jayson Williams would plead to aggravated assault but Williams will not be in court this morning and the judge has indefinitely adjourned the hearing.

Williams was convicted of covering up the 2002 shooting at his home of a hired driver. Williams was acquitted of a manslaughter count but has been awaiting a second trial.

Midnight showings of the new "Twilight" movie packed them in nationwide. Teenage girls weren't the only with ones in line to see the opening of "New Moon." It's called "New Moon." Moms and some grandmoms also couldn't wait to see the vampire flick.

A scene straight from the 1960s playing out on college campuses across California; but it wasn't concern over war this time. Hundreds of students gathered at UC Davis to protest a 32 percent hike in fees approved yesterday by the State Board of Regents. Dozens were arrested after they refused to vacate the school's administration building. Thousands of students also rallied 400 miles away at UCLA. Some shared their frustrations with CNN's Thelma Gutierrez.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARITZA SANTILLAN, UCLA STUDENT: I'm currently a fourth year English major already working two jobs so I would have to find some other job probably on the weekends.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Education should be free.

STEFF YUTAN, UCLA STUDENT: I'm here protesting the increased fees for UC tuition. They want to raise it by 32 percent for this coming winter and then an extra 32 percent for next year. And that's just something me and my family really can't afford to pay.

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A tense day on the UCLA campus. Students awaited their fate as the UC Board of Regents met. At issue an unprecedented 32 percent fee hike in tuition to close a $535 million budget deficit. The regents say they simply didn't have the money. The faculty has been furloughed. Staff have been laid off or had their salaries cut and students will have to share the pain. But Maritza Santillan says the budget shouldn't be balanced on the backs of middle to lower income students.

SANTILLAN: I try to pay as much of my fees on my own. I don't use my family's money because they have a house to pay for. Like they have kids to feed. I try to not be a burden on them.

GUTIERREZ: Steffi Yutan says her mother who is a nurse and works three jobs just to pay for her education. And Steffi doesn't qualify for government help.

YUTAN: To see her struggle so much it pains me and it makes me feel selfish for wanting to be educated and that's not fair. Because I know more than anything that's why she came here. She came here so that I could get the education that she didn't get in the Philippines.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Well, that 32 percent hike means students all 229,000 students at California state colleges will pay $2,500 more. Meantime, officials at UC Davis plan to meet with students today.

Students are paying more to go to college across the nation. That's according to collegeboard.com. Students will pay an average of $172 to $1,096 more this year than last year for tuition fees. The average cost of a private four-year college is $26,273, that's up nearly 4.4 percent from 2008 and the average cost for a four-year public school is $7,020, up 6.5 percent.

Students in California, they are not the only ones feeling, you know, this whole rising tuition plan that's going on through colleges across the country. Are you someone who is now being affected? I want you to log in on our blog and talk to us about the increasing tuition prices. What do you think? We're going to get your comments on and read them today between 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. Eastern time. It's 10:00 a.m., so hopefully we'll get them on before 11:00 a.m. Eastern.

Well, the queen of daytime has millions of fans buzzing this morning at any moment. Oprah Winfrey is expected to announce her show will leave the air in 2011. Is she doing it now? We're all listening. The power house broadcaster is now seen in 145 countries all over the world. And there she is. Our Kareen Wynter who is in Chicago for the big announcement.

Kareen, set the stage. Have we heard anything yet?

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: I haven't. My ears are peeled to the building next to me. That's Harpo Studios. We're in downtown Chicago, Con, where "The Oprah Winfrey Show" is taped to talk about the loyal fans who have been waiting in line all morning long just to get a front row seat to history. And that's really what it is today, Don. As Oprah Winfrey will be making that big announcement as what lies ahead in terms of her future, coming on the heels of yesterday's news that come September 2012 she's going to be calling it quits. That is for her daytime syndicated talk show. And Don, I love what one woman we spoke with told us. She said, hey, Oprah, if you move your show to another network, we're moving right along with you. What a fan.

And so again, many of those fans who were lined up out here are inside right now for that taping. Sometime this hour Oprah has perhaps already addressed it, what her future plans will be, will she be moving her talk show, Don, to the brand new cable network that she's launching with Discovery sometime next year? The Oprah Winfrey Network.

There are so many questions on the table but for now here's a little bit from some of her loyal fans.

We don't have that sound. But again, take my word for it, we saw a little bit of everything from sadness to excitement. You know, excitement as to what the future holds in store for Oprah. I mean, everything that she touches many would agree, Don, turns to gold, wouldn't you?

LEMON: Gold.

WYNTER: And...

LEMON: Gold or platinum or what else, you know, or at least $2.7 billion. That's a lot of cash.

But I can only imagine what those people are saying there, who you interviewed and if anyone, you know, can get people to go to another network, it's probably Oprah. It's been almost 25 years, right? Twenty-five years and she wants out. Let's look over the last year though. Sort of as a guesstimate as to how she's doing.

So what's the last year been like, Kareen?

WYNTER: Well, the last year, Don, she hasn't seen the viewership that she has perhaps in the last 10 years. But business still has been good for this, you know, billionaire mogul. She hasn't brought in nearly as many ratings, numbers wise.

But hey, again, she saw a bounce this fall season with big-time interviews like Whitney Houston and most recently Sarah Palin. Her biggest rated show since 2007 when the Osmonds were on. But I also want to mention, Don, something that we heard from one of her special correspondents, Lisa Ling.

Last night we caught up with her at a red carpet premiere and she said that, you know, the woman needs a break after more than two decades in the business. Almost 25 years. She said she wasn't surprised by the announcement. In fact, she was told yesterday. She knows what that announcement also holds today but she said you know, I'll have Oprah spill the beans on that. She said, you know what, she's probably just looking for a break.

It's hard to believe though that Oprah is going to will be calling it quits for good. There's still so much perhaps that lies ahead for her in the future. So we're looking toward perhaps the O Network to see what she may bring there and what kind of creative control she may have. She's going to be involved, of course, in some capacity, Don.

LEMON: Yes. I would not count Oprah out. But you know, the daily grind of doing a show like that and having control of it, I mean, you know, it wears on anyone 25 years. That's a long time.

WYNTER: It's tough. You, too, Don, handling your show that you do each week.

LEMON: Thank you very much. Not every day. But we're doing okay. Not quite as well as Oprah but we're trying. Thank you. Say hello to everyone in Chicago for me, will you. And stay warm.

WYNTER: I will. And thanks, Don.

LEMON: Saturday night, Saturday night fight. That's what we can call it. In the Senate chambers, the battle over health care reform enters a new stage this weekend. Senators will decide if the Democratic bill moves forward for debate. Our senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash picks up the story from Capitol Hill. Hi, Dana.

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Don. The big push is on. In fact, inside the radio and television gallery as we call it here, Senate Democrats are making a push right now, having a press conference all ahead of what you just said. That Saturday night 8:00 p.m. vote. And that is a vote really on just whether or not to begin debate. But even that needs 60 votes.

The Senate Democratic leadership needs 60 votes for that. And that means every senator that aligns with Democrats will have to vote yes or this thing will go down before it even starts. Despite all of that uncertainty, you can sense relief among Senate Democratic leaders that they even have a bill despite the long and rough road ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Senate Democrats just unveiled their health care bill and they're already celebrating. Yes, that's a V for victory sign. But this feel-good rally masks huge challenges that lie ahead. Flash points that divide Democrats in the House and the Senate like taxes to pay for health reform.

The House passed bill taxes all Americans making $500,000 or more. That's a nonstarter with many Senate Democrats, so their plan taxes high-cost insurance plans. But many House Democrats oppose that.

REP. JOE COURTNEY (D), CONNECTICUT: It's a huge problem. BASH: Democrat Joe Courtney says a tax on so-called Cadillac health plans would really hit working class Americans, especially union members.

COURTNEY: Certainly, the impact on households will be Chevy drivers, not Cadillac drivers.

BASH: Then there's immigration. House Democrats prohibit illegal immigrants from using taxpayer money for health care. The Senate Democrats' bill goes further, banning illegal immigrants from buying any insurance, even with their own money. Angry Hispanic caucus members vow to block that from a final bill.

REP. LOUIS GUTIERREZ (D), ILLINOIS: That seems to me to be mean- spirited, to be a dehumanizing point of view. If they have their own money, and now the taxpayer dollars are going to be used, why don't we allow them to provide it?

BASH: And there's abortion. The House Democrats' measure bans abortion in a government-run plan and in private insurance accepting taxpayer money. The Senate bill is less restrictive, allowing the HHS secretary to decide whether abortion would be covered in a public plan and permitting abortion coverage in private plans, as long as taxpayer money is separated out.

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MAJORITY LEADER: This is a health care bill, it's not an abortion bill. In keeping with what the tradition has been in our country for more than 30 years.

BASH: Anti-abortion Democrats in the House disagree.

REP. MARCY KAPTURE (D), OHIO: I think it will be -- make it much more difficult for the bill to ultimately be passed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: Now, the abortion in the Senate bill now were ultimately considered in the House until anti-abortion Democrats threaten to vote no and lost the bill altogether and they had the backing of the powerful U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops who said they wanted much more strict constraints on abortion in the health care bill. And Don, we expect to hear from that powerful Catholic Bishops group later today on their position on the Senate bill. Don -

LEMON: Dana, thank you.

And from Capitol Hill to Atlanta in our severe weather center, we turn to our Rob Marciano.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LEMON: For lots of you going home for Thanksgiving means getting on a plane. We'll talk to an expert about how painful your trip this year just might be.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: OK. We're going to talk about this. Lots of numbers here. So pay attention. We're talking about Turkey Day travel. Millions of you are getting ready to travel over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house - we know how it goes -- 38.4 million to be exact, that's according to AAA.

And that number is up from 37.8 million who traveled for Thanksgiving holiday last year. Car travel is up two percent. But air travel down almost seven percent. After yesterday's air travel computer glitch, we can understand why few people want to fly. I was one of them in that mess, but it turns out that holiday air travel forecast isn't so bad.

So joining me now with good news hopefully, Tom Parsons, CEO of farecompare.com.

Tom, good to see you.

TOM PARSONS, CEO, BESTFARES.COM: Bestfares.

LEMON: I'm sorry, Bestfares. Bestfares. Sorry. We'll get it right.

PARSONS: We're not worst fares. We're the best fares, OK. Anyway...

LEMON: Thank you.

Listen, you said President Obama is a big role to play here in this. Explain what do you mean by that?

PARSONS: Well, actually this holiday season as George Bush did in the past, he opened up those lanes that you were having problems with yesterday. I mean, we have highways in the sky and usually during the year we only have so many lanes we can use.

During the holidays they usually open those lanes which the military uses and open them up to the general commercial traffic. Hopefully that will happen this year. That will give us more lanes so if there is some congestion somewhere in the country it can help open up those lanes where other airlines can go down another route sort of like another major interstate highway being opened for us.

LEMON: So you're not waiting on the runway. You're not circling, trying to land and all that stuff.

PARSONS: I'm not going to promise that.

LEMON: Yes, yesterday...

(CROSSTALK)

PARSONS: Yes, right.

LEMON: So listen, give us the travel outlook then. What does this have to do with fares? You're talking about opening up lanes. Does that have to do with fares? That's what most people are concern about.

PARSONS: No. It's just to get people, you know, make it a little bit more convenient and open up in case there is some traffic jams. But this holiday season, I think - I know AAA says traffic will be down this year. But we also have to remember, the airlines have cut back 10 to 15 percent of their flights this holiday season, too, which means six percent.

I still expect those planes to be jam packed. Now, we are starting to see some last-minute deals. I think if you can leave Monday or Tuesday before Thanksgiving and maybe come back the Friday or the following Monday and Tuesday, we are seeing some deals. We also see Virgin America doing a hot dog sale, which is being matched by many.

The best deal I've seen is from Boston, New York, Washington, D.C. and Ft. Lauderdale to the west coast like San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle, Orange County, those are coming in. If you can still book them, it'll probably $228 with all taxes included.

LEMON: I got two quick things I want to get in here. Is it - sometimes it's good to wait until the last minute. I'm not sure about with holiday travel. I wait and I usually get a better deal than when I book it before.

PARSONS: Well, last year was a great year for that because of the economic crisis in September and October and then the airlines were stuck with a whole bunch of seats. And as we got into the holiday season we saw fares go down. When we did comparisons for July, when I bought my airplane tickets compared to what they're charging now for Christmas and New Year's, some of those fares have doubled since the summer.

So this year I don't know if that game is going to play right. You can still roll the dice. Now, if you're really looking for a deal, this has been my hottest deal. I've been doing this for 28 years. I've been running Bestfares and Bestfares.com and all that. But this one is the wild and wacky one.

If you want to get a new credit card, I know everyone needs a new credit card. 75 bucks with British Airways and sign up for that card, they'll give you 50,000 air miles if you charge $2,000, which is not hard to do, in the first 90 days they give you get another 50,000. That means you'll have 100,000 air miles which is worth four free round trip tickets on Americans to go to Mexico, across the US Air Canada, almost three tickets to Hawaii, two to Europe and one business class, which is probably your cup of tea to Europe for 75 bucks.

LEMON: Tom, you're telling people to get in debt. I'm not sure if we want to do that right now.

PARSONS: Well, they don't have to do this. Spend the 75, spend the 2,000...

LEMON: On credit card.

PARSONS: Or they can pay IRS in 2000 and still get the points. How is that?

LEMON: Tom Parsons, CEO of Bestfares.com. Thank you.

PARSONS: Thank you.

LEMON: Have a great Thanksgiving.

Prescription drug prices are soaring but there are ways to get your meds without breaking your budget. We're going to tell you about that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: We want to check some of our top stories for you right now. A Senate health care bill is on the table. And Democrats hope to bring it to the floor for debate. A vote on opening that debate is set for tomorrow night. Republicans say they will try to block it.

President Obama says he's getting closer to a decision on U.S. war strategy in Afghanistan. But no announcement is imminent. A senior administration official tells CNN that no decision on troop levels will be announced until after Thanksgiving. The top U.S. commander there General Stanley McChrystal has asked for about 40,000 more U.S. troops.

First new guidelines on mammograms. Now recommendations on cervical cancer screenings are changing. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists now says women in their 20s should get Pap tests every other year instead of annually. The group says new evidence shows annual screenings don't catch more cases of cervical cancer and can lead to harmful follow-up procedures. Guidelines for women under 21 and women over 30 are changing. Read up on those by logging on to cnn.com.

Well, there are some tough choices in a tough economy about a quarter of Americans have stopped taking their prescription drugs to save a little bit of money. And in some cases a whole lot of money. Well, a new study shows we can save a bundle on medications if we shop smartly.

So to find out how, let's turn now to our senior medical or chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta. A scary thought.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Getting a promotion instead of a raise. That works, right?

LEMON: They give you the title, right? What if we give you the title. A lot of people are, you know, cutting costs trying to save on their prescriptions. Is this necessarily good? You know, tell us how we can get them at a good price without affecting our health.

GUPTA: Yes. There are some good tips out there. And these are things that actually work. Because you're going to get all sorts of information out there. We've tested some of these things to find out. Some simple ones, if you're taking medications regularly, going and getting them in bulk really seems to make a difference. So a doctor writes a prescription for 30 pills. Talk to the doctor, say can I get it for 90 pills instead? That obviously is going to save you some money. And then there are a lot of discount stores, Don, that you might know of, you can go there and some medications, they'll give for $10 bucks, no matter what the supply is. So that's an option as well.

There's also this idea that you can take generic drugs which some people are dubious about. They say it doesn't do the same thing. They are about 85 percent cheaper on average and most of them have the same exact active ingredients. What you might notice as a difference is they may absorb a little bit differently. So you get reaction faster or slower depending on the absorption rate of the medication.

LEMON: Is that because of the chemistry in the lab? Whatever lab there.

GUPTA: That's right. The inactive ingredients sometimes control that absorption rate. So it may look different. The shape may be different but for the most part, the active ingredients are going to be the same.

And finally, there's discount cards as well. The caveat there is you got to go and do a little bit of work, a little bit of leg work yourself. Government, both federal and local governments have some discount cards. And there are some not for profit organizations in various communities as well, up to 50 percent off with those discount cards. So you know, worth a little bit of leg work there.

LEMON: I hear older people talking about splitting their prescriptions and taking, you know, a smaller amount or half.

GUPTA: Right.

LEMON: Just to sort of make it last longer to save costs. Is that good? Is that dangerous?

GUPTA: Well, you know, most doctors and pharmacists will say that's a bad idea. But let me be a little bit more clear on that. I think it can work with some caveats. So for example, let's say you're taking a 10 milligram blood pressure pill, and you want to save money and you start breaking that in half. That's not a good idea.

Because you're obviously getting half the dose. And if you've been taking that a long time, you're going to feel that. But if you go to the doctor and say I want 20 milligram tablets and scored down the middle. That's perfectly acceptable. Break those 20 mg tablet in half and you're getting the same dose. Be careful with the Extended Release and the Time Release capsules. That makes a difference.

And there's something else, you know, here in Atlanta, Don, you can go from one pharmacy to the next and be charged different prices for the same medications. So pharmacies are starting to compete with one another as well on price for the exact same medication.

LEMON: Listen, we talked about pharmacy shopping. This is different pharmacy shopping. You're talking about price here and not just going and trying to get extra drugs, right?

GUPTA: That's right. You're going to get the exact same number of drug, the exact same drug and maybe a little cheaper at one pharmacy versus the other.

LEMON: Good information. Thank you, Sanjay. Happy Thanksgiving to you.

GUPTA: Hey, you will.

LEMON: You and your wife and family.

More medical news here to tell you about. Here to tell you about Vicks sinus nasal spray is being voluntarily recalled. Procter & Gamble announced the move after finding bacteria in a small amount in the product at a German plant. In the U.S., the recalled product is Vicks Sinex Vapor Spray 12 hour decongestant, ultra fine mist. Here's a lot number for you. So write this down. I'll do it slowly so you can it. The lot number here is 923-902-88-31.

Again, 923-902-88-31. There have been no reports, however, of people getting sick from the bacteria but the company says it could cause serious infections for people with weakened immune systems or chronic lung conditions.

Red flags, missed clues. Clues a security analyst said the Ft. Hood shootings could have been avoided if the military paid closer attention to a study.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: In Afghanistan, a suicide bomber strikes outside the governor's home in Farah province. At least 13 people are dead, including a policeman. Twenty-nine other people were wounded. The largely desert province borders Iran. It's been an increase and seen an increase in bloodshed as Taliban insurgents spread west from their strongholds.

Stopping the violence is what president Hamid Karzai is about as he begins his second term. Our Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence takes a look at his goals and the reality.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The beginning of Hamid Karzai's second term started with a promise on how it will end.

HAMID KARZAI, PRESIDENT OF AFGHANISTAN (through translator): Within the next five years, the Afghan forces will be capable of taking the lead in ensuring stability and security across the country.

LAWRENCE: Karzai said Afghan security forces will take the lead in three years, and in full control within five. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the goal ambitious.

HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: It is a goal that he believes can be met. We want to assist him.

LAWRENCE: But outside of the safety of the presidential palace, Kabul was on virtual lockdown. Checkpoints everywhere. The airport and major roads closed.

And in southern Afghanistan, a suicide bomber blew himself up, killing or wounding more than 20 people.

(on camera): Secretary Clinton's visit comes just as President Obama is finalizing his decision whether to send more troops here to Afghanistan.

(voice-over): Clinton met with nearly 100 NATO troops and said their time in Afghanistan is directly tied to the improvement of Afghan forces.

CNN was one of the few Western news crews allowed into the inauguration. More than 800 people attended, but no more than a handful were women.

Karzai received his biggest applause when he promised to create an accountable government. If Karzai doesn't take real steps to root out corruption, international allies have threatened to cut off financial aid. Thursday, he offered one new example directed at the people who run his ministries.

CLINTON: Governement officials will have to register their assets so that any money or other influence can be more easily tracked is -- a very bold proposal.

LAWRENCE (on camera): And at one point, Karzai tried to separate local militants from al Qaeda by inviting, quote, "disaffected compatriots who are not directly linked to international terrorism to come back to their homeland." It was a direct appeal to Afghans who have been recruited into the Taliban.

Chris Lawrence, CNN, Kabul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Now to Fort Hood massacre. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he's announced a 45-day review of Pentagon policies. The goal there is to see if the Defense Department missed clues in identifying service members who could pose a threat to others.

But the military may be studying something that's already been done. A security expert says last year she contributed to a report aimed at helping the military spot signs of extremism among troops. She talked to CNN's Anderson Cooper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "AC 360": Shannen, I know it's apparently now classified. What can you tell us, as much as can you, about this report that you contributed to? SHANNEN ROSSMILLER, INDEPENDENT CYBERTERRORISM ANALYST: Well, the specific part of the report that I contributed and consulted on involved a case out of Washington state, National Guardsman Ryan Anderson, who had been convicted of trying to defect to al Qaeda to join their ranks and provide -- he ended up providing classified and sensitive materials that would have allowed 16 crew members within his tank command to be killed.

And so my interest and my focus was all the different identifying criteria that were used as a part of his radicalization process and how that factored into what he did and what we could gather from that in hindsight to prevent something like what happened at Fort Hood from happening.

COOPER: So essentially it's sort of a road map for what went wrong with that guy and signs that other commanders should watch out for?

ROSSMILLER: That's correct. That's my understanding, yes.

COOPER: And who was the report written for? And do you know who saw it? Or should have seen it?

ROSSMILLER: Well, OK, the report was written from the military perspective. It was entitled "Radicalization of Members of the DOD." And what it was for -- was for them to have tools to look within their ranks to spot different criteria that showed signs and red flags of radicalization and how to spot those, identify them, and then from there be able to head the problem off and so we could avoid anything from materializing...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Rossmiller says closer attention to the study could have prevented the shootings at Fort Hood.

Four Iraqis murdered by U.S. troops. An exclusive investigation on "A 360" reveals -- "AC 360" -- how the army's own rules of evidence gathering may have led to those murders back in 2007. Three decorated army sergeants were convicted. But now there are questions about rules they had to follow to take in detainees. Special investigations unit correspondent Abbie Boudreau has a preview of tonight's story, again on "AC 360."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ABBIE BOUDREAU, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT: Many critics tell us the rules for gathering evidence put too much pressure on soldiers to be like police officers. I asked Brigadier General David Quantock, who oversees detainee operations in Iraq about the training soldiers received before going to war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIG. GEN. DAVID QUANTOCK, U.S. ARMY: We're asking them to take basic evidence, which they've been trained to do. Again, we've got the greatest soldiers in the world. I don't accept that they can't take basic evidence off of a crime scene.

BOUDREAU (on camera): General, though, if it's so easy to collect this basic type of evidence, then why were so many detainees let out because of lack of evidence?

QUANTOCK: You know, we're trying to make the fight fit the Army as opposed to the Army fit the fight. I think a lot of times we thought the insurgency would dissipate. We were working closely with the government of Iraq, we were trying to improve Iraqi security forces. At the end of the day, it didn't work out very well. We had to get better at taking evidence off of the crime scene.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOUDREAU: During our investigation, we also obtained twenty- three-and-a-half hours of Army interrogation tapes. Tapes you'll only see on CNN. We'll have more on what's on those tapes and investigation into the detainee policy tonight on "AC 360."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: It's a great time to buy a house. Home prices are falling, mortgage rates are low and the government is offering some buyers free money. Now, a new study shows where you can find the best deals in all of this. We turn to our Susan Lisovicz on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange with details on that. Good deals on housing. Where is that, Susan?

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Lots and lots of places, Don. All you have to check really all of the signs in the neighborhood. Some folks are just desperate to unload their homes.

We talk about housing affordability -- we're not only talking about prices. We also have to talk about income. It's a little fundamentals here. If you go by the standard that you should spend no more than 28 percent of your paycheck on your home, then guess what? Seventy percent of the homes sold in the last quarter were affordable because the national median average family's income was $64,000. Seventy percent of the homes sold last quarter were affordable.

Where could you get the best deals? Not surprisingly in the Midwest. More specifically, the industrial Midwest. Check it out. Indianapolis, Youngstown, Ohio, and no surprise, Detroit.

Least affordable, well, I'm kind of standing on it right now. Here in Manhattan. New York always tops the list. And San Francisco, Honolulu as well. If you're going to ask about Atlanta, it came in at 85 on the list. So, according to this survey by the NAHB, the National Association of Home Builders, 79 percent of the homes sold in the last quarter were affordable, Don.

LEMON: Susan, we should probably point out the other side to this story, and what's the seller's take?

LISOVICZ: Oh, no question about it, because a lot of people (AUDIO GAP) are in the market for a new home have to sell their home, and that's the problem. A quarter of sellers sold their home at a loss in the third quarter. That's according to zilo.com, which is why some sellers are doing just about anything to get that home sold, whether it is paying for closing costs, upgrading the appliances, doing extra projects, that's what they're doing. They're throwing in extras to get the home sold.

Again, a good time for buyers. Tough time for sellers. DR Horton, which is a major home builder, reported a bigger than expected quarterly loss. Its shares are down 8 percent right now. We're seeing losses on the Street as well. The Dow and NASDAQ are down the third day in a row. But pretty quiet. We're not talking about huge losses here, Don.

LEMON: All right, Susan. Thank you so much.

A question for our viewers. Why did the salamander cross the road? So people could have a park.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Want to check top stories for you right now. Oprah Winfrey expected to make it official some this hour. The queen of daytime talk will end the Oprah Winfrey show in 2011after 25 seasons on the air. Widely expected that Winfrey will devote much of her time to her OWN cable network, set to debut in 2011.

Senate showdown on health care. Round one is expected to kick off tomorrow, when Majority Leader Harry Reid holds a test vote on the Democrats' $849 billion reform measure. Reid needs 60 votes to advance the bill toward a full debate.

Officials at the University of California-Davis plan to meet with students angry over a $2,500 fee hike. The state board of regents decided yesterday to raise student fees by 32 percent. Thirty-two percent. The decision sparked protests from campuses of UCLA to UC- Davis. More than 50 students were arrested. The fee increase will push tuition for California's 229,000 students to more than $10,000 a year.

Brings us to today's blog. Let's take a look at the blog to see what we have here. This one is on Oprah. Let's look right here. This is from Twitter. Just real quick. We're going to get to some of the ones on colleges.

Here's what -- what is it? (INAUDIBLE). "Oprah, Oprah, Oprah, omg. Omg."

So, someone else here says, "Oprah will show up on her other network, Oprah. Turn up elsewhere, right? Like her OWN network. You think?"

Yes. Pretty smart comment. Probably will happen. Let's turn now to -- here's Heidi's blog. Some interesting comments coming in about college tuition from a Minnesota and Wisconsin viewpoint, "I would trade my public university tuition expenses of my daughters with those of California in a heartbeat. We pay $14,000 per year. Get real, California."

Here's what one other person says. Let's see who this is. (INAUDIBLE) "It is truly sad it's become so expensive to go to college. I began college in the fall of 2003 and graduated with my bachelor's degree in December of '07, and my tuition increased 25 percent every year. That's ridiculous."

We feel you. We feel you. If you want to go to our blog, go to CNN.com and click on Don or Heidi. CNN.com/newroom; we will get your comments on. Appreciate it.

Let's turn now back to the news. A community in Santa Rosa, California, has been waiting for years for a neighborhood park. Well, now they're going to have to wait even longer for it. The reason? Salamanders are in the construction area. A full-scale evacuation is planned, but the salamanders there -- well, are right on schedule. We'll tell you why and find out more about this.

Sal Casdentenda (ph) from our affiliate KTVU has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAL CASDENTENDA (ph), KTVU-TV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Before any work can be done to build a park here, federal regulators are requiring the city to safely move the endangered California Tiger Salamander safely off the property. City biologists hope the salamanders will move from here across the street to Vernal Pools (ph) where they will live permanently.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Basically, we're providing a safe corridor for them to cross. Across the street here is protected lands that salamanders are known to populate.

CASDENTENDA: Scientists say the salamanders will only move during heavy rain at night, so the city blocked off the area and placed a fence around the property. Fresno Avenue will be blocked off until January to accommodate the process.

The protected lands border the housing track now on the site of a former Navy air field. When the houses were built in the 1990s, residents were promised a park. Construction has been delayed for years for a variety of reasons, the tiger salamander migration being the latest.

Al Nystrom, who lives nearby and says he doesn't mind waiting.

AL NYSTROM, RESIDENT: They'll provide recreation for the local residents and they're going to also be mindful of the previous residents as well.

CASDENTENDA: If the migration is successful, the city plans to build the new park this coming spring.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The residents will love this park. They've been looking forward it for a long time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: KTVU affiliate Paul Casdentena there. KTV. The park is expected to cost the city $1.2 million. $25,000 of that will be spend protecting the salamanders.

Hard time. They walk out of prison and land in the unemployment line. We'll tell you about one ex-con who may be turning his life around, thanks to someone who saw his story right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: With unemployment topping a whopping 10 percent, ex-cons are usually at the back of the line when it comes to finding a job. Last week, we introduced you to a newly released prisoner trying to find full-time employment to turn his life around. And it turns out he got a job. We go to CNNmoney.com's Poppy Harlow joining us from Red Hook in Brooklyn. Poppy, give us an update.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Yes. Don, this is one of those good endings that you see. We introduced you to a formerly incarcerated man, Greg Headley, last week. He was making minimum wage at a temporary job, really living day by day. Since Monday, he got hired at a full-time job with a 30 percent raise, right here in Brooklyn at Container X.

He's an assistant truck driver, and he's here to talk about what this means for you. You were in prison for criminal sale of a firearm for 32 months. Now you have full-time work, making ten bucks an hour. Real second chance.

GREG HEADLEY, NEWLY-HIRED EX-CON: Yes, for me it's a blessing. You know, I get a second chance. I'm out here doing the right thing. I get to show other individuals coming home from prison that there are second chances out there. Just don't give up.

HARLOW: One of the biggest reasons why this is so important, Don, is because the latest numbers show us that 70 percent of people that have been incarcerated go back to jail within three years. That's a very, very high rate. For you, your end goal is obviously something very, very different. You want to go to college. You say you're an entrepreneur. What do you want to do?

HEADLEY: Well, for me the end game, you know once I finish my schooling and go to college, I want to open up a coffee lounge. You know, sit there, give back to the community and also myself. Hire formerly incarcerated individuals.

HARLOW: Through the center that helped you, Center for Employment Opportunity. I want to bring in your boss here. Gary, who brought you on.

So, Gary, if you can come over here for a second and talk to us as well. Because you've hired seven or eight ex-convicts. Right? Why take that risk right now when there's a line of people that want work that have never been to prison? GARY PROAT, OWNER, CONTAINER X: OK, those people deserve a second chance. Of course, it's an opportunity for them, but the reason they hire them is there are incentives that the state gives. And also, it's an opportunity for me to give something good back to the community because those people are -- if I don't give them that option, they might end up again on the street and again go back to jail.

HARLOW: And you said they even work harder than other people, trying to make a point.

Don, I think that's a good point. If you don't give people work and they go back to prison, not only does it hurt society, but Don, the latest numbers show us it cost $26,000 a year for someone to be incarcerated. Obviously huge costs to society.

So, this is just part of the story. You can see a full story on Greg and how his life is changing now because of these opportunities on CNNmoney.com. Don.

LEMON: Thank you, Poppy. And we wish him well.

The Oxford Dictionary, out with its new word of the year. Got any guesses? What do you think it is? If you're a Facebooker, you may already know it. I'm doing it right now. We're going to spell it out for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Every year, the New Oxford American Dictionary picks a word of the year. The word has to have cultural significance and staying power. Last year's winner -- remember this? -- was hypermiling. Hypermiling. We did a ton of stories on that.

This year's winner is familiar to Facebookers out there, but not everyone knows it and lots of people are confused about the other contenders for word of the year. Take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sexting. Not sure. I heard the word but I couldn't define it.

UNIDETIFIED FEMALE: Sexting? I would think it's a form of texting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sexting. Yes, that (INAUDIBLE). That's where people are taking pictures or put kind of obscene terms in their text.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, we know what it means.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's pretty close to the sending of sexually explicit texts or pictures by cell phone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Teabagger? I have no idea what that means. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Teabagger. No idea. Do you know what a teabagger is?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All I can think is, like, taking tea bags out of tea cups.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Teabagger. I've heard the term. I do not know what it means.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't have a clue.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A person who -- oh! -- protests President Obama's tax policies and stimulus package, often through local demonstrations known as Tea Party protests.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come to think of it, that makes sense.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Brown state.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A state that's brown!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have no idea. A state that's brown.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A U.S. state that does not have strict environmental regulations.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tramp stamp.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you think that is?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A tramp stamp. Obviously, someone who is being a little trashy and it's probably, you know...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tramp stamp. I have never heard this term until the other day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, I know what that is! It's a tattoo right above your butt.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tramp stamp.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Okay.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you think that means?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A tattoo on the lower back.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Definition is -- oh -- a tattoo on the lower back, usually on a woman.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do I win money?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. But you get to continue talking to me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought it was $100 a question.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Unfriend. Somebody's that's not a friend.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Unfriend.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you think that means?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not cool. Not nice. Not friendly.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To remove someone as a friend on a social networking site such as Facebook.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Doing it right now. All those anonymous invites. Don't want them. That last word, unfriend, is in fact, the word of the year. There has been some debate about whether the proper word is unfriend or defriend, but an Oxford Dictionary spokesman said researchers found that "unfriend" used more often than "defriend."

So now you know.

I'm Don Lemon.

CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Mr. Tony Harris.