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Lockdown at Newark Airport; TSA to Impose New Security Measures; U.S. Closes Embassy in Yemen; Security Breach at Newark; Obama Administration's Year-Round School Proposal Hits Budget Turbulence; Donggaocun, China: Violin Capital of the World

Aired January 03, 2010 - 22:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening. I'm Don Lemon.

We start with breaking news tonight. As we go on the air, Newark's International Airport Terminal C has had a security breach there. We have been told by the Transportation -- the TSA and also officials there. Terminal C closed and no flights are leaving the terminal at this hour after a man walked through the wrong side at a security checkpoint without being screened.

Now, a spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration says police are looking for the man and reviewing video from airport security cameras. Travelers who had already passed through security checkpoints are being re-screened, causing huge congestions and also delays.

CNN's Alina Cho at the airport tonight, where thousands of other people who are facing huge travel headaches as well. She described the scene for us just a short time ago. Listen up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: And, Alina, yet another scare when people's nerves are already frayed. It must have been chaos there when you got off the plane.

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. I got off a flight from Ft. Lauderdale at about 8:00 Eastern Time. And really almost immediately there was a huge crowd at Terminal C headed toward baggage claim. What I didn't know at the time was that there was a security breach and that everyone was headed back to the security area to be re-screened.

I spoke to several people who were on flights for more than an hour sitting on the tarmac until essentially the pilot got on the intercom and made an announcement, saying that there was a security breach, that everyone had to get off the plane and get re-screened.

I just saw one woman pleading with a gate agent, saying that she had two small children and a heart condition, that she simply could not take this. But, of course, there will be no exceptions. People are moving through right now. They are being re-screened. And hopefully, they'll be back on their flights and headed to their destinations later on this evening. (END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: That was CNN's Alina Cho.

CNN's chief business correspondent Ali Velshi is at Newark Airport tonight on board a plane and going nowhere fast, Ali.

We'll get back to -- we'll come back to Ali in just a little bit. Ali Velshi's on board a plane there. Ali has told me just a short time ago that the pilot told him to expect an hour, hour and a half, before they can get off that plane. We'll get to Ali in a second.

Meantime, Jacqui Jeras joins us live now from the CNN severe weather center in Atlanta.

Jacqui, there were already two-hour delays at Newark Airport. This has made it even worse.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it really has. And most of those were arrival delays. So people who've been taking off from other airports across the country or internationally, trying to arrive in Newark, had delays over two hours for the last majority of the day.

Just within about the last half-an-hour hour, those weather- related delays have been dropped and the FAA website is no longer reporting those Terminal C problems. So we'll watch as this continues to develop over the next couple of hours.

But regionally we have a lot of trouble, mostly because of the winds and the clouds and the snow. Over an hour in Boston. More than two hours at JFK. And LaGuardia looking at delays of an hour and 35 minutes.

Now, tomorrow, our area of low pressure still lingering in the area, but it's going to start to loosen its grip a little bit. So, we think there will still be delays here across the Northeast, even the mid-Atlantic, but they'll be lesser, maybe 15 to 30 minutes.

And then Cleveland and Pittsburgh due to some lake-effect snows. We'll talk about this weather system, what we can expect for tomorrow, as well as another Arctic blast coming up a little later in the show -- Don.

LEMON: Jacqui, thank you.

I want to get back now to CNN's chief business correspondent Ali Velshi on board a plane at Newark.

Ali, how much long are you hearing now?

ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): We are -- Don, we've been here for about almost two hours now. About 8:20, we touched down, Flight 1800 from Continental from Ft. Lauderdale.

Alina gave you the picture inside the airport. I'm on the other side. I wasn't one of those who was able to get down fast enough for us to get out of the plane.

So while Alina was outside, I'm on the tarmac. We've been told by the captain when we landed that we'd be an hour to an hour and a half on the plane. Now, it looks like -- he just said to us about 10 minutes ago that it might be another hour.

There's just no information because what's happening is, since they're not allowing any planes to leave, there are absolutely no gates available at the airport. So planes that have been landing that haven't been redirected are actually staying on the tarmac. No one's able to get out.

And, of course, when that news first came out, everybody on the plane was a little alarmed and obviously a little frustrated, wanting to get off. And since then, things have quieted down a little bit. Everybody's made their phone calls and told everyone they're going to be late.

And things have settled down. And we're all just sort of talking to each other, trying to get the time -- you know, trying to get the time passed. But at the moment, no information on when we may be allowed off the plane. And the captain did tell us 10 or 15 minutes ago that it might be as much as another hour.

LEMON: Ali Velshi on board one of those planes that are just waiting there on the tarmac.

Ali, we're going to check back with you at the bottom of the hour here on CNN on these developments happening at Newark Airport.

I want to tell you that police say that they are screening surveillance video or video at the airport to try to figure out how this man got through and exactly who he is. We're going to update you on this story throughout this broadcast.

Meantime, new developments tonight as the TSA rewrites the airport security rule book following the botched Christmas Day airliner bombing. And that means screeners at international gates are about to get a whole lot busier.

Starting Monday, all travelers flying into the U.S. will be subject to stricter random security measures. But if you're flying in from or through one of 14 terrorism-prone nations, you will be subject to enhanced screening that could include tactics such as pat-downs and carry-on searches.

A senior government official has listed those countries of interest for CNN, and here they are: Cuba, Sudan, Syria and Iran, all designated by the State Department as state sponsors of terrorism.

But the other 14 nations that will trigger the extra security measures: Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Yemen.

This is a big security beef-up, but is it enough?

Earlier tonight, I spoke with Tom Fuentes, a former FBI assistant director, and he says these policies seem reactive, not proactive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM FUENTES, FORMER FBI ASST. DIRECTOR: It seems to me that these new measures are very inadequate and very arbitrary. TSA seems to be coming up with a new security policy every other day since the incident happened. And to list the countries that they've put on for enhanced screening right now just seems to be completely inadequate. They're not taking into account that these are just a fraction of the countries where al Qaeda has a very strong presence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, the TSA is also keeping two mandates put in place after the failed terror bombings on Christmas Day. Pilots will have the description -- or discretion to keep pillows and blankets off of passengers' laps during certain parts of international flights, and they'll also be able to limit how much people can move around in the cabin.

Well, meantime, Senator Charles Schumer had devised his own plan for tightening airport security. He says U.S. airlines should threaten to stop flying to airports that don't meet high safety standards.

The New York Democrat wrote to the heads of the major airlines just today, asking them to report any security issues at foreign airports. And he says if those problems aren't fixed, we should stop landing there. Schumer is also asking the State Department to double check all travel visas for people who have been added to a terrorist database.

Let's talk politics now and the state of our nation. And talking about airline security with two of our regular analysts here on CNN, one of the best political teams on television, Mark Preston is CNN's political editor, and Lynn Sweet is with the "Chicago Sun-Times," and she's also a columnist for PoliticsDaily.com.

Good to see both of you.

Lynn, you wrote about this today. Is this enough?

LYNN SWEET, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, "CHICAGO SUN-TIMES": Well, if nothing happens, then it's enough. If we have more threats, then clearly, it isn't, Don.

The TSA did not want to have anyone thinking, by the way, that it was their fault that the Nigerian suspect got through to begin with. He did come through another country. What's interesting here is that they're trying to use the bully pulpit of America to force these other countries and to force the airlines into having more enhanced screenings.

The pilot authority, as you said, is still going to be highly discretionary as to what goes on in the cabin. What could be a potential loophole in these rules, if somebody from -- you know, one of the rules covers somebody who is going to any of these suspect countries as well as if they carry a passport from that country.

But it's only if they have flown to these countries. Doesn't take in whether or not they may have traveled there by surface transportation.

LEMON: And, of course, Mark, the Obama administration must have known about all of these changes and about what was to come here. At first, they said they were just trying to keep people calm. And then the response ramped up after that. And all of these changes got into place.

What are you hearing, if anything, from the administration about the handling of all of this and the timing?

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, I mean, look, these changes wouldn't have gone into effect without the White House saying put them in effect. I mean, this has to do with security, and there's no question about that. And they feel that by taking these steps that, you know, they are providing a sense of security to Americans who are on these airplanes or anyone who's coming, you know, from these nations.

At the same time, though, it is all about trying to make Americans feel more comfortable about the situation. And, you know, I think it's fair to say that, you know, the situation in the first couple days was mishandled by the administration.

Don, the fact is they didn't react quick enough. They tried to downplay it. By downplaying it, they were criticized.

But at this point right now, I think we've seen the president come out. He has used some very strong language. And we've seen these measures put into effect. It's to make us feel better.

LEMON: All right. Mark and Lynn, thank you very much. Mark and Lynn will be back in just a minute.

But first, it was the most dramatic evidence yet that Yemen is emerging as a new and increasingly serious terror concern for the United States and the West.

The U.S. government today closed its embassy in Yemen's capital, citing the possibility of terrorist violence. Britain has shut down its embassy as well. President Obama's assistant for homeland security and counterterrorism explained the decision on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN BRENNAN, WHITE HOUSE SENIOR ADVISER: I spoke with our ambassador in Yemen, Ambassador Seche, both this morning as well as last night. And there are indications that al Qaeda is planning to carry out an attack against a target inside of Sana'a, possibly our embassy.

And what we do is to take every measure possible to ensure the safety of our diplomats and citizens abroad. So the decision was made to close the embassy. We're working very closely with the Yemeni government on taking the proper security precautions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: As we've been reporting, U.S. CENTCOM Commander General David Petraeus was in Yemen just yesterday for talks with that country's president.

The U.S. Embassy is in the capital of Sana'a. The ambassador is Stephen Seche, a career foreign service officer who's been with the State Department for nearly 30 years. The Embassy serves the needs of U.S. citizens there including issues, visas and passports.

So let's talk about these national security developments with Mark and Lynn again.

So, Mark, you know, during this investigation of this Mutallab, what happened there, the Obama administration, again, criticized very strongly. Where do they -- where do they stand as far as accountability here? Does the ball -- does it end with them here? Did they drop the ball here?

PRESTON: You know, I don't think it's fair to assign responsibility to anybody about this. Just like going back to the Bush years, it wasn't necessarily fair to say that all of this should have been put in President Bush's lap.

The fact is, you know, there was a breakdown. You know, thankfully, nothing did happen. I think we heard earlier today, you know, Thomas Kean said that look, you know, this was a good thing in the sense that it woke us up.

So, I mean, let's not assign responsibility. Let's try to move forward and try to fix the problem at hand, I think, Don.

LEMON: This is just yet something else, Lynn, fighting al Qaeda in Yemen now, that the administration has to be concerned with and that is something that the American people have to be aware of.

SWEET: Yes. Well, this is not news. The Obama administration has been very aware for quite some time that Yemen was a problem. I disagree a little bit about Mark in saying that they didn't succeed.

Clearly, the nation now is much more -- is concerned once again with terror, and our air flights, international air travel. So, in that way, you don't have to have a plane explode to have this great national tension come in.

So, we've had some drone attacks in Yemen. The administration is still trying to figure out a way to deal with Yemen in a way that doesn't alienate the Yemenis people who the U.S. wants to try and win over. So, there's a very delicate balancing act that we're going to see unfold perhaps in the next day, if the U.S. does any kind of retaliatory action while still trying to reach out to the Yemenis people and try and not have them more alienated against the United States.

When you deal with drone attacks, by the way, as you probably both know and your viewers can surmise, this is very, very difficult because if a drone hits the wrong -- hits a civilian, it doesn't -- it creates a terrible backlash for the United States, and that's a problem.

LEMON: And, Lynn, to Mark's point, we'll see in the upcoming investigation into all of this and hearings to see exactly what happened, the fallout and everything.

SWEET: At least four in Congress, I think. Three for sure. Maybe a fourth.

LEMON: All right. Thank you both.

A disturbing image in the hometown of the American president. An effigy of President Barack Obama found hanging from a building. Now the Secret Service is involved.

And reports of guns drawn inside an NBA locker room. And these guys are on the same team. Police are involved in this one now.

And the growing unrest inside Iran. Where is this crisis headed? I'll talk with a group of Iranian-Americans to get their insight on what is happening there.

And as always, we want you to be part of our conversation. You can join us on Twitter, on Facebook, Myspace and iReport.com. Just log right on.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: We've been telling you about all the people who are stuck on the tarmac and stuck in Terminal C in Newark International Airport at the top of the hour.

We spoke to CNN senior business correspondent Ali Velshi on the plane. Ali has been tweeting and has also been e-mailing me, saying that they are being told that they're going to send buses to drive them to Terminal A. Unclear as to what happens with their luggage and how soon they're going to send those buses.

There are hundreds of people tonight stuck at Newark International Airport, and the planes are backing up.

Either way, a security breach at that airport is translating to a miserable marathon of waiting for passengers. And you heard again from Ali and Alina at the top of the show. They got caught up in that chaos.

Now we want to go live to the terminal and Allison Haunss, she is from CNN affiliate WPIX in New York.

Allison, thanks for joining us. What can you tell us?

ALLISON HAUNSS, WPIX-TV NEW YORK CORRESPONDENT: Don, major headaches for these passengers tonight.

We were actually at Terminal B covering the story with the stepped-up security efforts that are going into effect at midnight by the TSA. And we heard there was a lockdown in Terminal C. So, we jumped on the AirTran and went over to see.

And really when you were at B, you couldn't even tell that there was anything wrong. But the minute we got off the AirTran and we were at C, you could see the crowds. They were just building up. Everything shut down. And there were a number of security officials who were telling people to go to the top floor and the bottom floor, and they were just trying to get everyone away from the terminal.

And we spoke with one flight attendant. She was coming in on an international flight. And she said that she was told no one was allowed on the airplane or off the airplane until customs officials were able to come on the airplane and check everything out.

So, there were a number of worried people, a number of frightened people. And people just don't know when they're going to get out tonight, tomorrow, as they look for this man who supposedly went into the exit line at the security aisle.

And people just don't know where he is at this point. They're checking security tapes and, hopefully, they find him and they can figure out what's going on and send people on their way.

But at this point, everyone is literally in a holding pattern.

LEMON: Yes, holding pattern, and they're going to be stuck there for quite some time.

Allison Haunss from our affiliate, WPIX. Thank you so much tonight.

We move on and talk about other news. NBA star Gilbert Arenas is expected to meet with Washington, D.C. police tomorrow. Last night, Arenas said he used bad judgment in taking guns into the Washington Wizards' locker room. He spoke out after two days of reports regarding an alleged locker room showdown.

A published report says the confrontation involved Arenas and his teammate Javaris Crittenton and that it revolved around an alleged gambling debt from a card game. Arenas says the whole thing is being blown out of proportion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GILBERT ARENAS, WASHINGTON WIZARDS PLAYER: And I agree, you know, that's bad judgment on my part, you know, storing them here. And, you know, I take responsibility for that. If you've known me, you've been here, I've never did anything violent. Anything I do, it's funny -- well, it's funny to me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, investigators and the NBA not laughing over this, however. The League, D.C. Police, and the U.S. Attorney's Office, they all have launched investigations into this alleged incident.

A lesson in contradictions. President Obama pushes for a year- round school schedule as his home state cuts classes from the calendar.

And brutal scenes from street clashes in Iran hit home here in the U.S. Family ties hold strong halfway across the globe here as the Iranian-Americans stand up for their relatives' rights. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Human rights, democracy and freedom of the press. The demands of Iranian protesters have been brought to President Obama's front door.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CROWD: Free press for Iran! No more oppression!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: About 100 people rallied just outside the White House today, a week after Iran's streets erupted in bloody battles that left eight opposition protesters dead.

So, these American protesters, many of them with relatives in Iran, are calling on the president to take a strong stand.

In New York, Iran's interior minister threatened to take a harder line, saying police are under orders to show no leniency to protesters.

Our Reza Sayah has been tracking the latest developments from our Iran desk. He joins us now live from the CNN international headquarters in Atlanta.

Reza, you actually heard from a protester tonight.

REZA SAYAH, CNN IRAN DESK: Yes, Don. Two very interesting items to share with you here at the Iran desk.

First off, a new amateur video clip from the demonstrations last Sunday. Let's go ahead and show it to you now. Some of these video clips are being posted online late because remember the Iranian government has either blocked internet access or slowed it down to a crawl.

In this video clip purportedly from last Sunday, you see protesters climb up a light post and rip down a banner that bears the picture of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khameini. These types of images unthinkable six months ago.

Now, rarely have we heard from the protesters in Iran themselves because of the strict media crackdown and restrictions.

But earlier on Sunday, we managed to tape-record a phone conversation with one of the protesters. We'll call him Hesam to protect his identity, a 28-year-old university researcher who took part in last Sunday's demonstrations. And he said he was attacked by security officers.

We asked Hesam if he fears for his safety and why he continues to go out and protest despite the crackdown. Take a listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

VOICE OF HESSAM, PROTESTER IN IRAN: I'm afraid, but I don't have any choice, you know. It's not a good way just to see it at home and just nothing -- do nothing. So I want to change the condition. If I want to have the better life, I have to do that.

Yes, maybe it's a dangerous ambition. Maybe I will be attacked, maybe I will be shot, maybe I will be killed, maybe I will be arrested. All of them could happen. But I myself, I do my job.

SAYAH: Hesam, what do you and your fellow protesters want from these demonstrations? What will make you say OK, I'm not going to protest anymore, I'm satisfied?

HESAM: Well, I think what I want -- I need the country to be, you know, democratized. And really, Iran needs democracy -- democracy and all the principles of a democracy based on our ancestors (ph) because we have the -- like it or not, the country with very much (INAUDIBLE). And I think we need to find democracy based on our country.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

SAYAH: There's a lot of groups that make up this opposition movement. And what's remarkable is this united call for a democracy, a freer, more open society and a more transparent and representative government.

We also asked Hesam what appears to be a more aggressive tactics by protesters. On several occasions last Sunday, we saw protesters actually attacked security forces.

And Hesam says look, that's just frustration, an emotional reaction to the brutal government crackdown. He says the opposition movement wants this campaign to remain peaceful -- Don.

LEMON: Reza, thank you very much for that.

So I want to ask you this. What is it like for Iranians living here in the United States as they watch what's happening in their home country? Joining our discussion right now is Azar Nafisi. She's the author of "Things I've been Silent About." She's also a professor at Johns Hopkins University. And Rudi Bakhtiar works for the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran.

Both are in Washington tonight.

And Bobak Kalhor. He's a host of a talk show on KIRN, which is Iran radio LA. And comedian and actor Maz Jobrani, also in Los Angeles tonight.

Good to see all of you.

Hey, Rudi, I'm going to start with you. When you see that video, what is it like for you as an Iranian-American watching that video coming in from home?

RUDI BAKHTIAR, INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN IRAN: It's breaking my heart. Every day, in fact, since June, we have been watching videos of our family members and friends out in the streets of Tehran being brutalized by this government. Literally, since last Sunday, dozens have been killed, over 1,500 arrested and serving jail time now in Iran's prisons.

And what is important to note is that everything that we are watching right now, running over protesters by Iranian security forces, the beating up indiscriminately of protesters, shooting on protesters and murdering protesters, this is all being done with the head nod of the supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khameini.

And -- go ahead.

LEMON: And I want to get Bobak in here. Bobak, I can only imagine what your listeners are saying. Many of them, I would imagine, are Iranian-Americans. What type of responses are you getting from people, and what are you hearing about the horror stories back home?

BOBAK KALHOR, RADIO HOST, KIRN: Well, we've had listeners call in from Iran and give us reports of what's going on. It is a horror story.

But our Iranian-American community here, we have a lot of callers calling in to KIRAN, our radio station, and they're really concerned. I see for the first time there is a consensus in that people want change. People want change here. People want change in Iran.

I think we started a debate on our radio show, and we have this debate going on in the United States within our Iranian-American community as to what that change is going to be, what the future is going to hold for the Iranian-American community and the Iranian community there.

LEMON: It has been said that this is the cusp of a revolution. And an Iranian-American living here in the United States is really of two hearts. One heart is here in America and the other one is back home.

Is that right, Azar?

AZAR NAFISI, AUTHOR, "THINGS I'VE BEEN SILENT ABOUT": Oh, definitely. I always say that I left Iran but Iran never left me. And in one sense that absence -- when I lived in Iran, I left in 1997, when I lived in Iran, I was too much part of what was going on to at times realize what was really happening.

But now here you constantly have to imagine and you have to imagine those whom you love, those with whom you protested in other years during the past now again in the streets, some of them in jail, some of them under torture.

LEMON: And as we say, there are horror stories and what have you coming out of there, and you see all this. So, Maz, where do you find levity in this? Where is the comedy? I would imagine it's a -- you need it in some way to escape what you're seeing.

NAFISI: Oh, there's always...

LEMON: I'm talking to Maz. I wanted to get Maz in.

NAFISI: Sorry.

LEMON: That's OK.

MAZ JOBRANI, COMEDIAN & ACTOR: Or Azar. Maybe she's got something. I don't know.

NAFISI: No, no, no. Go ahead. Go ahead.

JOBRANI: That's fine.

You know, it's hard, Don. I mean, to actually, based on what we're seeing, there's no comedy there specifically. I think that the comedy comes in lampooning some of the things that you hear that come out of, you know, the official, you know, results of the elections.

For example, there were certain things pointing towards fraud, and it was never proven that there was fraud, but in certain regions, you know, Ahmadinejad got more votes than there were votes to be gotten.

So, you know -- you know, the joke that I've been saying is I said, you know, I don't know how you do that, but I know I'm never going bowling with the guy because he's going to say look, I bowled a 400 again. And, you know, I'd be like, I thought, you know, the maximum is 300, how do you do that? And he says, well, I'm that good, you know.

But basically, I think it's lampooning the leadership in a way. But what we're seeing on the ground is tragedy and there's no comedy in that.

LEMON: Yes. All right. Thanks to all of you. Hey, listen, stick around. We're going to continue our discussion in just a little bit and go a little bit deeper inside Iran and also what it's like to be an Iranian-American. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Hey, I want to update you on our top stories right now. Breaking news tonight out of Newark Liberty International Airport, where a security breach has forced a lockdown of Terminal C. No flights are being allowed to leave as authorities search for a man who went through the wrong side of a checkpoint.

The Transportation Security Administration says police are reviewing video from airport security cameras. It is all a big headache for passengers, who are having to be re-screened. The lockdown is mainly affecting Continental Airlines flights.

Our senior international business correspondent Ali Velshi is on board one of those planes, and he is telling us he has been taken off of one of those planes by a bus and headed to Terminal A, but he is seeing several airplanes with passengers loaded and they are just sitting there.

So, they will be sitting there for quite a while this evening.

Boarding a flight bound for the U.S.? Well, get ready for some changes at the security checkpoint. The TSA says starting Monday everyone getting on international flights heading into the U.S. could be subjected to stricter random searches and if you are flying from countries identified as high risk to terrorism, enhanced security measures are a must for every single passenger on that flight.

A senior government official tells CNN those countries include Cuba, Sudan, Syria, and Iran and Afghanistan. Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, and Yemen as well.

I want to continue now our discussion about Iran with our guests. So if you are just joining us, Azar Nafisi is the author of "Things I've been Silent About." She's also a professor at Johns Hopkins University. And Rudi Bakhtiar works with the International Campaign for Human Rights. Both are joining us tonight from Washington, D.C.

And Bobak Kalhor is a host of a talk show, KIRN Radio in Los Angeles. And comedian and actor Maz Jobrani, also in Los Angeles tonight.

So again, thank you all for joining us.

What makes Iranian-Americans so unique? I'll start with you, Azar.

AZAR NAFISI, AUTHOR, "THINGS I'VE BEEN SILENT ABOUT": Well, one of the unique things about America, actually, is that you can bring your past with you. So being an Iranian-American, every nationality brings their own uniqueness and originality with them.

I have always felt that being an Iranian and an American at the same time, I can constantly look at the two cultures through the alternative eyes of the other. And each of them gives me a fresh view of the other. And sometimes living in America, the gift that one brings from Iran is reminding this country of things that it takes so much for granted.

LEMON: And, Bobak, I had two guests on last night. One of them said that they believed that this was a civil rights movement with the likes of the civil rights movement here in the 1960s. Do you agree with that?

BOBAK KALHOR, RADIO HOST, KIRN: The civil rights movement, yes. I'll take this back to the founding of the constitution and this government. Iranians feel like they have a chance to make a monumental change in their future by developing some kind of a constitution, some kind of a secular democracy.

I think there's going to be change in Iran. There's definitely change happening now. This movement is not over by far. This is going to be a war of attrition. There's days ahead, there's religious holidays, there's political holidays, that this movement is going to keep going on.

And I think there's an agreement that the people want freedoms. Now, as to what form that should take, I think we need to leave that to the Iranian people. We need to make sure that there's access to information, the airwaves are open, that the Iranian children, these videos that you're sending out, these kids and these young people can get that information out.

So, if we ever have change in the future, it doesn't get hijacked, it's the will of the people.

LEMON: And, Rudi, you know, there have been some criticism from Iranian-Americans saying that the Obama administration hasn't done enough, that he hasn't been out there enough and saying enough about this, you know, cusp of a revolution in Iran.

Do you agree with that? Have you heard that criticism?

RUDI BAKHTIAR, INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN IRAN: Of course I've heard that criticism. And in the beginning, in June, when all of this was happening, there was a strong push for the Obama administration not to get involved at all, saying that it would weaken the Green Movement, that any efforts on the part of the U.S. would weaken the Green Movement.

But we heard from the people of Iran, on the streets of Tehran, not long ago uttering a chant which is "Obama, Obama," (speaking in foreign language), which means, are you with them, Obama, or are you with us, Obama?

A very strong signal from the people of Iran that they need the support of not only America, they need the support of the world. They need the world to make sure that they're watching these human rights violations and holding this government accountable. LEMON: And, Rudi, you know what? That's a good point that I want to talk to Maz about, because you talked about the influence of Washington, D.C., but also Hollywood has a huge influence as well.

Out there in Los Angeles where you're in the acting world and the comedy world, what are people saying? Is there -- you know, are Iranian-Americans prominent in movies? Is there enough of a movement that there is, you know, some oomph behind the Iranian revolution or message?

MAZ JOBRANI, COMEDIAN & ACTOR: Well, you know, Don, I mean, we obviously have had many years of negative stereotypes like I know everyone on your panel is familiar with "Not without My Daughter," which was a film that made dating for Iranian men very hard in America.

But right now, there's a lot of change happening. There's actually a TV pilot for ABC called "Funny in Farsi," which is an Iranian family living in America, it's from a book by an Iranian author, an American named Firoozeh Dumas, which could help present more Iranians to the Western world.

And I think that what's happening right now with the Green Movement as well is we're seeing Iranians fighting for democracy and freedom and doing things that we had never known Iranians as.

In the past, we'd always known Iran as the place where the hostages were taken or, again, the "Not without My Daughter" type example. But now, I think the West is seeing and the rest of the world is seeing that Iranians do want democracy. We do want freedom. And that we're good people.

And I think that there's these movements happening within Hollywood as well. The movie "Prince of Persia" is coming out, which I believe presents us in a positive light. So, there are some good things happening.

LEMON: Maybe it will be like Bollywood. It will be Iraniwood or something like that.

JOBRANI: I hope so.

LEMON: Maz, Bobak, Azar and Rudi, thank you all. Happy New Year to you, ok, and best of luck.

NAFISI: Thank you.

BAKHTIAR: Thank you.

LEMON: A frigid weekend. As far south as Florida, bone-chilling temperatures. Will it warm up for the workweek?

Jacqui, that's the question. I think I don't know the answer.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. I wish I had better news. But another Arctic blast is on the way. We'll tell you when it arrives and where it's going to be hitting.

Plus, snow-snarling travel this weekend, but makes for a great football game. My favorite video of the day, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Major delays at Newark International Airport, Liberty International Airport. Part of it security, part of it weather, Jacqui.

JERAS: Yes. The weather delays clearing up across parts of the Northeast for the most part. A lot of that just due to volume more than anything else. We do have that ground stop but that's just those Continental flights at Terminal C.

And then at JFK, we've got some departure delays, 55 minutes. It's been on the decrease. So, that's some good news.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LEMON: All right, Jacqui, thank you very much.

The Obama administration wants students to spend more time in school, but don't tell education officials in Hawaii. Their former student may be the president, but they're going their own way when it comes to the school calendar.

And when you think violins, you probably don't think China, right? But that's about to change. We'll take you to the world's new string instrument capital.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: President Obama and his family are wrapping up their Hawaiian holiday vacation. They'll fly back to Washington later tonight.

Meantime, the president's former home state has been attracting attention from its education secretary. Hawaii has cut back its school year at a time the administration is pushing for a longer school calendar. Our senior White House correspondent Ed Henry is in Hawaii.

Ed?

ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Don, the Obama administration is pushing the idea of all-year-round school as a way to make the U.S. more competitive.

But ironically, here in the president's home state, they're going in the other direction. They're cutting the number of days that kids are in school. That's angering the White House but also parents right here in Hawaii.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HENRY (voice over): Like many 9-year-olds, Hunter Gentry loves his scooter and is very creative.

HUNTER GENTRY, 9-YEAR-OLD BOY: My name is Hunter Gentry, and I'm a chef and a baker. Whoa!

HENRY: This young Hawaiian has already started his own cooking show on YouTube, hoping to make it big on "Top Chef" someday.

But Hunter also has bilateral hearing loss, which makes it hard to hear s's and t's at the end of words. Two hearing aids help, and so do special classes at school.

But that's been disrupted by Furlough Fridays, a drastic measure by Hawaii to cut 17 more class days, resulting in the shortest school year in the nation, to deal with a massive budget hole.

LELA GENTRY, MOTHER OF HUNTER: When he's missing Friday, he's missing not only his regular school day like everyone else, but he's missing his one-on-one resource time with his teacher.

HENRY: Lela works as a makeup and wardrobe stylist, and her husband is a freelance photographer. So they can often work with Hunter at home on Fridays. But she notes other families have daycare issues and she has a second child on the way.

L. GENTRY: My time is going to run thin.

HENRY: U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan is pushing for the nation to adopt an all-year-round curriculum. So he's angry this state is going in the opposite direction.

ARNE DUNCAN, EDUCATION SECRETARY: Everyone is having to make really tough choices. But if we desperately need more time, not less, when Hawaii said their answer to this tough fiscal problem was to eliminate 17 days of school, 10 percent of the school year, no one else has proposed that kind of answer. There has to be a better way.

HENRY: But last week, Hawaii's Republican governor, Linda Lingle, rejected a move by the teachers' union and state education officials to restore seven days to the public school's calendar.

H. GENTRY: I get the day off.

HENRY (on camera): So it's not so bad for you.

H. GENTRY: No.

L. GENTRY: He's honest.

HENRY: Come on, I get a day off.

(voice over): Mom worries that while the politicians slug it out, the testing scores of her son and others will suffer come spring.

L. GENTRY: The biggest person that's, you know, being hurt are the students. And I think, you know, when it comes to education, it should never be touched and never be cut back. (END VIDEOTAPE)

HENRY: With states across the country cash-strapped right now, other local governments may have the temptation to follow the Friday Furlough model. But Lela Gentry told us she hopes they avoid it at all cost and find other places to cut - Don.

LEMON: All right, Ed, thank you very much.

The hometown of a former president is getting some bad publicity after a disturbing image of the current president is discovered. Now the Secret Service is getting involved. More on that coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: An intense 38-day manhunt for a Florida murder suspect is over, thanks to a tip from a television viewer.

Paul Merhige, accused of gunning down four of his relatives on Thanksgiving Day, appeared in court today. Merhige was arrested at a Florida Keys motel Saturday night after the owner recognized him from an episode of "America's Most Wanted." The father of one of the victims, a 6-year-old girl, was relieved when he heard the news.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM SITTON, VICTIM'S FATHER: It means I'll be able to sleep a little better tonight and I won't be patrolling the inside of my house with my shotgun, you know, thinking that the monster is right around the corner.

I've been in protective mode, and now that he's captured, at least, you know, my family, we can even begin the healing process.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Merhige is also accused of killing his 79-year-old aunt and his twin sisters, one of whom was pregnant. He's being held without bond on four counts of murder.

Someone hung a doll said to be the likeness of President Barack Obama from a building in former President Jimmy Carter's hometown, and the Secret Service want to know who did it.

And here's a close-up of the doll hanging on the home of Jimmy Carter -- the Jimmy Carter sign in Plains, Georgia.

CNN affiliate WALB reports the doll was actually attached to a noose.

There's a town known for making sweet music, or at least the instrument that plays sweet music. We call it Violin City and we'll take you there right after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: Well, if you make them, you may as well learn how to play them, right? That's the thinking in the unofficial violin capital of the world. If you own a violin, there's a good chance it was made there.

CNN's Emily Chang has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EMILY CHANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The sound of novice strings fills classrooms in Donggaocun. The youngest students encouraged by the local government to learn how to play. Today, it's Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

WANG YANPING. MUSIC TEACHER (through translator): We started a violin project to educate teachers three years ago.

CHANG: This teacher says it would be a waste if you were born in a town that produces so many violins but didn't know how to use one.

On the outskirts of Beijing, this town claims to be the violin- making capital of China, the largest exporter of stringed instruments in the world. It is home to more than 100 factories and workshops that churn out hundreds of thousands of stringed instruments every year.

"I bought books about violins and drawing sheets in Italy," says factory owner Chen Zuhua. "Then I started to make them."

That was 15 years ago, when some say Chinese-made violins were no better than firewood.

AARON REILLY, MUSIC SHOP OWNER: They were terrible. I mean, being honest, I mean, they were just really, really bad instruments. And now, I mean, they're very good. I mean, the attention to detail is pretty amazing.

CHANG (on camera): All of the wood in this workshop comes from Tibet. Good wood is very dense. But with fine workmanship it feels quite light. Every detail in this workshop, from the carving to the varnish, is finished by hand.

REILLY: I mean, the wood is decent.

CHANG (voice over): American Aaron Reilly is hand-picking instruments to sell at his shop back in Michigan.

(on camera): How does that look?

REILLY: Yes, I would -- I really like this. You can see all the flame.

CHANG (voice over): He says the quality of Chinese basses, cellos, violas and violins now rivals those made in Italy and Germany, and the price can't be beat. He can resell a violin for 10 times the purchase price in China after adding his own personal touch. REILLY: The bridge is too high, which is perfect, because I'll take it down when I get it back and I don't have to put a new bridge on. So...

CHANG (on camera): So you end up adjusting a lot of the instruments back in the U.S. anyway?

REILLY: 100 percent.

CHANG (voice over): The final product ends up in the hands of students around the world and right next door.

"The violin is hard to play at first, but it's easier if you keep learning," this student says. "I think the sound is beautiful."

And it's 100 percent homemade.

Emily Chang, CNN, Donggaocun, China.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Very nice story.

You know, we're hearing from you about tonight's stories via Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, and we're about to read some of your comments just ahead. Checking them now. Back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. You tweeted me or you sent me something on Facebook or an e-mail, and I heard you. Let's see.

Here's what BarbRad says, "Can't believe we have been here for four hours." She's in the airport. "Not a single announcement."

Person seems to be at Newark. "Pound Newark," they said now. "Pound Newark now."

BubbleFreeze says, "I must say Ed Henry is coming home with a great souvenir from Hawaii, a perfect suntan."

IRANALLIANCE says, "Watching Maz, Rudi and a couple of others on CNN, thank you @donlemon for not just framing Iran as a nuclear issue."

You're quite welcome. It's a very important story. One of the biggest stories of our time.

"NBA guns in locker rooms are ruining its reputation."

"More power to Iran protesters."

"TSA should be person not country selective."

"I can't believe CNN keeps whipping up fears about terrorists. No one died, and you're still talking breathlessly about it." We heard you. And some important announcements today when it came to security and also the closure of the embassies in Yemen. So that's why we thought it was important.

Thank you for joining us here on CNN.

I'm Don Lemon in New York. I'll see you back here next weekend. Make sure you have a great week, everyone, and stay warm.