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Doomsday Warning If Deficit Isn't Tackled and Reduced; Major Storms Cause Major Damage Up East Coast; Where in the World Is Julian Assange?; Eight Million Cut Credit Cards; TARP Costing Less; World AIDS Day; Haiti's Presidential Vote Turns Violent; "Avatar" Technology Could Help Athletes

Aired December 01, 2010 - 13:00   ET

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

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey there, everybody. I'm Kate Bolduan in for Ali Velshi with you for the next two hours. Here's what's on "The Rundown," what we're watching right now.

A doomsday warning if we don't tackle the deficit and a loud call for big cuts. That could cut deep into your family's finances.

Plus, meet a man leading the battle to wipe HIV off the planet and find out if we're winning the fight on this World AIDS Day.

And building better athletes with tech tricks learned on an alien movie set. A "Big I" sure to be a big hit that you do not want to miss.

But first, we're tracking a dangerous storm system that is moving up the East Coast. The big concern? Now, flooding with heavy rain expected for most of New England. It's already causing major delays at LaGuardia, JFK and other airports. I know. I do not want to have to tell you that. But it's true.

This same system already slammed the South spinning off at least four tornadoes in Mississippi. Twisters hit Yazoo City, for the second time this year but unlike the storms there in April, there fortunately are no reports of severe injuries or death.

Now, in rural Louisiana a storm tore through the town of Atlanta. It ripped one home absolutely to shreds. Also, good news, though. No injuries reported.

And then in Buford, Georgia, just outside Atlanta, we learned a few minutes ago that it was, in fact, a tornado that caused all of this damage that you're looking at right here. Our meteorologist Jacqui Jeras has been in Buford all day. Thank you so much for doing that, Jacqui. She joins us live by phone with more on the destruction that has displaced some families. Tell me, Jacqui, what do you know?

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST (via phone): A real devastating scene here for folks in this suburban neighborhood of Atlanta. Waking up with 56 homes which are damaged; 12 of those are destroyed. Just unlivable. People are here today trying to pick up the pieces. We just learned from the National Weather Service, as you said, that it was a tornado but they tell us it was an EF-2, so those maximum winds were about 130 miles per hour. While there was a tornado watch in effect at the time, there was no warning. Doppler radar did not pick up the rotation with this storm. So, thankfully no one was injured in this situation and most people were not home since they were at work is what we're hearing here, common story across the neighborhood.

The temperatures are very cold, and that's helping, you know, making things a little worse unfortunately for these folks, too. It feels like temperatures in the 30s at times today along with very windy conditions. There's so many contractors and insurance adjuster people here trying to move the process along as well.

So, in the meantime, we're looking at quite a bit of damage. It's spotty throughout this neighborhood, and the worst of the damage was this one home that we saw the pictures of that were just flattened. Literally nothing salvageable from that house.

BOLDUAN: And Jacqui, this something that people up the East Coast are going to have to keep an eye on, right?

JERAS: Well, I think for the most part, the severe weather threat is over and done with, at least in terms of seeing more rotating thunderstorms. But we still have a lot of heavy rain in the mid-Atlantic and northeastern states, so flooding will be a concern. There's been record rainfall with this storm anywhere between one and four inches has fallen really widespread up and down the Eastern coast. We have to watch that in the upcoming hours.

And the other thing too is that even though we might not see severe thunderstorms, the winds are just howling with this storm. We're going to see gusts up to 50 miles per hour yet this afternoon into the Northeast. That's much of the reason why we're seeing so many delays at the airport. And when you talk 50 mile-per-hour winds, Kate, certainly that can cause damage with power outages and trees down as well.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely. All right. Jacqui Jeras, thanks so much. Jacqui.

JERAS: Sure.

BOLDUAN: Time now for our "Sound Effect" today. And today, we hear from a man the whole world wants to find. He's Julian Assange. You know that name by now. Founder of WikiLeaks and now a rape suspect in Sweden. Amid the firestorm over those WikiLeaked cables from the State Department, the global police agency Interpol says its put out a red notice stemming from the sex case.

That's not exactly an arrest warrant, more of a "be on the lookout" type of deal to 188 countries around the world. A court in Stockholm issued its own a warrant two weeks ago, finding probable cause that Assange may have been involved in rape, molestation, and illegal use of force back in August. Assange insists he's innocent and calls the prosecution a smear campaign. But in late October, when he sat down with CNN's Atika Shubert, he really didn't want to talk about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So you don't want to address whether or not you feel this is an attack on you?

JULIAN ASSANGE, FOUNDER, WIKILEAKS: It's completely disgusting, Atika.

SHUBERT: I'm asking whether or not --

ASSANGE: I'm going to walk if you're going to contaminate us revealing the deaths of 104,000 people with attacks against my person.

SHUBERT: I'm not. What I'm asking you is if you feel this is an attack on WikiLeaks?

ASSANGE: All right.

SHUBERT: Julian, I'm happy to go on to --

ASSANGE: (INAUDIBLE).

SHUBERT: In what sense? I have to ask that question, Julian.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Wonder if he'll have any more to say about that anytime soon. The U.S. Justice Department says it's launched its own investigation of Assange for the leaks. All the while, he's laying quite low somewhere in the world.

Another controversial story that we're watching, day one of a pilot program aimed at boosting organ donations in New York. Now through May, New York City will be sending out two ambulances to some 911 calls. The first is the standard EMT one. The second is called the organ preservation unit. That second crew will hang back out of sight. But if the patient doesn't make it, they will gently approach the family about removing the kidneys ASAP for donation.

There are safeguards in place meant to head off any ethical issues, and the program's backers say if the trial goes OK, it could be revolutionary. Last year, close to 5,000 Americans died waiting for new kidneys.

Something else pretty unusual for New York. An earthquake. Yes, an earthquake. A 3.9 quake rumbled the region yesterday morning. OK, Californians obviously are scoffing at me right now. But hey, this was the area's biggest quake in some 20 years. No injuries or damage or really anything, though. The epicenter is that box that you see 80 miles off of South Hampton Long Island and 120 miles off of Tom's River, New Jersey. Strongest quake ever to shake the Big Apple, magnitude 5.2 back in the 1700s and 1800s. I don't think anybody remembers those at this point.

A first look at a horror story that started to unfold two years ago. The California attorney general has just released a video showing a 16-year-old boy escaping the home where he was held captive and tortured. You see him there dressed only in boxer shorts, running into a nearby health club begging for help.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A young man came into the front door. Came in very dirty. You could tell something was wrong. He was holding a chain around his ankle with a padlock on it. He quickly came up and just said, "Please help me, they are coming for me. Help me. Can I hide behind here?"

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: So horrible. Four people have been convicted in that case. They face up 30 years in prison.

And if you can't clear it out, burn it down. That's what the bomb squad says is the safest thing to do with a house crammed with explosives in California. We're talking chemicals, grenades and three types of explosives, including PTEN. We talked about that quite a bit recently. That's the stuff used by both the shoe and underwear bombers. The man who lives there has pleaded not guilty to more than two dozen explosive charges and two counts of bank robbery, by the way. The controlled burn is expected to happen next week. Don't want to miss that one.

After a break, the moment of truth. I'll show you how some smart people want to fix America's finances and why your finances might suffer if they can't.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

BOLDUAN: If you're trying to budget your holiday spending -- aren't we all - or thinking or planning a New Year's financial resolution -- which I am not -- you can sympathize with people in Washington who are trying to do what lawmakers simply won't and haven't up until this point. Make the government live within its means.

Here's how amazingly tough that actually is. A blue ribbon bipartisan commission created by President Obama put every conceivable tax and expense on the table, from Medicare to even museum fees. And managed to balance the budget in 2035, a quarter century from now. And when members vote on the plan on Friday, they may well reject it. But co-chair Alan Simpson says somebody has to do something and soon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALAN SIMPSON, CO-CHAIR, DEBT REDUCTION PANEL: We all know the figures and we all know the math. The fact really is this is it. No more fun and games, smoke and mirrors, alchemy, trickery, cunning, CYA demagoguery and making promises we can't possibly keep.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: I will spare you the figures and the math because quite simply it makes my eyes glaze over. But here's the situation.

The government, like your household, takes in money every month and spend it on necessities, luxuries, whatever. If the money runs out, the government and many households use credit to keep on spending. And that works for a while. But at some point if nothing changes, every dollar that comes in goes to the payment of the debt. Every other expense, food, shelter, cable, is cut out or paid for with more debt.

In 15 years if nothing changes, every dollar the federal government takes in will go for Social Security and Medicare. The so- called entitlements and also for the interest on the debt. There will be no money for anything else. Even before that happens, the panel warns ever rising debt will force up the cost of borrowing, limiting the government's options when it needs cash for emergencies and sending more and more of our tax dollars to other countries that hold America's IOUs.

Already foreigners own more than half of our public debt with China -- you probably guessed that -- leading the pack. Now we could spend hours going through the spending cuts the panel may recommend, but with all the fuss about extending the Bush-era tax cuts you might wonder how high is rates might go for you if the debt commission gets its way. And again, that's a long way off from actually happening.

Bottom line, income tax rates would go down maybe as low as eight percent for lowest earners. But deductions, exemptions, credits would go away or be sharply reduced. The federal gas tax would go quite up, by 15 cents a gallon. Stay tuned for that.

With all that said, 8 million people dropping their credit cards. I'll tell you why. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: So, credit cards. Your favorite topic? Maybe not depending on how much you have to pay on it. Credit card use is way down. In fact, nearly 8 million Americans have outright dropped their credit cards. Why? Well, there seems to be three big reasons and you can see them behind me.

First, one we hear about a lot, is people are getting cut off by banks or simply by their credit card companies. And people are also buying less these days and are simply more afraid of debt so they're less inclined to use credit.

And third, more people are actually trying to pay off their credit balance. A novel idea. Average credit card debt is down this year, $4,964.

I want to bring in Christine Romans, our co-host of "YOUR MONEY" -- not my co-host. I wish it was my co-host but maybe someday if I'm lucky.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Me, too.

BOLDUAN: Christine, I look at this number, $4,964. That's still a lot of money.

ROMANS: It is still a lot of money, you know, but it's -- and it's up a little bit from the previous quarter but it's down a lot, quite frankly, from where it was a year ago. And fewer people are carrying big, big balances. A couple of reasons here. One reason is they've lost their cards. They've completely had to have a settlement of that debt, they're done, they're off, the credit card company has closed up their account and is going after them in court trying to get them to pay and they're done, or they are paying off -- they are chastened by the financial crisis and they are paying off their cards of their own free will. So people are paying down debt. They heard the message, Kate, from three years of just an abysmal economy because of having too much debt, buying things we couldn't afford with money we were never going to be able to earn for things we didn't need and that's changing.

BOLDUAN: So this is good news being -- people paying down their debt. But at the same time, 8 million people dropping their credit cards, your need credit. So isn't there some risk to this?

ROMANS: Well, look, so 7 to 8 million (ph) people do not have any credit cards at all. Is there a risk to it? Well, if you have cash, if you own your home, if you have your car, no, there's no risk to using a debit card, for example, tied to your checking account or using a check or using a prepaid card, as long as you're being very careful about the fees associated with that. But there still are a lot of people out there who aren't using credit.

Now, the risk associated for the people who are not getting access to credit and they're using payday lenders, they're using really expensive check cashing places, they're using onerous, I would even say some of these really terrible pre-paid credit cards. There is a risk for people -- and there are people who just don't have access to credit any more simply because of the new rules meant to clamp down on some of the most egregious practices of the credit card industry. Those have shut some people out of the system all together, no question.

BOLDUAN: One other thing I want to get to real quickly, we, of course, never have enough time, is TARP funding. That beautiful acronym that we've grown to love so much, Troubled Asset Relief Program. It's actually costing taxpayers a lot less than originally thought. $25 billion instead of the original $700 billion estimate. Why is it so much less?

ROMANS: Well, we always knew that it would cost much less than $700 billion. $700 billion was how much was put into the system. How much the Treasury was going to get back was always the question and that has changed. The bailouts have cost a little bit less of the auto industry. The banks have bought back some more of their preferred shares and the like and have bought back more of that from the government, so the government has been paid back more.

Frankly, the government held an awful lot of toxic assets still and those are a little less toxic. Some of the things that they hold are worth a little bit more right now. So you're seeing the overall cost now forecast at $25 billion, not as bad as the $109 billion that we thought it would be the last time around.

BOLDUAN: It's chump change when we're talking about government spending these days.

All right, I know I love when I get to get you -- you get your eyes rolling.

Christine Romans. Thanks so much, Christine.

ROMANS: Yes.

BOLDUAN: You can catch more of Christine and Ali's conversation affecting your wallet on "Your Money" Saturdays at 1:00 p.m. Eastern, Sunday at 3:00. Christine Romans is also the author, if she had any extra time, she's the author of "Smart Is The New Rich," on bookshelves now.

Let's get a check of our top stories. Some of the latest developments in the day's top stories.

Congress is still divided and facing a showdown on the future of Bush era tax cuts. And now two new surveys show that Americans are pretty much divided on the issue as well. Around 40 percent believe the tax cuts should only be for families making under $250,000 a year. About that same number want the tax cuts extended for everyone.

And, six American troops killed in Afghanistan may have been victims of a Taliban secret agent. The Taliban claim the Afghan border patrol officer who opened fire on the NATO convoy joined the police just to carry out an attack. But his police commander disputes that saying he was a trusted officer trained by coalition forces. The officer was killed. NATO is investigating.

And today is World AIDS Day. A new United Nations report says new HIV infections have actually dropped by 20 percent worldwide in the past decade. The number of AIDS deaths is also dropping, but there still aren't enough people getting treated. The report says there are two new infections for every one person starting treatment.

As I said, it is World AIDS Day and there's progress to report in the fight against this deadly disease. We want to tell you more about that. But the battle is far from over. We'll talk to an expert on the front lines next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: AIDS is a killer that shows absolutely no mercy. Today is World AIDS Day and there are cheers for some gains in the fight, but also the realization that the battle is far from over. Here in Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park, organizers showed off the world renowned AIDS quilt today. The U.N. says the number of new HIV infections is decreasing. But there are two new infections for every one person starting HIV treatment.

Other sobering facts you must pay attention to. Some 33 million people worldwide are infected with HIV. The 2.6 million new infections is down from 3.1 million in 1999. And there were 1.8 million AIDS deaths in 2009, and that is compared to a little over 2 million in 2004. Over 60 million people have been infected since the start of the epidemic in the 1980s. Nearly 30 million have died. That's nearly 30 million people.

And that's why I want to bring in Mark Ishaug. He's in Chicago with us. He's the president and CEO of the newly created AIDS United and also the president and CEO of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago.

Mark, thank you so much for joining me.

We list off all of those numbers, but they're real numbers, those are real people. What do those numbers say to you. There's some good and there's also still some bad.

MARK ISHAUG, PRES. & CEO, AIDS UNITED AND AIDS FOUNDATION OF CHICAGO: Hi, Kate. Thanks for having me on.

Yes, I mean, this is a really important day, World AIDS Day. And it's not just about the numbers, which are horrific, 33 million people worldwide and a million people in America living with HIV. But this is also a time of great hope. And that's why I'm so excited to be leading this new organization, AIDS United, which is the result of a merger of AIDS action and the National AIDS Fund. But it's not about the merger, it's about what we're going to do to end this epidemic in America.

BOLDUAN: Tell me about the merger. What is it gaining for you? What are you guys taking on? How are you taking on this fight, this -- continuing the fight? Where are you putting your focus?

ISHAUG: Well, in a couple of ways. But we are so committed to unifying this fight against AIDS and to bringing all people into this big tent because the only way we're going to conquer AIDS in America is if we are united. And that's what AIDS United is going to be all about.

But we're going to focus on a couple of things. We're going to focus on raising private and public resources and getting those dollars to the communities most impacted by AIDS, including the south, which is just devastated by this epidemic.

The second thing that we're going to do is really focus on health care reform, because this, Kate, this is the game changer. This is what will bring about the end of the epidemic in the United States.

BOLDUAN: I was reading something that really struck me. I read that despite the lower numbers, the demand for resources is still surpassing the supplies that are out there. Does that -- are people forgetting about the crisis that we still face with AIDS and HIV? ISHAUG: Yes, I think it's Dr. Coop (ph), the former surgeon general, said so eloquently a couple of weeks ago, in some ways AIDS is a forgotten epidemic in America. At AIDS United, we're about changing that story because we can. There are a million people living with AIDS in this country and there are 50,000 to 60,000 new infections. Each one of them is preventable. And if we just focus our energy and our resources, we can end this epidemic.

As the head of the CDC said recently, and we have agreed with this for a long time, AIDS is winnable. We have tools, we have expertise, we have the best scientific minds in this country, we have people with HIV that are committed themselves to ending this epidemic. And that if we unite through AIDS United and all of our other partners, there is no way that we cannot win this battle.

BOLDUAN: That's a good point to end on. A good day for everyone to remember the battle that we still have ahead.

Mark Ishaug, the president and CEO of the newly created AIDS United. Thank you so much, Mark.

ISHAUG: Thank you, Kate.

BOLDUAN: It's locals versus federal officials in a real sign of the times. We'll tell you why the idea of new street signs is raising such a ruckus.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Since September 11, 2001, Dr. Kevin Stone has been thinking about the rescue challenges of tall buildings.

DR. KEVIN STONE, DEVELOPER, RESCUE REEL: Right now if you're in a disaster, a fire, an earthquake, your choices are to get down the stairwell or try to get to the roof.

Tall buildings often will get filled with people, and the stairwells essentially become unusable.

TUCHMAN: Stone's solution is called the Rescue Reel. He says the small and portable system is intuitive and easy to use.

STONE: Hook it to something that wouldn't go out the window such as a door or a desk or a hook, get into a universal harness, clip to it the device and lower themselves to the ground.

A non-trained person can get out of the building in under 10 to 15 seconds.

TUCHMAN: Designed for buildings under 100 stories, Stone thinks Rescue Reels could one day as common as fire extinguishers and sprinkler systems.

STONE: As we build taller and taller buildings, the likelihood of rescue departments being able to get people out of buildings is going down rather than going up.

TUCHMAN: He says, the commercial version of the device should be available in time for the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

Gary Tuchman, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: It's half past the hour and here are the latest developments in today's stories.

Flood watches and warnings are out across the northeast with heavy rain and wind causing big problems on the roadways and big delays at the airports. It's the same system that caused damage, major damage in the southeast yesterday.

Also, the harsh reality of the federal deficit front and center this hour. The president's commission is out with a long list, a long list of program cuts and tax hikes that could mean big changes for your family's finances.

And also, some encouraging numbers from the U.N. on this World AIDS Day. New HIV infections are down 20 percent worldwide over the past decade, but the number of new infections still outpaces the number of people starting treatment.

So, it's road signs versus dollar signs as local officials try to battle the federal government. What am I talking about? Well the feds have ordered the installation of new signage meant to make for safer driving, only they are not paying for it. And with town, city governments strapped for cash already, they want to put the brakes on this whole project.

Also all over the country and the Worldwide Web, folks are taking time to honor none other than Rosa Parks. Today is the 55th anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott where Parks famously refused to give up her seat to a white passenger. She was arrested and the rest is history. That's part of today's commemoration, the Smithsonian is showcasing the dress that Miss Parks, a seamstress, had been working on that day and Google's main page shows a bus logo in tribute.

And if the Senate doesn't ratify a new arms reduction treaty with Russia, Russia will build new nukes. That's not me talking or even the White House, which negotiated the treaty and very much wants it passed. That's Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in an interview with CNN's Larry King.

Putin says a new arms race is not his choice and not in America's interest, but he says, Moscow will have to react somehow if Washington rejects cooperation.

The new pact would cut each country's stockpile of nuclear warheads and allow inspections to resume. Some Senate Republicans want to put off a vote until early next year at the soonest.

And you can see that interview tonight on "LARRY KING LIVE" 9:00 Eastern only here on CNN.

Guns, tear gas, violence and deaths. Sounds exactly like a war zone, right? But it's actually election day in Haiti. CNN iReporter and former bassist for The Black Crowes and Train is here to tell us about what he saw coming up in "Globe Trekking."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: Imagine going to cast your vote for president and being met with violent protesters and tear gas. Well, that's exactly what happened in Haiti over the weekend, and our own Ivan Watson got caught up in the mess.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: All right, so some of the security forces -- wow, it's starting to hurt -- have just fired tear gas or pepper gas to disperse the crowd. Haiti is in the midst of a political crisis right now. Not much else you can call it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: This incident in Port-au-Prince happened the day after Haiti's national election. The election ended with allegations of widespread fraud. So far, there's been no clear evidence of major fraud, but there were many reports Sunday of disorganization and some occasions of apparent cheating at the polls.

In addition to violence, some Haitians were not even allowed to vote because their names were missing from voter lists.

Last week we had CNN iReporter Johnny Colt on. You were talking about the cholera outbreak and clashes with U.N. demonstrators then, Johnny. You've since gone back down to look, to cover the elections and you've come back to talk to us more about it.

I want to roll some of the, if we have the video, one of your iReports and you can describe to me what we're looking at and what you saw this time around and if it's changed any since we were there last.

JOHNNY COLT, MUSICIAN & CNN IREPORTER: Well, right there, those are Martelly supporters and they were dragging a poster of Celestin and beating it with sticks..

BOLDUAN: Those are two of the presidential candidates.

COLT: Those are two of the presidential candidates, thank you.

Right here, I'm actually standing on top of the Martelly bus, but where you just saw Ivan reporting, you could see me in the back of his shot, which is strange. But Ivan is fantastic.

So this is -- the Martelly demonstration here is going from the Carrefour section of Port-au-Prince, and they're heading into Delmas. The police have stopped them. Right there, that's Marti San Carrefour at the end. They've stopped the demonstrators right there.

There's only a few policemen, which I thought was interesting. They pull the tear gas cannon out, people start running. They're going to fire the tear gas, which you'll see drop into the screen here. There, that's the tear gas coming in that's bothering Ivan Watson.

And at this point the crowd dispersed and ran and the police had stopped them.

BOLDUAN: So, Johnny, tensions were already high when we were talking about it. They are dealing with that massive cholera outbreak. Not only have they not recovered from the massive earthquake, also these clashes with U.N. peacekeepers, and now this unrest with these elections.

Why are they so angry? What are you seeing? What your hearing when you are down there?

COLT: Well, one of the things that I think that's confusing people is that -- what you just saw is not so much conflict, it's the Martelly supporters continuing to support their candidate. They are rallying and they are continuing to -- the election isn't decided so they are continuing to campaign.

And that's what they are doing there. It's just when the police stop them that it turns into a clash.

BOLDUAN: Were you surprised when you saw these demonstrations? I mean, for you it's kind of relative, because you were caught in some serious violence when you were down there previously. Were you surprised with what you saw in how the election unfolded or was it kind of what you expected to see?

COLT: Well, there's two parts to that. The night before this election night, there were some clashes that were more intense than this.

The election itself was an interesting process. I followed a Haitian friend of mine trying to get a vote. It took him all day. His name wasn't on any of the voter rolls. He was eventually able to able to vote in Cite Soleil. We started at 8:00, he finally was able to at 4:00.

The interesting thing is there's no privacy in the voting booth. There's not booth, it's a room and everyone is voting in front of each other. So when one Gaston, being in Cite Soleil, that's Celestine, one of the candidates, that's a stronghold for him. So my friend went to vote for Martelly and the whole room turned around and told him to vote for Celestine.

BOLDUAN: Really?

COLT: Yes, we have that in one of my iReports, you can see that happening.

BOLDUAN: We're going to have more in the next hour. You're going to stick around, I hope, and we'll --

COLT: I'll be here.

BOLDUAN: -- talk more. We've got more to go over. We'll talk more about your iReports and the amazing stuff that you get when you're down there.

Johnny Colt, we'll have him back next hour. Thanks so much, Johnny.

For right now, let's get a check of our top stories that we're looking at at the moment.

Unemployment benefits are about to run out for nearly 2 million Americans. Senate Republicans and Democrats aren't seeing eye to eye over how to continue funding the payouts. Congress has extended the deadline four times -- the deadline for filing four times in the past year.

And today marks the first day of Chanukah or the Jewish Festival of Lights. Jews celebrate the holiday over eight days by lighting candles on a menorah. It commemorates the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem after Syrians were chased out centuries ago. Traditions also have it that a candelabra miraculously burned for eight days with only one day's worth of oil. Happy Chanukah, everybody.

NASA is stirring up a lot of buzz about where there -- get this -- really is extraterrestrial life out there life out there. Yes, they're talking about it. It's planning to hold a news conference tomorrow to discuss what it calls an astrobiology finding. So we'll have to wait and see if, in fact, E.T. finally was able to phone home.

So the same technology used to make -- used to make the movie "Avatar" is now being used to help build better athletes. It's today's "Big I" and it's coming up right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: In today's "Big I" the technology to make that smash hit movie Avatar is now being used to make better athletes. The technology we're talking about is also used in video game systems like X-Box and Playstation. The camera tracks the motion of the athlete's body and then sends that information to a computer that can be studied did by researchers at none other than the University of Maine.

And one of the professors from the University of Maine working on this project is Bob Lehnhard, and he is joining me via Skype right now. So Bob, this is fascinating. This caught all of our attention. How are you using this technology here? BOB LEHNHARD, PROFESSOR OF EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF MAINE: Well, the main purpose is to help the athlete and to make our training more intelligent and less volume. If we can do more with less, then the athlete will be better rested, they will grow quicker, their performance will improve quicker. So, hopefully through this science and engineering and the technology, we can be smarter about what we're doing to these athletes.

BOLDUAN: How does the technology work? How does it actually help the athlete? What kind of information are you gaining that you didn't have before?

LEHNHARD: Well, we've always looked at mechanics, whether it be sprinting or golf or pick any sport that you would like. And you can film it with a regular camera and get the big picture. But this system sends over 2,000 images to the computer per second. And the Olympic training centers have used this for a long time.

It helps us look at things on a much smaller, more detailed scale, and it's becoming that specific as far as training. If you think about 100-meter dash lasting 10 seconds, a lot can go wrong in 10 seconds. One little false move with your foot or hand or a body part could cost you 500ths of a second, and there's the race. So, this tool really helps us fine tune the movements to an unbelievable degree.

BOLDUAN: We're seeing a little bit of the video of some of the -- of one of your athletes training. She looks like a sprinter, I believe. What has the data shown so far? Specifically with that athlete? What have been the results? How has that helped her?

LEHNHARD: Well, I wish I had some to share with you right now. We're just finishing up collecting it. But the purpose of what we're doing right now is to determine if -- if some of the exercises that we put them through in the weight room, how much relationship they actually have to race performance. Athletes spend an awful lot of time of time lifting weights and jumping and doing things away from the track or away from the field. And we're trying to find out just how much of that energy is actually going to carry over into their specific performance.

BOLDUAN: So, it's a better use of time and resources in essence? If an exercise isn't working for one specific athlete, you can cut that out. And this is what the data would show in essence, correct?

LEHNHARD: Exactly. Here at Maine, we take the view that -- or any athlete or any -- take yourself. You only have so much energy for the day in a 24-hour period. And we ask these athletes to do an awful lot. And if we can help them focus that energy on worthwhile endeavors, they have to expend energy at school, not just working out. So, if we can help them place their energy where it needs to be so they can perform well at everything, that's our goal.

BOLDUAN: Fascinating technology. Fascinating work. Keep up the good work. Bob Lehnhard with the University of Maine. Thanks so much for joining us today. LEHNHARD: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: Want to give you an update also on a "Big I" that we brought you a couple of months ago -- Ali brought you, of course. Microsoft has sold more than 2.5 million Connect devices for the X-Box 360 in its first month on the market. The $150 device allows gamers - you're looking at some video there -- to play video games without controllers. The devices uses a camera to pick up body movements. And just to give you some perspective, Microsoft sold more Connect devices in the first month than Apple did iPads. Very interesting.

So, Republicans won big in the midterms, but that may not be enough to save Michael Steele's jobs. Critical meetings are going on right now, and your CNN political update is coming up next.

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BOLDUAN: Republicans' fight for the White House in 2012 starts right now with an election not open to the public. It's for the top job at the Republican National Committee. CNN senior political editor --I got it right for once -- Mark Preston is here with our political update, live at the RNC from Washington.

So, Mark, why is -- I know a lot of our viewers are very politically oriented, but why is the vote -- why is the RNC chair such an important position right now?

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, Kate, think of it this way. The Republican party is a table with four legs. You have Congress, which is one leg. You have the potential presidential nominee, which is the other leg. You have the RNC, which is another leg and then the fourth leg you have the state parties.

Well, the RNC is extremely important and the next chairman of the RNC is going to be very important because that's the person who is going to be charged with over the next year-and-a-half trying to soften up President Obama.

You're going to have a lot of candidates running for president. You'll have leaders in the House on Capitol Hill, Republican leaders, trying to do some legislating. The RNC chairman is charged with trying to soften up Obama, soften up the Obama administration and probably just as importantly, trying to raise as much money as possible to try to take on President Obama, Kate, in 2012.

BOLDUAN: So, what's going on there? You have a lot of people around you. What's going on there today?

PRESTON: Well, kate, what we have today is we have this first forum that is taking place. We're going to have potential candidates who are going to be on stage taking questions from here in the audience. We expect about 200 people.

What's interesting is it's moderated by Freedom works, which is an organization that puts together Tea Party rallies and has really helped the tea party movement move from a grassroots movement to become a national movement. They're going to be taking questions from behind me. In fact, one of those, I believe Saul Anuzis standing right behind me. He's the former Michigan party chairman. We also expect to hear from Erin Wagner, the former Missouri party chairwoman. And here's a big surprise. Mike Duncan, who was the RNC chairman under President George W. Bush, he is a late add. He is going to be on stage today. So, he is another potential candidate for the RNC chair.

Now, Michael Steele, the current chairman, is not going to be here. I'm told that Michael Steele is still considering what he wants to do. I will tell you that Michael Steele feels he should be the chairman and a lot of the success the Republican party had in this past election cycle -- 63 seats in the House, six seats in the Senate and of course, all the state legislatures they picked up, he feels he was part of it. However, a lot do not think he did not do a great job running the RNC, specifically raising money. They felt he didn't do a good job running the RNC.

So, Kate, this will be the first of probably several forums we'll see. The election for the RNC, again, 168 members are going to vote on it, and that election, Kate, will take place in early January. Kate.

BOLDUAN: Well, Michael Steele definitely has a good resume under his belt with this past midterm. He also is known for grabbing headlines - not always the best headlines. So, that's probably part of it as well.

All right, Mark, we'll get back to you. Thanks, man.

Your next update -- your next political update is going to be just about one hour away.

So, here's a good question. Who is buried in this coffin, and why is it up for election in California? I don't know, and we're going to find out next.

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BOLDUAN: All righty. It's time for a little "Odds & Ends," shall we? Have you ever wondered what everybody is searching for online when they aren't busy watching -- CNN, of course?

Well, today, one of the Web's most popular search engines, Yahoo!, put out its list of the most searched terms this year. The oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico was the most searched term followed by World Cup soccer, the World Cup soccer tournament and pop singer Miley Cyrus. The iPhone and TV show "American Idol" also ranked among the most-searched items. Singer Britney Spears topped off the list at number ten.

Interesting fact. If Yahoo! looked at my producer Kelly's computer, her top ten searches -- all of them -- would be Ohio State football. These are the kind of working conditions I have here, people. It's that bad. Anyway, here's a bizarre auction that may be better suited for October 31st than the first of December. The original pine coffin that held the body of JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald from his burial in 1963 until his body was exhumed in 1981 is up for bids at Nate D. Sanders Auctions in Los Angeles. The starting bid, $1,000. Anyone interested? No?