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Foundation Helps Make Dreams of Home Ownership Come True; Top Senate Lawmakers Expected to Work Out Deal on Tax Cuts and Unemployment Benefits; Iran Takes Another Step in Developing Nuclear Program; Secretary of State Clinton to Hold Talks on North Korea; First Snowfall For Some US Cities; Face to Face with Daughter of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver; Small Business Tries to Make "Pizzelle" a Household Name; Office Holiday Party Dos and Don'ts; Shark Kills a German Tourist at Egyptian Resort; Disabled Freighter Getting Towed
Aired December 05, 2010 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Top Senate lawmakers are expected to focus on two kinds of money matters this week, tax cuts and jobless benefits. A new deal may be hammered out advancing both. Let's bring in Kate Bolduan in Washington.
So, Kate, the Senate defeated two attempts by Democrats to extend some of the Bush-era tax cuts yesterday. Is the next step compromise? Will that happen?
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It appears that way. Yesterday definitely wasn't progress. But lawmakers today appear optimistic that a deal is coming sooner rather than later. The negotiations and the contentious debate over just what to do about Bush-era tax cuts played out today on the Sunday morning talk shows. Here's just a little of that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), KENTUCKY, MINORITY LEADER: I think it's pretty clear, now, taxes are not going up on anybody in the middle of this recession. We're discussing how long we should maintain current tax rates.
SEN. RICHARD J. DURBIN (D), ILLINOIS: I can tell you that without unemployment benefits being extended, personally, this is a non- starter.
SEN. ORRIN HATCH (R), UTAH: I've said that neither side has the votes to get what they want, so I think we're going to have to kick it over for about two years. We're going to have to do unemployment insurance, no question, even though we're a hundred weeks into unemployment insurance, we're going to have to do that.
SEN. RON WYDEN (D), OREGON: I'd be willing to go along with a one- year extension so we can protect the middle class, not do anything to discourage economic growth, and give us the time to fix this job- killing, insanely complicated mess of a tax system.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BOLDUAN: Some people would say insanely complicated negotiations that are underway. But translation of all of that, it appears that they are making progress. Both Democrats and Republicans agree something needs to be done by the end of the year when these Bush-era tax cuts expire. Neither side, though, have enough votes to get exactly what they want.
And the deal in the making, Fredricka, looks like it include a temporary extension of the Bush-era tax cuts -- key word, "temporary" -- for everyone, including the wealthiest families. And in exchange, Democrats would get something they've been fighting for, an extension of jobless benefits for possibly a year for the long-term unemployed.
Anything else, like, some extension of tax breaks in the stimulus package, which the White House has been pushing, is much more of a gamble. Really, bottom line, nothing's a done deal yet, as we have to keep saying, but they're definitely working on it. Sources tell CNN congressional Democrats, Fredricka -- Democratic leaders and administration officials, they met at the vice president's residence just last night to continue talks as they try to hammer out a solution on this tax issue. Fred?
WHITFIELD: And even the president committed that this week, there just might be some continued talks that he'll be involved in to try to at least get some kind of tax cuts going for the middle class.
BOLDUAN: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Kate Bolduan, thanks so much, appreciate that, from Washington.
BOLDUAN: Thanks, Fred.
WHITFIELD: One day before talks on Iran's nuclear program are scheduled to resume in Geneva, Iran has announced it's now producing yellowcake. Yellowcake is used to make nuclear fuel. CNN's Senior International Correspondent, Matthew Chance, is in Geneva Switzerland.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The announcement of this by the Iranians clearly timed to caused maximum impact, coming as it does on the eve of these crucial talks with the so-called P5 plus 1, the five permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany and Iran over its very controversial nuclear program.
But, perhaps surprisingly, the United States most suspicious of the Iranian nuclear program, are playing down the significance of the fact that Iran is now producing its own yellowcake as part of this enrichment process.
And the reason for that is this. It doesn't fundamentally change the basic problem that the international community are now grappling with when it comes to Iran. And that is, first of all, to get Iran to end its uranium enrichment activities. It's already undertaking a lot of them.
It wants them to end those activities because the deep suspicions in the west, particularly in the United States, but other countries as well, that, of course, Iran doesn't just want peaceful technology, it wants to develop a nuclear bomb. Something that Iran denies.
And so, that's still the fundamental issue, the fundamental task of the international community when they sit down for these talks, the first in more than a year with the Islamic republic on Monday and Tuesday of this week. Matthew Chance, CNN, Geneva.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Concern over another nuclear nation has prompted US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to hold talks tomorrow with allies South Korea and Japan. They're discussing North Korea and what to do about the threat of further attacks, like the one North Korea launched nearly two weeks ago.
Earlier, I talked with Marco Vicenzino of the Global Strategy Project about the importance of the US taking a leadership role in these talks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCO VICENZINO, GLOBAL STRATEGY PROJECT: If the US is not taking the lead position, that will further embolden and encourage the North Koreans to take more aggressive actions against the South. So, I think the US involvement is key is a deterrent to further North Korean aggression.
And once again, if you look at regional stability and international stability, will be at stake if there is not direct US engagement in this situation. South Korea and Japan have been traditional US allies, bound by pact, by treaty.
There's American forces in South Korea, American forces in Japan, and you have to coordinate the policy, coordinate your action with your closest allies. And, if there is any aggression, further aggression from North Korea, those who would be participating in any counterattack which be, obviously, US forces, South Korean forces, and possibly even Japanese forces, also.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: China is proposing new six-party talks on North Korea, but no meetings with China are planned thus far.
Parts of the US are getting their first big snowfall of the season more than two weeks before winter officially begins. Oh, doesn't that look fun? Milwaukee and kids young and old are enjoying the snow, as you see right here. Snow has also fallen in Chicago, Indianapolis, and even Raleigh, North Carolina. So early.
Now, when you look at snow like that, Bonnie, you've got to celebrate it. That's when it's fun. BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's fun when you're very tiny --
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: Yes.
SCHNEIDER: And you can just --
WHITFIELD: When you don't feel the cold.
SCHNEIDER: Run out in it. When you're an adult and driving, no. Not fun.
WHITFIELD: No, no, no. Not driving.
SCHNEIDER: Well, you know what's kind of cool --
WHITFIELD: Not far.
SCHNEIDER: Exactly. When it snows down south, because we don't see it very often. Now, I just checked last hour. In Nashville, Tennessee, they're reporting snow showers, so let's go and check it out right now, live. We're going to take a look.
And this is a live picture of Nashville, and you can see the Cumberland River, there. Ooh, look at the steam kind of blowing outside. So, I don't see any snowflakes falling, but they were falling last hour. The temperature's 32 degrees, so it could stick, if there was a little bit of snow out there. So, if you're driving through Tennessee, don't be surprised if you see some snow showers out there.
It is early to see this sort of activity. But we are seeing it because the temperatures are so cold. And it's not just cold in Tennessee. Look how cold it is, even Louisiana, Shreveport, it's 48 degrees, it's 41 in Little Rock, 37 here in Atlanta. These temperatures are about 12 to 13 degrees below normal. This is not what we would typically see this time of year.
And it's not just cold here. As I mentioned, we're also looking at really frigid arctic air that's come in behind this clipper system that brought five inches of snow to Chicago. The current temperature there is 22 degrees, that's actually below normal, as well, even though it's cold.
So, if you're shoveling out from this snowfall, be careful. There's going to be a lot of black ice on the roads tomorrow morning across this entire region. So, for those of you getting an early start on Monday, I would say just use a lot of caution driving.
As you can see, we're tracking the snow showers across parts of West Virginia, and then northward, we'll head back up to the lake effect snow region. Erie, oh boy, Buffalo. You're getting some light snow showers, not as heavy as what we saw over the past couple days. No three feet snow drifts, there. Rochester is snowing, as well. And as we head back to the west, and taking it quickly across the country, I just want to show you what's happening in San Francisco. A lot of rain and cloud cover sliding through the bay area at this hour.
And for those of you catching a Sunday night flight back home, you know what the clouds and rain does to the airports. We've got delays, an hour and fifteen minutes right now in San Francisco. Other delays are light. In New Jersey, Washington, a ground stop in Salt Lake City. In Newark, 25 minutes, Toronto, 20 minutes. So, not so bad. But the west coast, a little slow going due to rain. Way too warm for snow in San Francisco, but pretty much everywhere else, we're getting a little bit of it, right?
WHITFIELD: Yes, it's frosty everywhere else, it seems. All right, Bonnie, thank you.
SCHNEIDER: Sure.
WHITFIELD: Being a teenager. It's not easy. Not for anyone, but when you're a member of a famous and powerful family, it can get really complicated. Face to Face with Katherine Schwarzenegger after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Schwarzenegger, Shriver, and Kennedy. Famous family names whose members are known for being powerful and confident. It's hard to imagine anyone from that lineage having self-esteem issues, but Katherine Schwarzenegger says she did. She's the daughter of California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and journalist Maria Shriver and the granddaughter of the late Eunice Kennedy Shriver.
In her new book, "Rock What You've Got," Katherine Schwarzenegger reveals she had a lot of insecurities while growing up, especially when it came to her weight. The 20-year-old author told me Face to Face body image is something she openly discussed with both her mother and grandmother.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Would you talk about how peer pressure relates and how it related to you when you were in middle school in high school versus, perhaps, the peer pressure that your mom may have felt or even your grandmother?
KATHERINE SCHWARZENEGGER, AUTHOR, "ROCK WHAT YOU'VE GOT": There's a whole new level of bullying. Now you have cyber bullying as well, and that's not anything that my mom or my grandmother dealt with. So, I think the bullying is definitely a huge issue, as we see today, it's in the media everywhere.
And I think especially with Facebook and My Space and Twitter, you can really say anything you want about anybody, and it'll come up to them and will really hurt their feelings. So, I think it's just really up to parents talking to their kids about what's acceptable and what's not acceptable and what they expect from them.
WHITFIELD: What's your advice to young people, whether it's middle school, high school, even in college, who are dealing with this whole new element of bullying, cyber bullying, and they feel like they can't get away from it. Because as soon as they get to their dorm rooms or their rooms at home, they log on, or they get a text message, it's there.
SCHWARZENEGGER: Yes.
WHITFIELD: It's followed them home.
SCHWARZENEGGER: Well, I know that when I was in high school, it was kind of my first experience with Facebook, it was when that kind of came onto the scene. And I noticed when I was always on Facebook that I would always get in arguments with people, and if there's a picture posted where I had my arm around someone, another person would get mad.
So, I got rid of Facebook when I was in high school, and I realized that it really wasn't worth all the fights I was getting into.
WHITFIELD: So you just cut it off?
SCHWARZENEGGER: I cut it off entirely.
WHITFIELD: Even though everybody else around you was on?
SCHWARZENEGGER: Everyone had it, and I was, like, some sort of a weird alien that I didn't have Facebook.
WHITFIELD: And that didn't make you feel --
SCHWARZENEGGER: No, because I really realized --
WHITFIELD: Excluded?
SCHWARZENEGGER: No, because I realized that I wasn't getting in as many fights and arguments with people as when I had Facebook. And I think that it was just really a total weight off my shoulders. I don't have to pay attention to this. People can say what they want to say, but I don't need to deal with it.
But when I got to college, I realized it was -- everyone had Facebook as a means of communication and meeting each other. So, that's kind of when I had to start picking it up again, but it was more to meet people.
WHITFIELD: And you've been hearing now a lot of feedback from people face-to-face as they come to get their book signed by you or get questions answered by you.
SCHWARZENEGGER: I think the most interesting thing that I've learned on the way is that I hear from a lot of guys who come to book signings that they're dealing with the exact same things. I think that's really interesting, because I think as women, we look at guys and think that they're so carefree about everything and they don't have any concerns.
WHITFIELD: So, what's next for you, now?
SCHWARZENEGGER: I don't know. I'm trying to be present with this and enjoy this while I can, and obviously focus on school. I'm a junior, so I want to finish that, obviously.
I think my entire family is really passionate about living in the now. Even my dad, I'll come home and ask him, "What are you going to do next?"
WHITFIELD: So, even with just a few more weeks left that your dad is no longer governor, mom is no longer first lady, at least to the state of California, but always governor and first lady to you, of course.
SCHWARZENEGGER: Yes.
WHITFIELD: And the rest of the family. Do you have very frank family conversations about what Mom wants to do next, what Dad wants to do, what the family feels like would be suitable?
SCHWARZENEGGER: I think we have a lot of conversations about how sad we're going to be when my dad's not governor anymore, mainly because we've become so close with the California Highway Patrol. It's just really that we've had -- developed such strong relationships and friendships with them.
In the beginning, it was so annoying, having to go to school. I know in eighth grade, and having a police officer with me all the time, was hard, especially in high school, when you wanted to go to parties and you were out past your curfew. But we've really developed an amazing bond with them, and they're so much fun. So, I think that's probably going to be the hardest part and the biggest change for us as kids.
WHITFIELD: Maybe that's your next book.
SCHWARZENEGGER: I know.
WHITFIELD: What that experience has been like. Because that, too, is intriguing.
SCHWARZENEGGER: I know, I'll dedicate it to them.
WHITFIELD: How about you? Do you think about a life in entertainment, or acting, or even journalism? This is pretty close to journalism right here.
SCHWARZENEGGER: I'm a communications major, so I'm kind of interested in, I guess, communicating and TV and stuff, I think I'm interested in. But again, I'm going to kind of take things as they come and be able to make decisions when they come to me.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right, Face to Face with Katherine Schwarzenegger. Next Saturday, Face to Face with Steve Harvey, a man with so many hats. He is a successful comedian, actor, author, radio and television host, you name it. But did you know that he has also written two very popular books on relationships? We'll find out how that happened and what advice that he is giving out to couples out there. Face to Face, Steve Harvey, next week, lots of fun.
All right. Want to enjoy your company holiday party? Well, you want to do that without having to hide from your boss the next day. Some tips on Office Party Etiquette.
And brand recognition is a problem many small businesses face, but product recognition? That's an even bigger hurdle. Christine Romans introduces us to one Pennsylvania entrepreneur who's up to the challenge in this week's Turnaround.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If you don't know what a "pizzelle" is, you're not alone. These waffle-shaped Italian cookies are hardly a household name. But Stan Kourakos is trying to change that. His business, Little Pepi's, makes pizzelles and only pizzelles in this modest factory in Hatfield, Pennsylvania.
STAN KOURAKOS, PRESIDENT, LITTLE PEPI'S: Our biggest challenge is just getting people to know what a pizzelle is. Even though the product has been around since 700 BC.
ROMANS (voice-over): Kourakos bought the business in 2003 from the original owner, who started out baking the cookies in his own kitchen four decades ago. Little Pepi's had a small but loyal following, but sales began to slow.
KOURAKOS: When I bought the business, there were two big problems, two glaring problems that I saw. Number one was the building was being taken for eminent domain.
The second problem was, the equipment was 25 years old. It was all electric, it was a very labor-intensive process.
ROMANS (voice-over): The solution? Kourakos moved the company to a larger suburban facility and made a big purchase. A giant waffle- stick oven retrofitted specifically to make pizzelles. Production quadrupled, but his energy bills also jumped.
So, Kourakos went from baking four days a week for eight hours to baking three days a week for ten hours. He was able to keep almost all of his employees, about one quarter of them have special mental or physical needs.
KOURAKOS: And that's a corporate responsibility that we've kind of taken on, but it's the one unique thing about our business. It is a family-run business, but we're like a family here.
ROMANS (voice-over): Sales are up 15 percent this year, but ingredient and packaging costs have jumped, too. That's cut into the company's margins, because Kourakos doesn't want to pass those price increases onto his loyal customers. KOURAKOS: We get e-mails all the time. "Your product is just like my grandmother's." And we embrace those.
ROMANS (voice-over): Christine Romans, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Surviving your holiday work party with your reputation intact. Key tips straight ahead, but first, a look at the top stories.
Iran's top nuclear official says his country has started producing yellowcake uranium, the material used for enrichment. Ali Akbar Salehi says Iran's nuclear program is now completely self-sufficient, a development he insists will strengthen Iran's position for the next round of nuclear talks, which start tomorrow in Switzerland.
And Egyptians lined up to vote today in a second round of parliamentary elections, but two major opposition parties boycotted the vote to protest what they call cheating in the first round of voting last week. The US has also criticized the first election, saying there were numerous irregularities. Egyptian election officials claimed the irregularities did not reflect the results.
The US State Department is warning US citizens not to travel to the Ivory Coast. There's chaos on the streets after a contested presidential runoff election there. Two men now insist they're president of the West African nation. The country has been unstable since the failed coup attempt eight years ago.
Now, reclaim your career. Going to a holiday office party this month, perhaps? Have fun, but try to be careful, too. Paula Caliguri is a human resource management professor at Rutgers University. She's joining us right now from New York with a little advice.
OK, good to see you. You say --
PAULA CALIGURI, HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PROFESSOR, RUTGERS UNIVERSITY: Nice to be here.
WHITFIELD: For a large part, your approach to your holiday party is crucial. This is not a social event, this really is work. So be on your best behavior.
CALIGURI: Right. We should always assume that everything we're doing will be remembered the next day. Everything we're doing. So, the question is, how do we want to be remembered?
Do we want to be remembered for our terrific social skills, and do we want to be remembered for that great way that we were having conversation, or that we were fun and interesting? Or do we want to be remembered for that micro miniskirt, or the Bah Humbug t-shirt, or the fact that we were they guy in the corner checking the BlackBerry all party -- all along the party? You want to be remembered for those really terrific things, especially if you're junior in the organization and if you're newer to the organization. You have a lot more to lose in reputational capital. So, it's still work-related.
WHITFIELD: At the same time, you do want to exhibit that you do have some social graces about you, because even your bosses are kind of assessing that, how well you do mingle.
CALIGURI: Right. You don't want to be a bore. So, for instance, if you like to dance, and there's dancing at the party, go ahead and dance.
WHITFIELD: Oh, boy, that's risky.
CALIGURI: You just don't want to be the one -- you don't want to be the one leading the conga line, right? Or leading the Macarena. You want to show that you have really terrific conversational skills. You want to show that you are socially graced. And this is a nice opportunity to do some networking. You can get some visibility with some folks senior in the organization and some folks outside of your business unit.
WHITFIELD: OK, and also --
CALIGURI: It's a nice opportunity.
WHITFIELD: You also have to be conscientious of your eating habits and your table etiquette, because that can backfire, too, if you think you're a little too comfortable and you act like you're at home. Or somewhere else.
CALIGURI: Good point. Right. So, we also have to be careful -- there's always the one person at the table who ends up using the wrong water glass or the wrong bread plate. You don't want to be that person. So, if you want to brush up on your dining etiquette, you want to brush up on your table manners, there's some great websites, just do that before the party. And make sure you demonstrate those outstanding social skills once you're at the party.
WHITFIELD: OK. Because there's nothing worse than -- also, sometimes somebody, like, eating over the whole plate of food that everybody else is going to be getting a spoonful of and they won't move on. That's got to be the worst, you see that all time, too.
All right, and then you --
CALIGURI: Yes, don't do that, that's pretty gross.
WHITFIELD: Yes, that's really bad, but somehow, people still need reminders on that. And then, you do want to be polite to your coworkers' spouses, their partners. You want to show that you can be social with them, too. To what extent?
CALIGURI: This is so critical, isn't it, though? You want people to be walking away, you want your colleagues' spouses and partners and dates to be driving home from that party, and you want them to be saying, "Wow, I really had a great conversation with your colleague Fredricka. She was terrific. Boy, she was really interesting. We were talking about whatever." You want to be the person that people remember for those really positive things.
WHITFIELD: And then, how do you say thanks? If this is an office party, if this may be a different kind of social affair, you would probably want to send a thank you note, you want to make it very clear that you appreciate the invitation. But when it's an office party, how do you handle that?
CALIGURI: Do the exact same thing.
WHITFIELD: Really?
CALIGURI: If your president of the organization is there, yes. If your president of the organization is there and if he or she doesn't know you, this is a wonderful opportunity to walk up to him or her and say, "Thanks for the party, this was really terrific." Exactly as you would at your friend's party, exactly as you would -- you wouldn't walk out of your friend's house without saying, "Thank you for the party."
And if you don't have the chance to say thank you, send a little handwritten thank you note. It doesn't have to be flowery, it doesn't have to be overly gushy. But just very sincere. And thank them for the party. And let them know you had fun.
WHITFIELD: But unlike a friend's party, where you might bring a hostess gift, you're not going to do that at an office party.
CALIGURI: No, of course not.
WHITFIELD: OK, just checking.
CALIGURI: No, you just want to show some appreciation.
WHITFIELD: OK. Paula Caliguri, thanks so much. Appreciate that. Hopefully we will have only fond memories of that holiday party, nobody will be talking about us in a bad way once we leave. Thanks so much.
CALIGURI: That's right. Enjoy.
WHITFIELD: Thanks so much. All right, a giant freighter carrying crude oil and diesel fuel disabled off Alaska's Aleutian Island. We'll tell you about the rescue efforts right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A shark hunt is under way right now in the waters off the coast of Egypt. Today a shark killed a German tourist who was snorkeling at the popular Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. Three tourists were injured there last week in shark attacks. Egyptian authorities are now ordering people to stay out of the water completely until they locate the shark. I talked with a local diver via Skype about the danger at this popular resort.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Jochen Van Lysebettens, good to see you, give me an idea about what's happening there, no snorkeling, no diving as long as there continues to be a search for this shark?
JOCHEN VAN LYSEBETTENS, RED SEA DIVING COLLEGE: Yes. Exactly. So, today -- I received, at 5:00, I received official confirmation of the authorities that there's no diving, no -- sports, no snorkeling at 50s starting tomorrow until for the rest of the days, until further notice.
WHITFIELD: So, this woman who was in the water and her arm was severed, she died within minutes. I understand that this has happened after a series of other attacks last week. There were three Russians who were injured and one Ukrainian. What more do you know about the frequency of these injuries or these shark attacks?
LYSEBETTENS: Yes. The first attacks were placed, correct, to three Russian guests, to one Ukrainian guest. They were place on the limbs, the arms and the legs. This attack happened on the beach of where I have one of the diving centers in front of the Hyatt Regency. And a woman was attacked while swimming. So, she was swimming to keep in shape. And suddenly there was a scream for help. And the lifeguards and people around it tried to help per. Eventually one of the lifeguards got her on the reef. And by the time he got her on the beach, he saw that she was severely bitten in one leg and one arm as well. And because she was hit in the two arteries, the one of the leg and the one of the arm, she was -- it was fatal, unfortunately.
WHITFIELD: Horrible situation. So, is it believed that this is one shark, or there are a number of sharks that are being blamed for all these attacks?
LYSEBETTENS: There's no proof. There's no proof of any sharks or group of sharks that are doing the attacks. But personally I believe that it's only one shark that is causing this strange behavior. Sharks normally don't behave like this, specifically this shark because it's an open oceanic, white fish. And this type of shark lives in the open sea. So, they normally don't come to reefs. And something must have triggered this behavior.
WHITFIELD: So, when the time that you've been the general operations manager for the Red Sea Diving College, have there been other periods where there have been these kinds of series of attacks. How rare is this?
LYSEBETTENS: It's very rare. I mean, we as divers, we hardly get attacked by sharks. It's very, very rare for divers to get attacked by sharks. And as a diver, yes, I have always kind of a weapon with you. It's there because if you see sharks around and they start behaving aggressive or they start circling you, you can blow bubbles and the sharks are afraid of bubbles. They cannot place the sound of bubbles. They don't like it and they cannot place the fact that bubbles coming up to the surface. So, it can happen, of course, that you are getting attacked, but this is very rare. A snorkelers, on the other hand, they're helpless creatures. Basically on the surface. And for them, you're potentially a piece of food. And for the shark, it doesn't matter if you're human or animal. For him, you're a piece of food that he can eat. Now, every time on all of the attacks, the shark has made one bite. As far as I know, not bitten in fact to eat. For example, as soon as he made the bite, he pulled back and he took off. Now, unfortunately, when you get bitten by a shark, the wounds that are left are severe, of course.
WHITFIELD: For now, no snorkeling, no diving allowed or encourage there at that portion of the Red Sea near Sharm el-Sheikh. Jochen Van Lysebettens, general operations manager at the Red Sea Diving College in Sharm el-Sheikh, thanks so much for your time, Jochen.
LYSEBETTENS: You're welcome.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Egypt's tourism ministry says the waters of Sharm el- Sheikh will remain closed to people until they catch the shark responsible for those attacks. Now, let's check in with our Bonnie Schneider because the problem that we're facing in this country, very cold weather, blustery and lots of snow already.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right. Snow from two different systems, the first one, lake-effect one, Thursday, it brought monumental snow to upstate New York. Three feet and still higher than that in many places across that, the affected areas. And then, after that, if that wasn't enough, another part of country in the Midwest was faced with a clipper system that brought some very moderate snow I'd say. But on the high side for the first snow, the sea in Chicago got five inches. Now, when a clipper system moves in, what it does is it pulls in and reinforces the cold air right behind it.
So, the next morning maybe sunny and you're shoveling out but it is cold out there. Look at the numbers, it's 22 degrees tonight in Chicago. And if that's not cold enough for you, head to Minneapolis where there is a mere 16 degrees. It's cold in Pittsburgh, it's cold everywhere really. I heard finally warm places on map but let's see if we can. You know, we are looking at the south as well for another snowy spot tonight. We had reports of snow showers falling in Nashville, Tennessee. The first of the season. A lot of that is kind of wavering in the Knoxville area. Though much of what you see on radar is necessarily heading the ground temperatures or in the 30s. Certainly, it's sticking where you have the snow in upstate New York like in Rochester and Syracuse.
More intense snow bands in that part of the country. And then all the way to the west where the temperatures are much milder, we are seeing rain in San Francisco. Some heavy bands rain actually moving in. And that is definitely affecting those of you that are flying maybe back from a nice, long weekend. One hour and 15-minute delays in San Francisco at this hour. Lighter delays due to weather in Charlotte, also into Newark, Toronto facing some very cold temperatures and snowy conditions there as well. In Washington, D.C., the delays have early gone up since our last report.
Now, I want to take you to Monday morning. For those of you have an early, early commute, the best advice I can say is give yourself extra time and bundle up. Wear the layers. Because temperatures tomorrow are going to be even colder than they were today. And the cold numbers with all this air -- look at this northwesterly flow, pushing the cold air all the way far of the south that you will feel those cold temperatures. And in Atlantic, for example where the temperature is hovering in the upper 30s right now, it's going to get down to the 20s. You can see a live picture right outside of our studios here at CNN. You're looking at Atlanta. It's looks nice. Kind of getting dark out there. But it's cold. Thirty six in Nashville. Sixty one in Tampa. I can't forget Florida, Fredricka. However, here from Florida, it's so called but, you know, 61, I saw a relative of course.
WHITFIELD: Of course.
SCHNEIDER: That's 15 degrees below normal.
WHITFIELD: Yes. When you're used to 75 and 80, you know, 61 is cold.
SCHNEIDER: It could be in the upper 30s in Northern Florida, so definitely cold.
All right. Thanks so much, Bonnie.
SCHNEIDER: Sure.
WHITFIELD: All right. A rescue under way in the frigid waters off Alaska now. A cargo ship carrying nearly a half million gallons of crude oil lost power in a remote area off the Aleutian island. Right now, a rescue tug is trying to pull the ship to safe harbor. But it has bad weather and high seas working against it. Earlier today, I talked by phone with Chief Petty Officer Dana Warr of the U.S. Coast Guard in Anchorage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANA WARR, CHIEF PETTY OFFICER, U.S. COAST GUARD: They got on scene yesterday about 5:30 Alaska time, and it took them about three hours before they actually got the tow set up and they were underway. So they had to go through some safety procedures and make sure both captains were comfortable with how things were going to go. But the crew on the tug is -- this is what they do. They're an ocean going tug. They can handle the sea states, and so far everything's gone very well.
WHITFIELD: And your greatest concern or worry would be what?
WARR: Right now is if the tow is to break. That would be our worst concern. We do have backup emergency towing systems. We have the Alex Haley, and it's just around the corner. That can also respond if that tow is to break. Or we can fly out by using helicopters and other towing system onto the tug and they can reconnect something again. So this is - this step one, or Plan A. We have Plan B in place in case something happens. (END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The cargo ship was traveling from Vancouver British Columbia to the United Arab Emirates when it lost power near the illusions on Friday.
So, why would anyone go swimming in Buffalo, New York of all places in December? Our resident funny man George Wallace will give his take on that and other items straight ahead. I'll be taking his seat.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Our Comedian George Wallace is here with his humorous take on the news in a moment. But first, a look at the top stories. President Barack Obama held a reception for this year's Kennedy Center honorees at the White House reception unit. The honorees are, let's take a look at that beautiful picture, Composer Jerry Herman seated right next to Oprah, you know where she is. And standing Singer Merle Haggard, Director Bill T. Jones and Sir Paul McCartney. Right top of the rival at the Kennedy Center are expected to begin in any moment. If we have pictures, we'll bring in to you.
And Golfer Tiger Woods is looking for his first win of 2010. He's playing in the Chevron World Challenge match in Thousand Oaks, California. But it's a struggle. He entered the fourth round today four strokes ahead but had since relinquished much of that lead.
And former rap mogul Marion Suge Knight has had another run-in with the law. L.A. County deputies arrested him late Friday night on an outstanding traffic warrant. He has been released. The former Death Row CEO has a long arrest record.
OK. So, what would you say if someone said, let's go for a swim, not in an indoor pool but outdoors in December in Buffalo, New York? Comedian George Wallace is back with his take on the weekly news. And something tells me he's going to say, nope, I'm not interested in that invitation at all.
GEORGE WALLACE, COMEDIAN: Honestly, I spent so much time (INAUDIBLE). These people are crazy.
WHITFIELD: I know.
WALLACE: You know how cold it is in New York?
WHITFIELD: You know, they are doing it for a pretty good cause, trying to raise money for Special Olympics but...
WALLACE: Why don't you just give the money and not jump in the pool. Would that be easier?
WHITFIELD: You're right.
WALLACE: You know how cold it is in New York. I went last week in there. It's so cold, and the city of Statue of Liberty took that torch and put it under her dress. That's so bad. (LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: Pretty too, stuff. You have been on the road quite a bit. And I guess during this last journey, you had a stroke of bad luck.
WALLACE: Fredricka, I'm so happy to see your smile today because I've been there at all day. Somebody on flight 2102 stole my iPad today on the airplane. Can you believe that?
WHITFIELD: On the plane?
WALLACE: On the plane. Does where it was on the airplane. I got off the plane. I walked out of the door and I told the supervisor, he didn't see it. Flight attendants didn't see it. The cleaning crew didn't see it. Somebody saw it because it's not there. I'm just mad walking to the airport all day. Then I stopped to get gum and it's $3 a pack.
WHITFIELD: Now, you're mad. You like an out -- whatever, few hundred bucks on my iPad.
WALLACE: A few hundred bucks? I've got everything on there. I'm just mad. I just want to get some ice cream a day at $6 per cup. What's going on the price of iPad? You've need to try that Rush Limbaugh flavor.
WHITFIELD: What is that? What flavor is that?
WALLACE: It tastes like crap but you get a lot of it.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: Oh my God!
WALLACE: Remember that you've got -- crazy.
WHITFIELD: Yes. I know it's -- well, hopefully somebody might say, you know what, I was on that flight. I heard George Wallace. This is his iPad. I'm returning it. That would be nice, wouldn't it?
WALLACE: Ladies and gentlemen, George Wallace was on flight 2102 from Las Vegas this morning. I lost everything I had out there, I lose my iPad, I have all my gospel music, everything, you know, you take it as crazy guys but I love my gospel music. So, I'm going to be raising the hell for the rest of the day.
WHITFIELD: Oh, no, well, hopefully somebody gives it up. You know, maybe they'll re-gift it by giving it back to you. Would that be considered re-gifting?
WALLACE: I don't care what it is. I love re-gifting.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: You do like re-gifting? WALLACE: Yes. I've been re-gifting for long time, girl. I'm crazy. I've been re-gifting. I start -- you know, even the Christmas greeting cards.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
WALLACE: You ever send those out?
WHITFIELD: Yes, I do. You can't re-gift Christmas greeting cards.
WALLACE: Yes, you can. I cut off the bottom and write my name on and I send it back out.
WHITFIELD: No, no, no.
WALLACE: You get a -- on the mail.
WHITFIELD: It's from you.
WALLACE: It's OK to re-gift.
WHITFIELD: So, you're OK with it?
WALLACE: Re-gift in a little while. It's fun. I started with the first fruit cake, of course, you know that right. The first fruit cake many years ago on Thanksgiving.
WHITFIELD: And it's just never gets bad until someone can just give it on to the next person next year. Like that?
WALLACE: What happened was they brought these fruitcakes to the pilgrims and everybody is going, this is such a nice gift and everybody's going, I can't wait for Christmas and everybody...
WHITFIELD: Do you like fruit cake?
WALLACE: I love fruitcakes, I might the only one that you know that likes fruitcakes but I like stuff like that.
WHITFIELD: We make fun of it but sometimes, it can be good.
WALLACE: And re-gifting, you know what? You ever do the switch switcheroo? I got by a lot of Christmas gifts, I like it, on a dollar store and put them in a Niemen Marcus box.
WHITFIELD: No, I can't do that.
WALLACE: I do that.
WHITFIELD: What if they want to return something and they're presuming they cut it in this box, they want to go or making exchange...
WALLACE: That's right. That's very embarrassing, but I go, it's a good trick. I do all kinds of things at Christmas. All my family members, every year, I give them nice Christmas gift and I leave the price tag on everything.
WHITFIELD: Oh, OK.
WALLACE: Not only do...
WHITFIELD: So they know you spent money.
WALLACE: Not only I leave the price tag on, I mark that stuff up. I want them to know what I paid for that gift.
WHITFIELD: So, warning to anybody, you just don't want a gift or a card coming from you.
WALLACE: I love to re-gift. All men out there, if you get, if you get a coffee cup that says you're the number one dad and there's already coffee stains in the cup, you have been gifted, trust me.
WHITFIELD: It was supposed to be, I guess it could have been an embarrassing moment for LeBron James making his way back to Cleveland, maybe he thought that he would get a warm reception, I don't know, from some of his fans out there. WALLACE: You know, he's my son, you know, I claim that he's my son. I love LeBron because I went to college at the University of Akron so I'm sure that's my son. If you look at him, he looks kind of like me. I'm going to sue him for father support. But they booed him so much. He was so good, he scored so many points. I mean, he beat the cavaliers like a drum. The police came and took him out of the game in the third quarter and they let the water boys play. That's...
WHITFIELD: Do you think like deep down inside, some of the, you know, Cleveland fans who really want to root for him but felt like him kind of can't do it because everyone's still so angry at him? They were kind of bringing him on a little bit and see...
WALLACE: He's only 24-years-old, 25-years-old. Every young man deserves to improve themselves. Now, I went to college in Akron in Cleveland, OK?
WHITFIELD: Yes.
WALLACE: First thing you do when you get out of college, you say, I got to get out of here. And I'm just telling you, I mean, if you want to go to heaven, you go to Cleveland, I'm just telling because they got nice people, nice churches, nice restaurants.
WHITFIELD: Tough winners.
WALLACE: You go down to Miami, they got nude beaches, naked ladies. I say, let the boy go to hell.
WHITFIELD: No.
WALLACE: Let him go down, with his friends, did they do a good job? Obviously, not. I just love sports and speaking of sports, my brother went to Auburn, Steve Wallace. He had the whole football team at our house today for dinner. Can you believe that? WHITFIELD: Oh God!
WALLACE: He is so stupid. He told the caterer make dinner for 60. If you bring 60 Auburn football players, don't you know that means enough food for 120?
WHITFIELD: George, too much. That's it.
WALLACE: So, that means, they all got a chicken leg. They were mad. They were running. How about the kid on the news you had today took a kneel for a touchdown?
WHITFIELD: Right...
WALLACE: That's not terrible.
WHITFIELD: No penalty there.
WALLACE: You can't spike the ball anymore. You can't...
WHITFIELD: There are rules.
WALLACE: You can't hit the quarterback anymore. You can't do anything.
WHITFIELD: Right.
WALLACE: I mean, had he done the moon walk, the stadium would run gone crazy. Michael Jackson gets more respect than God. That ain't right?
WHITFIELD: George Wallace, always good to see you.
WALLACE: Well, good to see you, too. I'm going to watch some football games.
WHITFIELD: I hope that iPad is returned to you.
WALLACE: I hope so, too because you're going to have to pay for it.
WHITFIELD: Me?
WALLACE: Or you're going to have to re-gift yours.
WHITFIELD: I don't have one yet.
WALLACE: You're doing CNN News and you can't afford to...
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: Maybe after Christmas. You know, I just don't have one, I'm not that hip yet.
WALLACE: This is the comedy news network. That's what CNN stands important.
WHITFIELD: Oh my goodness. Right now at this moment.
WALLACE: You better get yourself an iPad.
WHITFIELD: I'm going to get hip, 2011, I promise. George Wallace, good to see you. All right. Thanks so much.
WALLACE: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: We'll be right back after this.
WALLACE: I love you.
(LAUGHTER)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. Time now for our "CNN Political Update." A quickie. Here's what's crossing the ticker right now. Newt Gingrich may be tipping his hands on plans for 2012. When asked this morning if he's going to be in the presidential race, Gingrich says, he's more inclined to run than not to run. He believes President Obama will only get one term if the economy does not improve.
And my colleague, Don Lemon is going to be coming up next. In fact, he's going to be talking to William Bennett about the possibility of Newt Gingrich making a run in 2012. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, see you back here next weekend, Don Lemon, up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
