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American Morning

Peacemaker and Diplomat Richard Holbrooke Dies; Monstrous Snowstorm in the Midwest; One Step Closer to Tax Deal; Oprah Down Under: Accident on the Set; Assange in Court; Living Without Work

Aired December 14, 2010 - 07:00   ET

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

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. Thanks so much for being with us this morning on this Tuesday. It's December 14th. We woke up to a little bit of snow falling outside of our House this morning.

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. It was started certainly last evening. I flew in from Atlanta late last night, and it was snowing and a little more snow on the ground today. Just a dusting, though. Let's get you caught up on what happened while you were sleeping.

They're taking (ph) an awful beating in the Midwest, the monster snowstorm burying cars with the drivers stuck inside, single-digit temperatures. The kind of cold you feel in your bones compounded the misery this morning. And at some states, the pain is not letting up because there is another wave of snow on the way for you today.

CHETRY: Well, you're one step closer to keeping a big chunk of your paycheck that could disappear on New Year's Day. President Obama's tax cut deal is set for a final vote in the Senate, cleared a hurdle yesterday. But will the House move quick enough? We're live at the White House this morning.

ROBERTS: And he's dedicated his life to making the world a more peaceful place. And this morning the nation is mourning the today we're mourning the life of Richard Holbrooke. He died yesterday at the age of 69. We'll take a look back at a career that started during Vietnam and ended in Afghanistan.

CHETRY: Up first, a monster Midwest storm piling on the pain from Wisconsin all the way to western New York. Wind-whipped snow and a dangerous deep freeze had people trapped in their cars. This was in Indianapolis. A lot of people stuck for more than 12 hours. Rescue workers weren't sure if they found everyone this morning.

ROBERTS: And so that's the situation on the streets around Chicago. Check out Chicago's O'Hare airport. Well over 1,000 flights canceled yesterday, zero visibility on the runways, and zero chance of scoring a hotel room for hundreds of stranded travelers.

CHETRY: Whether you're flying today or under a few feet of show yourself, we have the storm covered for you.

ROBERTS: Our Jacqui Jeras is tracking this enormous system. She's in the weather center in Atlanta. But first, let's send it out to Rob Marciano who looks like he's in the middle of a Norman Rockwell painting in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. They're used to snow there, just not this much this often.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: No, and you couple that with this biting cold -- I mean the big freeze is on and the snow continues to fall. You mentioned air travel. We tried to get in here two days ago and couldn't do it because of the weather. They're still under a winter storm warning.

The snow continues to pile up. This area -- keeping the roads at least passable, but the cold is so bitter and so long standing that now even some water main lines are beginning to burst. And you see a number of roads that are closed because they're trying to patch up those water lines. And when you've got temperatures in the teens, that water freezes obviously and that ushers in a whole other realm of problems.

Waking up in Cleveland this morning, the winds were blowing about 40 miles an hour, still the winds are gusting that high with temperatures in the teens, wind-chills well below zero. This is biting, biting cold. Here about 15 to 20 miles off the lake, not quite as windy, but more snow.

This is a beautiful set-up, especially during the holidays. You mentioned like a Norman Rockwell painting. It certainly has that feel. But even for folks who are used to it, this is too much. We talked to the mayor yesterday. Here's what he had to say about how bad it really is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR TOM BRICK, CHAGRIN FALLS, OHIO: This is -- this is very severe. It's as severe as it gets. We had a couple of feet last week and then partially melted over the weekend, and now we're in for it again. So we are used to winter, but this is peak.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: Yes, so they're already tired of it, and we're not even too Christmas. And that little bit of melt over the weekend. Obviously, that creates other issues. And you've got in some spots a frozen layer on top of the snow that's already on the roadway.

As far as snowfall totals, we've another foot, and other spots the northeast, Ohio, including Ashtabula, almost -- still in effect until 7:00 tomorrow morning. Back to you in New York.

CHETRY: Yes, they got hit early. And they took a big hit early. And we had a long way to go until winter is over. Thanks, Rob.

ROBERTS: Thanks, Rob.

CHETRY: We want to get to the extreme weather center where Jacqui Jeras is tracking this for us. Indianapolis, they weren't sure if they got everybody out of their cars.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, I know. And then you have temperatures that are well below freezing there too, so it is a dangerous situation. So that's why we always tell you, plan ahead and make sure you have that emergency kit in your car and a full tank of gas, too, because you can periodically turn that car on and get that heat and blankets and food and always that have with you.

That bitter cold air all the way down through the deep south, even though the state of Florida this morning. It feels like 12 right now in Jacksonville. A record low at 23 degrees, feels like nine in Nashville, one in Atlanta. You're looking at 20s and teens here, 13 in Syracuse, which will get hit really hard, by the way, with the lake effect snows, as well. It feels like nine degrees in the Detroit area.

High temperatures, not looking that great. You can probably take -- especially in this part of the country up here, maybe take a good 5 or 10 degrees off the thermometer reading. That's what the wind will be doing to impact your temperature. Barely above the freezing mark in Atlanta. And in New Orleans, you're under the freeze advisory, as well.

What about the snowfall? You can talk about that. You can see the snow showers in New York City, over Long Island right now. Very little accumulation expected. Light snow moving into Washington, D.C., so just a little bit on the rough side on your commute this morning, but things should be better by this afternoon.

There's that snow coming down into Syracuse, east of Cleveland, and we're going to watch that continue at least through tomorrow. And some of you might be getting those lake effect snows Thursday early Friday morning before this begins to wane. And that's courtesy of our area of low pressure, our lingering low that doesn't want to leave, continues to funnel that cold air along with the high pressure.

And that's why it's colder with the wind-chills across parts of the southeast and the mid-Atlantic as opposed to northern parts of New England because that's where that wind field is driving. And looking great across the Midwest. Lots of sunshine, and even though it's cold, it looks good. Hopefully that'll get you through the day.

ROBERTS: Jacqui, thanks so much.

In Wisconsin, the plows have been going nonstop since this weekend's blizzard dumped up to 24 inches of snow. This morning crews are putting down salt to keep major roadways from freezing over. Many of those side streets in the areas, though, have already turned to ice. And once that happens, officials say there's not much you can do except wait until warmer temperatures move back in to try to melt those streets.

CHETRY: Also, this morning, unseasonably cold weather stretching as far south as central Florida. Right now temperatures in Orlando are hovering over 30 degrees. The average low for the area is usually in the 50s. ROBERTS: This could relieve some of that frozen frustration that a lot of people are experiencing right now. It's called the "snow bot." It's a robotic snow-blower designed by a group of students at Purdue University. So you don't have to risk slipping or falling, shoveling snow, or risk a heart attack like many people do.

It isn't quite ready for prime time. They're still testing the prototype, but who knows? But this could be on the home shopping network in a couple of years.

CHETRY: It needs to throw the snow a little further.

Well, what a difference a day makes. Check out two shots from Peter Weinberg (ph), an iReporter from St. Paul, Minnesota. The first one taken during the snowstorm on Saturday, and then the next one taken on Sunday. You can see the sun is out, should stay out today, but temperatures are expected to only reach the teens.

There you go. Nice, right? It cleared out?

ROBERTS: It did. It's a little clearer, yes. But unfortunately clear usually means cold.

CHETRY: Oh, yes.

ROBERTS: I flow home with somebody from Minnesota saying it was cold even for them.

CHETRY: Yes, I know, and early, early in the season. They have a long way to go.

If you've got severe weather happening in your area, send us an iReport. Go to CNN.com and click on "iReport."

ROBERTS: The clock ticking on the Bush tax cuts, President Obama's compromise with Republicans has cleared a major hurdle in the Senate and a final vote could come today.

CHETRY: But one Democrat called the $858 billion measure a time bomb. In the past, maybe a lot murky in the House. Ed Henry joins us live from the White House this morning. We've been talking about this, of course, all week, but what are the chances this doesn't pass through the House?

ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The president really has the most momentum, Kiran, than he's had in the whole debate. Clearing that Senate hurdle was so important because, as you know, in the last two years we've seen so much of the Obama agenda get easily through the House and then struggle in the Senate where you need the super majority of 60 votes.

He got that yesterday on this tax cut plan, well over 80 votes, Republicans and Democrats. It's hard to remember the last time an Obama initiative got that many votes. And now all eyes turn to the House. And the president's is already leaning on his fellow Democrats there to get this done. Take a listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I urge the House of Representatives to act quickly on this important matter because if there's one thing we can agree on, it's the urgent work of protecting middle class families, removing uncertainty for America's businesses, and giving our economy a boost as we head into the new year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: Now, after final passage in the Senate as early as today, as you noted, the White House is now hopeful and private that they can get this tax package on the House floor as early as Thursday of this week. It's far from a certainty that it's going to get done, but there's a lot of talk behind the scenes that House Democrats will get some sort of an alternative that will make changes to the estate tax that they're not happy with in this original plan.

And getting that extra vote, getting on record about their concerns, might help push this through finally. So the White House is very hopeful they're going to get this done by the end of the week.

ROBERTS: So the president has that -- it's not really a deadline, because when you have your own 747, you can move things around a little bit. But he's supposed to leave for his vacation in Hawaii on Saturday. Is he sticking to plan that so far?

HENRY: It sounds like he's not going to. Robert Gibbs says he'll stay as long as Congress stays in session. Originally Democratic leaders wanted to be out of town by Friday. Instead it looks like he'll leave next week. Largely because he wants the new START treaty, the arms reduction treaty with Russia, done. He's very hopeful he can get that in the Senate, but it's not going to get done by the end of this week.

So he'll probably leave for Hawaii early next week, I'm interested in that because I've already got my board shorts packed.

(LAUGHTER)

CHETRY: I was going to say, if he's not leaving until next week, neither is Ed Henry.

HENRY: Exactly.

ROBERTS: We've seen you in your board shorts, as well, Ed.

HENRY: It doesn't sound like you're looking forward to it, John.

ROBERTS: Oh, no, very much so.

(LAUGHTER)

CHETRY: Just wear sunscreen.

HENRY: Lots of sunscreen.

ROBERTS: All right. Thanks, Ed.

HENRY: Happy holidays.

ROBERTS: You too.

HENRY: Also new this morning, WikiLeaks chief Julian Assange scheduled to appear in a London courtroom today. He is expected to fight extradition to Sweden where he is wanted for questioning on sex crimes charges. His attorneys will also try to secure bail. Assange has spent the last week in a British prison cell.

CHETRY: And 100 years means forever for former President Ronald Reagan. Nancy Reagan helped unveil a brand new centennial stamp dedicated to her husband yesterday. It's expected to be sold as the forever stamp when it hits post offices in February.

ROBERTS: Well, come if you dare to Chernobyl. The Ukrainian government says the site of the world's worst nuclear accident will be open to tourists next year. Visitors can get an up close look at the reactor that exploded almost nearly 25 years ago, also towns and villages that were abandoned. The government there claims that radiation in some spots is starting to return to normal.

CHETRY: That's a huge selling point. That's probably on the front of the brochure.

ROBERTS: It's beginning to return to normal in Chernobyl. Don't leave your lead underwear at home, though.

CHETRY: All right, it's the golden arches versus the golden state. McDonald's CEO blasting San Francisco city officials for banning the sale of happy meals for kids. Jim Skinner says that the, quote, "Food Police" undermine parents. Last month's city board of supervisors voted to ban restaurants from offering toys with meals unless the food meets nutritional guidelines.

ROBERTS: Well, he brokered the name to the war in Bosnia, tirelessly sought peace in Afghanistan right up until the day he died. Take a look back at the life of Richard Holbrooke and the void that his death leaves in American diplomacy.

CHETRY: And Hugh Jackman with an eye for danger. He tried to make a grand entrance to the Oprah show, and ended up with a black eye. We'll tell you what happened.

ROBERTS: And one of the greatest sports streaks ever is over this morning. For the first time in 19 years Brett Favre inactive. More on the painful end of a remarkable run in your morning talkers coming right up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Fifteen minutes past the hour now. Leaders here and across the globe this morning are paying tribute to one of the giants of diplomacy, Richard Holbrooke, who passed away yesterday.

ROBERTS: President Obama is saying the United States is safer, the world more secure because of his half century of patriotic service.

And joining us now to talk more about Richard Holbrooke is former assistant Secretary of State Jamie Rubin. He served with Ambassador Holbrooke for almost eight years and even close friends with him ever since.

This is a huge void particularly when it comes to Afghanistan policy because he had really made so many changes in how we were doing things diplomatically over there and now he's gone.

JAMES RUBIN, FMR. ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE: Yes, I think it is a great loss, not only to the people that he put together this rather unique team of dozens of experts from across the government and true experts he put together in this mission in Afghanistan. But in many ways, it's a loss for all of us who believe in the moral and principled role of the United States in the world. Richard really believed in that, and I think his finest moments were during the Balkan peace accords in the '90s where the United States acted on behalf of the Bosnian people to do the right thing for individuals, for people, for a group, not just strategic calculations, but a moral foreign policy. And Richard believed in that. And I think it's a loss for those of us who agree with him.

CHETRY: He's been described and remembered over the past few hours since his death as a very tough negotiator. Someone that was very hard to say no to. What was it that -- what does it take, I guess to be a good negotiator? And how did he embody that?

RUBIN: Well, Richard obviously was an intelligent man, but he also had the ability to operate at several levels. He operated as a -- in the world of politics, in the world of policy, in the world of the press. He was quite formidable in the media. And he also operated in the world with people. So you put all of those components together and I think it's probably signature element was his historical analogies. He was always making a grand analogy saying this is the guns of August and like in World War I or that it was related to Vietnam. So he had this unique ability to use all the tools of history and geography and politics and diplomacy and put it together for one purpose.

ROBERTS: I was always intrigued and slightly amused too at the way that he would always grab your hand and say, there's somebody over here you just have to get to know. But back to what you were talking about with Bosnia, he took some heat for negotiating with Milosevic, which prompted him to say and we put the quote up on the screen here. He says, "I have no moral qualms about negotiating with people who do immoral things." He knew that there were bad people in the world that he had to talk to if he wanted to get something done.

RUBIN: Well, absolutely. And clearly his ability to work with Slobodan Milosevic and achieve these historic date and accords was the highlight of his diplomatic career. And although he was someone who recognized evil when he saw it, he also knew that sometimes the job of America's diplomacy is to deal with such people to get the job done for the United States, for the people on the ground, and we couldn't be too pure or couldn't be, you know, too principled to say that we're not prepared to talk. But talking isn't the same as capitulating or appeasing. And some people forget that.

CHETRY: The other thing that's interesting is the -- where this leaves Afghanistan now. I mean, how did Richard Holbrooke feel about our chances of success in Afghanistan? And where is it left now with his loss?

RUBIN: Well, Richard was a realist. I don't know his innermost thoughts. I think few people do, maybe his wife and one or two others. I do know that Richard believed very strongly in the civilian part of our role there. Whether it's getting agriculture experts in to move away from opium production, whether it was to get salaries paid by cell phones to the police and the military could stand up in Afghanistan. He was involved in all aspects of the nonmilitary role of the United States, building of that nation's capacity. And so I think there are going to be some, you know, difficult times now finding someone who can do all the things as well as Richard could do them. But in the end, I think Richard wanted America to succeed there. He wanted President Obama to succeed there. And I -- and I hope that those around him get a chance to continue to serve in the way that he helped them come to government.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: You know, what White House thought though, he kind of was a larger than life character, that he potentially was exactly the right person to put in the job there in Afghanistan because, you know, he was nicknamed "the bulldozer" and had that hard nose for diplomacy. One that led Henry Kissinger to say about him once that if Richard calls you and asks for something, just say no because -- just say yes because if you say no, you'll eventually get to yes, but the journey will be very painful. So he in a way, you know, even in some of the most difficult places in the world of bringing people around to his way of thinking.

RUBIN: Well, yes. And that was because he embodied the fine principles of our own country. Both pragmatism, getting the job done, doing the thing that needs to be done, but also principle. And I think Richard believed in that and he -- he was brilliant at using all the tools of our diplomacy knowing that we had a military backing it up or economic sanctions or humanitarian assistance. All of those things. And he also, you know, played a powerful role publicly because many times certainly before 9/11, the American people had turned away from foreign affairs. And during the Bosnia period in particular, he saw the role of the media to explain to the American people why we should care about these events thousands of miles away. And he was particularly skilled at that.

I know he appeared on this show and many others. And I think we will need to find a way to fill the gap because American diplomacy can't just be about, you know, calculations and chess boards and all of the traditional means of diplomacy. His son told me once when we were in Colorado together that they had a -- you know, obviously a relationship where Richard was traveling a lot. But he said he was so proud of his father for the things that his father did for people on a humanitarian level both in and out of government.

ROBERTS: Such a shame that this happened. It's so sudden.

CHETRY: Yes, big void to be filled. Certainly, I know you were friends with him, so our condolences to you, as well. James Rubin, great to talk to you this morning, former assistant secretary of state.

RUBIN: Thank you.

CHETRY: Thanks.

ROBERTS: Thanks, Jamie.

CHETRY: Still to come this morning, drama on the Oprah Winfrey set in Australia. It was an accident that happened when Hugh Jackman was trying to make a grand entrance and it actually brought production to a screeching halt.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Some of the stories that got us talking in the newsroom this morning. Oprah Winfrey creating a media frenzy down under. The TV talk queen taping two shows before 6,000 screaming fans at Sydney, Australia's famed Opera House which was renamed the "Oprah House" for the event. Among those people in the crowd, 302 U.S. audience members who were along for an all-expense paid week-long trip called Oprah's ultimate Australian adventure. And among the star-studded guests to appear on the program, Russell Crowe, Jay-Z, and Bon Jovi.

CHETRY: That would have been fun to win. To be one of the free to be flown out there with Oprah.

ROBERTS: It's going to be a great trip. Australia is a fabulous place.

CHETRY: Well, not everything was picture perfect, however. Hugh Jackman was trying to make his grand entrance by swooping onto the stage with a zip line. OK. There he comes, coming on with a zip line. Waving to the crowd, one hand on the zip line. But --

ROBERTS: But slow down, slow down.

CHETRY: -- he accidentally -- yes, he wasn't able to and he actually hit a piece of scaffolding. Let's see it in slow motion here. Yes, you can see him clinking into it.

ROBERTS: Whammo (ph).

CHETRY: Well, he actually is lucky that he didn't get more badly hurt. He had a little bruise over his eye. But the taping came to a halt. Paramedics and Oprah herself attended to his eye. There's just a black eye, got treated with an ice pack and some sips of red wine. Jackman then returned to the stage about 10 minutes later saying he was OK, explaining that he forgot to hit the brakes.

ROBERTS: Yes. You always have to remember, you either put the hand on the wire or sometimes you get up there's a little hand brake that you pull.

The streak is over after 297 consecutive starts over 19 seasons. It was an injured shoulder that sidelined Brett Favre last night as the Giants ran all over his Minnesota Vikings.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRETT FAVRE, QUARTERBACK, MINNESOTA VIKINGS: Probably been long overdue. It's probably been a lot of times that the streak should have ended. Whether it ended today, several weeks, end of last season, it's been a great run. Great run.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: Favre's streak began back in 1992 when he was 23 years old. Now, how long ago was that? Well, it was 18 years, obviously. But George H.W. Bush was still president. The Rams and the Raiders were still in L.A. The Baltimore Ravens were still the Cleveland Browns. The Tennessee Titans were the Houston Oilers, and the Houston Texas and the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Carolina Panthers didn't even exist.

CHETRY: OK, clearly a football fan wrote that one.

ROBERTS: Yes. Clearly.

CHETRY: And another thing -- ROBERTS: Then who was that football fan? Put your hand up.

Rick.

CHETRY: Thanks, Rick. Appreciate that.

Well, the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, scheduled to appear in a British court today. His attorneys are hoping to keep him out of prison and away from Sweden as he fights extradition.

ROBERTS: Yes, the U.S. Army private in custody suspected of leaking secret documents to WikiLeaks. So why is one American city voting today to declare him a hero? We'll tell you coming right up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Crossing the half hour right now. A look at our top stories this morning.

This monster storm keeps pounding the Midwest, Wisconsin to western New York. Cars buried in five feet of snow in some cases. Roads closed, and the brutal cold sticking around, as well. This beast of a system isn't done yet. There are two more - well, two more feet of snow that could actually fall in parts of the northeast before it's all said and done. ROBERTS: His last words were "you've got to stop this war in Afghanistan." Richard Holbrooke, one of the world's most well-known and accomplished diplomats is dead at the age of 69. He had emergency surgery to fix a tear in his aorta, but the surgery couldn't save him. President Obama calling him "one of the giants of American foreign policy."

CHETRY: Bradley Manning, the U.S. Army private accused of leaking thousands of classified documents to WikiLeaks earlier this year and called a traitor by many could be officially declared a hero by the city of Berkeley, California, today. Council members there scheduled to vote on a proclamation urging the military to release Manning from custody. Berkeley's resolution declaring "blowing the whistle on war crimes is not a crime."

ROBERTS: After spending a week in a prison cell, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will appear in a London courtroom today. His lawyers expected to argue for his release on bail.

CHETRY: They also plan to fight extradition to Sweden where Assange is wanted for questioning on sex crime charges.

Atika Shubert is live this morning outside of London's Westminster magistrate court where all of this would take place in about an hour and a half.

Hi, Atika.

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, I just wanted to show you a little bit of the scene outside of the courtroom here. You can see down here there's a line of cameras. It just goes to show you the kind of media attention and that whole line there in front of the courthouse is actually all the press waiting for press passes to actually get into the hearing today.

And now what we are expecting to hear today in today's hearing is, again, that request for release on bail. There is the possibility that he is released. And then hopefully we may be able to hear from the lawyers how they're going to lay out their fight for extradition. Whether they're going to argue it on political grounds, or if he's up to trumped up charges in Sweden or whether they're going to say that the arrest warrant is invalid.

We are just going to have to wait and see how the lawyers are going to lay that case out. It may simply be a short hearing simply setting up the next hearing, as well. We're just going to have to wait and see what happens.

In the meantime, Julian Assange's mother has actually flown from Australia to be here at the hearing. And she actually, through her, a statement was released from Julian Assange. And he basically said from jail, "my convictions are unfaltering. I remain true to the ideals I have expressed. This circumstance shall not shake them." So still in jail remaining defiant. We'll have to see whether or not he says something in the hearing later on. ROBERTS: At the same time, as all of this is going on, Atika, "Time" magazine preparing to unveil its person of the year. And there's buzz that's growing that that person of the year just could be Julian Assange. Sometimes they like to go with a controversial character.

SHUBERT: Yes, I mean, it's interesting to see that. He obviously has a huge amount of on-line support from the online community. But we also took a poll here in Britain and we asked people what they thought about the WikiLeaks release of the documents. 42 percent said WikiLeaks was right to release all of the e secret documents.

And it's interesting, 44 percent of people said they believe that the Swedish charges he's facing are a set-up to get him into U.S. custody. But, also 44 percent said he should be sent back to Sweden for questioning. And it's important to point out that in all of these polling questions that we put out, about 20 percent said that they weren't sure, they didn't know. That this is really a case that's thrown people into a lot of confusion and they want to know more about the facts of the case before they make a decision.

ROBERTS: Atika Shubert for us this morning. Atika, thanks so much.

CHETRY: Well, for thousands of victims of the oil spill in the gulf there is now a fast way to get BP to pay. But there is a catch, you would have to surrender your right to sue the oil giant. 166,000 individuals and businesses are eligible for a new quick-pay program. And in this individuals would immediately get checks for $5,000, businesses would get checks for $25,000. And once they sign a contract waiving their right to file a legal claim against BP.

ROBERTS: Well, many are out of work and staying unemployed for longer periods of time. It's putting us all in a downward spiral. How every office is feeling the impact and what we can all learn from that experience coming up next.

(MUSIC)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC)

ROBERTS: 38 minutes now after the hour. Living without work. This month, millions of the long-term unemployed are seeing their benefits expire. And a lengthy stint without a job takes more than just an economic toll.

CHETRY: Right, we all know we have trouble paying the bill but there's a psychological impact, as well. This month "Fortune" magazine asks, "what happens when the jobless just give up?" Joining us now is "Fortune" magazine's managing editor Daniel Roth.

It's happened to a lot of people, actually, just sort of giving up after trying and sending out resumes and trying to find a job. And not being able to get work.

DANIEL ROTH, MANAGING EDITOR "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Well, I think that a lot of people are seeing in this economy the frustration of doing everything they've been told they were supposed to do. Networking, sending out the resumes, going on the job boards online, and trying to find these jobs when there aren't jobs out there. And you keep hearing there are jobs out there. There are jobs out there.

And people are incredibly frustrated and a lot of people are giving up. And it's not just people who are entering the workforce or who haven't had job experience before. These are middle managers. These are people who are typically in the primes of their career, in the top earnings years. And they're unemployed for longer and longer periods of time.

ROBERTS: We talked about a couple of benchmarks, Daniel, the 27ers, people who have been without a job for 27 weeks and then the 99ers.

ROTH: Right.

ROBERTS: People who have been out of job for the full duration of the extended unemployment benefits. The longer someone is out of job, the more difficult it is for them to find a job. What's the principle behind that.

ROTH: The principle is that you remember what it's like to be in the workforce, you know how to network, you know the people that you know and you're constantly in touch with them. If you're out of work for a few months, a few weeks, you're still calling people, you're still in the habit of going to work. That habit erodes after a little while. And your connections erode and your connections to technology start eroding.

ROBERTS: Perishable skills, basically?

ROTH: Absolutely. And the longer that you're out of work, the tougher it is for employers - employers start thinking, this person was out of work for a while, why would I bring this person in? Their skills are rusty. They don't know how to use modern systems. They don't know all the people they're supposed to. Why don't I move this person internally, why don't I hire this person who just got this job? Or a lot of employers say I can poach now. I can start taking people from other companies. But I'd rather have someone who was still working somewhere else. Their employer kept them on and even in these tough times, they must be really good.

CHETRY: And that's the interesting conundrum. You say in the piece, it focuses in effect that there aren't enough jobs. Many people want jobs and they can't get them, but yet there are millions of jobs out there unfilled. Why that disconnect? Why that mismatch?

ROTH: Well, I think that in boom times, the kind of jobs that you can get, the kind of jobs that companies create are different than the ones that you do in a recession or even post-recession, still, tough times. Companies are trying to do much more with less or they're not willing to spend as much to hire people. You know, corporate holdings of cash are at levels we haven't seen in 50 years. Looking at almost $2 trillion in cash. Being held by the top company, by all the companies in the U.S. but not spending on jobs. They basically are holding the cash - when they're hiring people, they're saying come in, do what used to be two jobs. Before you had a job and you had someone under you to carry on to do a lot of your work. Now you're expected to do the work you did before plus what someone else did underneath you.

It's hard to bring someone in to do that, someone might be - if you've been out of work for 27 weeks, 99 weeks, maybe you remember what it was like to have all these benefits, to have more people around you. Companies aren't willing to take risks and bring someone in who is rusty, basically.

ROBERTS: Long-term unemployment is also changing the basic operating machinations of the workplace. New jobs, new employment, it depends (INAUDIBLE) because people are afraid of being unemployed. They're playing defense, they're protecting their job, not really looking for anything outside. So how does that really affecting the work place?

ROTH: Well, I think that you're seeing companies not being as flexible as they were. You're not seeing as much growth in people taking risks in starting up companies. A lot of the ways that we've grown out of recession before has been, people left good jobs. They started companies. They started hiring people. You're seeing a lot of companies that are being formed. There's a lot of hot start-ups, but everywhere else, just not as much.

CHETRY: So, Daniel, what is your one piece of advice that people who have been long-term unemployed can take that might be, you know, that silver lining?

ROTH: You know, I think it is, don't give up. The American economy is incredibly resilient. That we will - that things will pick up again, jobs will come back again, but you've got to stay out there. You have to be networking, you got to do pro bono work. You got to talk to people, help out wherever you can, stay connected, and you've got to stay connected and you've got to stay in the practice of working.

ROBERTS: Be positive, but don't exist on hope alone.

ROTH: Oh, yes.

ROBERTS: Daniel, thanks so much. Good to talk to you this morning.

Well, how low will the temperatures go? Our Jacqui Jeras is coming up next with details on the frigid blast of air moving east. Plus, more snow in the forecast for a lot of folks. Stay with us.

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CHETRY: Cold day in Cleveland, this morning. They're waking up to cloudy, windy weather, 17 degrees only. And a bit later, they are expecting more snow. It's only going up to a high of 21 today in Cleveland.

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ROBERTS: Well, if you have one of these, you're going to love what we're going to show you coming up now. It's the brand new CNN iPad app that launches worldwide today.

CHETRY: I feel a little bit like Vanna White here. But it's cool.

ROBERTS: Have you got a letter in there?

CHETRY: A lot of letters, and a lot of text, and also a lot of pictures. Very cool. This is the main screen here. And you can just go up and down and decide what story you want to see. Click on it.

Let's take a look. There's this story this morning about the Senate voting, procedural vote on the tax cut. And then the cool part is, you can click on the comments and you can read them. It's very easy to look at what others people are saying about the story.

ROBERTS: Excellent. We've got these little iPads and then we've got our big iPad here. And you can see just maybe in little bit greater detail.

Rather than having a lot of texts and stories, the main part of the new app -- look at this -- it's all these little squares, all these little key frames that allow you to bring up video whenever you want and scroll through it that way. So it's a lot more user friendly than it is -- in its current iteration.

You've also got this, too, if you want the broad sheet, we've got updates, as well. And here when you go to the headlines, you can also -- you can choose whether you want U.S., world, politics, money, entertainment, tech, justice, health. Anything like that. So it's a lot more user friendly than it was in the past. And the best part about it is --

CHETRY: Your favorite part.

ROBERTS: It's free.

CHETRY: Oh, that's the cool part. But you also like the fact that they do the hourly radio updates right in the corner that you can check out, as well.

ROBERTS: We unfortunately don't have video here, but I do have the video here on the iPad app. Because our good friends at radio. And anybody who -- anybody who started their career in radio is a good person in my book.

CHETRY: It's also cool to get the quick synopsis in 30 seconds or less of what exactly is going on in the world. So it's cool. And again, as we said, it's free CNN.com/iPad. Check it out.

ROBERTS: All right. Top stories just minutes away now, including vacation hot spot. It's hot in more ways than one. How would you like your next vacation to be to Chernobyl? That's the site of the worst nuclear accident in history. We're going to hear Ukraine's plans to open it up to tourists.

CHETRY: We also have an AM Original for you. Big stars, big giving. One-on-one with Halle Berry on her mission to help battered women and why it's a personal mission for her.

ROBERTS: Coming up next, it's unconstitutional. A judge tosses out a key part of President Obama's healthcare law. Dr. Sanjay Gupta tells us what it could mean for your health and how you pay for it. Coming right up.

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CHETRY: Quickly walking to the nearest iPad to get the CNN app today.

ROBERTS: There you go. As everyone should, because it's free and it works not only on the iPad but works on the iPhone, as well. Seven minutes until the top of the hour.

It's President Obama's signature legislative achievement but his healthcare overhaul has now hit a legal roadblock. A federal judge in Virginia says a key provision requiring Americans who don't have health insurance to buy it, is unconstitutional.

CHETRY: So will this mean any changes to your healthcare? Chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us from Atlanta.

So this mandate, it was a big part of the legislation. Without it, is the bill sustainable and have we actually seen it put into action yet?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Some parts have been put into action. Much of it scheduled to roll out in 2014. And that's an important point. As far as how much this is still sustainable after this, if this is upheld, I mean, it's a serious blow, overall, to this affordable care act.

The best thing to think about this, it was sort of crafted as a bargain, if you will, between Congress and insurance companies. Insurance companies said, OK, we won't charge higher premiums to people with preexisting conditions. We'll offer them insurance, we'll keep kids or young adults on their parent's insurance plans until the age of 26, provisions like that.

The deal was, though, that people who could afford to buy healthcare insurance and didn't have it would have to buy it. The mandate, so to speak. That's what's at play here. And specifically it's not even the mandate, but the idea of actually penalizing someone or taxing someone extra because they don't have insurance. That was a specific part of what Judge Hudson here in Virginia really took issue with.

It was one specific area of this entire 2,700-page bill. But to your point, unless people in some way are penalized for not buying healthcare insurance, the idea is that they may not and therefore the whole financing of the bill sort of starts to crumble. So this is a pretty big deal.

ROBERTS: Sanjay, as you mentioned, the structure of the bill is for people who have things like preexisting conditions to be able to get health insurance. More people need to be paying in the pool to keep the costs down, allow the insurance companies to eat these extra costs.

So what will it mean for folks at home who are counting on these benefits for preexisting conditions if this law is eventually found to be unconstitutional by the Supreme Court?

GUPTA: Right. That's an important point because obviously so far nothing has been firmly decided at a national level. And two other judges, as you guys know, have said the opposite. They said it is constitutional.

But so far there are a couple of things that have gone into play as Kiran asking about. Kids can stay on their parent's insurance plans until the age of 26. And children right now cannot be discriminated against for preexisting conditions. So those things are already been implemented.

For the rest, though, the things that were supposed to be implemented in 2014; the so-called public option. This idea that if you were having trouble buying healthcare insurance, you could join the option and maybe get subsidized healthcare, that would be in jeopardy. So someone who has a preexisting condition, was thinking about actually getting healthcare insurance under the public option, that might be a problem.

Someone who's got an employer right now that offers healthcare insurance but was thinking about starting a business on my own, I want to do this on my own and I'll get my healthcare insurance through this public option, that may be in jeopardy. So things like that primarily. But again, right now nothing's been firmly decided. This is one ruling an there's been two rulings that said the opposite.

CHETRY: And it looks like it may inevitably end up in front of the Supreme Court.

Sanjay Gupta this morning for us. Thanks for giving us new insight of what may be going on with our healthcare.

GUPTA: We'll keep an eye on it.

CHETRY: Thanks, Sanjay.

GUPTA: You got it.

CHETRY: We're going to take a quick break. Your top stories coming up in just two minutes.

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