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American Morning

Steve Jobs' Medical Leave and Apple; Giffords Ready to be Released?; Palin Speaks Out on Criticism Over Tucson Shooting; Dick Cheney's Heart; Rep. King on Health Care Reform Law; Tap Into Tooth Decay; Not So Golden Performance

Aired January 18, 2011 - 06:00   ET

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


KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: On this AMERICAN MORNING, two economic super powers, America and China coming face to face. President Hu Jintao set to arrive in Washington this afternoon for talks with President Obama. We're going to talk about how the outcome could impact you, your job, your paycheck.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Also Congress getting back to work today, 10 days after the shooting in Tucson. They are promising a new era of civility. Well, it is going to get tested soon because they are taking up one of the most contentious issues out there, a repeal of health care reform.

CHETRY: Steve Jobs sidelined again because of health problems. A development that could move markets this morning. What this latest setback means for Apple and your 401(k).

HOLMES: And, of course, we have a new week, that means, of course, we have a new storm, but this one is not like the snowstorms we've seen the past few weeks. Our meteorologist will explain why this storm is like nothing we have seen so far this season.

AMERICAN MORNING is coming back right after this. Stick around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Good morning. He is the man behind one of the most powerful companies in the country but what will Steve Jobs' health problems mean for Apple, the market and possibly your 401(k)?

CHETRY: Plus, back to business. Republicans in Congress get ready to take apart health care. A largely symbolic move but certainly a divisive issue that will be taking stage in Washington today.

HOLMES: Also this morning, another week so, of course, another winter storm. This one's got snow, sleet and rain but this one is unlike any storm we have seen so far this season. We'll tell you what to expect when you head out all on this AMERICAN MORNING.

CHETRY: Good morning to you. Thanks so much for being with us on this Tuesday, January 18th. A little bit of a rough ride in this morning if you live in the northeast.

HOLMES: Yes. CHETRY: Not only -- we're used to snow now. That's old hat.

HOLMES: Yes.

CHETRY: But the ice, that really complicated things a little bit this morning.

HOLMES: That can be tricky. It seemed like it was kind of a surprise to a lot of people. Maybe just me this morning here in New York especially, but a different kind of event we've got going on.

T.J. Holmes here alongside Kiran Chetry. We're going to be talking about the weather plenty this morning. But first, we need to tell you about one of the most powerful voices in the tech world, arguably the most powerful voice, Steve Jobs. The CEO and driving force behind Apple. This news broke yesterday right here on our air on this show that Jobs had been granted an unexpected medical leave.

CHETRY: Yes, this rocked the tech world for sure yesterday. And right now, there is no shortage of questions, first of all, about Steve Jobs' health and also the health of his company. Our Christine Romans is "Minding Your Business." And we know as we talked about with you yesterday, he stepped down again. A very high profile medical struggle with pancreatic cancer, was it?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Pancreatic cancer, yes.

CHETRY: And then a liver transplant.

ROMANS: A liver transplant. And as you know, people with liver transplants can have ups and downs with their immune system and that it was we're told is happening right now with Steve Jobs. A very brief statement yesterday where he said he is stepping down -- stepping down so that he could take a medical leave of absence but still running this company. The stock, Apple shares move on Steve Jobs' health. They even move on the rumors of Steve Jobs' health. Will Jobs' absence in an interim hurt Apple shares?

Take a look at this company in 2004 to the present. Apple shares down six percent overnight in Germany but in 2004 when Jobs underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor, the price of the stock was $14.89 a share.

HOLMES: Wow.

ROMANS: 2009, he took a medical leave in January, the stock price was $85 a share. June 30th, 2009, he returned to work after that hiatus. The stock price then was $142 a share. So when he took a medical leave in 2009 for his liver transplant, the stock rose 65 percent. So you're going to hear a lot of concerns about this company and what it means for shareholders and what it means for the price of the stock if he steps back. But we know this company has been firing on all cylinders and this stock has been making money for investors for a great deal of time.

I want to show you sort of forecasting the future here. What Wall Street analysts are saying about their price targets is what they put on Apple shares. The stock price right now, about $348 a share. There are Wall Street estimates all the way up to $450. Bottom of this sort of cone of possibility according to the analysts is right where the stock is right now. So this just gives you an idea of how powerful the rise has been for this company and its stock. And, of course, that's reflecting what the company has done.

CHETRY: Right.

ROMANS: It has transformed how we listen to music. It has transformed how we work on our computers at home. It has the iPad, the iPhone. Later today, we're going to get earnings for the company for the most recent quarter. It is most likely every analysts agrees that the Christmas selling season was blockbuster and they'll shatter records.

CHETRY: And who is the person who's now stepping in again? The man --

ROMANS: The chief operating officer is going to come back and he's somebody who has run this company before when Steve Jobs stepped aside.

CHETRY: Right.

ROMANS: And he is someone who is, you know, well liked and known by the Wall Street community and by, you know, Apple fans. But Steve Jobs is -- he's just synonymous with this company. He co-founded it in 1976, and then he was ousted. And then 12 years later exactly, he came back. And since then, this company has reinvented how we use our technology.

CHETRY: And he was seen as not only the chief, you know, the chief of it but chief innovator and so that is what has people nervous.

ROMANS: Yes. Even the press release he said yesterday, he said -- Steve Jobs said, I love Apple and I can't wait to return to work or something to that effect. But it's not very often you hear a CEO say I love Apple, I love this company. It's usually all this corporate speak.

CHETRY: Right.

ROMANS: This is a guy, you know, who's really, really well known and when he's ailing, you know, it makes people concerned.

HOLMES: We wish him the best. Short-term they're going to be OK. People wonder when he's going to come back long-term.

ROMANS: Yes.

HOLMES: We're going to talk to you plenty throughout the morning. Christine, thank you as always.

ROMANS: OK. CHETRY: Another big story this morning with major economic ramifications, China. President Hu Jintao arrives in Washington this afternoon. He'll be having a dinner tonight with President Obama and before that, a more elaborate state dinner tomorrow night. And in between those meals, there will be some tough talk to discuss trade, currency, North Korea. The White House all decked out in Chinese flags this morning to welcome the Chinese leader.

HOLMES: Now this meeting could directly impact your wallet and this country in terms of jobs. You need to be hearing about this. We're going to be talking to the executive vice president of the Asia Society a little later this morning, again, talking more about exactly how this could impact you.

CHETRY: There's a new poll out. It was taken after the Tucson shooting showing President Obama's approval rating on the rebound. In fact, this just released five minutes ago. This is our new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll showing that 53 percent approve of the way the president is handling his job and that is up five points since late December.

HOLMES: And the remarkable recovery continues. We continue to get new updates it seems every single day about Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and some new nugget of hope. Well, this time we're getting word from her husband that she's actually smiling at him, touching his face, even talked about him giving her a bit of a back massage. Doctors also -- listen to this -- talking about the possibility of releasing her. Maybe in a matter of weeks. Maybe even in a matter of days.

Now, of course, she wouldn't be going home necessarily. She'd have to go to a rehab facility, but right now it appears the family is looking into finding a rehab facility for her. But again, a matter of days possibly she could be out of that hospital. Her husband, Mark Kelly, talked to ABC's Diane Sawyer about one remarkable moment in the ICU.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK KELLY, GABRIELLE GIFFORDS' HUSBAND: She stuck her hand up on the side of my face this morning. And I leaned over and then she spent 10 minutes giving me -- this is her, so typical of her. She's in the ICU. You know, gone through this traumatic injury. And she spent 10 minutes giving me a neck massage.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: It really is amazing. And he said that that's just her. That regardless of what she is going through she's always caring about other people. And so it's very interesting also. They did a surgery that was successful yesterday. They had to remove some bone fragments from her eye socket that were damaged in the shooting. And she went through that, sailed through that as well. So looks like she's on the mend. Amazing.

HOLMES: A new great update every single day. It was 10 days ago she was shot in the head. CHETRY: Yes.

Well, there are concerns this morning about an Arizona law, a little known law that could threaten Giffords' congressional seat. Arizona Statute 38-291, and here's a look at it. It begins with, "An office shall be deemed vacant from and after the occurrence from any of the following events." And then provision six reads, "Absence from the state by the person holding the office without permission of the legislature beyond the period of three consecutive months.

Now, many legal experts are weighing in on this today. Most believe the statute does not apply to members of Congress. The governor, Jan Brewer, was asked about it and she said it's just far too early with the remarkable strides that she's been making to even go down this road. But it was dug up and discovered and then, you know, sort of talked about yesterday with this possibly happen that she could lose her seat.

HOLMES: Now people think it's -- it's just unfathomable that anybody would try to put that statute in place after what she's gone through. So that's way down the road.

Meanwhile, did you realize that over the weekend, one of the victims of that shooting had actually been arrested. The gentleman we're talking about is at a forum. He told a Tea Party leader, quote, "You're dead."

James Eric fuller is his name. He's now coming out saying he's sorry. He was shot. Again, you're seeing him now being taken out of that forum that was being held over the weekend. He was released from the hospital. Went to town hall on Saturday. Now he has put out an apology now through his girlfriend saying he just had a moment, apologized for the outburst, wished he could have taken that back and done things differently. But after his arrest and that threat he made, he was submitted to involuntarily undergo a mental health evaluation.

CHETRY: Yes. He called it misplaced outrage. So we'll see what happens.

Meantime, a large crowd on hand to say goodbye to Gabe Zimmerman. He was the director of community outreach for Gabrielle Giffords, the congresswoman. One of six people killed in the Tucson shooting rampage, Zimmerman was just 30 years old. Colleagues remember him yesterday as a passionate public servant committed to helping people.

And Sarah Palin is speaking out for the first time on TV since the shooting in Tucson, Arizona. She's been criticized for her rhetoric and for the 2010 ad you see there depicting Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords' district in the crosshairs.

HOLMES: Now this interview she did, it was with Sean Hannity over at FOX News. She says she's not going to shut up and she defended that graphic you just saw there. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SARAH PALIN, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: For many, many years, maps in political races have been used to target certain districts that people would fill that they can get into those districts and find someone who may believe would represent the constituents' will better than an incumbent. And that is what this map represented.

That came up right away that oh, it must be a cause of this horrendous evil act of this shooter that perhaps he saw that map and that incited him towards violence which, of course, is ridiculous. And again, it's not an original use of an icon or a graphic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: I want to turn now to another developing story. Reports of a new terror threat just to our north. This is coming to us from the "Asia Times" reporting that dozens of Canadians in Pakistan being trained by Al Qaeda to launch attacks in Canada. They say they have well-placed Taliban sources. That's a quote. Men report learning to connect with networks in North America. They also would be using simple stuff like sugar and basic chemicals to make powerful explosives.

CHETRY: In Iraq, a suicide bomber targeting police recruits today. It happened in Tikrit, former dictator Saddam Hussein's hometown. The explosion killing at least 50 people and injuring 150 others. It also caused a fire at a nearby fuel station.

HOLMES: Well, the northeast dealing with a big winter mess this morning. More ice than snow in some areas. A live look now at New York City. This is where freezing rain and snow is creating a slick and messy morning drive. There's Columbus Circle right now. Not a lot of cars there.

Jacqui Jeras is in the extreme weather center for us. You said this is unlike some of the other systems that we've dealt with in the northeast.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes.

CHETRY: And it's going to make for some messy travel today.

JERAS: Yes, it really, really is, especially this morning. Things are going to improve when you get into the afternoon hours, so there's a little bit of good news. And it really is a totally different animal than what we've dealt with the last couple of storms. We've been really dealing with snowstorm after snowstorm. We've had about an inch of snow across parts of the northeast but now freezing rain is coming in on top of that. And that creates ice on the roadways so your morning commute is going to be very treacherous and very dangerous especially in places like Philadelphia down towards Baltimore where you already have about a tenth of an inch of freezing rain on the ground.

You should be done, say nine-ish for Baltimore and Philly. On New York City after the noon hour, this is going to change over to rain and then later in the afternoon as we head into the Boston area. But this is going to cost some major problems at the airports. We already have some issues at Newark and so basically we're talking over an hour delay. It's very likely that we're going to have some cancellations as well.

The snowfall will be heaviest in the interior so parts of the lower Hudson Valley as well as into the Green and White Mountains we could see a good five to 10 inches of snowfall. And lingering wet weather lasts until tomorrow, guys. So we're going to be dealing with this for a little while just yet.

CHETRY: All right. Jacqui Jeras for us. Not what we wanted to hear but can't say we weren't warned.

I saw your tweet, by the way. You said, "did I miss something here?"

HOLMES: Yes, it threw me off this morning with the snow and the ice. I didn't think it was supposed to be that bad, but it turned out --

CHETRY: Yes. Well, I'm married to a meteorologist so I can't act surprised. So that means you're not listening. You're not listening, honey. I warned you this is going to happen.

HOLMES: Heads-up would be nice, Kiran.

Also coming up this morning, you heard so much in the health care debate about Americans with pre-existing conditions. But you might be surprised now at the number of people out there it's estimated who do have pre-existing conditions. We'll tell you why you could be turned down.

CHETRY: Also, haven't we heard this song before? New privacy concerns for Facebook revealing your phone numbers, addresses, they could be passed onto application developers. Christine Romans has an update on that for us.

HOLMES: Also this morning, if I gave you three guesses of the biggest TV star out there, you would probably come up with Oprah's name as one of those guesses.

CHETRY: Oprah, Ellen --

HOLMES: If I gave you 50 guesses, you would never come up with the name of a guy who was actually voted the biggest TV star.

It's 13 minutes past the hour. Stay here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: It's 16 minutes past the hour. Welcome back to this AMERICAN MORNING.

The former Vice President, Dick Cheney, is talking about his health. You're probably familiar with a lot of his health problems over the years with his heart. Well, talking about a health device - a heart device, I should say, that's for the most part keeping him alive. CHETRY: Yes. In an interview with NBC News, Cheney, who has also lost quite a bit of weight, says he's still not decided whether or not to actually go on a transplant list to potentially seek a transplant for what he calls end stage heart failure. He has an artificial pump that's been implanted in his chest.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DICK CHENEY, FMR. VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I wear it on a vest and there's a control element here. And then two batteries, one on each side good for about 12 hours each. And then there's a cord that runs inside my chest to the pump on the inside and that's - that's what powers it and keeps it functioning.

Initially, obviously, it's kind of awkward to walk around with all this gear on, but you quickly get to the point where you've adapted, where it's second nature to you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Wow. That's -

HOLMES: That's amazing to hear. And, well, of course, kind of imagine something like that. We know of his heart procedures he's had several over the years - several heart attacks over the years as well.

CHETRY: Right.

HOLMES: But kind of revealing something we didn't know about him.

CHETRY: Yes. So, again, he's making a decision. He's not decided yet whether he's going to go on the donor list. So we wish him the best certainly.

HOLMES: All right.

Meanwhile, this week or I should say today they're getting back to work on Capitol Hill after taking a kind of the week off, putting everything on the backburner after the Tucson shooting out of respect to the victims there. But the House now set to get back to work and get back to debate. And up first, a debate on the health care repeal.

Now, this is mostly symbolic. Nobody believes it's going to make it through, even if it makes it through the House, it's not going to make it through the Senate and, certainly, everybody expects the president wouldn't sign a repeal of his own health care bill. But still they say this is symbolic. The debate, again, starts today.

CHETRY: Well, as Republicans try to repeal the Health Care Law, the government is coming out with a report that says as many as half of Americans under the age of 65 do have some sort of pre-existing condition. One hundred and twenty-nine million people according to "The Washington Post." They got the numbers a day early. Conditions ranging from things like cancer and heart disease to asthma and high blood pressure. Republicans are dismissing those numbers as PR to resell the health care reform plan to the American people. HOLMES: And also, we want to tell you we're going to be talking to one of the people who sponsored the health care reform repeal. Representative Steve King is going to join us and he's going to explain to us why is it if it doesn't have a good chance of actually becoming law and actually repealing it, why go through the process? He's going to be joining us here in just about 10 minutes.

Also, on the business front this morning, Facebook may be giving away more of your sensitive information. You need to listen up, you 550 million out there who are Facebook users. The company has posted a new privacy policy. This went up on Friday. You may not have noticed it, but now users' addresses and phone numbers can be passed on to application developers if users click to allow that. Again, you're supposed to have to specifically click on this to allow it. Facebook says the new policy doesn't impact, though, your friends' personal information.

CHETRY: Up next on AMERICAN MORNING, a new sign that Brett Favre's 20-year NFL career may finally be over. Our (INAUDIBLE) up here say they don't believe it.

HOLMES: Also coming up, our newest co-worker here, Piers Morgan, he just started yesterday. You may have heard had Oprah yesterday. Up next, the guy with the hair.

It's 20 minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Do you believe it? Brett Favre is done?

HOLMES: No.

CHETRY: Yes, I mean -

HOLMES: When the season kicks off next year and he's not under center, I will believe it.

CHETRY: Exactly. It's what a lot of people say, actually.

He may finally be ready to call it a career. The NFL says the 41- year-old quarterback has filed retirement papers with the league. Can't get more official than that. The move is a procedural matter -

HOLMES: Yes.

CHETRY: -- to start the clock on a player's pension and hall of fame eligibility. It is worth noting that Favre has done this before and he has changed his mind. So, if he feels he still has it next year, good for you.

HOLMES: Stop. Just stop it.

CHETRY: Come on.

HOLMES: Tom Brady, though, he'll be around next year. He had a great year this year. Didn't necessarily end so well for him in the playoffs. They got knocked out as you saw over the weekend. But, he has been named the NFL MVP.

But, slow down. This is not the big MVP award. This is still a significant one. This is by the Pro-Football Weekly and the Pro- Football Writers of America. However, as I said, they got knocked out early by the Jets. Nobody was expecting that.

Also, the losing coach as well, Bill Belichick of the England Patriots, also named NFL Coach of the Year by that same publication. So, still a nice honor.

CHETRY: And all my big football fans, you know, the writers said this - they were going on the regular season and not going on what happened in the playoff games.

HOLMES: Deserved it clearly. Yes.

CHETRY: All right. Well, who is America's favorite TV star? The results are in and we were thinking who would it be, Oprah? No. It's not Oprah. Would it be perhaps Conan O'Brien? He had a big year, a big comeback at TBS. No?

How about someone who is quite influential? A lot of people listen to Jon Stewart -

HOLMES: Yes.

CHETRY: -- and watch him. Not him.

It is Mark Harmon.

HOLMES: Who?

CHETRY: From the CBS hit drama "NCIS", Mark Harmon, more popular than Oprah, according to a new Harris Poll. Oprah, who was number one last year, dropped to number two. "House's" Hugh Laurie, Conan and Jon Stewart rounded up the top five.

HOLMES: Very popular show. I haven't had a chance to see it, I know it's a big deal.

CHETRY: Yes. People love it.

HOLMES: People love it.

CHETRY: Well, tonight - speaking of people love it, Piers Morgan, he had a great premiere show yesterday. And tonight, he's going to be sitting down with Howard Stern. Howard Stern is known for always asking probing questions of the people that he interviews. Well, Piers Morgan turned the tables on him, asking about his trademark hair.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PIERS MORGAN, CNN HOST, "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT": Is it real, that hair?

HOWARD STERN, AMERICAN RADIO PERSONALITY: The hair is real. And I - and I don't - I don't color. Don't get too frisky.

MORGAN: I mean, (INAUDIBLE) to give it a good yank, it wouldn't all just -

STERN: No, no. It wouldn't all fall out. No. I have my own hair.

MORGAN: And you dye it, obviously.

STERN: I do not color it. As you can see -

MORGAN: What?

STERN: -- I have some grey in it. But - no. I'm very blessed. My grandfather.

MORGAN: Howard, look me in the eye and repeat that.

STERN: I swear on a stack of Bibles that I don't color my hair.

MORGAN: Really?

STERN: Yes.

MORGAN: Oh, so you're 57 and you have a naturally pretty dark -

STERN: Yes.

MORGAN: -- curly -

STERN: A big bouffant -

MORGAN: Yes?

STERN: -- as they call it. I'm very lucky.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHETRY: There you go. I mean, back in the day he used to talk about how he liked to hide behind all that hair because he didn't think he was cute, you know? You know? He's come into his own.

HOLMES: No, he's been around, been in the game for a while. But that hair has been a part of the game for a while as well.

CHETRY: And he didn't have his glasses on. I mean, I'm used to seeing him with the little, dark sunglasses too.

Well, this week, the big premiere week continues. Piers Morgan's entire Howard Stern interview will be on tonight, 9:00 Eastern, only on CNN.

HOLMES: And, as you know, Congress getting back to work today. Up first, a symbolic health care repeal vote. We're going to be talking to - live, coming up in just a moment, one of the persons - people who is leading that charge to repeal health care reform.

CHETRY: So the former dictator of Haiti making a return after a quarter of a century. A lot of countries are nervous by the return of Baby Doc, including the U.S. We're going to have the latest developments on that.

Twenty-six minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: There's a look this morning at what your commute - what you have in store if you're trying to make it in today. It's a little yucky on the roads out there, especially in New York, Philadelphia, some of the other northeast cities this morning. Ice, freezing rain and a little bit of snow to start off your commute.

If you're flying, any of those airports, check ahead. They are expecting some delays.

Meanwhile, we're crossing the half hour right now and it's time to get a look at our top stories. President Obama is preparing for the arrival of China's President Hu Jintao. He'll arrive in Washington this afternoon.

The leaders of the world's two economic super powers will share a quiet dinner tonight and a more formal steak dinner tomorrow. They're going to be talking about trade, of course, currency valuations and concerns about North Korea.

HOLMES: And the remarkable recovery continues for Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. We are continuing to get positive updates about her, the latest we're getting from her husband, saying she's actually smiling at him, also that he gave her - or she gave him, rather - yes, she gave him a bit of a massage.

And we're showing you Sarah Palin here. She's a part of this story in that she made her first television appearance since the shooting and she kind of defended that crosshairs that she put on top of some of those - some of those districts that they targeted. But that was last night, telling FOX News that Democrats also use the same thing.

But, again, the big news here, of course, that Gabrielle Giffords continues her recovery. She could be out of the hospital and the rehab center in the next few weeks or even days, according to her doctors.

CHETRY: Well, it's an all too familiar sight in Australia -- towns that are literally swallowed up in water. Victoria state is the latest to be affected by the weeks of flooding. It's already devastated Queensland to the north. At least 20 people have been killed and forecasters expect more flooding in Victoria as rain falls into swollen rivers.

HOLMES: Well, they are promising a new era of civility after the Tucson shootings. We're talking about our members of Congress. Well, it's going to be tested early because they are taking up one of the most contentious efforts out there. That is a repeal of the health care reform. As a part of the civility, even talked about possibly sitting together at the State of the Union. We'll see how that works out.

I want to bring in Congressman Steve King, a Republican from Ohio. He's a member of the Tea Party caucus and one person kind of leading the charge to repeal health care reform.

Sir, good to have you back on an AMERICAN MORNING so soon. We just had you on last week. We appreciate you being back.

Let me start with this -- a new era of civility. This idea is starting to gain some steam, the idea that Republicans and Democrats not splitting, sitting on two different sides during the State of the Union.

Can you tell me at this point -- are you committed to sitting next to a Democrat during the State of the Union?

REP. STEVE KING (R), IOWA: It's actually really hard to find a seat during the State of the Union address. So, I first have to commit myself to finding a seat and then, at that point, I'll be happy to sit next to whomever has claimed the seats on either side of me. I know that Nancy Pelosi wants to deploy some of her people to be scattered across the chamber during the State of the Union address. And it seems a little odd.

But one of the -- one of the American pastimes is watching the crowd and seeing who starts the standing ovation and who stands. So, I hope that doesn't get mixed up during the State of the Union address.

HOLMES: Now, wait a minute, Congressman King, you said that's an American pastime. But a lot of people call it ridiculous. And it shows the split as clearly as you can see it, when you see Republicans standing up and Democrats sitting on their hands and vice versa. And I know this is strictly symbolic. But still, it doesn't sound like something you don't want to commit to.

KING: Oh, I just don't want to make that promise. But it's fine with me. I'm happy to work with Democrats.

In fact, I have been in the majority and minority and now back in the majority and I made a pledge to some of my Democrat friends that I'm going to be nicer to them as minority members than I think have been as a minority member in the past. That's going to help the experience of being in the minority, I think, is going to help us in the majority. And I'll commit to that. I'm not sure where I'm going to sit.

HOLMES: We will hold you to that, what you just said, being nicer to the minority now.

Sir, let's move on now to health care, which you're going to take up today, a repeal. Now, describe for me, because I've had a hard time finding someone who could -- describe for me a scenario where you would see President Obama signing into law a repeal of his signature health care reform bill.

KING: I can describe the scenario. Well, it actually doesn't include President Obama's signature.

HOLMES: OK.

KING: And this is a strategy that I laid out clear last March on the very day that I drafted the repeal, which was the day that it passed the House in March of last year. And it works this way. We first have to pass a repeal in the House with a new Republican majority and then shut off the funding to implement or enforce Obamacare in our appropriations bills throughout 2011 and 2012. Then, in 2012, we elect a president who hopefully runs on the platform among them being to sign the repeal of Obamacare.

I expect and actually my scenario is, the new president standing at the west portico of the Capitol, January 20th, 2013, taking the oath of office and then signing the repeal right there. That's my scenario. And I'm working towards that, T.J.

HOLMES: Representative King, that is a heck of a scenario. You're talking about years down the road and you're trying to do this with the hope that there is going to be enough Republican seats picked up in the Senate, first of all, during the next election, but also, that there will be a different party in the White House. So, that's awfully ambitious of you, don't you think?

KING: Well, it has to be ambitious. But no scenario that could be laid out by anyone to repeal Obamacare could be laid out without including this vote that we start the debate today and we'll vote on tomorrow to repeal it in the House.

And, initially, there are 23 Democrats in the Senate that are up for re-election. Some of them know already that if they have a vote on repeal of Obamacare, they will vote to repeal it. And I predict that if we get a vote in the Senate, that Obamacare will be repealed in the Senate and that will put the bill on the president's desk.

HOLMES: Sir, to wrap up here, and I see the scenario you laid out however ambitious it may be. But a lot of Americans -- it's a big bill, but they understand some smaller points of it. Now, some of those smaller points -- and let me just ask you to tick these off. Do you have any problem with children with preexisting conditions being covered?

KING: I'm not a supporter of that. Some Republicans -- well, excuse me. Pre-existing conditions, yes. I anticipated a different question actually, T.J., and I confess to that.

HOLMES: OK.

KING: But that pre-existing condition component of that can be dealt with by the states with federal help in a constitutional way. I have a different method. We should fix it, though.

HOLMES: So -- but you want to keep that. You want to keep college students staying on until 26 on their parents' insurance?

KING: That's the one I anticipated. I don't support that. Some Republicans do. I think -- I want my kids to grow up.

HOLMES: OK. Well, a lot of people are in favor of that. But good to have you on the record there. Also, you can't be dropped because you're sick. You want to keep that in there as well.

KING: I agree with that. And when you buy a health insurance policy, we can't have the insurance company just arbitrarily dropping people off. I think that should be regulated, though, by the states and not the federal government. I think that's a good policy.

HOLMES: And the last one, in 2014, that you can't be refused coverage for pre-existing conditions. Would you like to see that stay as well?

KING: Not from the federal level but again from the states. In Iowa, we have a high risk pool. We support those premiums with tax dollars. The federal government can support that.

But I don't think we should do that blanket across the country because people won't buy insurance until they get sick -- unless, of course, you have the individual mandate and that's the one that I object to the most. That has to go. If it has to go, the rest of the policy can't be sustained.

HOLMES: Well, Representative King, we will watch and see what happens. We're going to hold you to that civility. Says you're going to be nicer to Democrats. We would love to see that. And we will, sir, keep a close eye to see where you find a seat during --

KING: I'll always be nice to you, T.J.

HOLMES: Well, we appreciate that. Really, we appreciate you being a guest here on AMERICAN MORNING. I'm sure we'll run into you again.

KING: Thank you.

CHETRY: All right.

Well, still ahead, Italy's prime minister tangled up in a scandal firing back now against these charges that he had sex with a teen prostitute. We're going to tell you what he's saying about his accusers this morning.

HOLMES: And how do you like this one now? Everything is bad for you, even bottled water. We'll explain why now they're saying tap water is the way to go.

It's 36 minutes past the hour. I don't know what to drink.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Thirty-nine minutes past the hour now.

People are still scratching their heads trying to figure out why after 25 years, Baby Doc is back in Haiti. Also, in Italy, the prime minister there tangled up in a prostitution scandal.

CHETRY: Zain Verjee is keeping an eye on all of this for us this morning. She's live in London.

And let's start with the return of Jean-Claude Duvalier, the former dictator of Haiti, back now after nearly a quarter of a century. Are we getting a clearer picture about the motivations?

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, no. What he's saying is that "I'm not here for politics."

Haiti watchers guys don't believe a word that he's saying. They think that this is no coincidence. He is there because Haiti is facing a political crisis and they say he wants to exploit the situation.

He spent his first full day in Haiti holed up in a luxury hotel with a pool bar and a spa. He canceled a news conference he was supposed to have.

Now, guys, a former U.N. spokesperson, she plans to actually file a complaint that Baby Doc or Jean-Claude Duvalier is even there. This is a man who killed and tortured thousands of people, who stole millions of dollars from Haiti, who persecuted his opposition. There's a lot of people really angry that he was even allowed to come back.

HOLMES: I want to turn now to Italy. People here in (AUDIO BREAK) they couldn't imagine if there was a major U.S. politician who is accused of sex with an underage prostitute how that will be playing out. But in Italy, it's unfortunately kind of par for the course.

VERJEE: It is. And the story is only getting bigger. Prosecutors are now alleging that there were a significant number of young prostitutes that he was involved with, and also, that he let them stay at his apartments. They didn't have to pay any rent or anything like that. So, they want to search at least one of those apartments.

There's also an investigation that they are doing on a 17-year-old Moroccan dancer, she was 17 at the time, and says that he paid for sex with her and she was under age. See, prostitution is OK in Italy but the fact that these women were underage is the problem.

Now, Berlusconi said that he had no idea, first of all, that she was 17. She said she was 24. And the woman herself is saying that she never had sex with Berlusconi. So, this has really tawdry. It's dragging him through the mud and it looks like it's only going to get dirtier.

CHETRY: Wow. Well, meanwhile, big state visit. The president of China coming to the U.S. today. They're going to be meeting, President Obama and President Hu Jintao. And a lot of concerns just about how China has aggressively lent to some of these developing countries and what that means for their position in the world.

VERJEE: Yes. You know, this was a really interesting story. A lot of us here in London in our newsroom were discussing this. Think of this number, all right? One hundred and ten billion dollars.

According to research done by the "Financial Times," that is how much money China has been lending to developing countries over the past two years. And the World Bank itself has lent something like $100 billion. That's a record for the World Bank, but that's actually less than China.

Now, T.J. and Kiran, why does this matter? Well, the first thing to think of is that this allows the Chinese government to kind of get its hooks into developing countries by giving them this kind of money, they owe China.

The other point is that it opens up new Chinese markets. And one thing that Americans are a little concerned about is energy security because what China is doing is giving loans to countries like Brazil, like Venezuela, like Russia so that they can develop their oil industry and that China can get energy from those countries. So, there are quite a few people concerned with that. And some of these countries in Latin America that China is helping out may also be anti- American.

So, just one more mix to put -- thing to put in the mix as Hu Jintao arrives in Washington today.

CHETRY: It will be interesting to see how that goes. You're right, Zain, the concerns about whether or not the United States is hands off with some of these countries because of our stance on the human rights issues. At the same time, it doesn't seem to be worrying China and they are gobbling up some of the resources. Very interesting. So, we'll see how the two leaders net this out today.

Thanks so much for joining us.

And by the way, you can watch Zain right before we come on. She is -- hosts her own show "WORLD ONE," which is now here on CNN U.S., 5:00 a.m. right here.

HOLMES: Well, still coming up this morning, our meteorologists warned us -- this is a storm like something we have never seen at least this season. She'll explain exactly what's happening and how it's going to affect you.

CHETRY: And Ricky Gervais, he hosted the Golden Globes, wasn't afraid to rip on some of the Hollywood elites and getting slammed for the mean-spirited performance. A lot of questions about why he disappeared for an hour, in the back half of the show. Well, he's responding to all of that coming up.

Forty-four minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Here's a shot this morning coming to us from WFSB Hartford, Connecticut, this morning. You see the cars on the road. I guess, it's a headlight, right? And some of the snow piled up. It's definitely a wintry mix and icy mix, in some cases, for parts of the northeast this morning. So, allow yourself a little bit more time if you're commuting. I didn't.

HOLMES: You got here in plenty of time, though.

CHETRY: It may be time to trade up your bottle of water for some good old fashioned tap. Yes. According to a report in "The Washington Post," the number of Americans drinking only filtered water, bottled water, has doubled in the past decade. And dentists say that that puts your teeth at risks for more cavities because tap water is fluoridated, and fluoride significantly reduces tooth decay especially in young children.

But the flip side, this is interesting, is there's another study saying that we may actually be putting too much fluoride in the water. Some dentists are saying about half the kids are noticing some staining of the teeth that is evident from over chlorination.

HOLMES: OK. The take away from that is folks just drink water. You're going to be fine. There's a new study --

CHETRY: I thought you said when we were in the commercial break, just drink wine.

(LAUGHTER)

HOLMES: That was Pete said to stick with whisky. That's one way to go.

Also, scientists are trying to bring back a woolly mammoth. Why? It's been extinct for thousands of years. Maybe, this is one to do it because of the king (ph). The scientists from Japan, Russia, and U.S. are getting together trying to clone one. How would they do this? They can use DNA from a mammoth carcass that's been preserved at a Russian lab. They will, then, insert that DNA into the egg cells of an African elephant and they hope to produce a baby mammoth.

CHETRY: They tried this before in the 1990s and it failed. I mean, you're talking about DNA that's been frozen for 5,000 years.

HOLMES: Yes.

CHETRY: And on top of that, then, you're going to put it into a different species, and elephants famously -- I mean, I think they're pregnant for 600 days.

HOLMES: I don't see what could possibly go wrong with this plan

CHETRY: Right. And then, if they actually do deliver a woolly mammoth, this thing will grow up people, OK?

HOLMES: Yes.

CHETRY: So, hopefully, the strong cage.

HOLMES: Again, sometimes, people wonder, should you be mixing species, mixing folk (ph) introducing into a new environment. Who knows? CHETRY: Right. I smell a new sci-fi movie.

HOLMES: Yes, yes.

CHETRY: Based on true events.

It is 49 minutes after the hour right now. Let's get a check of this morning's weather headlines. Jacqui Jeras, she is not cloning woolly mammoths, but she is certainly giving us the hairy forecast today.

(LAUGHTER)

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Oh, thanks. Yes. It's not a lot of fun. In fact, it's going to be a nightmare for a lot of people, unfortunately, in the northeast if you're trying to travel. We're going to be dealing with the snow and ice issues this morning and then this afternoon still rain and low clouds. So, that means we're still going to have some problems out there, absolutely. So, let's take a look at the latest radar picture and show you this is, really, all the pink that you're seeing on here is what we call freezing rain.

So, it comes down as liquid precipitation. It freezes on contact with things like your car, with things like the street and just glazes everything over. It makes travel nearly impossible. In fact, we're getting word out of Baltimore this morning that part of I-70 is shut down eastbound because of an accident. Icy conditions. Multiple accidents around the Philadelphia area. We expect that as well into New York City and now into Boston as well as snow showers continue to come down here.

Temperature wise, we're still holding well below freezing, but we're starting to warm up a little bit in D.C. We'll start to see that transition Baltimore and Philly, we think, say, by mid-morning, and then it's going to happen after the noon hour for the rest of the interior parts are going to get heavier snowfall, maybe as much as 5 to 10 inches. And there's a second system behind this which is bringing snow in Michigan right now. Rain showers all the way down toward the Deep South. So, this is going to come at you after a break. That's going to come in later on tonight and then tomorrow and cause some airport issues for those folks across the Midwest as well.

So, here's the main storm system showing you where this thing is going riding on up the coast, and then, that next storm which comes on in. All right. We've already got you nice and chilly. Take a look at these pictures to cool you down even more. This is from Niagara Falls and the Niagara River. Take a look at the steam there coming off the river, and you can see some of the ice in those areas. Doesn't that look just frigidly cold, guys? I need a cup of coffee now.

CHETRY: It's amazing, though. Cool pictures. Thanks, Jacqui.

JERAS: Very beautiful.

HOLMES: All right. Jacqui, thank you so much. We'll check in with you again here shortly. Coming up, China leader of that country coming to the U.S. today, going to be sitting down with President Obama, and when they sit down, your money will be on the table.

CHETRY: Also, Evander "Real Deal" Holyfield is going to be joining us live here. Don't call it a comeback, but he is fighting again at 48. Why he says he's in the best shape ever and he's ready.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRANDFORD MARSALIS, JAZZ MUSICIAN: My name is Branford Marsalis. I'm a saxophone player. I just walk into airports assuming that I have absolutely no control over any other. That makes everything easier. At one time, you know what a metronome is. My metronome (INAUDIBLE). They read, you come back here! Explain that. I said it's a metronome. What is that? It's a practice instrument for playing music, you know, for tic toc, tic toc. Terrorist alert. The metronome.

I'm a curious person. I can't be on planes without books, without a computer and without music. That's what I like about this. Everything is contained. My books are in here. I played word games. There's a cool game that they have called words with friends, and it's basically scrabble that you can play with anybody with an internet connection around the world. My buddy, Harry Connick and I do it constantly. There've been times when they lost instruments. I carry the big one on. You know, I've been traveling like crazy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Yesterday, we showed you some of the highlights from the Golden Globes on Sunday, and people were saying Ricky Gervais maybe hit a little bit under the belt for some of these Hollywood elites. And people were wondering, why was he gone for an hour in the back half of the show. He said he didn't offend anyone. The critics, though, say he may have gone too far, that there were a lot of awkward moments, especially, when he was ripping on actor, Robert Downey, Jr. Here's a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICKY GERVAIS, ACTOR: He has done all of those films but many of you in this room probably know him best from such facilities as Betty Ford Clinic and Los Angeles County Jail. Please welcome, Robert Downey, Jr.

ROBERT DOWNEY, JR., ACTOR: Aside from the fact that it's been hugely mean spirited with mildly sinister undertones, I'd say the vibe of the show is pretty good so far, wouldn't you?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: That was a quick comeback for Robert Downey, Jr. Gervais, though, firing back claiming, quote, "everyone took it well. The atmosphere backstage and after show was great." And he went on to say, I probably won't be here next year.

HOLMES: He was hired to do his job. His audience he was playing to was the viewers at home, not and certainly the people sitting in that room.

CHETRY: Yes.

HOLMES: If he offended them, but nothing was untrue.

CHETRY: And also, I think they got, what, 17 million viewers. So, it's not like the show wasn't a success.

HOLMES: He'll be back.

CHETRY: Let's see. Three minutes until the top of the hour. Your top stories in just a minute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)