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New Storm Hits Sandy's Impact Zone; Poor Sandy Victims Say They're Ignored; Former Representative Giffords To Face Shooter; Syria's Defiant President Shuns Exile Offers; Black Friday Comes Early; 9-Year-Old Girl Is Gridiron Star; Snow Storm Postpones Soccer Playoffs; Anti-Muslim Filmmaker Goes To Prison; What's Next For Same Sex Marriage; Legalizing Marijuana; "Modern Family" Star Removed from Home; Saving the Economy; Medical Marijuana without the High

Aired November 08, 2012 - 10:00   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Forget getting up early, we're staying up late to get those Black Friday sales. Wal-Mart says it will start those deals on Thanksgiving even earlier.

Don't let the pigtails fool you. This gridiron girl knows how to play. We'll introduce you to the play who is shaking up pee wee football.

Good morning. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Carol Costello. This hour superstorm Sandy has a cold cruel cousin following in its footsteps. This new storm is lashing the northeast with snow, rains, and wind, and hitting the very same area struggling to recover from last week's devastation.

More than a foot of snow in some areas, evacuations in part of Long Island and power outages from Delaware to Maine. Nor'easter chewing into the coastline and leaving hundreds of thousands without electricity and without heat.

CNN's Deb Feyerick is in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Gerrittsen Beach. Dare I say good morning, Deb?

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, morning would be probably the better way to say it. Good, I don't know. A lot of people here are now digging out from all the snow that hit yesterday. It really sort of was a one-two punch.

You know, you had the people who were hurting in this area because they've lost power. Many of their cars were flooded, under water. Now we were listening and this is what they need, Carol. Let me give you a short list, hats, mittens, scarves, flashlights, big plastic bags.

They need gloves. People's hands are getting frost. They need heavy duty garbage bags. They also need hats, sock, can openers, basic things. You know, you never think you need it until all of a sudden you're without it.

I want to speak to the assistant chief here, Doreen Garson. First of all, how do you describe this part of Brooklyn?

DOREEN GARSON, GERRITTSEN BEACH FIRE DEPARTMENT: Gerrittsen Beach is a peninsula, surrounded by water.

FEYERICK: All right, how much water did you all get during that storm?

GARSON: We got all the water that there was surrounding us that came in to us.

FEYERICK: Now what's interesting is this is considered a Zone B. So nobody had to evacuate here. Do people feel like they got caught off guard?

GARSON: Yes, they do. They actually felt that they should have been evacuated, they should have been emergency evacuation, and they do feel off guard -- caught off guard definitely. Nobody knew what was going to be going on, that it was going to be this magnitude of disaster.

FEYERICK: You were here. You lived in this community most of your life, 60 years. The people who were inside this relief center, what was their mood last night?

GARSON: I think the grief is setting in and people are upset. They're crying. They don't -- with the snowstorm that came in last night, they don't -- they can't take anymore. That's -- most of the people that came in. That's what they said, they can't take anymore.

FEYERICK: So clearly, everybody's nerves are fried right now. What are they going to do? I mean, I'm seeing cars that are being towed away. What are they going to do?

GARSON: They really don't know what they're going to be doing. We're trying to go door to door to let people know that Con Edison, you know, having their electrical panels looked at.

FEYERICK: So a lot of work to be done. They don't know what the first step is. All right, and so Carol, you know, you have some of these pockets where people are really just trying to sort it through. And the help they really desperately need not coming fast enough, even though there are a lot of people out there trying to help -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Just looks so miserable. Deb Feyerick reporting live from Brooklyn this morning.

Across much of that region there are angry questions about whether poor people are being largely ignored while utility crews focus on wealthier neighborhoods.

Here's an example for you in Brooklyn, most of the 6,000 residents of a housing project in Red Hook still without heat, water, or electricity, more than a week after the storm.

They say power, though, has already been restored to newer, trendier neighborhoods not far from them. Right now, they say all they have is each other.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONI JONES JAMES, RED HOOK RESIDENT: Everybody is sticking together. Everybody is trying to do the best that they can, but we need help here in Red Hook especially in the towers. You have shut-ins, you have people. They can't go to the bathroom. They can't wash themselves. It's just so -- it's emotional for me to be right here, but this is all I have.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: For residents of this building and many others, the hallway lighting is now a series of tea lights lining the corridor. Before bed residents dress in several layers of clothing just to stay warm as the temperatures continue to drop inside the building.

For the first time since she was shot during an event she was hosting, former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords will come face to face with the man who shot her. Today, Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly will be in a courtroom where her attacker Jared Loughner will be sentenced.

Giffords is still recovering from that attack 20 months ago. This week she did manage to vote near her home in Tucson. That's a good thing.

Casey Wian is live outside that courthouse that I was talking about. Casey, I know Mark Kelly will speak during today's hearing. Tell us about it.

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Carol. We actually ran into Mark Kelly, Gabrielle Gifford's husband at the airport last night. He seemed very upbeat, said he was doing well. He will give a statement on her behalf at the sentencing of Jared Loughner.

The man who has pleaded guilty to trying to assassinate Gabrielle Giffords when she was a U.S. congresswoman and also killing six people, a total of 19 federal charges he has pleaded guilty to in exchange for federal prosecutors not seeking the death penalty.

He will receive life in prison without parole. We also spoke with a source close to the family who tells me that Congresswoman Giffords is ready to face the man who tried to kill her in court today.

She's expecting a very, very difficult emotional morning. She has been preparing for this for some time. She also tells me that Gabrielle Giffords has no actual memory of the man who shot her that day last January.

Also appearing in court today will be Ron Barber, now a U.S. congressman, who was elected in July to fill the remaining term of Congresswoman Giffords, the time that was left in Congresswoman Giffords' term.

He is actually going to give a statement later today. You think this election is over. He's in a re-election bid and they're still counting the votes in his re-election effort here in Arizona.

Now, as for Loughner, people may wonder why prosecutors did not seek the death penalty for such a horrific crime. Well, if you remember, there were a lot of concerns in court proceedings about his mental competency, his ability to stand trial.

Also, prosecutors very worried about the fact that he could try to plead insanity and have some sort of a lesser sentence so all of the victims that have spoken so far feeling comfortable with life in prison without parole -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Casey Wian reporting live for us from Tucson, Arizona.

Syria's embattled president said he will not accept international offers of exile even as his country sinks deeper into a bloody, deadly civil war.

Bashar Al-Assad says he will live and die in Syria and he warned that any foreign intervention in his country's turmoil could have huge cost both in the region and around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BASHAR AL-ASSAD, SYRIA PRESIDENT: I think the price of this invasion, if it happens, is going to more than we can afford. We have problem in Syria -- stability in the region and coexistence. It will have domino effect, that effect from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom joins us now from Beirut. Mohammed, we've seen a lot of unintended consequences from the democratic uprising to the Arab world. Could Assad's warnings though be more than bluster?

MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's the key question, Carol. You know, one of the reasons that the civil war in Syria is so concerning is because people have worried that it could stoke a wider, regional conflict.

You've seen regional rivalry surmounting what's going on in Syria. The Sunni countries in the region like Saudi Arabia, backing the opposition. Then you have a Shiite country like Iran that's backing Al-Assad.

Now, because the sectarian lines within the Syrian civil war are deepening, that's very concerning to the international power players. What's going to happen in the region? Will there be a congregation? Will there be a wider conflict? That's why everybody is so worried.

That's what ominously Al-Assad seems to be suggesting here. In this interview, he also said that he's no puppet of the west. It's very interesting these remarks emerge the day after British Prime Minister David Cameron said he could be offered safe passage out of Syria to end this civil war there -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Mohammed Jamjoon reporting live from Beirut for us this morning.

Nearly two months after that deadly attack in Benghazi, slain U.S. ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens, will be honored posthumously with a common ground award for outstanding accomplishments and conflict resolution, negotiation, community, and peace building.

Steven's sister, Ann, will accept the award. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is also expected to speak at that event.

Guess what, you can get a few more hours of sleep the day after Thanksgiving because instead of waking up early for Black Friday sales you could actually shop on Thanksgiving Day at Wal-Mart.

What a beautiful family tradition. You could go right from dinner with the fam to 51-inch flat screen TVs on sale. Alison Kosik, it's a beautiful thing.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Isn't it a lovely thing? You have your whole day planned out now. Congratulations, Carol. You know what? Forget Black Friday, who needs it. This is the new trend.

Wal-Mart is opening its doors at 8:00 p.m. right on Thanksgiving Day offering deals to entice those early shoppers like yourself, Carol, right so you could find yourself a 32-inch LCD-TV for 148 bucks and $38 Blu-Ray disk player.

This is actually the second year in a row that Wal-Mart is doing this, opening on Thanksgiving night, but this time around it's opening two hours earlier this year. And Sears and K-Mart, they're also announcing that they're going to open on Thanksgiving, as well.

Expect more stores to follow. You know, last year, Toys "R" Us opened early, though it waited until November 19th to tell everybody about it. Now If you go though, it's not going to be empty. You're not going to be alone.

The National Retail Federation says the number of shoppers hitting the stores on Thanksgiving Day soared in the last three years from a little over 3 percent in 2009 to more than 24 percent last year. And with Wal-Mart announcing it's opening earlier, I wouldn't be surprised if you see those numbers go up again -- Carol.

COSTELLO: After I eat Thanksgiving Day dinner I cannot move. I mean, I have to lie down for a few hours.

KOSIK: Maybe this is good. You will get up, get a little exercise. You know, and you know why they're doing this? Because it is all about demand, Carol. You know, market research out there actually shows this is what people want.

You know, Wal-Mart's chief merchandising and marketing officer says the company is responding to customer feedback. They want to have their turkey, go shopping, and get to bed at a reasonable hour all in the same day apparently.

The National Retail Federation agrees. I want to show these numbers here, 80 percent of shoppers say they will start shopping before December this year. Get this, 12 percent began shopping before September.

So I think they were in their bathing suits and the retailers, they have to be ready for this influx, Carol. They have to be ready for all this demand. You know, this Christmas shopping season is huge.

It's a critical time for these stores no matter how long the season lasts, even if people are going in their flip-flops and shorts to shop for Christmas -- Carol.

COSTELLO: It's good for the economy, that's for sure. Alison Kosik, thanks so much.

Sam Gordon is a pint size football player who puts up astronomical numbers. Take a look, 9:00-year-old has out run youth league opponents this season rushing for nearly 2,000 yards and, get this, 35 touchdowns. What's even more amazing, Sam is a girl, a girl who just dominated her tackle football league.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAM GORDON, FOOTBALL PLAYER: It's just like everyone asks if I feel nervous, but most of the times it's just really fun to be the one scoring the touchdowns.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, you're really --

GORDON: Better than the boys.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So cute. Carlos Diaz from HLN joins me now. She's amazing.

CARLOS DIAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here's the thing. We've seen videos, so cute, she's running around. Like from a football standpoint, she's really good. Her lateral movement, her cuts, right through that cut right there.

I mean, she brings a tackle and she's going down the field. Look at the move right there. She's got three guys draped on her. I don't think so. I'm gone! And then not only can she run, she can also tackle very well.

She's tackling guys twice her size. Look at that right there. Look at her take that guy down and then another one, in the backfield. That guy is at least twice as big as she is.

Another tackle right there, 65 tackles. That guy is huge. Takes it right outside. She's taking guys down like clay crazy. It's an amazing story. This little girl from Utah, she is 8 years old when this video was shot.

She's dragging that guy. The entire team can't get her right there. She's got her cool neon socks on. Look at those socks running down the sidelines because you're seeing her from behind. She goes in the end zone.

It's unbelievable. You've got almost 1.5 million viewers seeing this thing on YouTube. She's a sensation. Let's call her Flash Gordon.

COSTELLO: I just want you to continue announcing play by play because I enjoyed that.

DIAZ: When you see it you can't help. It's 4 minutes of just pure bliss because you see her absolutely schooling these guys. I mean, she's just ferocious in this league. I mean, unbelievable.

COSTELLO: I mean, obviously she's probably not going to be able to play football when she's an adult.

DIAZ: One of my producers said this morning, never play in the NFL. Why not? Why not? We are -- we see basketball players in WNBA. We see female softball players, their skills are unbelievable. Why can't we see somebody, a female in the NFL some day?

COSTELLO: Because men don't want them there.

DIAZ: If she can break tackles like that, Jerry Jones is on the phone right now, all right? She's like, sign that girl up. I want her on the Cowboys. She's better than Tony Romo.

COSTELLO: I think she wants to play soccer though. She's realistic. I wish -- you're right. I can't see it. She would have to grow to be really large to play in the NFL.

DIAZ: Not if she's that quick. Most running backs are 5'8".

COSTELLO: She could do special teams.

DIAZ: Listen, if you make it, give me a call. You want an agent, we'll do some things. Call me.

COSTELLO: Thank you so much. That was fun.

After a historic vote, supporters of same-sex marriage playing victory in Minnesota, Maryland, and Maine. But they insist there's more work to be done.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It is 18 minutes past the hour, other stories we're watching right now in the NEWSROOM. Residents still powerless from super storm Sandy after being hit again, this time by a nor'easter. Storm is a mix of heavy rain, wind, and snow.

It's a major setback for those still trying to dry out after massive flooding left by Sandy. Nor'easter is having an impact on the sports world.

A playoff series between New York Red Bulls and D.C. United had to be postponed after the snow from the storm hit New Jersey. Arena staffers tried to clean off the field to make it safer for players but they failed. The match will be held tomorrow, we hope.

The California filmmaker, so-called filmmaker behind that anti-Muslim film that sparked riots across the Middle East is going back to prison. He will spend one year behind bars for violating his probation from a bank fraud case. He used several fake names includes one in "The Innocence of Muslims."

For the first time in history voters have approved same-sex marriage and being hailed as a huge victory for gays and lesbians. So what now?

Maine and Maryland approved the ballot measures. A total of eight states and Washington, D.C. now allow same-sex marriage. Also on Tuesday, Minnesota voters voted against the measure to ban same-sex marriage.

And Washington State could become the ninth state to legalize it. Votes there still too close to call. Joining us now is Darlene Nipper. She is the deputy executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. Welcome, Darlene.

DARLENE NIPPER, DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL GAY AND LESBIAN TASK FORCE: Thank you so much, Carol. I'm glad to be here.

COSTELLO: Glad you're back with us. What where you expecting from Washington State, have you heard?

NIPPER: I'm expecting a win, but we're going to wait for the ballots to all come in.

COSTELLO: You know, the states that have allowed gay marriage, they're all blue states and, you know, many of those states voted overwhelmingly for President Obama.

What about the red states, still a good part of the country. I mean, look what happened in North Carolina. Will a red state ever be OK with same-sex marriage?

NIPPER: Look, what we're saying is that this is a watershed moment for our community. It's a watershed moment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered equality in America. The American people are showing us that they're with us and we're moving forward and we're not going to turn back. Yes, we will see that moment.

COSTELLO: What are you saying? Are you guys going in to red states and trying to convince people? How do you convince them?

NIPPER: You know what, for years and years and years we've been working on the ground, across the country, to have very personal conversations with people about our lives, our love, and who we are.

To remind the American people that we share a common humanity and we continue to do that person to person, one-on-one, to really just tell people that, look, lesbian, gay, and bisexual and transgendered people are people just like everyone else and we share a common humanity and we deserve fairness just like everyone else. COSTELLO: Isn't your biggest fight going to be in the U.S. Supreme Court though?

NIPPER: Yes, I think, you know, we'll see the U.S. Supreme Court, but I think the U.S. Supreme Court has also seen a few days ago with this election, the American people. And I know it's supposed to be unbiased, but I think it's pretty clear that the American people are with us and I think the courts and the justices can see that, too.

COSTELLO: Was the gay rights community relieved when President Obama was re-elected, because he might have to appoint a U.S. Supreme Court justice?

NIPPER: Absolutely. I mean, I think what we've seen with the president is that the president has been the greatest advocate for lesbian, gay, and bisexual, and transgendered people.

He's been supportive and with us throughout the first term and we expect more for the next four years and we'll be working to make sure that our rights and -- that who we are is supported by the president and the rest of the American public.

COSTELLO: Darlene Nipper, thanks so much for joining us this morning.

NIPPER: Thank you, Carol.

COSTELLO: Talkback question this morning. Can President Obama romance the Republicans? Facebook.com/carolcnn.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Now is your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. The question for you this morning, can Obama romance the Republicans?

Remember the 2012 election? Done. Next? Now it's time to tackle the fiscal cliff. You know, the economic crisis that we're facing unless President Obama and Republicans make some kind of deal. But first, both sides need to feel the political love. They're already flirting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Tonight, you voted for action, not politics as usual. You elected us to focus on your jobs, not ours. And in the coming weeks and months, I am looking forward to reaching out and working with leaders of both parties, to meet the challenges. We can only solve together.

REPRESENTATIVE JOHN BOEHNER (R), HOUSE SPEAKER: The American people have spoken. They've re-elected President Obama and they have, again, re-elected a Republican majority in the House of Representatives. If there's a mandate in yesterday's results, it's a mandate for us to find a way to work together on the solutions to the challenges that we all face as a nation.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COSTELLO: But political love is fleeting between Democrats and Republicans, although partisan bromance is possible. Remember Ronald and Tip when rewashed jeans were hip?

So why not Barack and John? They've tried. In 2011, they had a golf/beer summit that is they played 18 holes and had a beer. Can you say quadruple bogey? American voters hate the gridlock.

They're saying, come on, fellows, bury the hatchet and show us the love because love -- love means never having to say you've fallen off a fiscal cliff. Talkback today, can President Obama romance the Republicans? Facebook.com/carolcnn. Your responses later this hour.

For years, smoking pot is something people did, you know, indoors in hiding. But now voters in two states made it legal. You will be able to smoke pot sitting on a park bench. And some in the law enforcement community are pretty happy with that decision.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Thirty minutes past the hour. Good morning to you. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining us.

Checking our "Top Stories" now, a nor'easter along the northern East Coast has forced residents along the Jersey shore to evacuate yet again. Snow from that storm has already begun falling. High winds and rain also expected.

After being elected for a sixth term Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio says he now wants to meet with members of the Latino community. Arpaio known for his tough stance on undocumented immigrants is being sued by the ACLU, the Justice Department for racial discrimination and civil rights violations. Arpaio has denied those allegations.

Verizon customers affected by Sandy won't have to pay for calls and text messages made during the storm. The company announced today it will waive those charges for customers in the New York and New Jersey areas from October 29th through November 16th. However, customers will be billed for access charges and data fees.

Smoke them if you've got them. Pot, that is. On Tuesday voters in two states approved ballot initiatives that allow people to smoke marijuana for recreational purposes. But there's one big catch. It's still against federal law to smoke marijuana. You probably won't be thrown in jail though if you're spotted sitting on a park bench smoking a joint if a federal law enforcement officer walked by.

Last hour I talked to the Colorado Attorney General John Suthers about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN SUTHERS (R), COLORADO ATTORNEY GENERAL: Even though he technically could, the federal government has never been interested in prosecuting low-level possession. Even when I was U.S. Attorney I think we had 100 plant threshold and I suspect it's even higher now. But I do think they are going to be concerned about, you know, there's no residency requirements under this regime, so people can come into Colorado and buy it, take it out of the state. And I'm just not sure how they're going to react to that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Neill Franklin is a former Maryland state police officer, he's the executive director of LEAP, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. Welcome.

NEILL FRANKLIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, LEAP: Carol thanks for having me.

COSTELLO: Ok so this would get really messy. Because as you heard the Attorney General of Colorado say he says the feds are more concerned about people selling pot and buying it in Colorado, taking it to other states where it's still illegal to smoke marijuana. This kind of puts law enforcement in the middle, doesn't it?

FRANKLIN: Well, I don't think so. I think that is the responsibility of the feds as it goes -- if it goes from state-to-state. But within the state, I believe it's the state's right and the rights of the people within that state to decide how they want to manage marijuana in their communities.

And in Colorado and Washington they have decided. And I think it's up to the federal government to work with them to move this issue forward.

Right away, the President, by the stroke of a pen, can move marijuana from a schedule one to a three or four and allow these states to do what is right for them. And that's what he should do.

COSTELLO: Well -- well, let me make it clear that you're organization is for the legalization of marijuana.

FRANKLIN: Absolutely.

COSTELLO: I'm just saying that has not happened yet and the President doesn't seem prone to do that. In fact, he's come down harder on medical marijuana. At least he did in his last term. So really this is putting police officers in other states into, you know, a tricky situation.

FRAKLIN: Well, I don't think so. This is no different than what we did back in the 1930s when we ended alcohol prohibition. It was the states that decided that they wanted no parts of the federal law, prohibition for alcohol.

And that's what they're doing now. If you look at -- look at the trend over the past couple of decades, the people have decided. The polls indicate that the people no longer want marijuana prohibited in their communities. It causes more of a problem within their communities under prohibition than what it would under regulation and control.

One of the things that would happen initially and almost immediately is that marijuana would become less accessible for our children because there would be less points of access. Right now, they can buy it on just about any corner without producing ID.

COSTELLO: Well let me talk to you about that because if I'm a parent --

(CROSSTALK)

FRANKLIN: Yes.

COSTELLO: -- and I told my kid, hey, you cannot smoke marijuana, it's illegal, it's dangerous, it's a gateway drug. And now all of a sudden in Colorado it's legal and they see that and they hear it on television, how in the heck are you supposed to tell your children, oh, there are exceptions -- and how do you explain that to them?

FRANKLIN: You explain it that it's been done for their benefit because it removes it from the hands of criminals and it puts it into regulation and control where they would have to show ID. And it's up to a parent to teach their kids this.

Look at what we've done with tobacco use over the past couple of decades, where we've almost cut use in half and we sent no one to prison, we fired no shots, we don't have criminal gangs managing tobacco on our streets.

Education, treatment, it's up to a parent to teach their kids what's good and what's bad for them.

COSTELLO: I mean, I think many people would probably agree with you but I'm just thinking about alcohol. It's legal. We have terrible addiction problem with alcohol in the country. Who is to say we won't have --

(CROSSTALK)

FRANKLIN: Well would you like to go back to the days of prohibition with alcohol and give it back to criminals to manage within our communities where it's become poison and would be killing people and they would be making millions if not billions of dollars selling bootleg alcohol?

COSTELLO: I'm just saying that, you know, we try to educate people about alcohol abuse but a lot of people still abuse alcohol.

FRANKLIN: Yes. Yes, but -- but that's just it. It is a health issue. It's not one for law enforcement. I and the thousands of members of law enforcement against prohibition and other cops, we didn't choose this job to enforce these drug laws. I chose to be a cop to protect people from violent people -- rape, murder, robbery, protecting our kids from violent criminals. That's why I became a cop.

COSTELLO: All right. Neill Franklin, thank you so much for speaking with us this morning. We appreciate it.

FRANKLIN: Thank you, Carol. Thank you.

COSTELLO: Ok. So a lot of people are actually for -- well, maybe not a lot, but a good majority of you -- a good number of people, I should say, are for medical marijuana. So what if we could reap the medical benefits of marijuana without the high? There's a new kind of marijuana being grown that might change your mind about the drug.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Sad story this morning. One of the stars from ABC's "Modern Family" is being removed from her mother's care because of allegations of abuse. A.J. Hammer following that story from New York and we're talking about Ariel Winter, Alex Dunphy, right?

A.J. HAMMER, HLN HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Alex Dunphy that's right. It's such a disturbing story, Carol. We of course love watching 14- year-old Ariel on "Modern Family" but she's going through a tough time with her real family right now. Winter's mother has reportedly have been accused of abusing the actress physically and emotionally to the point where a judge had to step in.

Now a court has reportedly barred Ariel's mother named Chris Workman, from contacting her and has placed the 14-year-old in the custody of an older sister. Now Workman is publicly denying the accusations. She tells "People" magazine they are simply untrue and that she has letters from doctors and stylists who know what's going on to back up her side of the story. We have reached out to ABC and all of the parties involved in this for some reaction this morning.

At this point no one is issuing any public statements, Carol, which considering the sensitivity here probably is smart thing. But obviously no matter what's going on, it's such a tough thing for any 14-year-old to go through.

COSTELLO: Oh this is just terrible. Let's talk about Lady Gaga and Jerry Seinfeld. They're helping people after Sandy?

HAMMER: Yes it's always great to see the New Yorkers stepping up and helping out the city. Lady Gaga just announced on Twitter she is donating $1 million to the Red Cross to help victims of Sandy. Gaga grew up in New York of course and she says this town and her time on the lower east side, in Harlem, the Bronx, the Brooklyn, made her the woman and the artist that she is today. And she's making a donation on behalf of her entire family.

And New Yorker Jerry Seinfeld also stepping up, he is donating all of his income from his upcoming scheduled shows in Brooklyn and on Staten Island to the relief efforts and he's also added a show that's going to happen on December 19th on Long Island. Proceeds from that show will also be going to local organizations helping people here in New York.

I love the Sein, Carol. I love the Sein.

COSTELLO: Me, too. A.J. Hammer, thanks so much.

Look carefully at this next image. See it there? Appears to be a wrecked car. But in this case, looks can be deceiving.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: 45 minutes past the hour. Time to check our top stories.

The nor'easter has set back recovery efforts from Superstorm Sandy dumping up to seven inches of snow in some of the hardest hit areas. Parts of New Jersey under a mandatory evacuation. Nearly 700,000 people are without power.

Legendary university of Texas football coach Darrel Royal died yesterday at the age of 88. He led the team to three national college football titles while he was coach from '56 to '76. He died after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease.

Take a look at this wrecked car. It's actually not what it appears to be. It's actually a human sculpture. A heap of 17 nude models painted and stacked to look like a car crash. Part of an ad campaign in Australia for awareness about the dangers of speeding by the same artist who did the painting in that Gaultier's music video.

The biggest issue facing Americans right now is the economy. It was front and center in the election. Now that the election is over, it's time to deal with some harsh realities including the fact that taxes will go up for some Americans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: By working together and creating a fairer, simpler, cleaner tax code. We can give our country a stronger, healthier economy. A stronger economy means more revenue, which is what the President seeks. Because the American people expect us to find common ground, we're willing to accept some additional revenues via tax reform.

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COSTELLO: So what will that mean? Christine Romans is our business correspondent and host of "YOUR BOTTOM LINE". She joins us now. So, we're two months away from the Bush tax cuts expiring and that means?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: That means they're open to additional revenue via tax reform. They got to move quickly. It means you now are seeing in this first day after the election you're starting to see the different parties begin to talk. And, Carol, the Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid -- what did he say -- he said it's more fun to dance than to fight. So it looks as though we're beginning these discussions.

Look, no one wants to go off of the fiscal cliff. It is big. It is serious. But politics have stood in the way until now. It looks like they're starting to begin to figure out how to put those politics aside.

We talked to Austan Goolsbee, somebody who used to advise the President, he comes from the Democratic side here, and this is what he said about the fiscal cliff.

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AUSTAN GOOLSBEE, FORMER CHIEF ECONOMIST, ECONOMIC RECOVERY BOARD: The biggest year of the stimulus was about a plus $275 billion. If we go off the fiscal cliff it's about a minus $650 billion in the year 2013. So it's a pretty serious issue, but it can't just be looked at on its own.

As Speaker Boehner said, it's got to be part of a grand bargain, and hopefully there will be some room for compromise. I fear there's still one more celebrity death match left in that old kind of Tea Party viewpoint.

ROMANS: Yes, and how strong will that Tea Party viewpoint be and how will John Boehner be able to wrangle that. Look, this is what it means for a middle income family if we were to go off the fiscal cliff which is of course, they're trying to avoid. $2,000 in tax increases next year. I mean would start right away. I mean that means most people would feel it immediately. It would mean the Bush tax cuts would go away. So everyone's tax rates would go up.

The alternative minimum tax patch would be gone. Payroll tax holiday would go away. Another $1,000 a year in added tax increases. That's a lot of money people would be paying extra right away out of their paychecks.

And Carol, it's not just that, it's the spending cuts as well that come into play here that would really ravage some different indices like defense of course, so everyone agrees, they don't want to go over the fiscal cliff. Now comes the politics of figuring out how to make that happen, Carol.

COSTELLO: That's the scary part.

ROMANS: I know.

COSTELLO: Christine Romans, reporting live. Christine Romans thanks so much.

Medical marijuana without the high. We'll tell you where patients are using this brand new strain of cannabis.

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COSTELLO: Medical marijuana is already legal in 17 states with voters in Massachusetts approving a referendum on the issue Tuesday. Patients who use pot but don't want the high may find hope in a new strain of the plant. CNN's Sarah Sidner reports from northern Israel.

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SARAH SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Every morning 80-year-old Moshe Roth gets his medicine, stuffs it in his pipe and smokes it. Moshe is using medical marijuana, also known as cannabis. How does the cannabis make you feel? MOSHE ROTH, MEDICAL MARIJUANA PATIENT: Good.

SIDNER: He is a Holocaust survivor, an author and painter whose hands started shaking so much he couldn't work anymore.

"My heads are now steady. I can hold things like tea."

The cannabis also makes him high because of the psycho active effects of the substance THC in the plant. For those who use medical marijuana the high they experience is the price for the reported help it gives to cancer patients on chemotherapy or others suffering from everything from Parkinson's disease to pain.

Rivkah Halup thought marijuana just got people high until she was prescribed a new strain of the plant and tried it. Two spoonfuls a day with her other medications. She says the pain that left her wheelchair bound began to be relieved without leaving her lethargic.

Outstanding. I was turned into a different person. I was resurrected. I was awakened to life, she says, because the new cannabis helped her get back on her feet again.

Tecuma lamb, a company in Israel that grows and distributing medical marijuana says the new strain it has developed has almost no THC, virtually eliminating the high. The plant produces a high concentration of another substance called CBD.

At a press tour to publicize their new product, we met Professor Ruth Galilly. She's been studying the effects of CBD for more than a decade and is now being paid by the company to continue her research.

RUTH GALILLY: So we are -- it's not toxic. Material very active, anti-inflammatory, anti-pain, and not expensive to grow.

SIDNER: Growers hearsay this is the most potent type of medical marijuana, or cannabis, in its traditional form. But just next to it is the wave of the future. We're talking about putting cannabis in capsules and also having it put into chewing gums that even children can take it.

Cannabis is being prescribed in Israel and used by children who have been licensed. Medical marijuana has been legal in Israel for more than a decade. It is strictly controlled. A doctor has to prescribe it. And each patient must have an individual license to use it.

MOSHE KAHLON, ISRAEL COMMUNICATIONS MINISTER: We can't be all-time narrow minded. We have to think about people suffering and how to help them without, god forbid, allowing more use of drugs among those who don't need it.

SIDNER: But critics say there's simply not enough research on marijuana of any kind for medical purposes. They say that unlike other drugs the results of testing including dosing and negative side effects are not yet clear.

But growers here hope their new version can be exported around the world one day. But 80-year-oldi Moshe Roth says, he'll stay with the good old-fashioned medical marijuana.

Sarah Sidner CNN, in (inaudible) Israel.

COSTELLO: Interesting, fascinating.

"Talk Back" question for you today. Can President Obama romance the Republicans? Your response is next.

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COSTELLO: Ok. Talk back question of the morning. Can President Obama romance the Republicans?

This from Emily. "If Obama wanted to romance, this whole were wouldn't have been negative. Every ad from both sides are negative and pointing fingers."

From Kyle, "POTUS shouldn't have to romance them. They refused to compromise for four years hoping to get him out of office."

This from Ron, "has he ever romanced the Republicans during his first four years? Flirting is way easier than romancing because then some actual compromising to find common ground has to take place." Ron you sound like an expert.

This from Dave, "Why should he romance them? The people voted and made it clear who they wanted as president. Now it's time to quit the whining and bickering?

And this from Chris, "The American people should get a petition together that states the President and Congress be paid minimum wage until they can fix the fiscal cliff." Thanks for all of your responses this morning. I sure appreciate them.

COSTELLO: Facebook.com/CarolCNN if you want to continue the conversation. Thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Carol Costello. Newsroom continues right now with Ashleigh Banfield.

ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you so much Carol. And hi, everybody. I'm Ashleigh Banfield.

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Here are some phrases for you. High wind, wet snow.