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Monday Morning Commute a Nightmare?; Will Security at Mandela Events Hold?; Do-Nothing Congress Doing Something; Newlywed Couple Killed for the Thrill; Sheriff Won't Lower U.S. Flag for Mandela; Potential Security Nightmare in South Africa; Politics and the "Do- Nothing" Congress; College Football's Final Showdown

Aired December 08, 2013 - 18:00   ET

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

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN ANCHOR: Here in the CNN NEWSROOM, hello, everyone. I'm Deborah Feyerick.

A deep chill settled across much of the United States and changed the weekend plans for millions of people from the Rockies to New York City. It hit central Virginia today at about noon. A thick layer of sleet and rain froze over when temperatures dipped into the 20s. Also to date, near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, about 40 cars and semi trucks smashed into each other on Southbound interstate 94. At least 50 people are reported hurt.

A live look here at Reagan National Airport just outside Washington, D.C. Lots of planes are flying. Nowhere. Lots of people stuck in the terminal. We'll go live there in just a minute.

And New York City, yes, we waited for it all day and now it's snowing. The question is, how long and is it cold enough to stick?

And has anyone mentioned that winter isn't even officially here for 13 more days? And the weather separated the football fans from the real diehard football fans today as Mother Nature threatened to ruin NFL game day.

And that brings us to the first of our five questions for the week ahead. Will your Monday commute be a nightmare?

Alexandra Steele at the Severe Weather Center in Atlanta.

Alexandra, Washington, D.C., New York, Philadelphia, lots of snow. But will it all be gone by the morning?

ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: All be gone. In some areas --

FEYERICK: Poof.

STEELE: Poof, all gone because temperatures are going to rise to the 40s. So it certainly will melt.

Live look at Columbus Circle in New York. And you can see, the snow is falling there. It's the beginning of the snow and essentially the end of the snow. And I'll show you why here.

Here's the radar picture. Finally the snow got to New York City. But you can see this is the back end of it. But then it is not all over.

Washington, D.C., areas around Baltimore, 4.8 inches of snow there. Hagerstown, Maryland. Northwest. Always the snowiest areas, north and west of Washington, 7.2 inches. But it, too, is the end.

In Washington, D.C., it has changed over to freezing rain. And again they had about a trace in Washington. But it's over for now. You can see this little break. A couple-hour break. Then this is the rain train behind it. That will come into all these big cities. So kind of we delineate the day.

Here's tonight in Washington again. It's changed over from snow to freezing rain. Freezing rain late tonight and then overnight, here comes the rain in New York as well, overnight all the rain event for the most part. And then you can see it all moves out. There's the rain in Washington.

In northern New England, though, cold enough there to really still be snow. But the story is, unlike the ice we saw a few days ago, in Dallas and Memphis, crippling the city, here's what's going to happen. In Boston, 40 tomorrow, 44 in New York, 41 in Washington.

So that really tells the tale. The ice certainly slippery tonight and early tomorrow but by the afternoon tomorrow, Deb, we're going to see really all everything that did fall, melt.

FEYERICK: All right. Well good news for people who now have to figure out exactly how to get where they were supposed to be today.

STEELE: Right.

FEYERICK: All right. Alexandra, thanks so much.

STEELE: You're welcome.

FEYERICK: Well, more than a few people were stranded in East Coast airports. They are hoping to get home in time for their Monday commutes.

Erin McPike is at Reagan National Airport.

And, Erin, we heard about delays earlier at Reagan. Has anything changed?

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Deb, no, not really. And there have been more and more cancellations and delays throughout the afternoon we have heard from officials at Reagan National Airport. Also at Baltimore Washington International Airport and Dulles Airport. The three airports that service the Washington, D.C. area.

And they all tell us that the runways are clear. They've had crews out all day. It's the airlines that have started to cancel these flights. U.S. Airways have cancelled a number of flights out of this airport.

It's a lot of the flights that are going between New York and Washington and also to Chicago. So a lot of things on the eastern seaboard and then also going to Chicago have been cancelled and delayed.

I can also tell you that just until about now, there has been quite a long ground stop at O'Hare in Chicago because of some deicing that they were doing there.

The worst of all right now is at Philadelphia. The wait time there for flights coming in for inbound flights is an hour and 43 minutes on average. Also lots of delays for inbound flights into the New York area. So there might be a backlog of passengers and flights tonight and into tomorrow morning that could slow down the Monday morning commute. And get a late start on this week's business.

Also Dallas which has been the hardest hit over the last few days has had delays but it's starting to get back to normal there. We're seeing delays of about 35 minutes on average in Dallas but certainly has been slow for a number of airports today -- Deb.

FEYERICK: All right. Taking type A people and turning them into type B. Thanks so much, Erin. Appreciate it.

Well, question number two for the week ahead, will security at Nelson Mandela event actually hold? The memorial and funeral services for former South African president are said to be the largest gathering of international diplomats ever. So security and transportation are likely to be logistical nightmares.

Some of the dignitaries expected include Prince Charles, on behalf of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff, French President Francois Hollande, U.S. President Obama and the first lady as well former presidents, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.

CNN's Errol Barnett has details from Johannesburg.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERROL BARNETT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: South Africans adding to a massive floral memorial here in Houghton, affluent suburb of Johannesburg where Nelson Mandela passed away late Thursday.

This Sunday has been national day of prayer where you've seen sights like this all over the country as South Africans pay thanks and bid farewell to the man who brought, with many others, this country out of Apartheid and into democracy.

The government has also confirmed today that at least 59 dignitaries from around the world are confirmed to be here during these 10 days of mourning. They include U.S. presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter. Queen Elizabeth II will be represented by her son, Prince Charles. French President Francois Hollande and Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff will be here as well.

Some are saying this could be the largest gathering of world leaders in Africa ever. So a massive logistical challenge ahead for the government.

What does the week ahead look like? Well, on Tuesday we'll see our first formal memorial service for the late president at FNB Stadium. It seats 95,000 but the government in an effort to allow as many people as possible to take part in these festivities, if can you call it that, will also erect 90 big screens around the country, broadcasting what will take place there on Tuesday.

Wednesday through Thursday, Nelson Mandela's body will lie in state at the Union Building in Pretoria and each morning his body will go on a precession of sorts through the capital, allowing South Africans to bid farewell.

And all of that ahead of Nelson Mandela returning to his ancestral homeland of Qunu next weekend. There will be a traditional funeral for him on Saturday ending in a state funeral for him on Sunday.

Really an entire country coming together to pay thanks to one man who helped unify a nation.

Errol Barnett, CNN, Johannesburg, South Africa.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: And in 20 minutes, I'm going to talk to "Politico's" White House reporter about the scramble to prepare for this week's trip to South Africa and the daunting security concerns that are going to be facing the Secret Service.

Well, question number three. Will the so-called do-nothing Congress actually do something? The lawmakers in Congress have until Friday to pass the Farm Bill otherwise milk prices could quadruple. The 113th Congress has passed a grand total -- drum roll -- 56 bills so far. If lawmakers do not pick up the pace, this may be the least productive Congress in modern history.

Capitol Hill reporter Lisa Desjardins is digging up details on other bills that Congress might consider -- Lisa.

LISA DESJARDINS, CNN CAPITOL HILL CORRESPONDENT: Turns out most are very limited. In fact, nearly 20 percent deal with just a single piece of land or a single area. Now here's two of those. One is called the Freedom to Fish Act. Everyone wants the freedom to fish, right? Well, that bill dealt with just two dams in Kentucky. Another one, this is the long one, the Minuteman Missile Boundary Modification Act. Long name there but it simply adds a visitor's office and some offices to a national park out at a Cold War missile silo.

All right. So how does Congress respond to this label? Here's what Speaker Boehner said last week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R), HOUSE SPEAKER: The American people work hard and they've got a right to expect their elected representatives to do the same. As Republicans are listening, to date the House has passed nearly 150 bills this Congress that the United States Senate has failed to act on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DESJARDINS: So that's a bit of the blame game. We looked at those 157 bills and it turns out that nearly a third of them went after Obamacare which of course is a nonstarter with Democrats and on the other hand, the Senate has passed some bills like immigration reform that have crawled to a halt in the House.

Now Congress has passed some major legislation. Things like the Violence Against Women Act. But overall, what's going on here is divided government with sharply divided politics. It means all of these folks up here have one major accomplishment they share. This is the least productive Congress in modern history.

Back to you.

FEYERICK: All right, Lisa Desjardins, thank you for that report.

And coming up, the do-nothing Congress is going to be the focus of our debate for you with our political panel. Can lawmakers stop playing the blame game just long enough to get a little bit of work done? The panelists are going to break it down.

And our fourth question, what about the markets this week? And the economy. Well, there is plenty to look out for.

Zain Asher is at the New York Stock Exchange -- Zain.

ZAIN ASHER, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Deb, this upcoming week on Wall Street, we'll introduce a brand new airline. Well, kind of. American and U.S. Air will merge into the world's biggest airline on Monday. The CEOs of the two companies will ring the Nasdaq's Opening Bell. The ticker will be AAL. The new name, American.

As for the economy, the new week will bring reports on jobless claims, inflation and retail sales. The retail numbers are critical because they're for November, the start of the holiday shopping season. So far signs have been mixed. Black Friday weekend sales dropped for the first time since the recession but Cyber Monday sales rose to an all- time high. The report next week from the government will be the definitive view.

Deb, that's what's coming up this week on Wall Street.

FEYERICK: Zain Asher, thank you.

And finally, question number five. Who will win the college football's Heisman Trophy? Florida State has been number one team and their quarterback could be honored as the game's best player. Jameis Winston is the odds-on favorite. Ballots due tomorrow. The winner will be announced next Saturday.

And don't go anywhere. Sports columnist Terence Moore will join me later this hour to preview the Heisman Trophy race and Florida State's showdown with Auburn. Next, they were joined in matrimony. Now they are joined in murder. A newlywed couple accused of killing a man they met online because police say they just wanted to kill someone together.

And a southern sheriff refuses to lower the American flag in tribute to Nelson Mandela. He said he has nothing against the former South Africa leader, so why is he taking this stance? That's coming up ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: An alleged killer couple in Pennsylvania. Police say that these newlyweds lured and murdered a man simply for the thrill of it. The details we're hearing are horrific.

CNN's Alexandra Field is in on the story in Sunbury, Pennsylvania, northwest of Philadelphia.

And, Alexandra, what do you know about this?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Deb, it's been almost a month since a 42-year-old married man, Troy Laferrara, was found stabbed to death. And now that newly-married couple is behind bars.

Police say that Miranda Barber and her husband Eliot Barber lured Laferrara to their car outside of a Pennsylvania shopping mall, then they say Miranda Barber pulled a knife out from between the seats in her car and repeatedly stabbed Laferrara. They say her husband, Eliot, who had been hiding on the seats, then put a rope around the man's neck.

Here is what the couple is telling police.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF STEPHEN MAZZEO, SUNBURY, PENNSYLVANIA POLICE: She tells us that they intended to kill somebody together. They had tried to kill other individuals and failed. And this happened to be one that actually worked.

FIELD: What did she tell you?

MAZZEO: She told us that her husband was not involved. She told us that she did this alone. And she had blacked out during part of the process and she doesn't remember all of them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FIELD: Laferrara's body was found on the morning of November 12th. It had been left in a Sunbury, Pennsylvania, yard. Police say the man had been stabbed 20 times -- Deb.

FEYERICK: And, Alexandra, this particular couple, you know, Barber has basically been denied bail. What is next for these two people?

FIELD: Well, they will -- they both have court dates later this month. Right now, they are being held in separate prisons to avoid the possibility of them having any contact with each other. They were arrested three days apart. Police say that they were able to track down the Barbers and link them to this case from Laferrara's cell phone records.

FEYERICK: All right. Crazy. All because he answered a Craigslist ad.

All right, thanks so much.

Well, after Nelson Mandela's -- after Nelson Mandela's death, President Obama ordered American flags to be flown at half-staff until sundown tomorrow. A sheriff in South Carolina, he is refusing to do that. He said it's just not right.

Our Nick Valencia is in Atlanta with more on this story.

And, Nick, why? It seems like such a simple acknowledgment and sort of a gesture of respect. Why isn't he lowering the flag?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, some people would say that is being quite stubborn about this, Deb, but simply put, Pickens County Sheriff Rick Clark doesn't think it has place in South Carolina there in his county. He says that this type of honor should be reserved for Americans. Nelson Mandela is not an American. So he laid out his argument to our local affiliate, WHNS. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF RICK CLARK, PICKENS COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA: It's a show of sign and respect for what Nelson Mandela has done, I have no problem with lowering it in South Africa, in their country. But for our country, it should be the people, in my opinion, who have sacrificed for our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: Rick Clark said it would be -- you know, the right thing to do to lower the flag at U.S. embassy in South Africa but it has no place here at home.

And it had been quite easy for him, Deb, to keep the flag at half- staff. They had a deputy die earlier this week. So they already had the flag at half-staff. And they were also honoring the anniversary of Pearl Harbor. But rather than keep that flag at half-staff -- you see the pictures there -- they decided to raise it back up. They just say there's no place there for it in Pickens County -- Deb.

FEYERICK: And he is getting some support. People are -- there are people who are saying that he is doing the right thing. What is the feedback?

VALENCIA: It's overwhelming in support of Rick Clark. In fact, take a look at some of the messages left on his Facebook after he took this position earlier this week. This coming to us from Cheryl Miller Johnson saying, "Proud to have you in office, Rick. Thank you for all that you do." And also Dana Kelly, another one of his constituents, in fact someone that works for him, saying, "I appreciate working for you knowing that you're not a yes man. This country was founded with strong backbones and seems a lot of folks have lost sight of this. Thank you, Sheriff."

And in fact I reached out to his chief deputy spokesman and he's standing by his sheriff as well, saying that he's doing the right thing -- Deb.

FEYERICK: The president's order isn't really out of the ordinary. There have been other international icons honored with lowered flags. This act of defiance, what do are you hearing?

VALENCIA: Well, we know of at least three other separate occasions that this has happened. This goes back to 1965, Lyndon B. Johnson did it for then U.K. Prime Minister Winston Churchill and George W. Bush doing it for Pope John II. Bill Clinton back in the '90s when Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated.

So this has precedent in this country but as far as the sheriff is concerned, he just doesn't feel it's the right thing to do and there's no legal ramifications or he's not going to be reprimanded for this, Deb. He's well within his jurisdiction. He -- you know, he's not going to be facing any punishment.

We reached out to the Governor's Office there in South Carolina to get their take on it. We're still waiting to hear back from them. But so far this sheriff, he's in the clear -- Deb.

GRACE: All right, Nick Valencia, freedom of speech. Thank you.

VALENCIA: You bet.

FEYERICK: Well, four U.S. presidents will head to South African to memorialize Nelson Mandela. And that's going to be creating a logistical challenge for the Secret Service. Inside information on how President Obama and his predecessors will be kept safe. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: Well, the memorial and funeral services for the former South African president are said to be the largest gathering of international diplomats ever. So security and transportation are likely to be logistical challenges. Many say that the 2010 Soccer World Cup in South Africa was a success. So that security this time around should also be feasible.

Joining me to -- by phone to discuss this is Reid Epstein, he's "Politico's" White House reporter.

And, Reid, CNN has confirmed that Secret Service did send over a team immediately when it became known that the president was going to be heading there. What are you learning? REID EPSTEIN, POLITICO WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, Deb, as soon as the Mandela news broke, the White House sent Secret Service and military chiefs to South Africa to start getting ready for the president's arrival. They were working with Secret Service officers who are based both in South Africa and Rome, who had been coordinating for months and years with the South Africans preparing for the Mandela -- preparing for the services after Mandela's death knowing that the U.S. president would want to be one to attend those services.

FEYERICK: You know, and there's going to be such an interesting mix of VIPs. You've got Afghanistan's Hamid Karzai, you've got Raul Castro, Ban Ki-moon, Richard Branson, Peter Gabriel. Not everybody is going to be getting the same kind of security, for example, as the U.S. president. Even some other heads of state.

EPSTEIN: Right. You know, U.S. presidential trip overseas is complicated, even when they have months to plan it out. Doing so on, you know, essentially four days notice really complicates matters. And the Secret Service doesn't take any chances with the president's travel. And so they are going to make sure that they have the assets in place to keep the president safe. That involves flying their own cars and helicopters from the U.S. to South Africa to make sure the president can travel and that -- in a way that the Secret Service requires for him.

And that he will be safe and that they can cordon off roads for motorcades and helicopter travel and that sort of thing once the president arrived.

FEYERICK: And certainly the Secret Service has done sort of quicker sort of faster trips when it comes to this. About a couple of days notice before the president gets there. You just mentioned the car. They tend to fly over the car. But there's also going to be a lot of traffic. So what are some of the other security concerns and security accommodations?

EPSTEIN: Well, it's not just the president's car that they have to go -- you know, they have to find dozens of vehicles for the various support staffers, for other security officials. White House staff who are going to arrive. In the motorcade or even not the motorcade, or who are going to be -- going to be there in other capacities.

So you're talking about trying to -- trying to find, you know, dozens of hotel rooms, dozens of vehicles in a place where every -- dozens of -- heads of states from around the world, other dignitaries are going to be showing up, all trying -- competing for the same facilities. It's not so easy and it's a job that U.S. embassy in South Africa has been working to arrange this so that the president and his team can arrive in and out safely when they get to South Africa on Tuesday.

FEYERICK: Yes. Absolutely. And usually the Secret Service works in tandem with teams who are there in the country. But it's going to be curious and interesting to watch whether, in fact, there are enough teams to handle all the heads of state that are expected to survive.

All right, Reid Epstein, thank so very much. We really appreciate you're joining us and we appreciate your filling us in there on the security likely to happen in South Africa.

Thank you.

Well, a major winter snowstorm threatens to make the morning commute for some of you, a little bit ugly. Next, a look at the storm through your lenses. The pretty and the ugly.

Also Congress, about to head home for the holidays with a long list of business undone. Will members actually agree on something? Anything this week? We're going to be talking about it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: Well, millions of people in more than a dozen states are dealing with what's left of an earlier than expected winter storm tonight.

This is a live look at New York City's Columbus Circle. We have it on good authority the snow is sticking in Central Park. It's a slushy mix of rain and snow that will clear out overnight but it's going to leave a mess for the morning commuters. Down the East Coast, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. The National Weather Service extended a storm warning until 10:00 a.m. tomorrow morning.

And the weather has been treacherous but it hasn't stopped some people from making the best of it.

Rosa Flores has been following posts on social media.

And, Rosa, what are you seeing out there?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Deb, I've been seeing a little bit of everything. Some pictures of dangerous roads, other of slushy airports and then this.

Take a look, Eagles and Lions fans in what they say are blizzard like conditions cheering on their favorite team. Now one woman even tweeted me saying that she bought tickets for her husband and that, well, it was for his birthday and he is out there sending her photos of the snowy mess. If you're curious, the Eagles did a little better on the snow winning the game 34-20.

But conditions on roadways can get very dangerous. They're very slick out there. This picture was tweeted out by Dan Amos. And it's of a 30-car pileup in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

A reminder for you, folks, stay home if you can.

And take a look at low visibility in Eugene, Oregon. Now this photo is from iReporter Steve Gladder. Now the temperature there, he says, negative 10 degrees.

Thank you so much for sending me your pictures and your comments on Twitter. That of course is @rosaflores.

And, Deb, lots out there. Some I can show you on TV, others not fit for the television screen.

(LAUGHTER)

FEYERICK: At least people have a sense of humor and we appreciate that here at CNN.

Thanks so much, Rosa.

Well, let's talk politics and the so-called do-nothing Congress. The House and the Senate are scheduled to leave town soon. They're going to wrap it up and call it a year. But they still have a lot of work to do.

We're talking now with L.Z. Granderson and Amy Holmes. L.Z. is a CNN commentator. Amy is an anchor at the Blaze.com.

And really good to see you both.

Look, the congressional to-do list still has a lot of items on it. Big things like confirming a new Fed chair, passing a farm bill, passing a defense bill. And then of course there's the budget. They only have until mid January in order to avoid another shutdown.

I'm going to go to L.Z. first.

We know that Republicans blame the president, Democrats blame Republicans. Are we doom to this permanent paralysis in Washington because a lot of taxpayers getting a bit fed up?

L.Z. GRANDERSON, CNN COMMENTATOR: Well, this is what the taxpayers voted for. If you remember, the 111th Congress was one of the most productive Congresses in U.S. history. They passed a lot of bills.

What was the response? The Tea Party got in. You have 63 Republicans take seats in 2010. And since then we've had this grinding halt. This is in part what the American people actually voted for. Not sure if they knew this was going to be the byproduct of it. But this is the change.

They had one of the most productive Congresses when it was all Democrats. They voted in the Tea Party and this is what you have.

FEYERICK: Yes, Amy, so what about all these things that Congress did spend time on while those items I listed sort of weren't passed? Like things the government shutdown, the back and forth over the stalled judicial nominees, the repeated House bills design to repeal Obamacare.

So much, we saw so much bitterness. So much sort of anger and at the end of the day, there is just -- there's nothing to hold on to. It's like sand.

AMY HOLMES, ANCHOR, THEBLAZE.COM: Well, you know, L.Z. makes a really excellent point that voters voted for divided government in 2010 and that was to throw on the brakes, slam on the brakes of a Congress that they felt had overreached particularly with passage of Obamacare. And I think if you want to, you know, poison to what has poisoned the well of the parties begin able to work together, Obamacare is a big one. It was a huge bill that Nancy Pelosi, then speaker of the House, said you have to pass it before you could know what was in it. It was passed at 11th hour during holidays with this procedural vote, straight line party vote. And I think that's done a lot to divide Republicans and Democrats from being able to work together.

FEYERICK: So -- all right. So let's talk about Friday's jobs report. Because this is also a big one. More than 200,000 jobs were added. Unemployment fell to 7 percent. But many financial economists or financial folks including the "New York Times" pointing out that the unemployment rate went down because a lot more people simply decided to stop looking for work.

In the words of the "New York Times," "For every person who found a job between September and November, three other people stopped looking."

So, L.Z., what are we dealing with here? More jobs, good news, but the fact that people are giving up, that's sad.

GRANDERSON: Well, you have a lot of different stories that are happening here at the same time. And I'm going to try and see if I can separate them.

Number one to me, and I don't know if Amy agrees, but we have like the past three decades, wages have been trailing the inflation rate. So what does that create? That creates a situation which you could work 40 hours a week and still need food stamps to feed your family. That's a very frustrating situation to be in.

And if you figure out that you could stop working and still come out pretty much the same spot you would be if you were working, well, the motivation just simply is not there. I'm not saying that all the people who are on some sort of aid are not looking for work because they figured that math out, but I'm definitely saying that people are cognizant of that dynamic.

And then you have another thing in effect. And that is simple fact that the work force has to accept the fact that the jobs that were lost, some of those are never coming back. If you worked in a record store and you lost your job, that's never coming back. If you worked in a manufacturing in some industries and they shipped your job overseas, some of those jobs are never coming back. You may have to be retrained in order to become more employable.

There are jobs out there. They're having a difficult time finding Americans who are qualified for those positions.

FEYERICK: And, Amy, what does it mean when people essentially give up looking for work? "Times" article pointed out a study that found that permanent damage occurs to the economy when people simply quit when they're out of work for a long time.

HOLMES: Well, and permanent damage occurs, it happens to those people that their lifetime earnings are lower, then you're talking about retirement in security because they don't have the same retirement packages. I mean, it's a huge problem and I've spoken with Douglas Holtz-Eakin, an economist, because we might be looking at a generation of people that had been really lost to this recession.

They're not going to have the salaries that they might have had. They're not going to get the job promotions that they might have. So this is an -- an enormous problem, and again, I want to commend L.Z. It sounds like he might even agree with Rand Paul a little bit when it comes to how unemployment benefits and government dependency can also create a culture of dependency.

FEYERICK: Right.

HOLMES: And if you're drawing even on getting those government checks then what is your incentive to get into the work force? And I think that's a very valuable and important point of conversation and debate and Congress is having it when it comes to food stamps and unemployment insurance. We'll see how that pans out.

FEYERICK: All right. Well, it's going to be fascinating --

(CROSSTALK)

GRANDERSON: We also are talking about raising the minimum wage would help. I'm sorry. Go ahead.

FEYERICK: Raise the minimum wage. And that's one of the things.

All right, well, we're going to leave it there. L.Z., you'll just have to blog as to whether you think you actually do agree with Rand Paul. So well, thanks so much, both of you, for being on our panel.

(LAUGHTER)

FEYERICK: Well, just ahead, Maya Angelou's heartfelt tribute to Nelson Mandela. You don't want to miss what she said to CNN's Anderson Cooper about the death of her good friend.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: One of the most powerful figures of the Old Testament was David. So when poet Maya Angelou called Nelson Mandela the world's David, her words carried enormous weight.

In tonight's "American Journey," our Anderson Cooper asked her about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, ANCHOR, CNN'S AC 360: Dr. Angelou, I watched the poem that you wrote and recited in memory of President Mandela, and one of the things that struck me that you said, you refer to him as David. Not just South Africa's David but as our David, the world's David, our Gideon. MAYA ANGELOU, AUTHOR AND POET: The truth is, we have -- many of us are Davids. A man, a woman. We can all be that particular person. Who has never courage to stand up and say, I am one. I have enough courage to dare to be a lover, not an indulger, but somebody who dares to love.

Now that's what Nelson Mandela was about. He had enough courage to say, I am -- you may call me, I am a person who dares to care for other human beings. And you see, one of the reasons I said this to you some time ago when I had pleasure of speaking to you, Anderson Cooper, I like the fact that you have enough courage to stand up.

Courage is the most important of all of the virtues. It's true, it's true, he was a courageous human being. And full of -- the idea that he was on a journey. And he had something to do. He had a -- a place to be and it's just fabulous to realize that there's an old spiritual, old gospel song that just --

(Singing) I'm on my journey now, Mt. Zion. On my journey now, Mt. Zion. And I wouldn't take nothing mount, Mt. Zion from my journey now. Mt. Zion.

He was on the journey. And he knew it. And he had something to do. And this is what each of us has. If we have enough courage, we can say, I'm on a journey. I have a charge to keep.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: A charge to keep. Well, it is almost time to go bowling. College football bowl invitations are about to go out. We're going to preview them all. But certain match-ups for BCS championships.

We're talking sports, coming up next.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FLORES: With your "Weekly Five," I'm Rosa Flores.

Thousands of college students in New Jersey could be rolling up their sleeves for the meningitis vaccine on Monday. Princeton University is offering it to their entire student body after eight cases of the disease were confirmed on campus. The vaccine not yet licensed for use in the U.S. is being recommended by the CDC.

Who will be "TIME" magazine's Person of the Year? We'll find out on Wednesday. Among those being considered, Miley Cyrus, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, and head of Twitter, Dick Costolo. "TIME's" readers voted Egyptian general, Abdul Fattah el-Sisi who played a key role in the ousting of former president Mohamed Morsi as their top choice.

The Screen Actor Guild Awards won't be handed out until January but the nominees will be announced Thursday. The SAG Awards honor actors and are being selected entirely by actors. You can catch the SAGs on TBS and TNT January 18th.

Speaking of Awards, the Golden Globe nominations will be announced Thursday. The awards ceremony which is much more looser than the more button-upped Academy Award airs on January 12th. We'll have to wait until next month to see who the big winners are. But we do know Diane Keaton will accept the Cecil B DeMille Award on behalf of her longtime friend, Woody Allen.

A new movie starring the late Paul Walker will be released as planned on Friday. Producers of the film "Hours" say they're doing it to honor the actor who was killed in a car crash on November 30th. In the movie, Walker plays a father-to-be in New Orleans during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

And that's your "Weekly Five."

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FEYERICK: The college football national title is all but settled. But it's not what the experts certainly would have predicted back in August. Florida State beat out Duke last night. That was expected. But then Michigan State upset number two Ohio State. And Auburn beat out Missouri to win the SEC.

Let's talk about it with Terence Moore. He is a sports contributor to CNN.com and also a columnist for MLB.com.

And Terence, it looks like Ohio State blew it. If they had won they would have played for the national title. So who is going to play Florida State in the BCS Championship?

TERENCE MOORE, CNN.COM SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR: Well, we're talking about, Deborah, the team of destiny, otherwise known as Auburn Tigers and this is the stuff of mother goose.

(LAUGHTER)

All right. Let this sink in. Auburn won zero conference games last year in southeastern conference. Zero. OK. They come back this year, they beat Georgia on 73-yard touchdown pass. It gets tipped up. Auburn player gets it, runs it back for a touchdown in the last seconds. Then you had the Alabama miracle that we all know about. Alabama misses a field goal in the last second, literally. Auburn player takes it more than a hundred yards back for a touchdown.

They win last night. The SEC championship game, Auburn does, against Missouri. And as you just alluded to, they had to hope for Ohio State to choke against Missouri in the big 10 championship game. This is not going to happen, is it? But it does happen. Ohio State chokes. It's amazing.

FEYERICK: You know, wishing for someone to choke seems so un- sportsmanlike.

(LAUGHTER)

Auburn has had a lot of really good plays. But who do you think is going to win the national title? Got a prediction?

MOORE: You know, I just thought about something. I've been talking about this mother goose things. Actually this is more like Dr. Seuss "Cat in the Hat" get it, Auburn Tigers. That's pretty bad.

If anybody can beat Auburn, it's got to be Florida State. Florida State, they've just been crushing people this year for an average margin of 30 points per game. But you know what, until somebody proves they can beat an SEC team in the championship game, national championship game, you got go with the SEC. They won the last seven in a row. So go with the team that's sprinkled by pixy dust. That's Auburn, by the way.

FEYERICK: All right. Pixy dust or confetti there. The Heisman Trophy honors the nation's best college football player. Ballots are due tomorrow 5:00. Florida State quarterback, the heavy favorite. Done deal?

MOORE: Yes, it's Jameis Winston. You know, the quarterback that you're referring to. And Jameis Winston essentially won the Heisman Trophy this week when that Tallahassee prosecutor said that he was not guilty or I should say not going to press charges in that sexual assault case.

And here's the other thing, Deborah. Eleven of the last 13 Heisman Trophy winners had been quarterbacks. Who is the best quarterback right now in the country? It's Jameis Winston. He leads the nation in passing efficiency and if he wins it, which he should win it, this will be the second consecutive year that a freshman has won it. Johnny Manziel won it last year. And in the previous second decades or so of the Heisman Trophy, no freshman has ever won it. So this is a big deal just in that realm alone.

FEYERICK: OK. So last question, I know it's cold outside. But let's talk baseball for a minute. The Seattle Mariners have reportedly signed New York Yankees outfielder Robinson Canoe to a 10-year contract worth $240 million. But what makes that figure so incredible is that they reportedly outbid the Yankees by $80 million.

Terence, since when does anyone outbid the New York Yankees?

MOORE: Since George Steinbrenner died about three years ago.

(LAUGHTER)

You know, and his sons, Hank and Hal, they spend money, but they don't spend money like their old man did. And here's the thing. Their old man, they would have got Robinson Canoe back with the Yankees by any means necessary. Not so much with this group. Seattle obviously is taking that old Malcolm X approach to baseball.

FEYERICK: Wow. Amazing. Well, you know, and listen, $80 million sounds like a lot. But over ten years, what, it's only an extra eight. All right.

MOORE: Just ask the new Steinbrenners, they would agree with you about that.

(LAUGHTER)

FEYERICK: Exactly. All right, Terence Moore, thank you so much for bringing us up-to-date on sports.

Well, frigid wintry weather is slamming parts of the country, as we all know. Find out what that means for you tomorrow.

And the New Jersey waitress who says she wasn't tipped because she is gay? She is out of a job. All the details straight ahead.

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FEYERICK: Well, an early winter storm is now slamming the East Coast. Reagan National Airport outside of Washington, D.C. has temporarily suspended flights so that the runways can be treated. The storm system is being blamed for at least seven deaths. Monday should be warm enough to melt much of the snow and ice that accumulate overnight.

And a waitress in New Jersey is out of a job after an investigation into her claims that she wasn't tipped because she's gay. Dana Morales posted a photo of a receipt online that read, "I cannot tip because I do not agree with your lifestyle." People started sending in donations when that post went viral. However, an area TV station found the customers did leave an $18 tip.

Well, the CNN film "AN UNREAL DREAM" is the true story of Michael Morton. He spent 25 years in a Texas prison for a crime that he did not commit. A juror's search for emotion on the stand and a defendant's effort to suppress it seemingly led it a life sentence.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I guess I kept looking at Michael and just noticing that he just didn't seem to have a lot of feeling about him. I guess I kept looking for some emotion that would let me know something about, you know, what was going on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Michael had an amazing capacity to compartmentalize things. So that he didn't bring his grief into the office. I don't know what he did with it.

MICHAEL MORTON, ACCUSED OF MURDER: I didn't think I was going to get convicted. It was going to be a longish trial, but then it would be revealed that there can be no "there" there. There's nothing to convict. There's nothing hard. There's nothing that says, look, this guy did it. There is nothing beyond a reasonable doubt.

And I couldn't imagine what could possibly be manufactured to make 12 people think that I've killed my wife.

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FEYERICK: CNN's film "AN UNREAL DREAM." That is going to premier here at 9:00 Eastern.

Well, I'm Deborah Feyerick, meantime we turn it over to "GLOBAL LESSONS ON GUNS," a "FAREED ZAKARIA, GPS" special that's premiering right now.