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Secretary Rice in London; Clinton in the Obama Administration; Former President Releasing Donor List; Ex-Aide to Detroit Mayor Pleads Guilty to Obstruction; Livelihood in Limbo; HIV/Cancer Victim Speaks Out

Aired December 01, 2008 - 09:00   ET

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

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Lineup for his national security team. We're going to take a look at the players.
And after the attacks. Authorities in Mumbai look for links to the gunman.

It is Monday, December 1st. I'm Heidi Collins. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Well, you may not know their names today but for the next four years they could be assigned the all-important task of keeping you safe.

Next hour, President-elect Barack Obama introduces nominees for his national security team.

CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is in our Washington bureau now with the very latest on these picks.

Good morning to you, Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.

Well, those close to Hillary Clinton tell me that she is excited about the job, that she is doing this out of a sense of duty and history, and while she felt personally ambivalent about what this mean for her career, she does believe that times are historic, things are very fragile in the world, and she feels that she can really make a difference here.

Now those close to Clinton say that she was concerned that her female supporters who had hoped she would remain as an independent political force, that there was some concern, but there were many who encouraged her to say yes to this job as secretary of state.

They say that Clinton and Obama spoke by phone right before Thanksgiving about the offer from the very beginning. He did what they call an impressive sales job, appealing to Clinton's desire to do something for the country.

Sources also familiar with the Clinton/Obama negotiations say that Clinton got the right to maintain some control of her staffing like picking assistant secretaries, instead of the Obama transition team doing that.

Now this is not unprecedented. High powered Cabinet officials have been granted this in the past. She has also been told by the Obama team that they're going to help her fund race in the next 60 day to clear her campaign debt. It is around $6.5 million, Heidi. So obviously that is a big deal.

The other members of Obama's national security team include the current secretary of defense, Robert Gates, a Republican. He is now staying on for that job. Eric Holder, the former deputy attorney general under Clinton, well, he's now going to become the attorney general.

And Arizona governor, Janet Napolitano, she is going to become the Homeland Security secretary, and foreign policy adviser Susan Rice, she will become the U.S. ambassador to the U.N.

So, Heidi, a big high powered team. They're going to roll out it this morning. Obviously, a lot of folks looking at Hillary Clinton. Heidi?

COLLINS: Yes. And interesting, too, Suzanne, obviously, this announcement has been planned for quite some time, but on the heels of the attacks in Mumbai, it ends up being a timely announcement for sure.

All right. CNN's Suzanne Malveaux, sure do appreciate that, Suzanne. Thank you.

I want to give you a closer look now at Retired Marine General James L. Jones, Barack Obama's choice for national security adviser. Jones is now the president and chief executive officer of the Institute for 21st Century Energy. That is part of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

But before that, he served as a supreme allied commander in Europe and that is after a stint as a commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps.

General Jones is a -- decorated combat veteran. He served more than 40 years in the U.S. military. He retired from active duty in February of last year.

Jones is married with four children and seven grandchildren. He lives in McLean, Virginia. He has a bachelor of science and an honorary doctorate from Georgetown University. He was commissioned into the Marines Corps in January of 1967.

A closer look now at Susan Rice, the nominee for U.N. ambassador. She is a former member of the National Security Council. She was a staff worker for President Clinton and served as assistant secretary of state for African affairs.

Rice just turned 44. She's from Washington and attended Stanford University. She has both a Master's Degree and a doctorate from New College at Oxford University. She is married with two children. Obama is expected to introduce his national security team next hour and we, of course, will be carrying it live. Just a reminder, scheduled for 10:40 Eastern.

After the gunfire, an uneasy calm and a determination to find out who is behind last week's attacks on Mumbai. Some in India point to Pakistan. Pakistani leaders are pledging their full corporation in the investigation.

The Bush administration says it expects nothing less. It's sending Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to India. Six Americans are among the 179 people reported dead and that does not include at least nine gunmen killed. About 300 people were wounded.

During the attacks, CNN brought you the story of a teenager severely wounded. His relatives dying all around him.

CNN's Matthew Chance caught up with him in the hospital and he's here now to update us from Mumbai.

Good morning to you, Matthew.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you as well, Heidi.

That 13-year-old boy still lying in his hospital bed in the center of Mumbai, very badly injured by fragments of shrapnel from a hand grenade that injured him badly, but also killed his uncle, his cousins, and his parents.

The thing is, this boy has not been told yet by his surviving family members or by his doctors the reality of his situation, that he's an orphan. So we went to the hospital to try and catch up with his progress.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHANCE (on camera): Is he making a good, a good recovery?

(Voice over): His shrapnel wounds are slowly healing, but this 13-year-old survivor of the Mumbai attacks is still shielded from the awful truth. He's been reunited with his older brother now, but no one wants to tell this fragile teenager he'll never see his uncle, his three cousins or his parents ever again.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (Through Translator): I feel that if we tell him he's so young, he will be terribly affected by it. He's badly injured now and there might be problems.

CHANCE: But the brother, whose 30, agreed to take me back to the scene to relive his family's nightmare.

(On camera): Well, this is Victoria Terminus in the heart of Mumbai, the bustling train station where one of those coordinated attacks took place. And in fact, he was telling me, it was exactly here where so many members of this one family lost their lives. They were just standing here waiting to get on a train when the gunmen burst in, firing automatic weapons, hurling grenades. The mother, the father, the uncle, the cousins, all lost their lives here.

(Voice over): As the days in hospital have past, the boy is asking difficult questions. Where's the rest of his family? Why mom and dad haven't visited? It's forcing his doctors to reluctantly lie.

DR. B.M. SUBNIS, DEAN OF J.J. HOSPITAL: We have told him that we are locating your parents and they shall soon come back and meet you. But the way I see him over the days now, the child is very smart, intelligent, and has understood that his parents are no more. Everybody is hiding from him that they are no more.

CHANCE (on camera): Do you think the knowledge that his parents are no longer with him...

SUBNIS: Yes.

CHANCE: Do you think that will affect his recovery in any way?

SUBNIS: That's what we earlier thought, but now, this hiding is affecting his recovery.

CHANCE (voice over): And no one wants that. The time for honesty, no matter how painful, is drawing near.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHANCE: Well, Heidi, this is a particularly heartbreaking story, of course, but this whole city of Mumbai, India's financial capital, is full of hundreds of harrowing tales of survival and of loss -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Boy, it is certainly heartbreaking. You have that right.

I wonder, though, also, Matthew, if you could give us a little bit of an update on the investigation now that we're several days out from this attack. We've been talking about nine to 10 gunmen.

Are authorities there satisfied with that being the whole group of attackers or are they looking for more people, a larger organization if you will?

CHANCE: Yes. I think that they're alert to the possibility there could be -- there could have been more attackers. Certainly that's the suspicion amongst many people in the city. A report emerged earlier that the boat that you may remember that was intercepted off the coast had the belongings of about 15 people.

It's believed that boat was the launch pad for these attacks across Mumbai. That would imply that there may be more militants at there in the city, but there's no actual direct evidence, no indication that that's the case, but certainly a fear. COLLINS: All right. Well, we will continue, of course, to follow that side of the story as well. Great piece. Thanks very much.

Matthew Chance, we appreciate it.

Secretary Rice is cutting short a trip to Europe now to go to India. She's expected to arrive in New Delhi, Wednesday after a NATO meeting. This hour she is in London about to meet with Britain's foreign secretary.

We are going to bring that event to you live as well.

Well, hundreds of people wanted to see where the attacks took place. Among them iReporter Aaron Kadri lives in South Mumbai outside one of the hotels. He came upon this impromptu candlelight memorial.

And you can share your images by clicking on iReport.com. First and foremost, though, please stay safe.

November went out like a lion in much of the country. In Indianapolis, some Hoosiers had to dust off their snow-covered cars before heading to church yesterday. Some parts of Michigan got about a half a foot of snow. That was much less, though, than predicted.

Around Denver, relief will come in the form of warmer temperatures. Ice and blowing snow forced some roads to close as holiday travelers tried to return home.

And no snow, but dangerous winds in Florida. 911 dispatchers in Palm Bay say they got several calls reporting a tornado. Trees were knocked down and more than a dozen homes damaged.

Sounds like a great time to bring in Reynolds Wolf from over at the Weather Center to talk a little bit more about this.

Boy, got an all kinds of weather going on.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WOLF: That's your forecast, Heidi. Let's send it back to you.

COLLINS: Yes. I think you pretty much covered it, huh?

WOLF: Yes. All the bases.

COLLINS: You have every kind of weather you can -- you can imagine. We love it.

WOLF: You bet.

COLLINS: All right. Reynolds, we'll check back a little later on. Thank you.

Well, it's Cyber Monday. What you need to know before you start your holiday shopping online. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Your money back in the headlines. Minutes from now Wall Street, of course, will open. Can it continue its rally? Boy, that would be nice, huh?

Last week the Dow Industrials gained 9.7 percent. That's biggest week-long rally in more than 75 years. Investors will keep a close eye on this stream of economic reports, though one measure releases at the top of the hour. Construction spending is expected to have dropped in October.

Also weighing on Wall Street today how retail sales fared this holiday weekend, and according to earlier reports sales were modestly higher and not the disaster that had been feared.

Black Friday fades, as you know, but Cyber Monday looms. What can we expect this holiday shopping season?

Christine Romans is part of the CNN money team. She has some insight now from our New York bureau.

Boy, those numbers were pretty surprising.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they weren't too bad. And you know, one of the reasons that some fear is that it's because people kind of went out and they -- and they went big or bigger than they -- than they thought they would or the polls said they would, and then that might be it for them for the rest of the season.

It's one reason why you've got retailers and the retail industry pumping Cyber Monday today. It's -- an extension, I guess, of this long Thanksgiving weekend. And you know, maybe even five or 10 years ago when people didn't have broadband access at home, you know, after the long weekend, they come into the office and they look for some deals on online.

And true, 85 million Americans are expected to go online today and start their shopping for the rest of the holiday season, and one interesting study by Careerbuilder.com said that 29 percent over the holiday season plan to shop online at work, 43 percent of those are going to spend an hour or more.

But look at this, 13 percent will spend -- Heidi, can you spend three hours at work shopping online?

COLLINS: No. No.

ROMANS: I can't. I don't know who those people are, but I'm telling you, it's a tough labor market right now. I don't think you should be spending too much time at your job looking for deals.

But I've actually gone out this morning and tried to see if there are some deals out there and there are. In fact, hour by hour, some retailers are changing what their deals are. You shouldn't have to pay for shipping today. COLLINS: Yes. See that...

ROMANS: I mean it's...

COLLINS: That's the thing that gets me, it's that free shipping.

ROMANS: Yes. If you can get free shipping, it's interesting, Lands' End has this interesting deal that I just looked at, $10.50 off these goose-down vests, you know, and free shipping. JCPenney has free shipping on anything over -- anywhere that's over $25.

I mean you name the retailer. I think about 85 percent of retailers are saying they're going to do some sort of discounts or free shipping or something today. So just, you know, rule of thumb, if you're paying for shipping you're not -- you're not working very hard on Cyber Monday.

I want to tell you briefly what happened over the weekend. It was, as you said, Heidi, better than people had expected. People spent about $41 billion for holiday gifts over the weekend. That's $373 on average per shopper. Seven percent better than last year.

But look at this, Heidi, the last line on that, on that graphic there. 55 percent of people shopped at discount stores. So people are being smart about their money.

COLLINS: Yes.

ROMANS: They spent a little more but they're being smart about where they took it.

COLLINS: Good.

ROMANS: 70 percent of sales to get people in in some cases and they took advantage of those. Now what's going to happen the rest of the season? I keep saying Christmas is on a Thursday. What the retail experts tell me, Heidi, is that the weekend before Christmas and the Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, you're going to see big sales again.

COLLINS: Oh yes. Yes. Maybe that's what I'll wait for this year, two days before like I do every year. No.

ROMANS: I know. But you know what, buy -- experts say buy what you need.

COLLINS: Yes.

ROMANS: Spread out your purchases, look for deals, don't go crazy.

COLLINS: Right.

ROMANS: We've got a reality check, America. We don't -- debt -- buying things, living beyond our means is what got us into this mess in the first place. Just my little preaching reminder. COLLINS: All right. Well, we will come back for more reminders throughout the holiday shopping season.

ROMANS: Sure.

COLLINS: Christine Romans, thanks so much. Live from New York this morning.

Police on Long Island plan to reveal more details today in the death of a Wal-Mart worker trampled by customers on Black Friday. A crowd of shoppers stampeded the store when it opened at 5:00 a.m.

A 34-year-old temporary security worker was crushed. Prosecutors will make the final decision on whether anyone can or should be charged.

Back on the trail, Sarah Palin returning to campaigning. This time for a Republican fighting for his Senate seat.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Democrats now two seats shy of the super majority in the Senate. Tomorrow's runoff in Georgia will determine if they claim one of those seats.

Democratic challenger Jim Martin forcing incumbent Saxby Chambliss into the runoff. Martin is hoping for a repeat of the strong turnout of African-American voters from the general election.

Prominent national Republicans are stumping for Chambliss. Former vice-presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, back on the campaign trail this morning.

CNN's Sandra Endo is joining us now live from Augusta, Georgia with more on the story.

Good morning to you, Sandra.

SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Heidi.

She was widely and warmly received here in Augusta, Georgia today as Governor Sarah Palin came back on the campaign trail to try to energize the conservative Republican base here for her colleague, Republican incumbent, Saxby Chambliss, who, as you mention, is facing Democrat challenger Jim Martin now.

This is one of four campaign stops for Chambliss and Palin today throughout Georgia, and this seat is very important for the Republicans to keep. They want to prevent the Democrats from getting a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. SARAH PALIN (R), ALASKA: And the eyes of the nation are on what happens here tomorrow. What direction our country will go. Much depends on the vote that is taken here in Georgia. Now a very good friend of ours also was here recently, wasn't he, to support Saxby and that was a true American hero, John McCain, who was here to support Saxby. And it was just like Senator McCain to put defeat behind him and see what more he can do for the United States Senate and to see what more he can do to progress this great nation.

That's why he came back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ENDO: Now Palin attended a private fundraiser for Chambliss yesterday night in Atlanta and she has four more rallies, actually three more rallies left for the day here in Georgia. And the Chambliss campaign is hoping that his closer will deliver him a win tomorrow - Heidi?

COLLINS: All right. Sure do appreciate that, coming to us live from Augusta Georgia, Sandra Endo, thanks so much.

Quickly, want to take you to something that's happening right now. Let's go ahead and listen in to Secretary of State Condoleezza, over now, we are just looking at Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice there. She is, as you probably well know by now, getting ready to head to India. She will be expecting to arrive in that country after the attacks in Mumbai on Wednesday.

So we will continue to watch this event and bring you more as we continue on here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

A special ceremony today honoring Massachusetts senator Ted Kennedy. He will receive an honorary degree from Harvard University as recognition of his lifelong commitment to public service and social issues.

George Washington, Winston Churchill and Nelson Mandela are among other Harvard honorees.

Naming key members of his national security team, Barack Obama with a big announcement next hour. We have a preview coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: The opening bell brought to you by...

Live in the CNN NEWSROOM, Heidi Collins.

COLLINS: Wall Street ended November on a high note. Both the Dow and S&P 500 are riding five-day winning streaks now for the first time in more than a year.

So what does that mean for December?

Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with a look at what to expect.

Boy, let's had hope for momentum, right? SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, Heidi, maybe not at the open. The "Stock Traders' Almanac" says election year December typically fare well but we're expecting a dismal start on this first day of the month.

Early readings show that retail sales -- that's certainly going to be a big subject today -- rose more than 7 percent this past weekend. The kickoff to the holiday shopping period. Huge discounts, of course, drove traffic.

Still analysts are forecasting one of the most difficult seasons in decades and deep discounts are expected to be a hallmark the entire month. That's good for consumers, of course. Not good for proof fit margins for retailers.

In about half an hour, we're expecting reports showing the manufacturing and construction sectors are also under pressure and Friday, we'll get the biggest report of all, the monthly jobs report.

Some analysts, Heidi, are forecasting a loss of 300,000 positions for November.

COLLINS: Wow.

LISOVICZ: So the losses have been constant this year, and they're escalating. The silver lining -- that's the first silver lining -- is oil prices. Crude down nearly four bucks this morning, trading under $51 a barrel.

OPEC held an emergency meeting this past weekend deciding not to cut production now, but the cartel is expected to cut output at its next meeting in two weeks.

And there is the opening bell on the second annual Israel Day. You'll recognize the state flag of Israel, and what we're seeing, some losses at the open. But again, we're coming off a win streak of five days and we haven't seen that, I think in 16 months for the Dow. So pretty -- pretty darn good. And something that we hadn't seen in a while, but not something that's continuing at the open. The Dow is right now in 25 seconds of trading, down one percent. The NASDAQ is down 2.5 percent -- Heidi.

COLLINS: OK. All right. We will watch that very closely yet again even if it does go on the downside. Susan Lisovicz, thanks so much.

LISOVICZ: You're welcome.

COLLINS: And now, you're looking once again live at Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. She's meeting with British foreign secretary David Miliband in London. This is a joint press conference, as you can see. Now, beginning to take some questions. We, of course, will monitor this news conference. Bring you any news events that come out of that.

Meanwhile, likely topping their remarks, the attacks late last week in Mumbai. Rice is heading for India later in the week. She's called on Pakistan to cooperate with the investigation now, which it has pledged to do. Police in Mumbai say six Americans are among the 179 people killed in the coordinated attacks. More than 300 others are wounded.

A changing of the guard. President-elect Obama expected to announce key nominations for his national security team next hour. Senator Clinton as secretary of state, Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano as homeland security chief, Susan Rice, a Clinton administration steward, is expected to be the pick for ambassador to the U.N., and Eric Holder expected to be Obama's choice for attorney general.

Also, filling key positions, the president-elect is expected to keep Defense Secretary Robert Gates in his current job. Democratic officials say retired General Jim Jones will be named national security advisor.

Well, she didn't get to be president, but it looks like Senator Hillary Clinton will play a key role for her former rival. CNN's State Department correspondent Zain Verjee is in Washington now this morning.

So, Zain, what are people saying about the type of secretary of state she could end up being?

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, Hillary Clinton has a really high profile and they're saying that being secretary of state would really energize foreign policy. Supporters say she's smart, she knows foreign policy, she's a charismatic woman, has got a strong political base and she's got more foreign policy similarities with Obama than differences, despite the drama of that fight in the primary campaign.

Both are willing to engage adversaries and keep the military options on the table. Hillary Clinton is a lawyer, as you know, by profession, a top negotiator. She's pragmatic. As First Lady, she also traveled the world, met with leaders and women's groups and championed things like Microcredit Enterprises that gave her a really great vantage point.

Critics say hang on a minute. She's not really that qualified as First Lady. She was never involved in any key foreign policy or national security decision making. And many points of a failure of management and their campaign saying it was a complete mess. The bottom line is she can't really be a successful secretary of state if world leaders don't see her speaking for the president. Just ask Colin Powell.

COLLINS: Exactly. She's obviously going to have a number of priorities with all of the news events that are going on. But first and foremost, she's going to have to get a team together, herself, isn't she?

VERJEE: Yes, she is. I mean, the first critical step, Heidi, is going to be filling out her team at the State Department. As I said, she's been criticized for not doing a good job in managing a big operation like her campaign properly.

Well, you got people like Jim Steinberg as deputy secretary of state. He's a pretty solid person, really experienced. She's going to have to figure out a lot of key jobs, too, that need to be filled to make her team strong including ambassadors around the world. She has got to pick people around her to make sure things run smoothly. But most of all, she has to build trust with the professional foreign service officers, the career foreign service officers and they should also get considered and should get top appointments as a sign of appreciation for them.

And as you know, and pointed out, she's going to face some pretty major foreign policy challenges and will be forced to prioritize what her focus will be.

Absolutely. And probably an interesting confirmation process as well, as it goes on here. We will be watching all of that very closely. Zain Verjee, sure do appreciate that.

And full disclosure from the former president as well, Bill Clinton releasing a list of donors to his presidential library and foundation. CNN's Jim Acosta has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: All across the globe, economic empowerment efforts are making impressive gains.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN GENERAL ASSIGNMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The people bank rolling Bill Clinton's global dealings have stayed shrouded in secrecy for years -- from the contributors who donated millions to the Clinton presidential library in Arkansas to the companies paying for his speeches around the world.

CLINTON: We'll never have that level of development we need in Africa.

ACOSTA: The backers of his efforts to combat malaria or AIDS.

CLINTON: To help ensure that people everywhere are able to access the care and treatment that can save their lives.

ACOSTA: But now the former president has promised to make public the names of some 200,000 donors to his vast foundation, clearing a final hurdle for his wife, Hillary Clinton, to become secretary of state.

DAVID GERGEN, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: I've heard a lot of hammering about whether Bill Clinton would stand in the way of his wife, or would he be supportive. Barack Obama, he, too, has now signed on in a very fulsome way.

ACOSTA: As part of a deal brokered with the Obama transition team, the former president has also agreed to submit his future activities to the same State Department that would be run by his wife and if necessary, the White House. CLINTON: I feel especially honored to be here today.

ACOSTA: Big moves for a president who likes to do things his way. But their moves, he indicated, he can live with.

CLINTON: Whatever they want. This is a deal between the president-elect and Hillary.

ACOSTA: In all, Mr. Clinton's post-presidential activities with global movers and shakers have raised by some estimates a half billion dollars. Republicans say they'll examine that in Mrs. Clinton's confirmation hearing.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: Obviously, you'd want to make sure that the spouse's business dealings did not present a conflict when it came to our relationship with a particular country or region.

ACOSTA: Others in Washington wonder if this ex-president's ease with world leaders could be put to official use.

SEN. RICHARD LUGAR (R), INDIANA: As a roving ambassador, as someone who will take special appointments, someone who still has ties with leaders all over the world, and who's conversations are important. It's a historically unprecedented situation.

ACOSTA (on camera): Bill Clinton has avoided revealing his donors noting correctly that such disclosures are not required by law. The former president's reversal on the subject is a sign of just how much his wife wants this job.

Jim Acosta, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Barack Obama expected to introduce his national security team next hour. Of course, we're going to be carrying that live for you, scheduled today for 10:40 Eastern.

Take a look at that. Surf's up, way up, in fact, in California. And officials are advising people to be extremely cautious about venturing near the water with waves crashing that high. Walking around could even be dangerous. The waves tossed huge rocks around the San Diego Beach and damaged parts of the pier.

Reynolds Wolf standing by now with the very latest on the weather all across the country.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: Sunday is nasty weather in Florida forced "Endeavour" to land somewhere else. The shuttle and its crew touched down at Edwards Air Force Base in fact. A picture perfect landing in the California desert. The shuttle's mission to the International Space Station included four space walks and freeze dried Thanksgiving meal. Yummy. At this trade-in, all weapons are welcome.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seeing everything from handguns, rifles, shotguns, and assault rifles.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Bring in a firearm, get a gift card.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Well, trading is open on Wall Street and everybody is kind of wondering if we were going to see a big rally like last week. Unfortunately at this point, anyway, only about 11 minutes into the trading day. That does not appear to be the case, because we are down in triple digits, almost 300 points as you see there. We'll continue to watch those numbers for you all throughout the morning.

They are called the Sandwich Generation. Americans with kids and parents who depend on them, which means they're making some tough financial choices. Christine Romans has advice in this week's "Right on Your Money."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): America's elderly population is booming. The Census Bureau estimates nearly 20 percent of Americans who will be 65 or older by the year 2030. "Money" magazine's Janice Revell says families are feeling stretched.

JANICE REVELL, SENIOR WRITER, MONEY MAGAZINE: These days, being in a so-called sandwiched situation where you've got your kids to take care of, you've got your own retirement to fund and you've got parents who are aging and may need your help, it's becoming increasingly common.

ROMANS: Among those stuck in the middle, too many make the mistake of putting themselves last.

REVELL: You can't lose track of your own retirement goal, because in the end, if you're not prepared for retirement then all you're going to do is shift the burden to your kids.

ROMANS: Revell suggests adult children help their parents plan for health care expenses.

REVELL: It's very common for elderly people to have far too much of their investments tied up in really, really low yielding savings accounts and checking accounts.

ROMANS: And talk about finances early, before an accident or illness occurs. REVELL: Don't wait until a crisis hits because when that happens, that's when you run into all kinds of bad situations where people are putting 20, 30, $40,000 on their credit cards. It happens all the time to help out their parents in case of medical emergencies.

ROMANS: Christine Romans, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: The big three bailout. Automakers go before Congress with the industry's future in limbo. What's life like on the sales floor? We're going to take a look through the eyes of a car salesman.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: I want to give this new information just in. You're looking at the ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick there. We are just now getting information that his aide, Christine Beatty, is now pleading guilty to obstruction of justice and she apparently will serve four months in jail. Again, this is all coming to us from the Associated Press.

But you may remember, Christine Beatty was charged with perjury, misconduct and obstruction of justice. She and Kwame Kilpatrick were accused of lying during a whistleblower's trial about being romantically involved. They also denied their roles in the firing of a police official and several text messages between the two sort of contradicted their statements.

You remember the story, I'm sure, very well. Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is now serving a four-month jail sentence. And again, she now is apparently going to plead guilty to obstruction of justice and likely to serve four months in jail also. Again, the Associated Press reporting all this. We will continue to follow and bring you any more developments just as soon as we get them here at CNN.

The big three bailout. Automakers are delivering their plans for survival to Congress tomorrow. They say billions of dollars in taxpayer loans may actually be their last hope. Susan Candiotti looks through the eyes of one person whose livelihood is in limbo.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For 38 years, yes, 38 years, Jared Fowler...

JARED FOWLER, SATURN SALESMAN: Hello. How are you?

CANDIOTTI: ...has been the epitome of an enthusiastic GM salesman. He's ready for another day at Maguire's Saturn Dealership in Bordentown, New Jersey.

FOWLEY: Well, you know, I do a decent job. Not the greatest salesperson in the world. I just like what I do. I've never been down in this business.

CANDIOTTI: He may not be down, but the industry is. GM, Ford and Chrysler all begging Congress for a $25 billion plus bailout.

FOWLER: The consumer has no confidence especially to buy new cars. What can government do to perhaps instill confidence?

CANDIOTTI: Fowler's boss who owns Saturn, Chevy and Nissan dealerships says something's got to give.

(on camera): How badly have you taken a hit?

MARCY MAGUIRE, CEO, MAGUIRE AUTOMOTIVE GROUP: Well, we were down almost 50 percent from last year which is unheard of. It's never been like it before. I can't even sugarcoat it.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): We shadowed Fowler for a day as he tried to cut into the sales slump.

FOWLER: Let me have a copy of your driver's license, please.

CANDIOTTI: He had a good start. A previous customer swung into finish off an order. Then Fowler hit the phones for some customer call backs.

FOWLER: Can I count on you to be in tomorrow?

CANDIOTTI: Then Fowler watched and waited around the showroom looking for walk-ins.

How do you manage to stay so upbeat?

FOWLER: Well, that's just -- that's me.

CANDIOTTI: But what to do to get more customers back in the buying seat? Congress may consider a new bill that revives making sales tax and interest payments on car loans deductible again at least through next year.

JIM APPLETON, N.J. AUTOMOTIVE DEALERS ASSOCIATION: The federal government needs to get into this game to get consumers buying cars again.

CANDIOTTI: At day's end, Fowler gets one more crack at closing a deal. But this couple isn't quite ready.

FOWLER: I'm going to clean it for you, fill up the gas. Do we have a deal?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not yet. I think we still have to talk.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not yet.

CANDIOTTI: Fowler shrugs it off and calls it a good day.

FOWLER: Sold one car, met a couple that will probably buy a car from me. And I have two appointments for tomorrow.

CANDIOTTI: And at age, 63, Jared Fowler has no plans to quit as long as the business doesn't quit on him.

Susan Candiotti, CNN, Bordentown, New Jersey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Police in Compton, California, offering a holiday deal they hope will get guns off the streets. People who turn in assault rifles are given a $200 gift card. Other working firearms are good for a $100 gift card. No questions asked. Officers took in a variety of weapons over the weekend. The trade-in will be offered next weekend as well.

She's lived with HIV for 26 years. Now, a woman shares her story to help save others.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: You are looking now at some live pictures. The president is marking the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day. Like last year, President Bush will present the 28-foot World AIDS Ribbon on the North Portico. You see it there.

After the ceremony, the president and First Lady will join a forum at the museum to discuss the administration's global HIV initiative. CNN will be live at the event, of course. The White House has pledged $48 billion over the next five years to battle the disease. And that is up almost $30 billion from five years ago.

She's been fighting HIV for a quarter century. And then last year, another setback. One woman shares her story. CNN's Jill Dougherty has it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BALINDA CUNNINGHAM, HIV POSITIVE PATIENT: Hello.

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Balinda Cunningham is on her way to tell her story again.

CUNNINGHAM: I'm going right here.

DOUGHERTY: It's not a particularly happy one. A mother at 17 infected with HIV, 26 years ago, in treatment for cancer last year. But her experience, she hopes, can help others.

CUNNINGHAM: If you have a boyfriend, he wants you, well, let's have unprotected sex because that's the way I like it. And if you don't do it the way I like it, I'm going with someone else. And there goes HIV. There goes the STDs.

DOUGHERTY: It all started the day Balinda was diagnosed with HIV.

CUNNINGHAM: Then this woman came in. And she was like, oh, hi. I was like, uh-oh, do you have. And she was like yes, yes I do. And she said look at me. You know, you can do it. You're going to be all right. And then I cried for a minute and I said, OK, let's get it together here, Balinda.

DOUGHERTY: Balinda now volunteers in schools, community and senior centers. Sometimes she takes her granddaughter, Tiara along.

CUNNINGHAM: One day she told me, and I said, well, I'm not going to take you for this one. She said, grandma, you would be surprised what kids know. And I'm like, oh, my gosh.

DOUGHERTY: Today, she's at a Planned Parenthood Center.

CUNNINGHAM: I know it's really hard for teenagers to come out and ask questions. Sometimes you can't talk to your parents, right?

DOUGHERTY: Balinda lives in the epicenter of the AIDS epidemic in Washington, D.C. African-American women account for 90 percent of all new female HIV cases. These girls don't want it to happen to them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's very real out there. Because I trust being young females, you can catch it like that. So, the more educated you are, the better it is you can protect yourself better.

DOUGHERTY: Balinda is an artist. She donated this painting to an auction for charity. The buyer sent it back to her with a note.

CUNNINGHAM: Take this picture and show it to the world. So that you can help somebody.

DOUGHERTY: Balinda calls it traces of faces in family vases. Two members of her family and several friends died of AIDS.

CUNNINGHAM: My cousin, Scarlett. This is one of my friends in one of my jewelry classes. This is my cousin. This is a friend of mine, who is a preacher. This is a friend of mine. She's a full- blooded Indian. And this is how they dressed her when she passed. And that's another friend of mine.

DOUGHERTY: She put the lemons down at the bottom to show the bitterness, she says. But at the top she added bright flowers.

Jill Dougherty, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: There are 33.2 million people living with AIDS in the world today. Just last year, as many as 2.5 million became infected with the virus. 95 percent of the affected live in developing nations. Health officials urge people to remember to get tested.

Still stigmatize. The details about AIDS known now for decades. So why do HIV patients continue to face discrimination?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Paris, France, step aside. There's a new city of lights. Johnson City, Texas, is basking in the glow of the seasonal fame. Millions of holiday lights. I mean, literally millions are ushering in the 19th year of the tradition.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: I think it's cool!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's beautiful. It's once in a year thing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's the biggest event we have in town.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every year they add a little bit more. And it's just getting bigger and bigger. And we're just loving every minute of it.

UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: Merry Christmas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: The town's light spectacular runs through the first of the year, and admission is free.

Live this hour, meet members of Barack Obama's national security team. We are awaiting an announcement from the president-elect.

Plus, five day wind streak in jeopardy. The Dow starts lower, that's for sure. What maybe making investors jittery. I'll tell you all about it.