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Republicans Resist: Loans for Big Three May be in Jeopardy; Obama Calls for Illinois Governor to Resign; Blagojevich Back on the Job; Snow Storm Causes Multiple Accidents in Colorado; Day Without a Gay Protests Prop 8

Aired December 10, 2008 - 13:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Will this be the day the Big Three and their workers and suppliers and dealers have been waiting for? Bailout loans are nearing a vote on Capitol Hill. But still, not everyone's onboard.

Two hundred may be a round figure, but there's nothing nice about it. Just ask Oprah. The queen of talk wants to downsize, and she doesn't mean her company.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you don't do the right thing, I mean, you're going to be judged by it. And old as I am, you know, I have to account for everything.

PHILLIPS: It's the 97,000 dollar question. Would you keep a bagful of cash you found in a restaurant restroom? Wait until you hear what this woman did.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Live in New York, you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Christmas may come a couple weeks early for GM and Chrysler, and if you call $15 billion in government loans a gift, but quite a few Republicans aren't in a giving mood.

For days now Congress and the White House have dickered over details of a short-term bailout package for two of the Big Three. Ford says it doesn't need emergency loans at the moment, and today a final agreement seems closer than ever, but Senate Republicans point out they haven't agreed to anything.

Our Kathleen Koch is following the back and forth from the White House.

Kathleen, is this thing going to happen or not?

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's the $14 billion question, Kyra. And I want to say, when you read the legislation we just got our hands on a copy of it, it is indeed, now, $14 billion, not $15 billion.

So basically, where things stand is it looks like the Hill and the White House have more or less agreed to the final language, but, again, a lot of opposition amongst Republicans.

Let's take a look at what the measure -- what the bill would do. It would set up a car czar that would be appointed by the president who would look at these restructuring plans from Detroit. They would have to be submitted by March 31. This person would determine, will these restore these companies to complete financial viability?

If not, the czar could come up with his or her own plan. And if the law -- the automakers then, by the end of March, didn't say, "OK, this plan works. We're good with it," and the czar is not satisfied, then his own plan could also include Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

And, again, the amount it could make available to the automakers could be as much as $14 billion. They could have their hands on that money in a matter of days. And the White House says this is a tough bill.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOEL KAPLAN, WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF: This is a bridge to either fundamental restructuring or bankruptcy. They either have a long-term plan that's viable, or we get our money back. And if we call our money back, which is required under this bill, then those firms are not going to be able to survive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOCH: Again, this is not a done deal. There was a great deal of opposition amongst conservative, Republican senators. They held a press conference about an hour ago. They said they will block this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RICHARD SHELBY (R-AL), BANKING COMMITTEE: This is only delaying their funeral. I want them to survive, but they have to make that decision. They can strip down. They can become competitive. They could save thousands and thousands of jobs. But this proposal, and I've seen, thus far, will not do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOCH: Right now the White House chief of staff is -- Josh Bolten is on Capitol Hill. He is trying to lobby lawmakers to support this measure, but it's going to be a very tough sell, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Kathleen Koch from the White House.

Kathleen, thanks.

Now, deliberately or not, the auto loans may be a victim of buyers' remorse on the financial bailout. The same lawmakers who are struggling over $15 billion to save the carmakers approved $700 billion to save the banks, and many of them aren't too happy with how that money's being spent.

An oversight panel is the latest to call for more help for homeowners facing foreclosures. Also, questioning a major change in the strategy for shoring up banks. After two months on the books, $335 billion of the $700 billion has already been spent.

Now, from Kodak comes another snapshot of the economic strain. The film and camera company says it's suspending its matching contributions to employee 401(k) plans. It's also freezing executive pay.

And former workers of Republic Windows and Doors are still holding out by sitting in. This is day six of the standoff arising from the Chicago company's sudden loss of credit from Bank of America, and closure of the plant.

About 200 workers are demanding 60 days of severance pay plus vacation pay. And yesterday the bank agreed to limited new loans, but it's not a done deal, and talks are due to resume this afternoon.

President-elect Barack Obama is now weighing in on the corruption scandal swirling around the governor of his state. Obama is calling on Rod Blagojevich of Illinois to resign. Blagojevich is accused of conspiring to sell or trade Obama's Senate seat to the highest bidder, among other charges.

CNN's Elaine Quijano joins us now from Chicago.

Elaine, I probably asked you four times yesterday, has the Obama camp responded? Looks like we finally got it.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You know, we did. And I actually talked to a senior transition source, not too long ago, who said the president-elect really agrees with other politicians here in the state of Illinois that it's going to be very difficult for Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich to be effective, considering the circumstances, and so the president-elect does agree with other politicians that it is time for him to step down.

Now, the president-elect, we should note, did not make any mention of this yesterday during that appearance with the former vice president, Al Gore, to talk about climate change. Instead, though, the president-elect at that time did respond to a reporter's question about whether he had any contact with or was aware at all of what was happening with his Senate seat. Here's how the president-elect responded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT: I had no contact with the governor or his office, and so we were not -- I was not aware of what was happening. And as I said, it's a sad day for Illinois. Beyond that, I don't think it's appropriate to comment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now what he said there contradicts something that senior adviser David Axelrod said a couple of weeks ago to a reporter here in Chicago, a TV reporter, that Obama did have a conversation with Governor Blagojevich about his Senate seat.

Late yesterday, Axelrod released a written statement, correcting his comment, saying, quote, "I was mistaken when I told an interviewer last month that the president-elect had spoken directly to Governor Blagojevich about the Senate vacancy. They did not then or at any time discuss the subject."

Now, it's not clear yet, though, who on the Obama team may have had discussions with either the governor or someone in the governor's office. And, in fact, the head the Republican National Committee released a statement along those lines, saying, quote, "The president- elect should immediately disclose any and all communications his transition team has had with the governor's office. Obama's promise of transparency to the American people is now being tested."

Now, no comment on that so far from the Obama transition team, but we really need to emphasize here that U.S. attorney Patrick Fitzgerald has made very clear that there is absolutely no allegation against the president-elect contained in that federal complaint filed yesterday -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Elaine Quijano, live from Chicago.

Elaine, thanks.

The Illinois governor is out on bond now. In fact, back to work today. His 52nd birthday, by the way. But it's unclear how long he'll remain on the job.

CNN's Susan Roesgen joins us now from Chicago.

Amazing what happens in just a matter of a couple days, Susan. There you were at this sit-in. The governor was very supportive of these workers. Next thing you know, he's in jail.

SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He was in jail. Now he's out, as you mentioned, Kyra, and he's still the acting governor of Illinois.

In fact, I've got my phone on me. I'm going listen for it if it rings, because I put in a couple of calls to the governor's office to ask him two things, ask the governor's staff, anyway, two things.

First of all, did you bring cupcakes today for the governor, since it is his 52nd birthday? Are you celebrating in any way? And secondly, what is his official schedule today? He is still acting governor. What's he going to be doing?

The last time I called was about 20 minutes ago, Kyra. And they said that he was in his regularly scheduled staff meeting. So that's what's going on. Somewhere in the office, in downtown Chicago today.

Behind me is the governor's home. We have in the last half an hour seen a Christmas tree be delivered here. And you know that this home is the center of the news universe when you watch an Associated Press photographer taking pictures of the mailman delivering the mail. Security is really tight here, Kyra. Even to have the mailman deliver the mail every day, he has to notify security so that they can go through the mail.

The governor and his wife and his two young daughters live here. They have never gone to the governor's mansion, don't want to stay in the governor's mansion in Springfield, Illinois, the capitol. So they live here, and money seems to have always been an issue of some sort, if you pay attention to the recorded conversations that are listed in that criminal complaint.

I know that the governor started out from very humble beginnings. He's a Serbian American here. He started out shining shoes. He worked in a meat packing plant, and then he even washed dishes in college to make it through college. So money seems to be a common refrain; not just power, but greed.

I want to show one of the comments that was taken from this criminal complaint. And this involved that sentence. The governor says, "I want to make money. I want to make money. If they're not going to offer anything of value, then I might just take it."

And in fact, the governor still has the legal right, if he wanted to, to take that Senate seat. He could appoint himself. And there is so much concern about that, so many people here, elected officials, calling for either his resignation or his impeachment, that right now there is a move afoot to have the legislature convene here in Illinois next week and actually change the Illinois state law, Kyra, actually change the law so that they can call a special election and have a special election decide who's going to be in that Senate seat.

And in the meantime, the governor could today, if he felt like it, appoint himself.

PHILLIPS: And that's what just amazes us. We've been talking about all these possibilities. He could appoint himself. You know, Dick Durbin calling for a special election. The Illinois Supreme Court even being called in, possibly, to investigate this on what should happen. It's just -- it's a made-for-TV movie.

And, Susan, you would think someone that came from such humble beginnings, and then you read these transcripts of what's been documented on the recordings, you just wonder, what happened? Did he have this -- this corruption nerve, you know, before he entered politics? Or did he just sort of flow into the history of Illinois politics?

ROESGEN: You know, Kyra, one thing I've heard on all this. Everybody's asking why are Illinois politics corrupt? Why has the state had four former governors convicted and sent to prison on criminal charges? Why have there been nearly 80, Kyra, 80 politicians in this state in the last 40 years, everybody from alderman to the mayor to the governor, nearly 80 have been convicted of criminal crimes -- crimes?

And the only thing that I've heard that seems to makes sense is that Chicago around the turn of the century, of course, the turn of the 19th century, had a lot of immigrant populations. Again, we mentioned the governor, serving American second generation. And all of these different pockets of different nationalities had their own way of trying to get power, and they had to do what they could to elbow each other out of the way. And that, in doing this, that's what sort of started this corruption, this pay-for-play kind of business, the "I'll scratch your back, you scratch mine." That it came from these different immigrant communities.

Whether that's true or not, who knows? Whether it's just simply power corrupt power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely, we'll leave that to the shrinks. But right now, (INAUDIBLE) and the governor is still the governor.

PHILLIPS: We love our shrinks! Susan, that's interesting. Really interesting bit of history. You and I coming from that area, we remember a lot of that -- of all those historical moments.

Thanks, Susan.

Well, the federal affidavit reveals some profanity-laced comments from Blagojevich when he's talking about appointing a Senate replacement for Barack Obama. Now, bear with me here, because I'm going try and give you a sense of how this all went down and what exactly he said, without using, probably, some of the worst curse words on the face of the earth. These comments are from federal wiretaps, as you know. And here you go.

According to the affidavit, in one instance the governor says that consultants were telling him that he has to, quote, "suck it up" for two years and do nothing and give this, quote, "mother blanker" his senator, quote, "blank him for nothing? Blank him."

Wait. There's a little more locker room talk there. He refers to putting another person in the Senate, quote, "before I just give blanking so and so a blanking Senate seat, and I don't get anything?"

Well, over the last 35 years, three other Illinois governors have been kicked out of office on corruption charges. You've heard Susan and I talking about that just a minute ago.

Otto Kerner was convicted in 1973 of bribery, conspiracy and other federal charges. He served 20 months in prison. Then, in 1987, Dan Walker pleaded guilty to fraud and perjury charges and served 17 1/2 positive months. And then in 2006, George Ryan was convicted on 22 counts of racketeering and fraud. He's serving a 6-1/2-year federal sentence right now.

Well, the crisis in Darfur, the situation in Myanmar, the atrocities committed by militants in Afghanistan. On this Human Rights Day, first lady Laura Bush sits down for an exclusive interview with CNN's Betty Nguyen. They'll talk about some of the abuses that stir outrage around the world.

And a warning for drivers. You'd better slow down on snow- covered highways, or this could happen to you. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, he lost his family when a fighter jet crashed into his house. Now the widower speaks out, offering forgiveness and asking for guidance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONG YUN YOON, WIDOWER: I know there are many people who have experienced more terrible thing things. Please, tell me how to do it, because I don't know what to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: I'll tell you what: his compassionate comments for the pilot are a real lesson in forgiveness.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: A grieving widower speaks out after a horrific military jet crash in California. His wife, two children and mother- in-law were killed Monday when the malfunctioning jet slammed into his house. Dong Yun Yoon not only asked for advice in coping with the tragedy and dealing with his anguish; he says he doesn't hold a grudge against the pilot.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YOON: I heard the pilot, he's safe. We pray for him not to suffer from this accident. I know he's -- he's one of our treasures for the country. And I -- you know, I don't blame him. I don't have any hard feelings. I know he did everything he could.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, the Yoon family had recently moved into their new home after outgrowing think condo when their second child was born.

Snow's not so much the big problem today on the weather front. It's a dangerous storm system in the southeast that forecasters are keeping a close eye on it. Jacqui Jeras also keeping an eye on it for us.

Hey, Jack.

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: All right. Thanks, Jacqui.

Well, on a snow-covered highway in New Mexico, the crashes just kept on coming. Wintry weather caught drivers off guard. Even a news photographer became part of the story.

More now from reporter Kim Vallez with our affiliate, KRQE.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KIM VALLEZ, KRQE REPORTER (voice-over): It started with this truck. A driver rolled as he came up Opera Hill. Then this. An SUV slides out of control, headed right for Kerrey (ph). He got out of the way in time. The same could not be said for his news vehicle. Moments later, this. Kerrey (ph) gets on the phone to get police out there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've got two cars rolled over upside down. Another car that smashed into me. We're going to have cars all over this road.

VALLEZ: It wasn't only the drivers left stunned. So was everyone else around.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We stopped by to help the gentleman that had gone off the road and then after that, cars just started sliding off the highway.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's bad right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We probably had at least a dozen.

VALLEZ: And that was just by mid-morning. Police say the crashes just kept coming. And Opera Hill is a very busy place.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This happens every year. Cars come up over the top of that pass, and then the road's icy and then they can't brake and stop. And chain reactions.

VALLEZ: When the morning was over there were 22 crashes in that county alone, two of them rollovers. And, yes, four-wheel drive vehicles were involved in some cases.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One of the big things is, even if you have a four-wheel drive feel that, you know, that they're OK driving at normal speeds in the snow, and you're really not. You need to slow down.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, did you call in gay work today. Instead of protest marches like this one, an activist group is urging people to skip work to support gay marriage. One of the protest organizers joins us live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

She found a bag of cash that someone left behind. Did she keep it, or did better angels prevail?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, instead of calling in sick to work, gay marriage activists are asking gay people to call in gay today. Organizers of the Day Without a Gay wanted to be a positive way to protest California's Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage.

Sean Hetherington is one of those organizers. He joins me live from L.A.

Good to see you, Sean.

SEAN HETHERINGTON, PROTEST ORGANIZER: Hi, Kyra. Thanks for having me.

PHILLIPS: My pleasure. Just curious. What are you doing today?

HETHERINGTON: Well, we're getting the word out all morning long, and we had plans to volunteer today. It looks like, because of the media attention, we're going to be helping get the word out all day. But we're hoping to use our community service later on in the week or even on the weekend.

And that's something that we proposed across the board for people who don't feel comfortable in this economic climate or in their own state participating in the event. We want people to say comfortable and feel safe and take care of their mortgages today, if that's not an option.

PHILLIPS: So the idea was to call -- not call in sick, but call in to the boss and say, "I'm gay, and guess what? I'm not coming in today. This is a protest with regard to Proposition 8."

So you're a personal trainer. So I know you haven't taken any appointments today, but you have been slammed with media requests. But you are asking everybody to instead do something charitable.

So what have you been hearing? What have men and women been telling you or telling each other, logging onto your Web site, saying that they're doing today?

HETHERINGTON: Well, starting at about 4:00 a.m. in the morning, we heard stories in the United Kingdom and in Germany, France, Austria, Italy. I know in Australia, this is sort of an unofficial national holiday, as they struggle with their own gay rights issues there.

People are working in their local HIV/AIDS, gay and lesbian centers, teen hot lines. And then many people who don't have access to LGBT organizations are working in places like Habitat for Humanity, who's been really supportive of our event, and -- and many churches...

PHILLIPS: Wow.

HETHERINGTON: ... who are sort of moderate churches. And what's great about that for us is, you know, in the aftermath of Prop 8, there have been reports of gays being sort of extremists and being angry. And that's really not who we are as a people.

And we're hoping to reach those moderate voters by going out into those areas that need our help, those nonprofit areas that need our help, so that we can really make a difference and, hopefully, change the hearts and minds of -- of moderate voters. The next time this comes up. PHILLIPS: Yes, this is old-school tactics. You know, this is like the sit-in. I mean, this is going to the non-violent approach. Mahatma Gandhi would be very happy with the way you're approaching it.

And it reminds me of the day that we saw all the marches in California. The Hispanics that took the day off to say, "Hey, while we're dealing with this whole issue of immigration, look what happens when all Hispanics step out and they don't work for you."

Is that where you kind of got this idea?

HETHERINGTON: Well, Joel Stein (ph) at the "L.A. Times" wrote a tongue-in-cheek article, sort of encouraging that we follow that pattern. And the only issue that I had with that is I was waiter at the time of Day Without a Mexican, as it's been called, and I know people who lost their jobs and heard stories of people being deported.

So we wanted to create an event where people weren't finding themselves in a tough spot by participating in a protest. We don't want anyone to feel like a bad gay. So we proposed that -- that people stay visible -- excuse me -- and really work.

You know, the cheapest and still the most effective activism that any gay person can participate in is just in coming out. And 70 percent of people who voted no on Prop 8 did so because they know a gay person who was affected personally by these laws.

So we encourage people today, if you can do nothing else, come out to your family, come out to your friends, come out to your co- workers, and be open about who you are and be proud of it.

PHILLIPS: Well, I'd like to follow up and find out if you can, in any way, Sean, let me know how many people participated and the impact that it played, not only in the U.S. but also internationally, because I'd like to follow-up and really see what kind of impact your idea had.

HETHERINGTON: Yes. And to follow it online, it's www.DayWithoutAGay.org. Thanks a lot for having us.

PHILLIPS: It's my pleasure, Sean. I appreciate it.

Got to get straight to some developing news right now. Dana Bash joining us. Apparently, the auto bailout may be in trouble.

Dana, what are you hearing?

DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, as we speak, Kyra, Senate Republicans are meeting in the United States Capitol here with the White House chief of staff, Josh Bolten. The vice president, Dick Cheney is there, as well.

But going into that meeting, we spoke with several Republican senators, influential ones, who said that this is going to be very, tough to get past Senate Republicans. In particular, one senator, Judd Gregg, who again is pretty influential on this, he said he thinks that Republican support in the Senate is, quote, marginal at best.

In addition, just to sort of back up the things that we're hearing with regard to potential trouble this is in, when it comes to the United States Senate, one lobbyist who is working for one of the Big Three automakers, who is, whose job it is to figure where the votes are, that lobbyist told our Ted Barrett (ph) that they don't see more than 58 votes right now in the United States Senate. Now it will take 60 votes for this to pass. So even as there certainly is movement when it came to -- when it comes to an agreement between the White House and congressional Democrats, it looks like it is going to move towards potentially a vote in the House today.

When you look at the big picture, whether or not this can actually get to the president's desk, it looks like it is going to have a tough road, particularly in the United States Senate. We had heard about Republican opposition. Republicans have been a little bit upset because they weren't involved in these meetings. They don't know about the details of what has been agreed to. But it looks like, at this point, it might be a little bit wider than some of the small group of vocal Republican senators that we had heard from already -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Dana Bash, appreciate it.

Straight ahead, Oprah calls it her drug of choice. She's opening up about what she calls her food addiction. It's a struggle that millions of us can relate to.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Wall Street has one eye on Detroit and the other on Washington as progress continues on a bailout loan for the Big Three automakers. Susan Lisovicz on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange with more on what that potential deal is doing for the markets today.

Hey, Susan. I kind of wonder if we should say it's progressing, it's on hold? We're not sure. Everybody has a different opinion.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I was just going to say the same thing, Kyra. No question about it.

You know, and it's interesting, G.M. and Ford shares this morning, most of the morning, were up on word that Democrats and the White House had reached an agreement. But they dropped like a stone when those Republicans -- when Republicans were holding a press conference late this morning saying they have their own plan. They voiced their opposition to what they were hearing on the other side. And so those stocks are lower.

Republicans, among other things, saying that there should be some sort of pre-packaged bailout. That there's no accounting for this emergency bridge loan. So Ford shares right now are down 4 percent. G.M. shares are down 3 percent.

Meantime, pressure is mounting in other ways, Kyra. GMAC, the financial services company, 49 percent owned by G.M., says it's having problems raising enough capital to become a bank holding company, which would give it access to money from the Treasury and the Fed. Why is that important to G.M.? Well, car loans. Think about it. Just one of the many issues that G.M. faces.

Overall, stocks holding onto gains. Although, we are certainly off our highs. The Dow right now up nearly 69 points, the Nasdaq is up 17. So we're seeing some buying in stocks, and also a big flight (ph) to safety.

I just have to mention, Kyra, something we've just never seen before. The government sold $30 billion of four-week-T-bills today at 0 percent -- 0 percent. That's something that we've never seen before, since four-week T-Bills were introduced in 2001. Yesterday, Treasury auctioned off $27 billion of three-month-T-bills at close to 0 percent. And haven't seen that since those bills were introduced in 1929.

The very low historic yield means that there is huge demand and it really is a sign of the times that all the losses we're seeing in the stock market, real estate, commodities, that a growing number of investors just say, government, hold my money. As long as I get back, I'm OK with it. And that's what we've seen. It's just an extraordinary trend.

Kyra, back to you.

PHILLIPS: Susan, thanks.

A dire warning from the United Nations human rights chief. The world's poorest could face even worse abuses as the global financial crisis unfolds. That warning comes on the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In an exclusive interview this morning, our Betty Nguyen spoke with First Lady Laura Bush about this important day. She is with us now.

I'll tell you what, you interview the first lady and you're here like within minutes, and you're already giving a part of the interview.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: I'll tell you what -- tell me about the conversation.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well especially on this day. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights -- as we know, Kyra, there are several places around the world where people are just denied those basic human rights, including two countries where the first lady has really made it a priority to help restore those rights. That being Afghanistan and Myanmar, which is also called Burma.

Well today, she did not back down, calling on the international community to do more in Myanmar, where she continues to closely watch what she calls a sad situation for the people of that country.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: You also watched it play out during Cyclone Nargis. In fact, I was just in the country back in July, and what I wanted to do was really see if aid was getting to those still in need, some two months after the storm had hit. And what I witnessed were dead bodies still rotting along the delta, many villages still with little to no aid.

Will the people of that country lose a powerful ally once you leave the White House?

LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY: No. I really think that the next administration will also pay attention to Burma. It's a country that -- the Lantos Act, for instance, the Stop Jade Now Act, that was just passed recently that the president signed into law, passed unanimously. So it's an issue that I think all -- every member, both parties, are very interested in. So I expect that the next administration will also do what they can to try to have this peaceful transition to democracy for the people of Burma.

NGUYEN: There is still a lot of outrage concerning the reaction to the cyclone on the part of the junta government there. Looking back, where do you draw the line when it comes to human rights? The U.S. sent ships full of aid that were denied by the junta government. Should the U.S. have been more forceful in getting that aid to the people in need?

BUSH: Well that was the real question at the time. We did have those Navy ships right off the coast -- right at the delta, right by where the cyclone had hit. Those had desalinization machines on them. They could have gotten fresh water to the people right way, medical supplies and the military junta would never let them land.

We did, at the same time, though -- they did accept cargo planes and the U.S. was able to fly in at least 100 cargo plane flights of supplies for the people of Burma. But that's the question. I mean, that's always the question when you talk about human rights. When we at -- when the rest of the world looks at these countries where tyranny reigns and where the people are denied any sort of basic human rights, then that's what we have to ask ourselves, is, what do we do?

And we did, in Afghanistan, go into Afghanistan, and liberated the people. And we're still there, obviously, working hard to make sure the people of Afghanistan can rebuild their country, which was totally decimated after 30 years of war with nothing. They're building a country from nothing now. And that still requires a big commitment on the part of the people of the U.S. and the government of the U.S.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well we know that Myanmar, what was happening there, meant a lot of the first lady.

And you were very humble. You didn't mention this. She saw your coverage and wanted to reach out and talk to you today.

But now she mentions Afghanistan. What's her mission there because I haven't heard a lot about that?

NGUYEN: Well she wants to continue helping women and girls get an education. She said this, Kyra, "When women are educated, everything across the board improves for their families." But she also says that, "... the world has to act in order to help make that happen."

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: And I think it's really important for the international community to support the people of Afghanistan so they can stand up for themselves.

They are having some success. They're building the national police force. When I was in Afghanistan, the last time, I met women who are police officers.

But, on the other hand, their society is so strict for women that some of these women police officers have not told their families that they were studying to be police.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: And the first lady does plan to continue working on human rights at the Freedom Institute that will be built at her husband's presidential library in Dallas. So she, like I said, is not backing down.

PHILLIPS: Well what are we going to talk about next hour?

NGUYEN: Next hour is going to be pretty interesting, too, because it's about life after the White House. Something that she calls the "afterlife." Her new normal, if you will. So we'll find out what she's up to.

PHILLIPS: It will probably be a lot easier and more spiritual and heavenly than living in the White House.

NGUYEN: And a smaller home.

PHILLIPS: Yes, exactly.

All right. Thanks, Betty.

NGUYEN: Sure.

PHILLIPS: Well a candid admission from the queen of talk. Oprah Winfrey going public again with a battle that she shares with millions of us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) PHILLIPS: Weight gain is an issue that millions of Americans struggle with, especially this time of year. And Oprah Winfrey is no exception. The queen of daytime talk has carried on a very public battle with the bulge for years. And once again, she is making that battle public.

Here's our Alina Cho.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: "How did I let this happen again?" It's the cover story in the new issue of Oprah Winfrey's magazine. She says she's gained 40 pounds since 2006, hitting in her words the dreaded "2-0-0" -- 200 pounds.

ELISA ZIED, AMERICAN DIETETIC ASSOCIATION: I think Oprah did this to tell people, you know what? I'm human, you're human. A lot of us deal with this issue.

CHO: An irresistible topic on the view.

JOY BEHAR, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": They would have to waterboard me for me to say my weight.

CHO: Oprah's public weight struggle has gone on for decades.

OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: I have lost, as of this morning, as of this morning, 67 pounds. This is what 67 pounds of fat looks like.

CHO: That was 20 years ago. Oprah in her skinny jeans. She lost that weight on a liquid diet.

In 1994, she ran a marathon.

But in May of this year, Oprah says she hit bottom and almost skipped out on a show with Tina Turner and Cher.

WINFREY: How do you feel, though, about getting older?

CHER, SINGER/ENTERTAINER: I think it sucks.

CHO: Oprah says she was the one who felt awful. Next to them, she says, "I felt like a fat cow. I wanted to disappear."

How did it happen? Complications with her thyroid condition, combined with what she calls her drug of choice: food.

WINFREY: Today (ph), pasta with minced garden vegetables.

CHO (on camera): 200 was an average number for her.

DR. DAVID KATZ, "O" MAGAZINE" I think so, yes.

CHO (voice-over): Dr. David Katz writes a monthly column on nutrition for "O" magazine. KATZ: With all of the resources that Oprah has comes an awful lot of responsibility, a lot of stress. And food often is the band-aid that we apply to much of that.

CHO (on camera): Oprah says over the past year she's been so embarrassed about her weight that regular "O" magazine subscribers will notice she never shot a head-to-toe cover. She simply didn't want to be seen.

Now she says she's making more of an effort to eat healthier, to work out more and in the coming year, Oprah says she has a new goal. Not to be thin necessarily, but to be healthy, strong and fit.

Alina Cho, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And we want to talk more about Oprah's health issues with our medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen.

And it's true. It's something that we all struggle with, especially women.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: That is so true, Kyra.

Americans are actually pretty good at losing weight, we're bad at keeping it off. And Oprah is pretty much just like all of us. Let's take a look at her highs and lows over the years.

In 1992, she weighed 237 pounds. That's the high.

The low, 2005, 160.

And now she weighs 200 pounds.

Again, she says it's a combination of hypothyroidism, and also a crazy schedule that never let her rest to really take care of that problem -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Hypothyroidism, I always -- we always get our thyroids checked. And I know a lot of my friends that have battled with weight issues had a thyroid problem. Is that what we're talking about?

COHEN: That's what we're talking about.

Hypothyroid means that her thyroid was working -- is working -- too slowly. It takes a long time, sometimes, to diagnose this problem. Her thyroid gland is underactive, that slows down bodily functions like metabolism. That results in fatigue, forgetfulness, sore muscles and, as we've seen, weight gain.

PHILLIPS: All right. So what does Oprah say she's going to do to lose the weight this time around?

COHEN: She says, Kyra, that her plan is to not have a plan. She is not going to do a specific diet plan. She says she's going to slow down, put herself first, give herself time to do cardio exercises an hour a day, most days a week, and also to eat better.

She flies all over the place. You travel a lot, Kyra. It is hard to eat right while you're traveling. She says she's going to do less of that, more of taking care of herself.

PHILLIPS: Yes. It is tough, especially when you're on the road so much.

COHEN: That's right.

PHILLIPS: Thank you, Elizabeth.

COHEN: Thanks.

PHILLIPS: Well there is no smoking in the White House, and if Barack Obama really has quit smoking for good, that's not a problem. But if he's still struggling to break the habit, we have advice from those who've done it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, you know, let's go back a little bit. Can we rewind? Can we get the prompter to go back to the top of this script? That would be fabulous.

Imagine finding nearly 100,000 grand in a bag in a bathroom stall. What would you do? It got dollar signs flashing and tongues wagging in our morning meeting. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to know from you guys if you find $97,000 in a bag --

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is in the bank.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would pray on it, give my 10 percent to church and go home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Would you keep it? Raise your hand. Point blank.

OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I know I would keep it.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK -- you'd give it, you'd turn it in, raise your hand.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If there was somebody responsible to turn it into --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wouldn't give it to anybody at the restaurant.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do you do with it?

PHILLIPS: I would put -- I would somehow alert that I came across this money. If nobody could prove it was theirs -- if somebody could prove it was theirs, I would give it back.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: All right. That is our take. But what did the Tennessee woman do when temptation stared her in the face?

Lori Mitchell with CNN affiliate WKRN tells us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILLIE WATTS, GOOD SAMARITAN: If you don't do the right thing, you're going to be judged by it. And as old as I am, I have to count for everything.

LORI MITCHELL, WKRN REPORTER: Billie Watts, a grandmother of 12, says she tries to live by example, and that is exactly what Billie did last week when she found nearly $100,000 and gave it back.

WATTS: I thought, I have never seen so much in my life. It was just so much of it.

MITCHELL: Billie found the money inside this Murfreesboro Cracker Barrel. She says it was in a bag hanging on a hook on a restroom stall door.

WATTS: It was a tapestry -- real pretty tapestry bag. How anyone walked off and forgot that, I don't know.

MITCHELL: Billie says she searched the bag for a name or address but couldn't find one. That is when she spotted several $1,000 bills.

WATTS: And I thought, well, if I turn it in up here, the wrong one might get a hold of it, and it might not go to the rightful owner.

MITCHELL: So she took it home, counted the money with her husband -- $97,000 in all, then called Cracker Barrel to leave her information.

WATTS: I said, I won't tell you what I found in the bathroom, but give them my number if somebody calls.

MITCHELL: 15 minutes later, a woman called her apartment. She identified the bag and a picture inside. Billie met her at the Cracker Barrel parking lot and says she was offered a reward by the owner, but didn't take it. WATTS: She came up and hugged me. And she offered me $1,000, but she didn't -- she told me she needed every penny she could, so I thought, well it is not my money, so if she needs it that bad to get started, I know she didn't really want to give it.

MITCHELL: Billie's grandson says he is proud of her actions and hopes she can be an inspiration to others.

MICHAEL PERALTA, GRANDSON: A lot of people would have just took the money and ran and not known the consequences it would have had on her life.

MITCHELL: Billie says she could have used the money and the thought of keeping it did cross her mind, but only for a moment.

In Murfreesboro, Lori Mitchell, News 2.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: All right. Well, here at CNN we have the luxury of looking at all kinds of different feeds and sometimes we see a fantastic story coming down on a certain channel in a certain state and we want to jump on the bandwagon and be able to bring that story to you at the last minute. Well, we saw this video, just a few minutes ago, from our affiliate WDIV out of Michigan.

And what you are seeing is a special surprise. Kelly Hartbarger just got back from Iraq and Kuwait, surprised her second-grade son. They join us live now.

So, Hunter, what was it like to see mom? It has been 10 months.

HUNTER HARTBARGER, 2ND GRADER: It's been amazing.

PHILLIPS: Did you miss her?

H. HARTBARGER: Yes.

PHILLIPS: What did you miss about mom?

H. HARTBARGER: Hugging her.

PHILLIPS: And you haven't stopped hugging her now, have you?

H. HARTBARGER: Nope.

PHILLIPS: Oh, Kelly, tell me what gave you this idea. When did you find out you were going to be able to come home? And why did you want to surprise Hunter this way?

KELLY HARTBARGER, U.S. NAVY: Well, one reason I didn't -- for one, I didn't know exactly when I was coming home. And then I didn't want to give them dates and then have to disappoint them and say, you know, we are held up or something. So I thought a couple of months back that I would just surprise them so that they wouldn't have to sit there and wait with anticipation for me coming home and getting disappointed that I wasn't going to be there.

So, I just thought it would be cool to come here and surprise him, and thank all of his fellow students here that have written me over the last 10 months as well. So --

PHILLIPS: What is it like to hug him?

K. HARTBARGER: Amazing.

PHILLIPS: So, Hunter, what is the first thing you are going to do with mom once you leave school today?

K. HARTBARGER: We're going to go get a Christmas tree?

H. HARTBARGER: We're going to go get a Christmas tree.

PHILLIPS: That is so awesome.

Well you guys, I wish we had more time. But we just saw this coming down on the feed, wanted to touch base with you.

Congratulations, Kelly. We appreciate what you do for our country.

And Hunter, you don't let go of that mom. You hug her all Christmas long, OK?

H. HARTBARGER: Yes.

K. HARTBARGER: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: All right, Kelly.

K. HARTBARGER: And thanks to all those who serve as well.

PHILLIPS: Amen. Bless you both, and our entire military.

K. HARTBARGER: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: All right.