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Iraqi Reporter Throws Shoes at Pres. Bush; Blagojevich Scandal: Illinois Governor Clings to Power; Winter Blast Across the U.S.; Major League Problems for Major League Sports
Aired December 14, 2008 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight, a windy city scandal blowing up and blowing across the nation. Inside Chicago's political machine, in-depth with the people who expose it.
Duck and cover. The president in a war zone, dodging shoes instead of fielding questions. How could this have happened?
Cold and dangerous. Avalanches, people trapped, ice storms, blizzards, thousands in the cold, in the dark and stuck in the airport.
Have you seen this man? New developments tonight on a bank blast that killed two cops.
And, taking a hit. The recession sacks pro sports. From the front office to the field. Major league layoffs.
The news starts now.
UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM, Don Lemon.
LEMON: Good evening, everyone. We have seen President Bush in all sorts of situations and some really tough spots, but never anything like this before.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Look at that. The president of the United States dodging a shoe thrown by an Iraqi reporter launched straight at his head, and then another one before the Secret Service and other reporters tackled him.
CNN's Michael Ware, live in Baghdad.
Michael, President Bush is now in Afghanistan, but do we know what provoked this bizarre incident earlier in Baghdad?
MICHAEL WARE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No, at this stage, all we have is what you see. The man just stands up and starts hurling his shoes at the head of the president of the United States of America. We now have his network, an Iraqi television network calling for his immediate release. And we're waiting for dawn to get the reaction of Iraq's people, all of this obviously happening overnight.
But if what's on the screen with his station is any guide, it's going to be interesting. They currently got his picture up on the screen, permanently demands for his release while they're scrolling pro-Iraqi nationalist film clips. So, this has obviously evoked a lot of emotion. We'll just have to see what the Iraqis have to say about it, Don.
LEMON: CNN's Michael Ware in Baghdad. Michael, thank you very much.
The president made light of it afterwards, but it still was a serious security breach. We talked with CNN's security analyst Mike Brooks about the Secret Service response.
MIKE BROOKS, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: It happened in split seconds. You have -- you time it and you see the detail leader right here. That's the Secret Service detail leader. He came over to the president and said, "Are you OK" and he waved him off. You know, that detail leader is off to the side. Because when you have a presidential press conference...
LEMON: That was pretty slow right there.
BROOKS: Yes.
LEMON: That was pretty close.
BROOKS: That was real close. And then you see the second one. And you see Mr. Maliki trying to knock it off and you see the detail leader here come in. Now, he is the one who was basically there all the time.
LEMON: Who is this guy?
BROOKS: Those were Secret Service that came out from the back room also.
LEMON: OK.
BROOKS: Because if something was, you know, of a deadly nature would happen, someone took a shot, there's something else happen, they would take him out and there's always a safe room that they take them to -- they would take the president to.
But, you know, the position of the Secret Service agent detail leader, you know, they're not going to be standing up here on the side of the podium with him, they're off to the side. So, you see him coming in here and it was not -- it didn't take that long.
LEMON: The president waved him off. Did you see that?
BROOKS: Yes, he waved him off.
LEMON: OK. BROOKS: Because keep in mind, Don, everybody here has been through magnetometers, everybody. There's no deadly weapon in this room. And they make sure of that. This is one of the most secure rooms in the world when this happened. But it would be the same as some photographer took his camera and threw it at the president. Now all of these people who hold press credentials, they have been vetted by the Secret Service. They have been run through every intelligence database you can think of.
LEMON: Still, many questions about how this incident can happen. Mike Brooks -- well, he ducked for some answers. That's coming up this hour.
Now we go to Chicago, where Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich looks like he will fight to keep his job. The governor and his wife Patti met today with the high-profile, high-powered criminal attorney who defended newspaper publisher Conrad Black and rapper R. Kelly.
Meantime, the state legislature is moving forward tomorrow to remove the governor from office. All indications at this hour point to impeachment. Speculation of a resignation was rampant tonight and Blagojevich was asked about it outside his attorney's office.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Good to see you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Governor, I'm the only --
GOV. ROD BLAGOJEVICH (D), ILLINOIS: Merry Christmas.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Governor, I'm the only one -- I'm the only one here. Can you say something to us? The longer you say nothing, the longer people wonder you have something --
BLAGOJEVICH: There'll be an appropriate time to talk about this. But let me just wish everybody happy holidays. And things will be -- work out just fine.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The rumor is you intend to resign. Is that true or false?
BLAGOJEVICH: I just think that you should all have a great holiday season. Sam, I'll see you my friend. Sir, how are you? Thank you. I'll see you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: The governor's spokesman emphatically denies that Blagojevich would resign tomorrow even though state Attorney General Lisa Madigan strongly suggested he would earlier today. Governor Blagojevich is ignoring a growing chorus of political heavy hitters which include the president-elect.
Friday, the Illinois attorney general drew up papers to try to force him from office and last night, perhaps the most powerful politician in Chicago said the governor should do the right thing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR RICHARD DALEY (D), CHICAGO: He should, first of all, look at his family and also understanding what the people of Illinois want, and he should do the right thing on behalf of his family and on behalf of the people of Illinois. I really believe that. He has to really look deep in his heart, in his soul and figure that out -- what is good for his family and for the people of Illinois.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Chicago Mayor Richard Daley. He has been called the head of Chicago's machine, a machine in which the president-elect cut his political teeth. So, it's hard for Barack Obama to distance himself from a city where back door political scheming and under-the-table deals seem to be business as usual. Here's how "Chicago Trib" reporter John Kass described it months before the scandal even broke.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KASS, "CHICAGO TRIBUNE": Just remember this -- Richard M. Daley is the boss of Chicago machine. His spokesman is David Axelrod. Their candidate is Barack Obama. Who speaks for Barack Obama? David Axelrod. There's no such thing as coincidences. Chicago politics doesn't have coincidences.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Prosecutors say there appears to be no wrongdoing from the new presidential administration but in Illinois, there is always an angle.
Our panel tonight to dissect the Blagojevich mess, Lynn Sweet and Mary Mitchell with the "Chicago Sun-Times," John Chase with the "Chicago Tribune" and Jay Stewart with the Better Government Association.
Lynn, I'll start with you. Is the woman trying to push the governor from office, State Attorney General Lisa Madigan? Is she angling for his job, Lynn?
LYNN SWEET, "CHICAGO SUN-TIMES" COLUMNIST: Well, she has been interested in running for governor even before this latest episode. So, I would not say that this changed her course of -- her career course one way -- her decision one way or the other, Don. She had been in the trajectory to run for governor. Governor Blagojevich was in a big political mess before this happened and it's possible to imagine as we're going to, he's now in an even deeper hole. So, she is just taking advantage that he -- she is opening the door that he opened.
LEMON: All right.
SWEET: She's walking through the door that he opened.
LEMON: OK. John Chase, you know, the "Chicago Tribune" has been put in the middle of this mess as well, as well as a couple of prominent politicians. But, John, I want to know what should we expect to see tomorrow from the legislature in Springfield?
JOHN CHASE, "CHICAGO TRIBUNE" COLUMNIST: Tomorrow, the legislature is going to be meeting to decide whether to remove Governor Blagojevich's ability to appoint the senator to replace Barack Obama. There's also talk that impeachment proceedings could, you know, sort of slowly get under way. But tomorrow, the big day, Don, in Springfield is going to be the decision as to set up a special election so voters decide who the next senator is. At the same time, you're expecting Governor Blagojevich -- there's all the speculation he may resign but his spokesman says that that's not going to happen.
LEMON: Mary Mitchell with "Chicago Sun-Times." A lot of people, especially a lot of politicians, have been caught in a collateral damage of this. I want you to take a listen to an interview I had with Jesse Jackson Jr., the congressman from Illinois. And I want to get your thoughts about it after this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JESSE JACKSON JR. (D), ILLINOIS: I'm fighting now for my character and I'm also fighting for my life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: He is fighting for, he said, his character and his life and his political career as I sat down and talked with him. I don't know if you had chance to speak to him. But a lot of people are being caught in the fallout of this scandal -- Mary.
MARY MITCHELL, " CHICAGO SUN-TIMES" COLUMNIST: Well, it was a -- if you put a Senate seat up for auction as that's the allegation against Governor Blagojevich, you're going to get a lot of fallout. You're going to get people caught up, even if they just had an innocent conversation. The fact that they're named in a criminal complaint or at least they're identified as a person in a criminal complaint is a problem. And unfortunately, the congressman is caught up in that problem.
LEMON: All right. Jay Stewart, you have called for the governor to step down. Why?
JAY STEWART, BETTER GOVERNMENT ASSN.: Well, because he's completely incapable of leading our state. I think he's demonstrated his inability to lead, is causing our state government, which is already having difficult problems and functioning. It's come to a complete standstill. There's a huge backlog in state bills and because of the governor's criminal problems, there was some borrowing that's going to be done to help pay those bills. It can't move forward because we don't know what Rod Blagojevich may or may not have done.
So, he is -- I think by the tapes and by his conduct, he's demonstrated he's unfit for leadership. Our state has a lot of problems. And he simply is incapable of leading our state. And if he won't resign, he should be impeached.
LEMON: Unfit for leadership. A lot of people are talking about it. These are the folks who uncover the political corruption in Chicago every single day -- Mary Mitchell, Lynn Sweet, Jay Stewart and also John Chase. Thank you very much for joining us. We're going to talk about -- some people are saying that the governor may have some problems mentally -- their words.
All right. Let's move now from television to the radio. Illinois politics is now the talk of the nation. National radio host Warren Ballentine and Dom Giordano from Philadelphia's WPHT.
Conservative radio, Dom, could not have asked for a better story. Rod Blagojevich, Barack Obama, anything there?
DOM GIORDANO, RADIO HOST, WPHT: I have to say there's been restraint at least, Don, on the part of myself. I can speak for myself. Some on the national level have tried to make this linkage to President-elect Obama.
I would say the one problem, though, is that President-elect Obama ran on this idea of new politics reform, and with Rahm Emanuel as chief of staff being in the middle of this, meeting with the governor, what was said, what's on the tapes. That is a legitimate problem.
LEMON: Warren, are people making the connection on your -- are your listeners making the connection between Barack Obama and supposedly this Chicago political scandal and machine?
WARREN BALLENTINE, RADIO HOST, 'WAREN BALLENTINE SHOW": Well, they're not. And they're not making the connection because Fitzgerald came out and said there was no connection. There's no way to tie President-elect Obama to this.
I mean what my listeners are most concerned about now is this claim that Blagojevich may be a little bit insane. That's kind of funny to me because I think there's a lot of politicians in Illinois who's trying to make that claim because they're worried about their own butt.
LEMON: All right.
BALLENTINE: I think -- I think a lot of people's names is going to come out in the wash. And that's why they're calling for him to be impeached and everything else.
And what's funny is Lisa Madigan is helping with the Supreme Court. They're not going to be able to remove that man because he's not -- he's not going to be psychologically found to be insane and that's the only way to be able to remove him on her petition as she has that right now.
LEMON: And we're going to talk about that, whether or not that is a strategy that they're floating to the media, that maybe he is mentally unstable. OK. Thank you very much to all of our panel. We'll be back with all of you to talk about this just a little bit later on this hour.
We're going to move on now to other news, another big story that's still hanging out there tonight -- a possible emergency loan of billions of your tax dollars to the U.S. auto industry. The White House will only say it is looking at all the options. And tonight, President Bush, while on his way to Iraq and Afghanistan, said an automaker collapse would devastate the economy. He says negotiators are working on, quote, "a way forward," but didn't get specific about it.
One possibility is tapping into the TARP fund, the $700 billion bailout to Wall Street and carving out a slice for the Big 3. Senate Republicans shot down a $14 billion loan package just last week.
If you're travelling tomorrow, well, you want to keep an eye on the weather. Across the Great Plains and all the way to New England, wicked weather blanketing the country and delaying flights. Our Karen McGinnis has her frigid forecast.
And also, your feedback. What's on your mind tonight? Make sure you log on to Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or iReport. Tell us what you're thinking. We'll get your responses on the air.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Search and rescue teams are out in force in the Utah mountains after two massive avalanches. They happened south of Salt Lake City in a ski resort area. The first one killed a female skier who died after being pulled from under two feet of snow. It took rescue teams an hour to reach her. The second avalanche buried another skier who was dug out alive by his friends. Search teams don't think there are any other victims.
Winter may not officially be here yet, but try telling that to people across the U.S. tonight facing lots of snow, no power and dangerously cold temperatures. The snow is falling and mercury is plunging in Colorado, especially around the Denver area. Up to five inches of snow fell in some spots, and there have been highway closings across the state. Forecasters say it will stay cold with the highs in the single digits.
And check out this iReport from Tim Gooding, just outside Fargo, North Dakota. Blizzards are raging across the eastern part of the state tonight, knocking out power to the town of Buffalo. And authorities are starting up a generator at the town's community center and planning to bring people there. Highways are closed. Some areas have gotten more than a foot of snow. And the wind chill makes it feel like 40 below zero.
Check out the video here the debris, tree trunks, tree branches all over the place, the result of a massive ice storm that coated New England. Hundreds of thousands of people are still in the dark and in the cold tonight. President Bush has declared a state of emergency in parts of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. It could be another two days before some people get their power back. Federal agencies are working on relief efforts right now.
Our Karen Maginnis is working on that plunging temperatures tonight and also the storm.
This is a couple of different systems all hitting at once, right Karen?
KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, and Don, it looks like at least in the medium time period, we're expecting most of the nation to be in the deep freeze. These temperatures running between 10 and 20 degrees lower than they should be. Snowfall totals in places like Green Bay and Duluth are about two times where they should be just for this month. We're not even finished with the month. We do have lots of delays and I'll tell you about that in just a minute.
We've got some iReport pictures to show you. You can go to iReport.com and take a look at this. Very spectacular. Now, this is a beautiful shot. This comes from David Zweier. He lives in Sussex County, New Jersey. He says it hasn't had any power for days now and it looks like they may not have any power at least until the latter part of next week. Trees were down, limbs were down, everybody was helping everybody else. But this is very dangerous.
It's so dangerous that they've closed Interstate 29 from border to border and east central sections of North Dakota, Interstate 29.
Now, some of our airport delays have dropped off. We were seeing some lengthy delays out of JFK and La Guardia. Now, we're looking at Philadelphia. They had a problem -- a situation with an aircraft there. No one injured or anything but it has slowed things down quite a bit.
San Francisco, also Chicago, all across the northern tier states, we've got this Arctic air in place. These are actual outside air temperatures. I checked Wisconsin, Minnesota, the Dakotas and Montana, and you're hard pressed to find one place that has temperatures above zero, and double digit below zero degree readings when you factor in the wind chill. And the winds here are blowing between about 25 and about 50 miles an hour.
Take a look at Bismarck. We're looking at a wind chill factor of minus 40. It feels like minus 35 in Denver. And in Duluth, it feels like minus 21. And Chicago? Just wait, it's on its way.
One of the other places that's going to see some frustrating weather is going to be St. Louis. We could see a rain-snow mix changing over to ice. But it looks like this entire region is going to be in the deep freeze, at least until Thursday, with single digits.
Now what you're looking at are some of the wind gusts across this region, from Bismarck to Wichita, and I told you about the Interstate. Many roads across Minnesota and the Dakotas, impassable. I took a look at some of the Web cams. And Don, they pretty much don't have any traffic on them as you can imagine because visibility is only feet or maybe a quarter of a mile. It's very, very dangerous outside right now.
Also, into the Pacific Northwest, the Cascades and Sierra Nevada, The (INAUDIBLE) Ouachita Mountains, looking at heavy snowfall over the next couple of days. Now back to you.
LEMON: Yes and before you go to work tomorrow, you want to tune in to "AMERICAN MORNING" to see what the conditions are like out, 6 a.m. Eastern only here on CNN.
Thank you very much for that Karen Maginnis.
You know, the shoe-throwing incident with the president and Blagojevich scandal, it's got you guys talking on Twitter, on Facebook, MySpace and iReport. Make sure you log on, tell us what you're thinking. We're going to put some of responses up.
Also tonight, major league problems for major league sports as the recession hits them where it hurts.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: We've an update now for you on a story we told you about earlier this week. Tonight, police in northwest Oregon have released photos of a person of interest in a deadly bomb blast at a bank. The pictures show a man with dark hair and a beard. No word on where the photos were taken. But police say the man might have experience in welding and electronics.
The Friday explosion in Woodburn killed two police officers and left a local police chief critically wounded. It all started when police found a suspicious object outside the bank and after evacuating most of the workers, took the object inside where it blew up. Police say the person responsible is obviously dangerous.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERIFF RUSS ISHAM, MARION CO., OREGON: The interagency investigative team is working around the clock to remind the public of the danger he poses to our community not only to the potential intended victims, but to others who may know him or exposed to his explosives. He may be careful but others around him such as children, relatives or co-workers may be in grave danger.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, it's still not clear why police took the object inside the bank in the first place. We've been asking you for your responses tonight and -- on Twitter, on Facebook and on MySpace. I'm just going to read a couple of them. The computer is not up here, so I printed them.
Rev Harriet (ph). Here's what Rev Harriet (ph) had to say. "I believe that we need to give the governor of Illinois a chance to speak before we call him to resign."
And them M.D. Mateo (ph) says, "So many home invasions going on, this is crime, in Columbus, Ohio due to the economy. Everyone is coming to the suburbs, to the bigger houses, what can be done?
And then another one says, another person says, "Anxiety can be equally taxing when stressing over things that you can't change or striving to please everyone. Be who you can be. Be your best possible."
Make sure you send us some of your responses. Log on to Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or iReport.com and tell us what you're thinking.
It is one of the questions tonight. Everyone seems to be asking about embattled Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. What is he thinking?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT: I can't presume to know what was in the mind of the governor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think, at the very least, he's having some kind of mental breakdown.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Clearly, something is wrong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, even "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE" has an opinion about this. You want to stick around.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Well, it seems like just about everyone wants a bailout lately. Rod Blagojevich wants a bailout? Well, not really. But leave it up to "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE" to combine the two.
They spoofed the Illinois governor in a skit in which Blagojevich, played by Jason Sudeikis, appears on Capitol Hill asking for a bailout. He gets some tough questions in return and gives some, shall we say, raw answers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Governor, let me ask you. Are you retarded?
JASON SUDEIKIS AS ROD BLAGOJEVICH: First of all, senator, the correct term is developmentally challenged. And, yes, I am mildly developmentally challenged, though obviously, it's not affecting my performance as governor. But I can see I'm wasting my time here. So, you know what? I think I'll just head over to the Supreme Court to see if any of those guys are any easier to deal with instead of you stupid (BLEEP).
(END VIDEO CLIP) LEMON: All right. On a serious note, the governor's mental capacity is one of the things I covered on Friday in Chicago when I sat down and talk with Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., who is caught up in the scandal himself. Here's part of my exclusive interview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JESSE JACKSON JR (D), ILLINOIS: The governor, not only cannot perform his functions under the constitution of the state of Illinois, but has clearly violated a number of statutes under -- our state statutes and potentially, federal statutes, and there may be a capacity issue.
LEMON (on camera): What do you mean?
JACKSON: A capacity as in mental capacity to complete the job, that he cannot function under the duress.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. Well, back with us now. Jay Stewart with the Better Government Association; Lynn Sweet, "Chicago Sun-Times;" Washington bureau chief Mary Mitchell, who is on the editorial board of the "Chicago Sun-Times;" John Chase with the "Chicago Tribune".
So, I want to start with you, Mary. We've been talking about mental capacity. You heard Jesse Jackson Jr. there. I don't want to misquote you, but I think you called him delusional before.
MITCHELL: Delusional. I always thought he was a little bit off. You know, channeling Elvis Presley, that sort of thing. But here's why people would think that he's mentally unstable, is if he knew that there was a possibility that he was being -- that his phones may have been tapped, that the Feds may have been listening in, and still he said some incredibly damaging things about the President-elect Barack Obama's vacant seat, then that would make people think that he had to be delusional or at least mentally unstable.
LEMON: John Chase, as a reporter and as someone who's covered Rod Blagojevich. Rod Blagojevich is not afraid of cameras. And he, you know, he's like a moth to a flame. You know that, right? He loves the cameras. He's a politician. I watched him tonight. He couldn't help but look into camera to answer Jay Levine's questions from WBBM.
Do you think that, you know, for him, that this is part of that? All of this we heard on the tape, could it just be chest thumping and boasting?
JOHN CHASE, "CHICAGO TRIBUNE": Well, Governor Blagojevich, always, in my six years of covering him, he always feels like he can explain himself. If he's in a tough spot, he feels like, you know, I can get in a room, and I could talk to people, and I can explain my side of the story, and he feels like he can do that. And I don't think that that's any different. I think he still feels that way. He still feels that once he is able to explain his side of the story, he can get out of this. Whether that's the case at this point, it seems very difficult to believe. But I believe that that's sort of the way he thinks.
LEMON: Jay Stewart, with your association for Better Government, you've had your eye on Rod Blagojevich for a long time and why?
JAY STEWART, BETTER GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION: Well, there have been a lot of reports from relatively early on that you saw a large amount of campaign contributions coming from state contractors. And you know, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that's a little suspicious looking. And then, reports started surfacing of federal investigations. And if you look at Illinois in the last five or six or seven or eight years, federal investigations have generally wound up with politicians going to jail. So, it seemed pretty clear -- pretty early on that he was headed or at least his administration was headed to trouble with federal investigators.
LEMON: Back now to this mental capacity issue, Lynn Sweet. Is this something that maybe prosecutors or even politicians who are close to Illinois politics -- is this something they're floating as a defense in order to get him out of office that he may be mentally unstable or doesn't have the capacity to serve?
LYNN SWEET, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: Well, the key -- there is another aspect to this that we haven't gotten into tonight, and that this that the Illinois attorney general petitioned the Illinois Supreme Court to remove him from office. And the key issue there is over the word if he's disabled. And again, we're going into unchartered legal waters, so while we bring this some kind of (INAUDIBLE), is he delusional or not, where the Supreme Court wanted to issue this as he's disabled.
Now, and whether or not there's a political argument is different from the legal argument or the prosecutorial argument here, Don. But, just as example, where I think he was living in a political fantasy world, if he really thought he could appoint a pal of Obama's Valerie Jarrett to the Senate and then a short time later end up in the Obama cabinet as the criminal complaint said, I would say that's kind of in a good definition of what it means to live in a political fantasy world. Because this goes beyond any kind of just run of the mill graft we're used, unfortunately, in Illinois.
LEMON: OK. I'm going to start with you, Lynn. I'm going to go around and ask you guys, and just real quickly here -- how do you see this playing out? Do you see him stepping down or do you see impeachment?
SWEET: I think when his lawyer tells him to go, he'll go.
LEMON: OK. Mary?
MITCHELL: I think he'll resign when he get enough money together and still finds a way to get his salary paid.
LEMON: And you said within the next two weeks, you believe? MITCHELL: I think so.
LEMON: OK. Jay, what do you think?
STEWART: I think he'll ultimately resign, when impeachment is clearly going to work or he can get a good deal with the feds.
LEMON: And John? Chicago tribune at the center of this, what do you want to say? What do you think?
CHASE: Yes. I think eventually. But he's worried about finances right now. I think that's one of the things he's thinking about. So once he figures that out, then we'll see probably a resignation at some point.
LEMON: John, Jay, Lynn, Mary, thank you all very much. Have a good night.
CHASE, STEWART, SWEET, MITCHELL: Thank you.
LEMON: I'll be talking to you, guys, next week, I'm sure.
And you know that the Blagojevich story is also almost too good to be true for talk radio, especially conservative radio. Man, they couldn't ask for a better story. We'll check in with Warren Ballentine and Dom Giordano about what they're hearing. Stick around.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. So, you know, you got to be crazy. That's what people are saying about Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, fully aware he's under. He has been under federal investigation. He allegedly gives the fed an earful on wiretap. Back to our radio host -- Warren Ballentine and Don Giordano.
I asked our panel and I'll throw this out to you. People have been talking about, you know, mental stability, capacity to serve and all of this. Could this possibly be a plea when it comes to a trial, Warren?
WARREN BALLENTINE, RADIO HOST, "THE WARREN BALLENTINE SHOW": You know, Don, I think this is going to play a major issue here. And like I said earlier in the show, I think that a lot of people are floating this out here because they're trying to save their own hide. I don't -- you know, I'm a lawyer and not just a nationally syndicated radio host.
And honestly, he can be delusional and have this ego and his belief that he can do and say anything as a politician. But to be proven clinically insane, and that's the problem that Lisa Madigan has with her petition. And honestly, I don't think he's going to resign. They're going to have to impeach him. Because if I'm representing him, him being the governor, that's his leverage right now.
LEMON: I think disabled, unable to serve, really is what she is saying. I'm not sure if it's only on -- only on, you know, mental capacity here. But Don, I hear you "u-hum" in the background, why is that?
DON GIORDANO, RADIO HOST, WPHT: Well, listeners are just chuckling, Don, at the notion that this guy is mentally ill. They see this as the playbook. You know, that, either the governor or people that are afraid as Warren said of the governor doing something, talking about Rahm Emanuel or who knows who else. They're spinning it out there already. Getting this guy is off. He's off as rocker. And that's part of the story to stop the damage.
LEMON: OK. You know what, you're in Philadelphia, and Philadelphia has some pretty colorful politicians and politics as well. So, I was going to say, hey, you know what, that's pot calling the kettle black there. But hang on a minute. I want both of you to listen to this. This is 2006 -- 2006, Rod Blagojevich talking about never wanting to disgrace his family in any way by doing anything underhanded. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. ROD BLAGOJEVICH (D), ILLINOIS: He said now son that you won, whatever you do, be honest. And I told her, of course, mom, I'll be honest, because that's how you raised me. She said, that's good, son. I know you will. Let me ask you another question. I said, what's that? Promise me, son, you'll never take bribes. I said, of course, I will never take bribes. Not only would that be dishonest. It would be illegal, I would never do anything to dishonor the memory of my father.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIORDANO: Well, Don, my comment on that is that this is the guy that came up as one of the chief lieutenants, if you will, of the Daley machine. So, you know, the idea that this is not common practice in Chicago or Philadelphia is ridiculous.
LEMON: Yes. And Warren, you know, growing up in Chicago, this is -- honestly, this is the way and this is really not surprising. As John Kass said, Warren, just a couple of days ago, this is a Chicago politician who is simply caught on tape.
BALLENTINE: Well, you know, that's true, Don. You know, born and raised in Chicago, I've seen this many times. And I tell you, what I was covering in a convention this past weekend, the National Black Caucus of State Legislators, it was a lot of state legislators from Illinois. They are off the record. They just told me point- blank, everybody in Illinois is worried about what this guy is going to say. Everybody!
LEMON: Who he's going to take down with him.
(CROSSTALK)
GIORDANO: And Don, I would make this point, though. The only thing, it's a little bit different is that this guy is a bit inelegant. I mean, it's usually, the guys are good at talking, almost like you see in a mob film, I think, about things and words and all. Everybody knows what you're talking about. But it's a little bit surreptitious. This guy is just so blatant about it. I think they don't like it because he gives dirty politicians a bad name.
BALLENTINE: But you know what, Don -- one thing, Don. This is the thing, as a lawyer. The lawyer and me looked at that complaint. I'm going to tell you what. I think they let the rat get all the way up to the mousetrap or the rat trap, and before he reached for the cheese, they caught him and didn't let him take the cheese. I think they may have a problem with this case in court.
LEMON: Why do you think they jumped to the gun? Jumped the gun?
BALLENTINE: I think they jump to the gun because of his arrogance and because they had been watching him for the past three years.
LEMON: OK.
BALLENTINE: I don't see anything in that complaint that could -- is not more than circumstantial evidence, and it could be argued vigorously as the defense attorney had tried.
LEMON: And Warren and Don --
(CROSSTALK)
GIORDANO: We don't know all that's on the tape. I think there's more on the tape.
LEMON: We've got to go. We've got to go. We've got to go, guys. But I want to show you sign of the times. Just check out the newspaper. This is a Chattanooga newspaper. And it is a bail bonds office, 24 hours open, right next to the governor's mansion with the cost of Illinois. That is courtesy of the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
BALLENTINE: Only Don Lemon would bring that up.
LEMON: Yes. All right, thank you, guys. Logon and tell us what you're thinking.
GIORDANO: Thanks, Don.
BALLENTINE: Thanks, Don.
LEMON: Thank you. Have a great evening. Make sure you guys logon and tell us what you're thinking, tonight.
Also, we have some unbelievable video out of Baghdad for you. Check this out.
That's right. Someone threw their shoes at President Bush during a press conference today. But how could this happen? More questions for CNN security analyst Mike Brooks, straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: All right. Let's go back to the big story out of Baghdad, where an Iraqi reporter tried to hit President Bush with his shoe
Wow. Well, that was President Bush's fourth and final visit to Iraq and done under tight security and ultra secrecy. Yet, at a news conference with the prime minister, the reporter jumped to his feet, yelled, this is a farewell, dog! And then hurdle both of his shoes at Mr. Bush.
The president ducked twice and was not hit. He later played down the incident, saying it was simply a way to get attention. The thrower was taken into custody, and we haven't learned too much more about him.
Well, earlier, I spoke with CNN security analyst Mike Brooks about how an incident like this can happen despite all the elaborate security precautions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE BROOKS, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: When the secret service mugs everybody, goes to the (INAUDIBLE), when you go into a secure press conference like this, all these people who are there also, Don, had been through background checks. They've been vetted, you know. So these are not just somebody who can just walk into the room.
And you know, the thing with this -- yes, you can run them through every kind of intelligence database you can, because that predicts what their behavior has been in the past. You cannot predict their future behavior such as this.
LEMON: OK. So when you look at this, what do you think? Obviously, I mean, the president, he's pretty nimble, right?
BROOKS: I guess his days around baseball teams...
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: And he's smiling -- he was smiling there.
BROOKS: You know, he's used to ducking baseball.
LEMON: Yes. Yes.
BROOKS: But -- oh, yes. You know, and you see the detail leader right here, come up to him and say, are you OK? I think you see other agents in the back here, and then they took him down right back here --
LEMON: This is another reporter, though. That's not --
(CROSSTALK)
BROOKS: Yes. That's not the guy.
(CROSSTALK)
BROOKS: He comes in and they take him to the ground. And I'm sure they'll be talking to him at great length.
LEMON: Yes. Real quick, before we talk about what happened to this guys. How much danger was the president in?
BROOKS: I don't think he was much danger at all.
LEMON: You don't?
BROOKS: No, no. We know that one thing, there was no weapons in this room at all. And you know, it would be the same as I said earlier, if someone had taken a camera and thrown it at the president. You can't predict the behavior of some people.
LEMON: Hang on. Can you back this up, Roger? Can we do it in real time and let this play out, because I want to see the chaos after the president, and I want people to be able to hear and let Mike Brooks look at it.
BROOKS: If they had thought -- if the secret service had thought that he was in danger at that time --
LEMON: Let's listen.
BROOKS: Right.
LEMON: All right. So then --
BROOKS: If they thought that he had been in any kind of danger, you would have seen the detail leader, Don, you would have seen him come up and he would have protected the president, he would probably taken him out this back door. Because, as I said, if there is a threat -- if there is an attempt on the president, they always have a secure room that will either go there, and shelter in place or get him out and evacuate him from that scene.
LEMON: OK. I'm running out of time here. But here's what I want to know. What happens to this guy?
BROOKS: Good question. Here in the United States, he would have been arrested. Over there, his press credentials are definitely going to be pulled, but I'm sure there are going to be some other measures taken against him.
LEMON: Yes.
BROOKS: Unknown -- unknowable side.
LEMON: Yes. If we find out more about him, we'll definitely bring it to you.
LEMON: Appreciate it.
BROOKS: Don, always a pleasure. LEMON: Thank you very much.
BROOKS: Thank you.
LEMON: CNN security analyst, Mike Brooks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Major league problems for major league sports, as the recession hits them where it hurts.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. We've been asking you your responses. I'm just going over some of them now. Very interesting. I'm not even going to try to read these names because they're a little different.
The first one says, "I think that a middle finger -- this is talking about the shoe incident -- would have been much more better and less dangerous. Bush's administration is near the end. They need patience."
Let's get the next -- that one. I don't know what that one is. "The man has been through a rough eight years." That's about President Bush.
Another person says, "I'm not going to lie. I laughed when I read that. And let out a snort when I don't know the context is even funnier." I guess her talking about that, too.
"Best move W made so far in office. An absolutely perfect bob."
Thank you very much. Send us your comments. We'll get them in. Always very interesting. A lot of you weighing in tonight about the president and the shoe incident. Luckily, he got out of the way.
All right. Would you ever think the National Football League would be laying people off, I mean, with all those millions? And it's supposed to be recession-proof. Well, guess what? They are.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. We are just hours away from the opening bell on Wall Street, and investors are bracing themselves after coming off a dizzying ride last week. Our Stephanie Elam gets down to business.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Stocks rallied early last week after President-elect Barack Obama unveiled part of his plans to create new jobs. The market was up and down for the rest of the week as Congress debated the auto bailout and layoffs piled up. The Senate's rejection of the bailout sent the markets lower right out of the starting gate Friday.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says representatives will unveil a new economic stimulus package next month to try to stabilize the job market as the number of out-of-work Americans continues to rise. Late last week, the Labor Department reported unemployment filings jumped to 573,000 for the first week of December, the highest weekly total in 26 years.
This week, the Commerce Department will deliver its report on housing starts and building permits. Analysts expect those numbers to decline as many buyers and builders postpone plans to construct new homes.
Also coming up, the Labor Department will release the consumer price index, the benchmark measurement for inflation. No need to worry about that. The index for October released last month took its biggest dive in more than 60 years. Prices were dragged down by gas prices which have been steadily declining for months. Economists predict the November index will drop as well.
From the New York Stock Exchange, that's this week's "Getting Down to Business." Stephanie Elam, CNN, New York.
LEMON: All right. Did you watch your favorite football game team today? NFL team? Paying attention to NASCAR, NBA? Well, you better start paying more attention because the recession is hitting the big leagues from the field to the track to the front office. The sports industry is taking a real beating and I talked about it with sports business analyst Rick Horrow tonight.
RICK HORROW, SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: Times are bad. Games are completed. But the NFL lays off 150 people in a six-month period. Not just the NFL. You know, the NHL looks at issues. Major League Baseball lays off about 4 percent. NASCAR mail off -- main, lay off a thousand of their crew members. Not as bad as the gaming league and Arena Football. One went out of business and one might. But it doesn't look good for anybody
LEMON: OK. You mentioned NASCAR, which has been growing, really growing, one of the fastest growing sports. I'm reading here -- according to a published report here that Honda Motor Company is withdrawing from Formula One auto racing, NASCAR is aggressively cutting costs here, baseball internet division laid off 20 workers. So, I mean, what's going on? Have we ever seen anything like this in sports? Because it's usually the last hit.
HORROW: You read something we already know. Everybody says that the $750 billion business in sports, Don, is recession-proof. Well, that isn't true anymore. And the bottom line is two big revenue sources. One is television. Football gets $70 billion, part of it at the beginning of every year, guaranteed contract. Not an issue.
Lifeblood, tickets, that's another story. New Orleans Saints, the NFL, they have a plan where a layaway plan -- you can buy your tickets over a six month period, pay every month. They say they haven't seen anything like that since the Great Depression as far as a marketing strategy. So, that may be a way to creatively get out of the box.
LEMON: Where do these big salaries play into all of this? Because, you know, you -- obviously you're a sports expert, know way more than I do. Something with the collective bargaining agreement or optioning out of caps, what have you, where do these giant salaries play into this?
HORROW: Let me keep it simple. The leagues have some kind of a soft cap. Baseball, you can spend. You give money back to the central fund. But the New York Yankees use this as cost of doing business, signed two guys, one Burnett, one Sabathia, and $160 million when the economy is falling apart. Yes. People think that's a bad expenditure, by the way, unless you're a Yankee fan.
LEMON: Yes. All right. Sports business analyst Rick Horrow joining me tonight from Fort Lauderdale.
And, of course, we want to know what's on your mind tonight. Make sure you log in to Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, iReport. Tell us what you're thinking. We're going to try to get some of your responses on the air tonight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. Just looking over some of your responses here, still coming in. A lot of people talking about that shoe incident. But you know, the president wasn't hurt and he was smiling doing that. So, we're glad he's OK. That's my producer throwing a shoe at me. Why are you doing that to me?
I'm Don Lemon. I'll see you back here next weekend, 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, 11:00 p.m. Eastern and then on Sunday, 6 and 10 Eastern as well. Have a good night, everybody.
