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Stifling Opposition Protests in Iran; Getting Your Toyota Fixed; Private vs. Government Health Care
Aired February 12, 2010 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Let's get started here.
A rare sight across the Deep South. Heavy, wet snow from Texas to the Carolinas. This southern storm has already dumped 12.5 inches on Dallas. That is a new one-day record. Right now, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia, all in the bull's eye.
Before the storm even hit Atlanta, a lot of unhappy air travelers. Delta Air Lines canceled 1,100 flights in and out of the city's airport. Even areas as far south as Mobile, Alabama, are getting ready for several inches of snow before the storm ends. South of Atlanta, drivers are worried about a lack of snowplows and salt and sand trucks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHARLIE MOSS, DRIVER: Two plows won't get it there. That will not get it there, no way. No way. If they don't get some help, Clayton County will be shut down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Well, let's do this -- let's get you to Chad Myers in the Severe Weather Center.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Let's get you caught up on other big stories now.
Doctors are calling Bill Clinton's prognosis excellent. The former president is at home in Chappaqua, New York, right now. Less than 24 hours earlier, doctors placed a pair of stents in a coronary artery. Clinton had a quadruple bypass six years ago. A vein used in the bypass developed a blockage, which isn't unusual.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ALLAN SCHWARTZ, CARDIOLOGIST, NEW YORK PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL: The goal of the treatment -- and I think it will be achieved -- is for President Clinton to resume his very active lifestyle. This was not a result of either his lifestyle or his diet, which have been excellent. He's exercised regularly. He's in excellent condition.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HARRIS: Iran's hard-line rulers using Friday prayers to pat themselves on the back a bit. They managed to stifle opposition protests on Revolution Day.
Our Ivan Watson is monitoring the situation from CNN's Iran Desk.
And Ivan, what was said at the prayers today?
IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, as expected, one of the clerics there was gloating a bit. He was celebrating the huge turnouts in favor of the government in Tehran on Thursday, calling it "a show of power, insightfulness, wisdom, allegiance to the supreme leader, and national unity throughout the country." And, Tony, he took the time to slam the opposition within Iran, basically accusing them of being agents of western countries.
Now, our own Ted Rowlands, he's been talking to Iranians living in Los Angeles who have a lot of interest and asking them about the potential for change in Iran.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Many Iranians were hoping to see a repeat of the anti-regime demonstrations that broke out on the streets of Tehran last June.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
ROWLANDS: But instead, the lunch crowd at the Atari (ph) Persian Cafe in Los Angeles talked about what's next, and what they think is preventing real change in Iran.
(on camera): Do you think that there will eventually be change?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think so.
ROWLANDS: Why do you say that?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because I think most of the people are not happy there, so --
ROWLANDS: Eventually --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It will happen.
ROWLANDS (voice-over): Arbine Garlofshan (ph), with her daughter translating, says she believes change in Iran will only come when those upset with the regime can agree on an alternative.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People are still each guarding different camps. If they become all together, maybe they can overcome the problems.
ROWLANDS (on camera): The owner of this bookstore was in Iran 30 years ago during the revolution. He spent 11 days in prison, and then fled to the United States 27 years ago. Now he is a source of information for thousands of Iranians as to what is happening inside the country.
(voice-over): Upstairs, above the bookstore, is where you find Bijan Khalili. He calls this Iran 411, people on computers and phones disseminating the latest information about Iran to the estimated 350,000-plus Persians living in southern California. He says Thursday the government successfully shut down most communication.
BIJAN KHALILI, BOOKSTORE OWNER: They blocked everything, all the e-mails, Twitter, Facebook. Whatever they could, they stopped it.
ROWLANDS: Hundreds of southern California Iranians did show up to a demonstration Thursday, protesting the regime.
(on camera): There was so much excitement in June, and then there was a lot of excitement leading up to Thursday --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
ROWLANDS: -- is it disappointing that more wasn't done?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Actually, all those people (ph) were disappointed. I think it's going to continue. This is a long, long fight. You know, it's a marathon. You have to -- this regime is done. They have to go. There is no --
ROWLANDS: No doubt in your mind that eventually it --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We hope that they will be gone.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WATSON: And Tony, it's interesting. I've been talking to a member of the latest generation of Iranians exiles, an opposition member who had to flee to Turkey this summer because the regime tried to arrest him. And he echoed that sentiment, saying this is a long fight, it's a marathon, it's got to go on. We have ups and downs, and yesterday was a down.
HARRIS: Yes.
WATSON: Tony.
HARRIS: OK.
Ivan Watson for us at our Iran Desk.
Ivan, appreciate it. Thank you.
Have you got questions about your Toyota? We are getting answers from a Toyota service manager.
First, though, our "Random Moment" in 90 seconds.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: You are looking at live pictures from the Chicago Auto Show at McCormick Place. Ford is unveiling its 2011 Edge, and Toyota, its new 2011 Avalon.
You know, we're getting plenty of answers for you here today thanks to Bob about the Toyota recalls. Last hour, we talked about the problems with the floor mats and gas pedals, and this hour we're talking about the braking problems with the Prius and other hybrids, getting answers to as many of your questions as we can.
Somebody run those questions up. It's OK. Just run the questions up, and we'll pass them on to Bob.
Bob Starford is back. He's a service director with Sandy Springs Toyota.
Help me with the Prius issue here, because I've heard this term -- and I showed it to you just a second ago.
I don't need them now, but I'll take it in just a second.
I've heard the problem described as a regenerative braking problem. Can you explain what's going on with the Prius?
BOB STARFORD, SERVICE DIRECTOR, SANDY SPRINGS TOYOTA SCION: Well, basically, the way I understand it is if they are in their vehicle, and they apply the brakes and they hit a slight bump, the car feels that one of the wheels is starting to lose traction --
HARRIS: Right.
STARFORD: -- because they're braking. So it throws the tracks (ph) on its ABS mode.
HARRIS: The antilock braking system mode.
STARFORD: Correct.
HARRIS: Right.
STARFORD: So it's kind of like a logic problem.
HARRIS: All right. Well, that sounds like a computer problem.
STARFORD: Correct.
HARRIS: OK. So here's how I've heard it sort of described to me. You've got this regenerative braking system, and you've got the ABS system. And the regenerative system is the system that grabs some of the friction initially when you hit the brake pedal and sends it back to the battery to --
STARFORD: Right. To recharge -- to help recharge the battery, keep the battery up to full spec.
HARRIS: But at some point, if you need a little more force to stop the vehicle --
STARFORD: Right. HARRIS: -- a little more energy to stop the vehicle, you kick into the ABS system. And in that moment is when you start to feel as though your brakes have gone out on you.
STARFORD: Right. The brake pedal has a different type feel to it.
HARRIS: OK. So that's it.
STARFORD: Correct.
HARRIS: That's the problem. So we've diagnosed the problem.
STARFORD: Yes, we have.
HARRIS: And is it a mechanical problem? Is it a computer problem? What's at the source here?
STARFORD: It's a computer-type problem.
HARRIS: OK.
STARFORD: Because they're fixed by reflashing the computers.
HARRIS: What does that mean? Come on, man. Reflashing the computer? What is that, reboot? What is that?
STARFORD: Reprogram the computer with different data. And I would think it's probably going to make it not so sensitive to slight bumps, to start throwing it into its ABS mode. It's going to take more of a severe bum and a loss of traction for it to start to enter its ABS.
HARRIS: OK. So, explain this bumping thing. So, you're applying the brakes, you hit a bump, and that's the moment when you feel --
STARFORD: Right afterwards, because it's headed towards this ABS mode, the brake pedal will start to feel different to the consumer.
HARRIS: Yes.
STARFORD: And you feel that something is not going right. It is -- it will stop you.
HARRIS: OK. And I've heard this described -- the fix described as a patch to the computer system. Is that accurate? I think we understand that from our computers, and you've got a virus or something and you put a patch in.
STARFORD: Right. Another use of terminology.
HARRIS: OK. So, it just impacts the 2010 Priuses and a couple of other models, hybrid models as well? Right?
STARFORD: Just the 2010 Prius. HARRIS: Is that it?
STARFORD: That's it. Right.
HARRIS: OK. And why are we not seeing the same problem in, say, the 2008, 2009, and older models? Is it redesign that brought about this problem?
STARFORD: This is the third generation Prius. It's a brand new model, so it has different logic in its computer.
HARRIS: Different logic in its computer. We're running cars on computers.
And Jen (ph), you got a couple of questions you want to throw up here to get Bob to answer? Give me one of those.
Do we have them?
All right. "My mom owns a 2009 Corolla. When the inspection was done, a person at the dealership said the car was fine. Should we call again so that we can install the enforcement bar?"
OK, this is going back to the sudden acceleration issue.
STARFORD: The sticky throttle.
HARRIS: The sticky throttle, right.
STARFORD: My suggestion for anyone that has a Toyota is to write your 17-digit VIN number down, call your local dealer. They can put it in the information system, and it will alert us to any outstanding recalls on your vehicle.
HARRIS: OK. Bob, that's good stuff today. Good stuff. Thanks for your help.
STARFORD: No problem.
HARRIS: All right. And we hope we don't get any more recalls, but it's good to know that you're here for us.
STARFORD: Thank you.
HARRIS: For those of you who don't have a Valentine's Day this weekend, we've got one for you. Oh, having fun with the music, aren't we?
A new book says many women are outsmarting themselves when it comes to finding a life mate. You might say they're too picky for love, making a long, impractical list. And men, well, they are often less picky, more practical.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you feel like women these days are looking for Mr. Perfect?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, ma'am. Yes, ma'am. They complain a lot. And men can't be perfect. What you have, there's a lot of good men out there. And get out (ph) with what you've got.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: And coming up this hour, I will speak with the author of "Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough."
And we want to hear from you.
Are women -- stop putting this women and men -- women or men. You're just being so politically correct -- women who are running this show.
Are women too picky these days when it comes to choosing a partner? Men don't have lists! Women have lists!
Come on!
Go to my blog, CNN.com/Tony.
Political correctness run amok.
We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
HARRIS: You know, a big sticking point in the fight over health care reform is the private versus public debate.
This week, we heard President Obama weigh in on the current situation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't know if anybody noticed, but for the first time this year, you saw more people getting health care from government than you did from the private sector.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Wait a minute here.
CNN Executive Producer Suzanne Simons is here with a fact check.
And tell us, is that an accurate statement from the president?
SUZANNE SIMONS, CNN EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: No, no, no.
HARRIS: Even close? Pants on fire?
SIMONS: No. Pants on fire.
HARRIS: Pants on fire.
SIMONS: You know, we had people there who were in the room when the president said that, and he said that it's not really in the spirit of what he meant to say. But regardless, the president was wrong on this one. And let's look at the numbers, because that's exactly what the Fact Check Desk did.
First of all, a Gallup poll that was done in January of this year, Tony, showed that Americans on government health care is about 24.6 percent. All right? Americans getting their care from the private sector, 46.8 percent. So, still, many, many more Americans, twice as many, are getting their health care from the private sector.
Census Bureau statistics that we were able to find too. We wanted to know where the president got his numbers, but he wouldn't tell us. They wouldn't answer their question.
HARRIS: OK.
SIMONS: But the Census Bureau, between 2000 and 2008, said some 84.4 million Americans got their insurance from the government, 201 million from private insurance.
Now, we've seen a swing, of course, because there were a lot of people who lost their jobs last year. Right?
HARRIS: Right.
SIMONS: Some 15 million or more people or so. So, those people have now moved, but, still, the numbers flesh it out. You know, a lot more people still get their insurance from the private sector than from the government.
HARRIS: So the president, wrong on this one.
SIMONS: The president wrong on this one.
There was another one where he wasn't so right either. Are you interested in that?
HARRIS: Yes. Yes.
SIMONS: We've been busy this week with the president.
HARRIS: Hang on.
Do we have time for it or do we have to move on?
SIMONS: We can come back.
HARRIS: We can do it quickly. Do you want to do it?
SIMONS: Yes. Yes.
HARRIS: All right.
SIMONS: It was a comment that he made that really got us thinking. You know, is the president backpedaling when he talked about bonuses?
HARRIS: Yes. Yes. Yes.
SIMONS: Because remember? Right? He was talking about all these --
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: I'm not going to begrudge -- right. Right.
SIMONS: Well, in an interview this week in the Oval Office with BloombergBusinessWeek, he said, well, I know a couple of these guys who are getting big bonuses, and they're savvy businessmen.
HARRIS: Yes.
SIMONS: So we thought, wow, that sounds a lot different from what you just said last month.
HARRIS: Absolutely.
SIMONS: So we went and ran some facts, too, and one of the distinctions in finding out whether or not the president has changed his tone, one thing that was kind of put up for us was that the president does make a distinction between Wall Street people who needed the bailout money versus people who have paid it back.
HARRIS: Oh, OK. OK.
SIMONS: So, he's still, however, shocked at the size of a lot of these bonuses. But that's another good point where we're seeing a change in what the president is saying. So, we're watching. We're watching.
HARRIS: Very good. I love the Fact Check Desk.
SIMONS: Right. Well, we love you, too.
HARRIS: Appreciate it. Thank you, lady. Have a great weekend.
SIMONS: Thank you. You, too.
HARRIS: Haitians coming together to mark the one month since the devastating earthquake. Thousands turned out for today's remembrance ceremony in the heart of Port-au-Prince near the collapsed presidential palace. Officials have declared today a national day of mourning for the more than 200,000 people killed in the quake.
A decision on whether to grant bail to 10 Americans arrested in Haiti won't be made until at least Monday. Haitian offices and courts are closed for today's official day of mourning. That makes sense. The Baptist missionaries face child kidnapping charges for taking -- for trying to take 33 children out of the country.
You know, there are some signs of progress in Haiti one month after the earthquake.
Our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, reports now from Port-au-Prince.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: What you're looking at is a long line forming outside one of the largest public hospitals in Port-au-Prince.
It's nearly four weeks after the earthquake, and a couple of things you'll notice right away. First of all, the majority of the patients here are not people who are injured in the earthquake. These are people who have chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, who are seeing a doctor perhaps for the very first time. Some of them in their entire lives.
The other thing you'll notice is that things are much more organized than they were a few weeks ago. Compare that to just two weeks ago. Here you see mainly quake survivors, patients who were dramatically injured requiring amputations. There was a lack of organization. There was a lack of supplies.
Certainly things have improved in a very big way.
You may be wondering like I was what happens to so many of those patients. Well, you're looking at it. Many of them end up here in what is supposed to be a temporary tent city. Just take a look around. I mean this is the condition in which people are supposed to recover from major operations.
I can tell you, back in the states, patients would be getting all sorts of different treatments. They might still be in the hospital. They would be getting dressing changes. But instead they're forced to recover in conditions like this.
It is dirty. There's a lack of medications. And there's a lack of food as well. Lack of good nutrition. And there's something else here that people are really worried about. It's rainy season. We saw our first rain this week in a month.
And with rain comes all sorts of potential infectious diseases. The World Health Organization says the incidents of measles goes up, the incidents of tetanus and the incidents of diarrhea as well.
But then let's take a look at this. I mean rainy season is pretty tough here. Imagine living in this. This is somebody's home in the middle of rainy season. Instead they opt for structures like this. Corrugated tin to try and protect them.
It's not to say that people aren't trying to help. In fact mobile clinics are going out into these tent cities trying to give vaccines in a country that has not seen nearly enough vaccines in the future.
So this is it. People are trying to recover in a temporary tent city that I can tell you is increasingly becoming more permanent.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Before the quake, corruption and greed. Hundreds of millions of dollars vanished. We follow the money. Anderson Cooper reports live from Haiti, "Stealing Haiti," a special "AC 360" investigation tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern time.
Harlem, the cultural heart of black America. But the face of Harlem is changing, and we will show you why.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Well, I've got to tell you, Harlem has long been a hub of African-American culture, but the face of Harlem is changing. It is what we're talking about today in our "What Matters" segment.
Stephanie Elam heads uptown to take a look at a community in transition.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Harlem. It's the birthplace of jazz and the backdrop for movies like "Mo' Better Blues"...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was rich but wasn't white-man rich.
ELAM: And "American Gangster." Since the '20s, Harlem has been the cultural center of black America, but now it seems its blackness is getting diluted.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think Harlem will ever be completely taken away from black folks.
ELAM: But according to "The New York Times," the number of blacks living in Harlem peaked in 1950, not becoming the majority of the population, however, until 1970. By 2008, only four in ten Harlemites were black.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's becoming whiter and more multicultural for sure.
REV. CALVIN BUTTS, ABYSSINIAN BAPTIST CHURCH: It will be Harlem.
ELAM: Reverend Calvin Butts of Abyssinian Baptist Church said while Manhattan's tight housing market has led to the changing of Harlem, gentrification isn't always understood.
BUTTS: You've got to realize that gentrification is not just white people. The gentry is made up of those who can afford. Black people never owned Harlem. And if you want to control it, you got to own it. ELAM: But race aside, Harlem business owners want to see residents spend their money at local shops in the community, and not at the big box chain stores.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As a business owner, I want wine drinkers, regardless of what color, shape or form that they are. But I do think, and I'm saying this not only as a business owner of Harlem, but also as a resident of Harlem, I want to see people who are moving into Harlem who appreciate and respect Harlem's history.
ABAGAIL FRANKLIN, LONG-TIME HARLEM RESIDENT: It wasn't fancy at all.
ELAM (voice over): Abigail Franklin has lived in Harlem for 25 years. She and her husband raised their two sons here, and, she says, they enjoy a multi cultural view of the world.
ABIGAIL FRANKLIN PLUMER, HARLEM RESIDENT: I was relatively fearless about wanting to be part of a mix of different cultures and races and outlooks. I felt much more of a pioneer when I was doing it.
ELAM: Harlem's importance to the American fabric also attracts people from other countries. Ethiopian-born and Swedish raised, world-renowned Chef Marcus Samuelsson (ph) now calls Harlem home.
MARCUS SAMUELSSON, HARLEM RESIDENT: Now I'm living here and I'm part of this country (ph) in a sense where people are moving up here. It gets exciting. And that's a new -- it feels like it's a new era.
ELAM: So, will Harlem ever lose its place as the black mecca?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It could. But no time soon. No time soon.
ELAM: All kinds of people are hoping he's right.
Stephanie Elam, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Love that story.
To read more about the stories that matter to all of us, pick up the latest issue of "Essence" magazine on newsstands now, or go online to cnn.com/whatmatters.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Let's see. Apple, Priceline, six others we love. Well, we're talking about companies and stock here. Cnnmoney.com if you want the latest financial news and analysis. Our "Money" team doing a terrific job.
Let's do this. Let's get you to the big board. New York Stock Exchange. Three hours into the trading day for a Friday. And, let's see, I don't have it in my return. So what are stocks doing? We're down 48? OK, we're down 48 points. Nasdaq, I believe, is flat or down just a bit. And we are following these numbers for you, of course, throughout the day right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Of course there is gold, silver, and bronze at the Olympics. But in Vancouver, it is all about going green. Cnnmoney.com's Poppy Harlow has our "Energy Fix" from New York.
Poppy, good to see you. Good Friday to you. What are people talking about?
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Good to see you too, Tony.
Well, I mean, everyone knows how much planning goes into the Olympics. But we're talking about seven years of planning for Vancouver. The opening ceremony, tonight when it all kicks off. But sustainability has been the goal here for them all the way through that planning. And we've got a lot of green things this year that we haven't seen before. So let's take a look at some of them.
First of all, the medals. You've got gold, silver, and bronze. They're all green, too, because what they've actually done is they've melted down some of those circuit boards that would have ended up from your computer, et cetera, in a landfill and they put them into all these medals, which I think is quite neat.
And also, all of the different venues for the Olympics this year is much greener than before. Let's take a look at one. Let's take a look at the Richmond Olympic Oval. This is where the speed skating is going to take place. You see the animation here coming from a sustainability snapshot from the Olympic committee.
In this they're going to do a number of things. They're going to collect the rainwater and they're going to use that throughout the building. Everything to even flushing the toilets with that rainwater.
And also, Tony, what they're going to do is they're going to use all that excess energy from all of the zambonis that go over the ice, and they're going to use that to heat and cool the building. So that's saving energy.
And they're also teaming up with 62 different companies, major fortune 500 corporations, that they've deemed sustainability stars. And one of them is Coca-Cola. And let's take a look at what Coca-Cola is going to do. These bottles might not look different you to, but they are. All of the Coke products, except for their juices and the vitamin waters, at the Olympic games this year are going to be 30 percent from plants, Tony. So they say plant bottle right here.
So there's this major green move from corporations on down at the Olympics this year, Tony.
HARRIS: Poppy, appreciate it. Very quickly, how much does it really cost to put on the games?
HARLOW: $1.8 billion. And that does not even include the infrastructure in Vancouver or building all of those stadiums. We're talking billions here, Tony.
HARRIS: That is crazy. Poppy, have a great weekend. Appreciate it. Thank you.
HARLOW: Thank you.
HARRIS: Time to check in now with Josh Levs here at the stimulus desk. And today we're talking about, Josh, what, a major chunk of change --
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Uh-huh.
HARRIS: Going to study willpower?
LEVS: Willpower, yes. It's studying a diet system. It's studying why do some people have a harder time dieting than other people have?
HARRIS: Oh, my.
LEVS: It's interesting.
HARRIS: OK.
LEVS: I mean here's another perfect example of something we're finding at the stimulus desk. You know what we're doing, we're tracking all these projects with the $862 billion. Lots of billions have been spent, what's being funded. And here's a project that obviously has some value. But the question is, you know, and everyone can decide for themselves, what should or should not be used with stimulus money?
HARRIS: Is it money well spent? Yes. Yes.
LEVS: So this is at Caltech, $527,000 to bring people in and then they are showing them pictures of food and seeing how their brain reacts and then they're actually studying these people, what happens inside their brains like that as they are experience -- over the month, basically.
HARRIS: Sure, sure.
LEVS: And later on can they change that? Can they change their patterns? What makes one person have a harder time dieting than someone else? And it's creates a couple jobs. We've got a screen about that. So out of that, Tony, we have two jobs that are being created at Caltech for this.
HARRIS: Oh, OK.
LEVS: And, look, I mean, it's, you know, it's something. Again, a perfect example of a time that people can stop and look and say, how do I think this tax money, eventual (ph) tax money, public dollars should be spent or not be spent.
HARRIS: Well, I'm going to try, again, to take a broader view of this. If you can help people in this area, as we have learned from the health care debates, there's huge potential savings there.
LEVS: Absolutely.
HARRIS: If you can help people control weight and make better choices, right?
LEVS: And tackling the obesity crisis, making people healthier would be good for America. And the National Science Foundation doles out this money. They say we don't do anything frivolous. We chose projects really well.
HARRIS: Right.
LEVS: We know you want to weigh in. Let's show everyone how they can weigh in.
HARRIS: Sure.
LEVS: We've got a conversation going at the blog, cnn.com/josh, also cnn.com/tony. Just jump on right now. You've also got my FaceBook and Twitter pages, JoshLevsCNN.
We are hearing from people so much all week every time we talk (INAUDIBLE).
HARRIS: Well, then, we should do this. We should just plan an additional segment with you where we just answer folks questions and let's get the feedback from folks who are watching the work that you guys are doing here at the desk.
LEVS: Let's do that.
HARRIS: Yes, let's just work it out.
LEVS: Yes.
HARRIS: All right.
You know, the pocketbook is really tight now. Tight for everyone. And when it comes to entertainment, live music, boy, has taken a really hard hit. Especially classical music. One orchestra is trying to draw a young generation to classical music's charms by using hip-hop.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
A. LEON CRAFT, RAPPER (rapping): Music. Yes, feel good music. So I got to make you feel good.
CRAFT (on camera): So I'm singing and rapping in front of the orchestra while, you know, the conductor is conducting the music. It's -- wow.
CRAFT (rapping): Whether you appreciate my musical past. Everything in life has a rhythm, has emotion. Through emotion music will infinitely last. (END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Classical music meets hip-hop. It is a breakout story from us, to you, just ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Let's get you caught up on our top stories right now.
A winter storm is dumping significant snow across the south today. Dallas set a one day record with 12.5 inches of snow. In Atlanta, Delta Airlines canceled more than 1,000 flights before even a flake flew. Parts of Georgia may see four inches this afternoon and tonight.
First responders are on the scene of a subway train derailment in Washington, D.C. It happened underground. Three people suffered minor injuries. Metro officials say the front wheels of the lead car came off the tracks.
A national day of mourning across Haiti today, one month after the earthquake struck. The disaster killed more than 200,000 people. More than a million Haitians have been left homeless.
The Atlanta 70 goes hip-hop. The orchestra commissioned a hip- hop producer and rapper to come up with a mash-up (ph), of sorts, for its youth music concerts. It is a breakout story. Something you might not expect from us to you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.
"BOB BLAKE" GERMAN, SMKA PRODUCTIONS: Classical music, it gets kind of the rap that's, you know, old-timey and boring and that it's for an older generation. It's really the basis of how a lot of the music today is put together. The chance to work for a symphony to me is extraordinary.
A. LEON CRAFT, RAPPER (rapping): Use it to escape (INAUDIBLE).
JERE FLINT, CONDUCTOR, ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: Well, I think this is our first venture into hip-hop. By blending the two, I think that we reach really a kind of a broad expanse of audiences. We took basically a sampling of a piece.
GERMAN: Gave me a hoedown (ph) by Cokelan (ph). I took the sample and I slowed it down, which kind of gave it this sort of feel right here. And I took it, chopped it up, and kind of looped it again, and then I added a second part right here. I usually start layering it with instrumentation, so -- and the guitar kind of gives it that laid-back, just good-feeling vibe to it.
As is with hip-hop, you know, you've got to have -- this is the -- that snap is what -- the fact that it kind of gets you really bobbing your head. Kind of really feeling the music right there. What really drives it is this.
Once we got the music together, then we brought in A. Leon Craft to do -- to bring in and do the lyrics for us.
CRAFT (rapping): Music, yes, feel good, music.
CRAFT (on camera): The hood (ph) goes, music is my life.
CRAFT (singing): Music is my life.
CRAFT (rapping): The base, the treble, carried me away
CRAFT (on camera): I'm, like, I'm lost in the music.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (singing): On a beat like maestro.
CRAFT (singing): Music is my life.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's with me everywhere. It's in my soul.
CRAFT (rapping): Music, yes, feel good music. So I got to make you feel good.
CRAFT (on camera): I'm singing and rapping in front of the orchestra while, you know, the conductor is conducting the music, like, it's -- wow.
CRAFT (rapping): Whether you appreciate my musical past. Everything in life has a rhythm, has emotion. Through emotion music will infinitely last.
FLINT: It was just fascinating. A fascinating piece of work. Whether its -- whether it will last as a real art form or genre or just as an experiment, I can't tell. But it was fun to do it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was very fun. I am -- I'm a big fan of hip-hop. I like to dance a lot.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very fun. I really enjoyed it.
CRAFT (rapping): Oh how I love my music
CRAFT (on camera): Thank you so much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Good stuff.
It is almost Valentine's Day. Question for all you ladies, are you too picky when it comes to finding a mate?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm looking for honesty, trustworthy. He has to be tall, too, and preferably with dark hair. Someone's that's stable in a relationship and someone that's committing and faithful. Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I think they need to come down on their standards a little bit if they want to meet their Mr. Right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Lower your standards, ladies.
OK. We're going to talk to the author of "Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough." That's coming up right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Short sales, getting loans and buying a new home. What about a tax credit? Our personal finance editor, Gerri Willis, gathers "The Help Desk" team for some tips on managing your money.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Time now for "The Help Desk," where we get you answers to your financial questions. Joining me this hour, John Simons is the senior personal finance editor at "Black Enterprise" magazine. Jacquette Timmons is a financial adviser and author.
All right, guys, let's get to work. Steve asks, "like many over the past few years, I bought more house than I could afford. My credit score before my short sale was 725. I'd like to get back into a house within my means, but how long before I can qualify for a loan after a short sale?"
Jacquette, that is the mystery right there. Explain short sale and then the impact on the credit scoring.
JACQUETTE TIMMONS, FINANCIAL ADVISER: Well, the short sale is that he had to sell it in order to having it foreclosed on. So what he needs to do is see what his credit score is right now. And then it will really all depend upon the lender.
WILLIS: It depends on the lender.
TIMMONS: And the lender and what was the reason for the short sale.
WILLIS: And, of course, short sale, again, is when you set -- you give your house back to the bank for less than you owe and they forgive the money.
TIMMONS: Exactly.
WILLIS: Shirl asks, "I purchased a home in July, 1985, then lived in it as my principle residence for 22 years. I sold the home in April, 2008. I recently purchased another home as my principle residence in May, 2009. Do I qualify for the $6,500 tax credit?"
John, everybody's obsessed with this tax credit.
JOHN SIMONS, SR. PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR, "BLACK ENTERPRISE": That's right. Unfortunately the answer to this question is no, because at the time that you purchased this home last spring, the law only included first-time homebuyers. Congress changed the law in the fall to include repeat buyers. You need to have in order to get that credit, you now need to have purchased your home between November 6, 2009 and May 1, 2010.
WILLIS: The devil's in the details. OK, guys, thanks for your help today.
"The Help Desk" is all about getting you answers. Send me an e- mail to gerri@cnn.com. We might just answer it right here next week. You can also pick up the latest issue of "Money" magazine on newsstands now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Look for Mr. Right, not Mr. Perfect. That is the advice of my next guest. She says a lot of single folks are way to picky about the wrong things. Check out one young woman's perfect man list from the movie "Up in the Air," and then an older woman's take. A smarter woman's take on the right mate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNA KENDRICK, ACTRESS, "UP IN THE AIR": He, um, he really fit the bill, you know?
GEORGE CLOONEY, ACTOR, "UP IN THE AIR": The bill?
KENDRICK: White collar. College grad. Loves dogs. Likes funny movies. 6'1", brown hair, kind eyes. Works in finance, but is outdoorsy, you know, on the weekends. I always imagined he'd have a single syllable name, like Matt or John or Dave. In a perfect world, he drives a Four-runner (ph) and the only thing he loves more than me is his golden lab.
VERA FARMIGA, ACTRESS, "UP IN THE AIR": Hopefully some hair on his head. Well, even that's not a deal breaker these days. A nice smile. Yes, a nice smile. A nice smile just might do it.
KENDRICK: Wow, that was depressing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Lori, Lori, Lori Gottlieb, help us here. Laurie is here. She is the author of "Marry Him: Making the Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough."
Lori, look, feel my pain for a second. There are a lot of lonely men out here who are good guys, but women and this list, it's maddening. Make the argument at t he center of your book, please.
LORI GOTTLIEB, AUTHOR: OK. You know, they well, I'm not telling anybody to settle for somebody that they're not totally in love with or physically attracted to or anything like that. The book is based on a survey where men and women were asked, if they got 80 percent of everything they want in their ideal mate, would they be happy with that? And women said, no, that's settling. And men said, 80 percent, I'd be thrilled. That's a catch. And so, you know . . .
HARRIS: Eighty percent to the women you surveyed is settling?
GOTTLEIB: That's settling because, you know, the question is, what actually makes us happy in long-term romantic love? And, you know, that's a question that I explore in the book. And I'm a journalist, so I went out and I asked neurobiologist about chemistry and I asked behavioral economist about demographics, and I asked marital researchers and divorce lawyers.
HARRIS: What are they saying? What are they saying? What are they saying?
GOTTLEIB: You know, the thing is, we're too picky about the things that don't matter at all for long-term romantic happiness, but we're not picky enough about the things that actually do matter. HARRIS: OK. So break that out for me. What are we too -- what are women -- you know, it's pretty simple -- it's pretty simple with men, come on. What are women too picky about here?
GOTTLEIB: Well, I'll tell you. I'll tell you. Men and women were asked, what would be a deal breaker for going on a second date. And men named three things. They said she has to be cute enough. She doesn't have to look like Angelina Jolie, she just has to be cute enough. She has to be warm and kind. And she has to be interesting to talk to. Those seem like really valid criteria.
HARRIS: Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. Pretty simple.
GOTTLEIB: Right. OK, reasonable, right?
The women came back with 300 things that would rule out a guy for a second date. And we're talking about like another two hours and maybe a free dinner. And they wouldn't do it. And there were things like, he wore a brown belt with black shoes. Or, we were having a really good time and I thought he was cute and he was interesting, but then he went -- he did this Austin Powers impression and I just can't get that out of my mind and I can't go out with him again.
HARRIS: OK, here you go. So can I
GOTTLEIB: And you know -- yes.
HARRIS: No, make your other point and then I've got another quick one for you before I lose (ph) time here.
GOTTLEIB: I was just going to say, the Austin Power guy could be the love of her life. If he does these impressions on the second date, OK, don't go on a third. But maybe he was just nervous. The guys who are bad first-daters might be great life partners. You don't know. HARRIS: OK. Let me make the other argument. You have to have a list, Lori, you have to. You just can't run around dating any Tom, Dick, or Harry. You have to develop a list and --
GOTTLEIB: But you have to have -- you have to have the right things on your list.
HARRIS: Such as?
GOTTLEIB: They have to be the right things. You know, the character things. The, you know, do we -- is he kind. Do we have the same life goals? Do we have the same values? The fundamentals? Do we enjoy each other? How do we communicate with each other?
You know somebody said to me, you know, this woman that I was really interested in wouldn't go out with me because I didn't read the same books that she did, but she's madly in love with this guy who reads the same books but he doesn't call her when he says he will.
HARRIS: All right, here we go, very quickly, we asked folks to send in some thoughts at our blog.
Kim writes, "I have found my Mr. Close Enough. I realized that I wasn't going to find a perfect man, so considered whether my mate's positives outweighed" -- I'm trying to go as fast as I can "outweighed his negatives, which they do."
Julia says, "kind, caring and crazy in love with me! I think that is not too much to ask?"
And Jackie, "hey, Tony, I'm 55 years old and I live on the coast in Washington state. Our area is quite depressed, so it is hard to find a guy that matches my qualifications. I am looking for a guy who has -- teeth, a car, and a job."
Lori, got to go. Thanks for your time. Happy Valentine's Day.
GOTTLEIB: Thank you so much. You, too.
HARRIS: A quick break. We're right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
