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What's Next on Health Care?; Search for Chile Survivors; Retiring Congressmen Coming Clean About Washington Gridlock; Search for Chile Survivors; White House Names New Social Secretary; Canadian Men's Hockey Bests USA
Aired February 28, 2010 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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KING: Stay tuned for news around the clock on CNN.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight, more than one million unemployed Americans will lose a big chunk of their income, thanks to one senator. The house speaker makes news right here on CNN with a bold prediction that you have to hear.
The White House also predicts it has enough votes to pass major health care legislation. What's their new plan?
The president's health is in the spotlight tonight with a strong warning from his doctor.
Retiring Congressmen come clean about Washington gridlock. They say you're part of the problem.
The first lady, a close friend, and behind-the-scenes of a high- profile soap opera that cost Desiree Rogers her job.
And who knew a hockey game could make grown men cry?
Good evening, everyone. Each day the stakes get higher for millions of Americans, many of you unemployed and struggling to pay the bills and worrying if you can afford basic medical care. Washington is feeling the heat, but it doesn't appear anything is helping. So let's take -- look ahead at the week ahead, and how it's going to affect you.
Our deputy political director Paul Steinhauser is in Washington. Paul, it's good to see you. So let's start with, what else, health care. You know we had that big summit last week. It came and went.
Is anything going to be different starting from here?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: You know, John, I think that summit made things crystal clear as to where the parties stand. What did you hear from Republicans? Let's scrap the current bills. Let's start from scratch.
They're looking at public opinion polls, including one we did right here at CNN, that showed that -- suggests that most Americans don't like the current bill. So they want to start all over.
What about the Democrats and the president? You saw them reach out, try to find some bipartisan agreement. But you also heard a very clear message from the president, Don, and the Democrats in Congress that they're going to try to get something done on their own if they have to.
So listen, Paul, the president came into office vowing quick action on health care, but the deadline just kept moving. Take a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: But I really want to get it done by the August recess.
I want to sign a bill, and I want it done by the end of this year. I want it done by the fall.
SEN. JAY ROCKEFELLER (D), WEST VIRGINIA: We're going to have a health care bill, and we're going to have it before the end of this year. I don't know exactly what the date is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. So Paul, as you know, the voters -- the vote's in December. There were some votes. And now we hear that Democrats are aiming for a final vote by Easter.
Now, here's the thing, though. Nancy-Ann DeParle, the woman who is in charge now of health care reform said she believes that they have enough votes, Democrats, in order to pass this legislation.
So what's going to happen? Is it going to be delayed more, or do they actually have enough votes?
STEINHAUSER: It's going to be a very close vote. Both chambers had extremely close votes at the end of last year when they passed this bill. But the numbers have deteriorated for the Democrats in the House. So the House could be a very tricky situation.
Nancy Pelosi, the House speaker, says she's going to get it done, but Don, it could be close. Remember, they want to get this done as soon as possible because this is an election year. The closer you get to the mid-terms, the trickier it gets. And they also want to deal with jobs. They want to pass another jobs bill so they want to get health care done and move on to jobs before it comes close to the election -- Don.
LEMON: All right, so Paul, listen, the speaker of the House really made a bold prediction right here on CNN, really on "STATE OF THE UNION."
Take a listen, we'll talk about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), HOUSE SPEAKER: The Democrats will retain the majority in the House of Representatives. We have a huge -- we have, what, 54, 55-vote majority. We had a swing in the last two elections of 110 seats. I'm not yielding one grain of sand. We're fighting for every seat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Is she right?
STEINHAUSER: Listen, Republicans need to win back 40 seats to grab control of the House of Representatives. A year ago you'd think that was crazy talk. Now, though, a lot of the political handicappers who look at these races say it could happen. Don, so much has changed in a year. The political climate has moved against the Democrats. But remember, this is still just the end of February. November a long way away. Things change in politics very quickly.
LEMON: OK. So listen, you know, all week we have been spending last week on broken government, broken government. And I spoke with some retiring Congressmen. They say part of the problem is the change in relationship outside of Congress.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. VERNON EHLERS (R), MICHIGAN: The socialization that used to take place, you talk to any of the old-timers. They talk about the wonderful dinners they used to have together on Saturday in each other's homes. The wonderful times they had playing golf. You just don't argue with someone when you're having dinner with their family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Paul, does that make sense? Is it realistic?
STEINHAUSER: Oh, yes, very realistic. A lot has changed from those days. Including even when the lawmakers are here in town, in D.C., one of the things they're doing instead of going out with other lawmakers at night, they're raising money. Elections are so expensive right now that fund-raising is becoming a full-time business. Another thing, these districts are becoming much more polarizing, either very Democratic or very Republican. It makes reaching out and finding bipartisan agreement much tougher in this town -- Don.
LEMON: So listen, a Washington bigwig, very powerful, Democratic Congressman Charlie Rangel of New York admonished this week by the ethics committee, said he paid for trips to the Caribbean and that sort of thing. There's some trouble -- some question about what happened there.
How much trouble is he in? And he is chair of the, what, House, Ways and Means Committee. So for him it's seems, you know, a double whammy, maybe why people aren't trusting Washington.
STEINHAUSER: Yes. And the House, Ways and Means Committee, a very powerful committee. This is the one that writes tax law for the House. He's been under a bit of pressure for a while. These investigations seem to be continuing. But as of now he still has the support, and this is very important, of course, of Nancy Pelosi, the house speaker.
But a few cracks do appear. A couple of House Democrats are now calling for him to drop the committee chairmanship. You're hearing that from Republicans as well. If you hear more Democrats say this, Nancy Pelosi could be in the hot seat. But right now she's still backing her friend, Charlie Rangel.
LEMON: And Paul, I have to tell you, thank you very much. I know it's been a marathon day for you, a marathon weekend. Thanks for coming in late on a Sunday night. OK?
STEINHAUSER: Thanks, Don.
(VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: A family's relief, finding one another alive after Chile's earthquake. We're there to share in their emotional reunion.
Plus, sitting down with a panel of six retiring Congressmen. They have no seats to protect in the mid-terms, and they have nothing to lose by shooting straight.
And dancing in the streets. The Canadians win the gold. Eh? They came close to the Americans. We'll show you that.
Also time for you to be part of our show. You know how to do it. Check your screen.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Now for a look at your week ahead. Everything from politics to the economy to entertainment. We start tonight on Capitol Hill.
DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Dana Bash on Capitol Hill, where senators are scrambling to extend unemployment benefits, and the situation is urgent because for some out of work Americans, their benefits expire today. Now, it's being held up by just one senator. Republican Jim Bunning of Kentucky. He says he's all for extending the benefits but as long as the $10 billion package is paid for. And he's vowing to keep fighting as long as it adds to the deficit.
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I'm Ed Henry at the White House. This week President Obama will be in Don Lemon's neck of the woods, Georgia. He's having a town hall meeting in Savannah on Tuesday. This is all about the president trying to get out into Middle America, keep the focus on jobs and the economy.
But that's a tricky balancing act as the president also pushes this week for a health reform deal. Democrats on Capitol Hill are getting very nervous that the focus is getting too heavy on health care. They're warning the president privately, I'm told, that unless he gets a health deal done by the end of March, they're going to have to move on to other issues in this midterm election year.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. Here's what we'll be tracking this week on CNN Money. The all- important jobs report is Friday. Investors are gearing up for that. The street's expecting that our economy shed 20,000 jobs in February. And there will be another hearing on Toyota's recalls on Capitol Hill. We'll also find out this week just how bad the damage is. Toyota will report its February sales figures. A lot coming up, and it's all ahead this week.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: I'm "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT'S" Brooke Anderson. And it is Oscars, Oscars, Oscars in Hollywood. The preparations are underway for the 82nd Academy Awards, March 7th. Big showdowns this year, especially "Avatar" versus "The Hurt Locker."
"SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" will be live on Oscar night, 7:00 p.m. on CNN and 11:00 p.m. on HLN.
Hey, and you may also want to check out Johnny Depp's "Alice in Wonderland." It's out on Friday.
LEMON: All right. Thank you very much, everyone.
Hey, let's turn now to see what's going to happen here at our domestic desk.
So what do you have for us, Chris Friedman? I know that Secretary Hillary Clinton is taking a trip to Chile, right? It was planned already.
CHRIS FRIEDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. That was a pre-planned trip. She is on her way as we speak. She'll be in Uruguay tomorrow. She'll be in Santiago on Tuesday to get a firsthand look at the quake damage on Tuesday.
LEMON: And more news, Chris, about Toyota?
FRIEDMAN: Yes, another Toyota recall hearing also on Tuesday. Last week the chairman faced the Congressional questioning from the House side. On Tuesday, three more top chairmen or executives will face Congressional questioning on the Senate side.
LEMON: Thank you very much. And also look for some news of Sarah Palin on Friday.
And then let's turn now to Katie Byron who is with our international desk. So what do you have coming up on Monday? Deadly storms all across Europe?
KATIE BYRON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. We are monitoring for storms. Storm Cynthia is actually been ravaging parts of Spain and France.
LEMON: Yes, we thought we have problems here...
BYRON: And that's going to continue tomorrow.
LEMON: But, yes, they had big problems there. And then Iran's nuclear program -- there's a meeting on Monday.
BYRON: The IAEA in Vienna. They're going to be talking about that. And as well, also President Medvedev, and Russia is going to be meeting with Sarkozy, President Sarkozy of France.
LEMON: Very good. Look for Friday, something to happen with Gordon Brown on an Iraq inquiry. So thank you guys very much for that. We'll check back with you again next week.
Meantime, the Chile quake, almost 48 hours later, the frantic search for survivors continues tonight. We'll have an update from the scene of a collapsed building that was full of people.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Let's check your top stories right now. Rescue teams tonight are searching for survivors of that massive Chile earthquake. The death toll has climbed to 708, and there have been more than 90 aftershocks. Just a little while ago, I spoke with CNN's Brian Byrnes. He is at the site of a rescue operation near the quake's epicenter. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN BYRNES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Don. Yes, the rescue team is working around the clock. They believe at the time of the quake, there were 110 people in the building. They've already rescued 28 people. Unfortunately, eight people were taken out dead. And they still believe that there's 40 people left in the building. This is a Chilean rescue team. They just came back from Haiti. Obviously, they're well-experienced. They're going to be working around-the-clock to try to get more people out of this 15-story building -- Don.
LEMON: And Brian, it's the same situation as Haiti. No electricity there. So that's making the efforts really a lot tougher, isn't it?
BYRNES: Absolutely. Very tough. No electricity. No running water. No heat. The city has essentially shut down. When we arrived a few minutes ago, we were really overwhelmed by the chaos. Right now things have calmed down a bit because a curfew has been put in place from 9 p.m. local time to 6:00 a.m. local time. People are not out on the streets right now. However, there still is a sense of desperation right here. People are lacking very essential items, and they're obviously getting upset about it. They want some answers. They want some things done -- Don.
LEMON: Brian Byrnes, thank you very much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: The Senate's second ranking Republican says he expects GOP lawmakers to vote to extend federal unemployment benefits this week. Those benefits are set to expire tomorrow for millions of Americans. The Senate thus far has failed to pass an extension for what to many is a financial lifeline.
Republican Senator Jim Bunning of Kentucky has led the opposition, saying it will add to the budget deficit.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak is calling for new sanctions against Iran to stop its nuclear ambitions. But he tells our Christiane Amanpour, the sanctions will not be successful unless Russia and China back them. Israel, the U.S., and many other countries say Iran is moving closer to building a nuclear weapon. A charge that Iran denies.
The American hockey team has to settle for silver. They lost to Canada in sudden death overtime today. 3-2. We're talking about the Winter Olympics, of course. The U.S. beat Canada in the preliminaries but couldn't pull it off again for the gold. Looks like President Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper are having a Molson Golden. The two had a friendly beer bet on that game.
Six outgoing Congressmen open up about the problems in Washington. Is it their fault, the media's, or yours?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's too easy to say Congress is dysfunctional and Congress is broken.
LEMON: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Too many people today are using the media to reinforce their existing beliefs and prejudices instead of looking at the other side.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And it is the biggest news on the D.C. social scene since the Salahis crashed the White House party. What will the new social secretary bring to Pennsylvania Avenue parties?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: This week we have been exposing the cracks in our government, which some say is broken. So who's more responsible for the lack of bipartisan cooperation?
In a recent CNN/Opinion Research Poll, 37 percent blame the Republicans, 35 percent say it's the Democrats, and 25 percent say it's both. And according to a panel of six retiring Congressmen I spoke with, perhaps another choice on that poll should have been the American people. Some of them say part of the knockdown, drag-out fights between the parties in Washington start back in their home districts with their own constituents.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Were people actually told not to work with the opposition?
REP. JOHN SHADEGG (R), ARIZONA: I ask Jim Cooper.
REP. BART GORDON (D), TENNESSEE: I'm on the Health subcommittee. I was not told that. I worked with Republicans on medical malpractice. And we got the first medical malpractice reform that's ever passed that was in the bill. Now, some may have been. I was in the thick of it. I wasn't. And actually worked with Republicans and we got something done.
LEMON: So where does transparency come in for someone to say, did this really happen? Did it not really happen? Why can't you guys get it together and say, OK, listen, I don't know who told you this, I don't know what happened, but we should be working with each other or find out where that came from if it's indeed true.
REP. BRIAN BAIRD (D), WASHINGTON: But aren't we doing the same thing tonight here? If the effort is to say look how partisan the democrats are, you can point to equal numbers of cases under Karl Rove and Tom Delay, you know, where Democrats were locked out of the room.
SHADEGG: Absolutely. I'm not saying it's Republican-Democrat. I'm saying -- if that's what you got out of my comment, that's not what I meant. I'm saying that was an illustration of a comment that was published and was known here. It happens on both sides, and it's been a tendency over time for it to become more and more intense, and for it to be more and more of a blood sport and less and less of a cooperative effort --
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Hang on one second. Here's the thing. From his comment, from his comment, I didn't get Republican or Democrat out of that. But is that a product of working up here, that you automatically assume that when someone gives a criticism that they're talking about someone on the other side? REP. DENNIS MOORE (D), KANSAS: Not always. I go home, when I speak to a chamber group, a business chamber group or a labor group, I say 85 percent, 90 percent, of what we do in Congress should not be about Republicans or Democrats, ought to be about taking care of our people and our country. When I say that people are sitting there in the audience are going like this. They're sick to death of all the partisanship up here. They want us working together for the American people and for our country.
SHADEGG: And what percentage would you say is bipartisan? Because a whole lot of the work that gets done every day is bipartisan.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: None of what we're seeing -- not much of what we're seeing happening when it comes to health care, when it comes to jobs, when it comes to issues like that that are at the fore now, there's not a lot of bipartisanship. Just as an observer myself, I don't see a lot of it.
EHLERS: Well, it was very frustrating to me as a Republican. And I happen to be a scientist, and I like logical thought processes. And I would have been very happy to work on the health care bill. I had looked forward to voting for some type of health care bill if we produced a decent one.
When the bill finally came to the floor, I got up and spoke and said, I'm really sorry, I'm going to vote against this because I don't think it's really a product of the House of Representatives. I tried to give feedback. No one was interested in listening from the other side of the aisle. And that's not healthy.
And I want to get back to your basic question that you asked a minute ago. And I think -- people talk about the death of civility. I don't think that's a problem. But we just don't socialize with each other the way they did. Jerry Ford was -- I have the district Jerry Ford used to have. And he told me that when I was elected. When he was elected, he moved to Washington with his family, whole family lived here, he only went back to Grand Rapids twice a year -- August recess and Christmas recess. He was amazed that I was going to just get an apartment here and fly home to Grand Rapids every weekend because I wanted to be with my constituents.
But to me the result of that is I wasn't having dinner with other members of Congress or their families. I wasn't playing golf with them. My life was centered around Grand Rapids, not around Washington. And the socialization that used to take place -- you talk to any of the old-timers, they talk about the wonderful dinners they used to have together on Saturday in each other's homes. The wonderful times they had playing golf. You just don't argue with someone when you're having dinner with their family, or when you're playing golf.
MOORE: You get to know their spouse and kids, and it's hard to be nasty to them. And that's exactly right. (CROSSTALK)
GORDON: I mean, Norm Orenstein had a recommendation in that regard that we should change the calendar.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.
GORDON: And that we should be three weeks on, where in essence, you're with your families probably in Washington, then one week off, where you're back home with your constituents. And that if you did something like that, then it would allow families to be together more. Not only the internal families but also the members' families would have more interaction together.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: So let me ask you, how much does that have to do with partisanship, or what have you or not, or just working? Because now that I have a BlackBerry and I'm in touch all the time, honestly, my days off, I really want to spend some time off because I'm always in touch. Someone can always get me. And so when I'm not working, I don't want to have anything to do with anybody who's from that place. That's me personally. So I don't know what that -- is it just the times that we live in now?
REP. JOHN TANNER (D), TENNESSEE: It is. But let me go back to the point I make about gerrymandering. When people are responsive only to the primary voter, where the most partisan elements of our society reside in, quite naturally would be because that's who elects them, and they come here, they're not rewarded to work across party lines and to come to the middle. In fact, they're punished by the base, who accuse them of not being pure enough and want to purge them out of the party because they're not pure. They've tried to put a parliamentary system on top of a representational system. And it does not work.
LEMON: Are you fighting against your own party in that way sometimes? In order to get --
TANNER: Oh, we do all the time in the blue dogs. But I mean we get from both ways. But there was a fellow from eastern shore, Maryland, great guy. He was defeated in his party primary because he became too green. He wanted to save the Chesapeake Bay. Great guy. You could work with him.
And so when people are punished for being bipartisan because of the system that we have that allows this obscene gerrymandering all over the country, this is what is -- one of the cause, and you've got to go to the root cause in my judgement. All the rest of it is good. What Vernon says is fine about having dinner together and so forth. But unless you go to the root cause of the problem here, I don't know how you fix it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: And those Congressmen putting some of the blame for our partisan politics on voters. But do independents, the people who really sway elections, buy that? We'll ask a panel of them.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Let's talk now about the state of our nation. We've been talking a lot about the broken government. Now I'm going to bring in our regular panel of independent experts.
Joe Gandelman is the editor-in-chief of the Moderate Voice Blog. He is in San Diego. Omar Ali is an independent voting analyst. He is in Washington. And Nicole Kurokawa is also an independent voting analyst, also in Washington tonight.
So you just heard my conversation with six retiring House members.
Joe, we'll start with you. Is there a role independents can play to help ease the partisanship?
JOE GANDELMAN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, MODERATE VOICE BLOG: The system is not really set up at this point in the whole political culture to give much credence to independents because as your interviews noted that, say there's someone in Congress who wants to show even a modicum of independence, they're immediately characterized and demonized and pushed into a non-compromising position.
LEMON: So whose fault is that anyway? The parties' faults, or is it the people back home, the constituents?
GANDELMAN: It's definitely the constituents because we have what I call the talk radio political culture that you see, whether it's talk radio or the new media. And so people are insisting -- people only want to listen to people that they already agree with and read people that they already agree with. So it's the mindset.
LEMON: All right. So let me ask Omar this.
Omar, you know, one of the Congressmen talked about gerrymandering. You saw them talking about civility there.
OMAR ALI, HISTORIAN/INDEPENDENT VOTING ANALYST: Yes.
LEMON: So, if it's only people they agree with, right? They say that they are being faced with that choice because of gerrymandering, because of the way the districts are planned out. And that's part of a partisan way of doing business in the beginning, you know. And so they have to go back home and look at the constituents.
ALI: Absolutely. I mean, you know, as one of the Congressmen said, you know, the root of the problem is at the structural level. So, it's not just about personalities and going over to people's houses for dinner and being civil with each other.
This is in some ways why it's important that independents continue to assert their voices because open primaries or non-partisan redistricting would bust open the system so that the Americans can actually have a voice and in some ways break through the partisan gridlock.
LEMON: Nicole, do you agree with that?
NICOLE KUROKAWA, INDEPENDENT VOTING ANALYST: Actually, I also blame the parties because we've seen a tremendous amount of cannibalization.
Look at how much flak Olympia Snowe gets from the right. Look how much -- I mean, at the Republican National Committee retreat recently, they very narrowly defeated a resolution to reinstate purity tests for their members. And if they had that, Ronald Reagan wouldn't have made it. So, yes, they are forcing moderates out from their own ranks, so...
LEMON: As I -- as I am talking to you, we were -- someone sent in a comment earlier saying, "Oh, I can't believe these guys are blaming it on the public." And what I'm getting from them is that they're saying there's time for self-assessment for everyone, including them, Omar.
ALI: There's self-assessment to be made for sure. I mean...
LEMON: From the public, from the voter as well. That may be a tough pill to swallow for people who are watching or for some Americans.
ALI: Well, I mean, I think the voters do have to take responsibility. And it's our job to go and vote for the people we think will advance the interests of the American people as a whole.
So, you know, come September and then come November, we'll see what the American people say. And the independent voters are going to play a crucial role, as they've been the margin of victory in a number of key elections from Obama to what we saw in Massachusetts and the governors, you know.
So, I think, yes, voters do have to take responsibility. I mean, one of the things that voters are really concerned about, I mean independents in particular, is the process. It's something that goes to the heart of our national identity.
LEMON: And you said process reform, that's what they need. Process reform. They didn't say the government was necessarily broken, it was in need of reform, and most of them said process reform. And there are other things on top of that.
So Joe, we have been watching. We watched the health care summit this week in front of the cameras. What's in it for independents? If anything.
GANDELMAN: Well, there are several ways of looking at it. In one sense, you could look at it and say it showed that both parties did have people that were able to talk substance, that it wasn't strictly demonization.
On the other hand, you saw the two sides pretty much in fixed positions. So the independents -- again, the independents just have to keep clamoring and pushing. And really this idea that the way the system is set up for years the consensus was a virtue in American politics and is no longer the idea of compromise considered something of a weakness. And so independents have to keep pushing for people to try to come together and work on common ground.
What I came across watching that -- the summit. I watched quite a lot of it. And again, I saw the Republicans were not as bereft of ideas as some people had suggested. But on the other hand, you saw positions that were almost completely intransigent as far as...
LEMON: So Nicole -- Nicole, I just have a few seconds here. You know, is there -- is there a need for maybe an independent star? We've seen -- you know, this is "The New York Times" Sunday magazine. We see Scott Brown on the cover. We know that President Obama, leader of the Democrats, he's the president. Who's the independent star who can help your voice, the independents' voice be heard?
KUROKAWA: Well, it wouldn't be Bernie Sanders and it wouldn't be Joe Lieberman. But I think, you know, I think the most important thing about the summit is back to process.
Overall, the next step we're going to see is going to be on reconciliation. And what worries me about reconciliation is if they push that through, it is going to be an indication from the administration that they don't want independents and they don't want Republicans. They're disenfranchising a huge section of the American public.
So, I don't know if we need a star, but we definitely need to be involved in the process, period.
LEMON: Nicole Kurokawa, Omar Ali and Joe Gandelman, thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: A father's pain and joy after the Chile earthquake. You can see he feared the worst. But he got the best possible news. A family reunited after the Chile quake.
Also, fit to serve? The president makes a trip to the doctor. The results are in.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: It was our breaking news for most of the weekend. So we want to update you on the situation right now in Chile. Rescue efforts continue, but the death toll keeps climbing. Brooke Baldwin has more.
BALDWIN: Don, I want to share some encouraging stories, some stories of rescue. First, take a look at this video. You can't hear it, but you can see this round of applause among some of these rescue workers as they're working to get this man out of this partially collapsed building in Concepcion to rescue him. So, encouraging visuals coming out of there. Also, take a look at this. This is something that we just saw off of CNN Chile, our sister network. This is an architect. And we have video of this architect showing some rescue workers, also in Concepcion, some blueprints on how to get inside of this partially collapsed building to try to rescue some people.
And while you look at this, I want to share some numbers with you. Apparently, according to this architect, there were 121 people in the building, 48 were still inside. Eight were confirmed dead, but 68 walked out alive.
And as so many people search for their loved ones amid the rubble and in some cases in the flooded neighborhoods, I have another story out of a small coastal town out of Constitucion. There is a family that is finally reunited after this quake. Just watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(PEOPLE CRYING, HUGGING EACH OTHER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Obviously, an emotional reunion. I want to play the sound for you. We translated it from Spanish to English so you can hear a very raw reaction from this father finally reunited with his family. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I was in anguish. I didn't sleep. I was desperate. I didn't see my family in the house. So I was out all day and all night searching near the river. Nothing. And just now we went up again and the police told us there was a child, and I thought -- I thought it to be my child.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: One other big headline out of Sunday in Chile, that the issue is looting. In some regard, a lot of people are very desperate, very frustrated. They're in need of water, supplies, food, blankets.
But some others are taking matters into their own hands. They are stealing for the sake of stealing, running into appliance stores. We've seen people carrying out DVD players, televisions. And so some of the local army and also the police have been out today with tear gas and with water cannons trying to quell these crowds.
But really the word we keep hearing over and over today, especially from the Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, is chaos -- Don.
LEMON: You know, perhaps the first lady's next big health initiative needs to be her husband. Doctors released the results of the president's physical today. He hasn't kicked his smoking habit. He takes anti-inflammatory meds to relieve tendonitis in his left knee. And he should eat better to lower his cholesterol. That may sound pretty grim. But actually, the president's physician says his annual checkup shows he's in excellent health otherwise.
Family and friends today remember the young whale trainer who was killed at SeaWorld last week. Visitation for Dawn Brancheau was held in Chicago. A funeral is scheduled for tomorrow morning. And Brancheau drowned this week, of course, when a whale pulled her into the water by her ponytail at the Orlando tourist attraction.
A violent winter storm roared across Europe today, killing at least 55 people. Most of the victims were in France, where hurricane force winds whipped up huge waves that flooded communities along the west coast. Many of the people who died drowned in the rising water. At least 1 million people in France are without power. The prime minister is calling it a national catastrophe.
Boy, oh, boy, we saw some really bad weather earlier in the week on the East Coast. What did New York get, like 23 inches of snow?
KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: For the month of February, Don, they set a record. Central Park saw about three feet of snowfall.
LEMON: Boy, oh, boy.
(WEATHER REPORT)
LEMON: All right. Tomorrow morning's commute. Careful, everyone. Thank you, Karen.
MAGINNIS: OK.
LEMON: A little over a year in, and already the White House is swapping social mavens. So what will a new Michelle Obama White House look like without resident socialite Desiree Rogers at the helm? We're going to discuss the details of that story.
And Conan O'Brien not keeping quite quiet as Jay Leno takes back "The Tonight Show." It will happen tomorrow night. Where you can find him and what he is saying to make you laugh, ahead. We're talking about Conan.
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LEMON: One of the first lady's closest confidants, Desiree Rogers, is out as White House social secretary. The news came late Friday. And since then we have learned that Julianna Smoot, a Democratic fundraiser, will take over one of Washington's most coveted jobs. Rogers resigned with no explanation. The Obama administration hasn't offered one either, but did say Rogers was not forced out and her resignation had nothing to do with the state dinner debacle that happened late last year.
Amy Argetsinger is a "Washington Post" columnist and she joins us tonight.
Good to see you. Hey, listen, so this has been the talk of the town. You know, people wonder, why is everyone so concerned about a social secretary? But it is big news. As we said, a coveted -- one of the most coveted jobs in Washington. Take a listen to how it played out on some of the morning talk shows, and we'll talk about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAM DONALDON, JOURNALIST: People who work for the president understand, or should understand their place, which is to be spear carriers. There are two stars in anyone's White House, the president and the president's spouse. After that, this passion for anonymity that once was a hallmark of people who worked for a president has been lost. She wanted to be a star herself and...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: So you heard Sam Donaldson there saying she wanted to be a star herself, and that's what undid her.
Do you believe that? Or was it really the state dinner, or it was combination?
AMY ARGETSINGER, COLUMNIST, 'THE WASHINGTON POST': Well, Desiree Rogers is a very different social secretary. From the time she took over the job, she was out there more so than any other social secretary. She was posing for magazine spreads. She was wearing couture. Famously, at the state dinner, she herself was seated at the dinner, which has typically not been the case for social secretaries.
Social secretaries are usually backstage players, the ones who are making sure everything is moving along well. They're not out front, as she has been. And that was actually getting her a little bit of criticism even before the gate-crashing incident with the Salahis.
However, there's also a perception even before that state dinner that she might be someone who would get tired of a federal job, that she would want something a bit more...
LEMON: So here's the question then. Did she -- was she forced out or did she quit?
ARGETSINGER: There are different accounts about this. But my colleagues have heard from people in the White House that the state dinner incident really did seal her fate, that there were discussions by Christmas time where it was agreed that she would leave the White House.
LEMON: OK. It was agreed that she would leave the White House. So we have to put it at that. So listen, some are saying or wondering, is this the beginning of the end for the Chicago contingency that came in to Washington with President Obama?
ARGETSINGER: Well, this is certainly one of the more high- profile Chicagoans to come in, and there's all kinds of speculation about Rahm Emanuel. I think we'll just have to see in coming weeks.
LEMON: OK. So, let's look ahead for the first lady, because this has been a high-profile first lady. What does, you know, the White House look like, what does a Washington look like now with a new social secretary, absent Desiree Rogers now?
ARGETSINGER: Well, I think we will probably continue to see events, affairs of a similar kind. I think people are pretty happy with the kinds of events that Desiree Rogers and her office were putting on. It was probably just more the front and center role that Desiree Rogers was taking in all of this.
I think what we will see in the future, the new social secretary will be Julianna Smoot, a veteran fundraiser. I think we'll be seeing less of her than we did of Desiree Rogers. And that will be -- I think the challenge is that now that Desiree Rogers has made the job so high profile, everyone will be wanting to know so much more about Julianna. We'll be watching her closely. It will probably be contingent on her to reel that back in.
LEMON: Amy, listen, I have just a couple of seconds here. And I think I missed an opportunity because you -- we were so focused on the social secretary Desiree Rogers and the new secretary, and you said Rahm Emanuel, some speculation. Can you follow up on that quickly for me? What do you mean?
ARGETSINGER: Just what I read in the paper. Speculation that he has not been as successful as expected in getting the president's agenda across and whether he'll continue with the White House.
LEMON: Amy Argetsinger, thank you so much.
ARGETSINGER: Thank you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(PEOPLE CHEERING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, you can better believe there's only one thing that could drive Canadians this wild. The men's hockey team winning gold in a thriller overtime U.S.A. game, a thriller overtime game that really came down to the wire against the U.S.A. As the Winter Games close, we have an update for you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They played so well with all their hearts. True Canadian spirit. Most golds of the Olympics. We're the best!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, it was their game in their home country, and it became their victory. Canadians celebrating their hockey team's gold medal win over the U.S. But Team U.S.A. still really has a lot to be proud of. We're very proud of you guys.
Rick Horrow is -- was in Vancouver and so he's joining us tonight.
You're in Florida now. Look at them, you're so proud of those things. So Rick...
RICK HORROW, SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: Yes. Well, this -- remember, got these on live last week. Going to take them to bed. This is exciting. 35 million Canadians, but it's good for hockey. Sidney Crosby, winning goal. Very endorsable, very marketable. The entire Canadian country celebrating that one game tonight.
LEMON: And it was one of the most anticipated events really of the year as I was -- you know, I went to dinner here, and every place there was a monitor or television, people were watching, they just stopped in their tracks.
HORROW: It will probably be the most televised and watched game in the history of hockey, in the history of Canadian television, certainly. And as I said, you know, Canada won 14 gold medals. United States won 37 total. The most gold won ever and the most total won ever. So, both the U.S. and Canada have something to be proud of numerically as well.
LEMON: So here's what I was saying. Wow, you know, we always said that baseball was the national pastime, right? And I -- you know, I've never seen so many people who were interested in hockey. I thought that was a Canadian pastime.
HORROW: Well, it's a Canadian pastime, but it's also a North American pastime now. And you know, the United States showed that they can go head to head. They lost 3-2 in overtime. It was an incredibly close game. The shots were fairly equal. And I think parity is good for that sport and other sports as well.
You see some of the top endorsers. And of the eight athletes who were the top guys coming out of these games, five were hockey players. And so now they go back to their regular national hockey league schedule, and the sport is better for it.
LEMON: So now we have another sport, Rick, that, you know, people can look to us and respect us for because before, I don't know, I don't think people thought that the U.S. had any sway when it came to ice hockey, and now they probably do.
HORROW: Well, but remember, in 1980 we had that memorable gold medal game and we won the gold medal and against the Russians in the semis. But that was, let's see, 30 years ago and we were one goal away from winning the next gold medal. The we and they isn't important here. I think the entire sport did well.
And by the way, $5.6 billion of cost to put on these games in Vancouver. They've left behind a $2 billion legacy with infrastructure and roads and expanded convention centers. But the eyes of the world, after an incredible closing ceremony, the Canadian Olympics were really first-rate.
LEMON: It was. But you know, it's Canada. You know, we're very U.S.-centric here. We're just happy for the American team. We wish they'd won gold, but silver's good enough.
Hey, thank you. Enough of those things, whatever the heck they are.
HORROW: That's enough. Four years from now. See you next week.
LEMON: Candy Crowley is talking to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on "STATE OF THE UNION." What does she say about Democrats, the possibility of losing their leadership in the House? Find out at the top of the hour.
And guess who is now on Twitter. I have a hint for you. You'll only find him there for a while at least.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. Jay Leno heads back to his late-night time slot tomorrow night, replacing Conan O'Brien as host of "The Tonight Show." Conan may not be on TV for a while, but turns out you can still find him on Twitter. He started an account just this week. So check out his bio here.
Here's what it reads. It reads, "I had a show. Then I had a different show. Now I have a Twitter account."
So let's look at his tweets so far. He says, "Today I interviewed a squirrel in my backyard and then threw to a commercial. Somebody help me. This morning, I watched Remington Steele," he said, "while eating sugar smacks out of a salad bowl. I was naked."
Then on Friday he said, "Today, I connected all the freckles on my arm with a sharpie. It spells out Rick" -- I don't know what that says, whatever it is. "Clearly, I am the chosen one."
What is that? Do you guys know what that is? Is that some worthy thing? Anyway, it's nothing. Thank you.
"Saturday, good news. I can now spend quality time with my vintage '92 Ford Taurus. Bad news, I left yogurt in the trunk."
And then Sunday, "This is only my fifth tweet and I'm already exhausted. My God. How does Ashton do it?"
All right. Really funny things. So -- I didn't get the connection. Maybe I just don't have a good sense of humor.
All right. Now it's time for my tweets. Let's see. You guys have been really weighing in. Thank you very much.
So someone says, talking about the hockey game today. "I agree with them. Today has done wonders for the sport of hockey."
And then someone says, "I agree with Cory Booker. We don't care about the party system or the ignorance. We just want the job done."
"Watching Don Lemon here, when he puts those glasses on, I stop what I'm doing because I know that it means breaking news."
"I don't think there will ever be bipartisanship. Republicans and Dems are like the Creeps and the Bloods."
Someone says of the panel that we had on earlier, "We appreciate that. We think that was a great panel that we did. It was the best political conversation that I've heard in the longest time. It is refreshing and is provocative."
Thank you so much. We want to spend a little bit of time -- more time here reading your comments because the breaking news in Chile didn't really have a lot of time to read and they were so good.
"I love how you make politics sound like part of the Olympics. Pretty adorable. First step would be to have Congress spend more time with those they represent instead of media time."
"If we don't like how Washington is being run, then why do we keep electing them? We have the power. We are the change."
"Don, I still don't get it. It's a wonder how they get elected."
"Many heads are upset because Obama has started transparency in the White House. Thank God. Hard job. He has done it."
And then someone down here says, "Happy birthday, Don."
Thank you very much. It's tomorrow. I really appreciate it.
And I appreciate you watching. Thanks for watching us, everyone. I'll see you back here next weekend at 6:00, 7:00 and 10:00 p.m. Eastern. Thanks for watching. Have a great night.
