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No Nukes for Terrorists; Midterm Elections; Tired Tires: When the Rubber Leaves the Road
Aired April 13, 2010 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, here's what I've got "On the Rundown."
Dozens of world leaders huddling in Washington, but it seems all they're doing is fretting about the two nations that are not there -- Iran and North Korea. So what's the point of this week's global nuclear summit and will anything come out of it?
Plus, we're counting down to Tax Day, and you probably are, too, especially if you owe the IRS. But what if you can't pay them? Don't panic. "Tax Lady" Roni Deutch is going to help us tell you what to do.
Also, Tiger Woods applauded after months of scandal. Ben Roethlisberger saying he wants to be a role model? Come on.
I've got some things to say to Mr. Woods and Mr. Roethlisberger in my "X-Y-Z."
An unprecedented global summit aimed at nuclear security is heading into its final hours. In the Cold War days, nuclear security meant thousands of warheads on either side of the Iron Curtain. Well, today, it means keeping warheads, plutonium, weapons-grade uranium, out of the hands of terrorists, which may be harder to do.
Forty-seven world leaders gathered at Washington at the invitation of President Obama. An impressive picture, and check out the map.
Participating countries are in yellow. You may notice Iran and North Korea are not taking part. But I want to draw your attention to Ukraine, Canada and Mexico. Since yesterday, those three have pledged to eliminate their supplies of highly-enriched uranium.
President Obama addressed the conference this morning and reminded everybody exactly what's at stake.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Just the smallest amount of plutonium, about the size of an apple, could kill and injure hundreds of thousands of innocent people. Terrorists networks such as al Qaeda have tried to acquire the material for a nuclear weapon, and if they ever succeeded, they would surely use it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: So, will the world be any safer after this summit than before it?
I want to ask Michael Allen, director of the National Security Preparedness Group and the Bipartisan Policy Center. Before that now he served in the National Security Council under President George W. Bush.
Thanks for joining me, Michael.
And, you know, the question I laid out in the beginning is, are we going to get anywhere with this conferences in terms of dealing with what we're told are the number one threats, which is Iran and North Korea?
MICHAEL ALLEN, DIRECTOR, BIPARTISAN POLICY CENTER'S NATIONAL SECURITY PREPAREDNESS GROUP: Well, that's the interesting thing about this summit. It must be animating the discussions on the sidelines. Of course, we saw yesterday that President Obama had a bilateral meeting with the Chinese leader to discuss the U.N. Security Council resolution against Iran. So, it's certainly animating the side discussions, in addition to the stated purpose of the conference, which is, of course, to secure nuclear materials around the world.
GRIFFIN: And Michael, China said, no, no thanks, we don't want to punish Iran anymore, we don't want to force Iran with sanctions to change its habits.
So what happens now, is the question?
ALLEN: Well, this is one of the great challenge for the international community, especially for the Obama administration, which is how to incentivize China to join us with some punishing sanctions against Iran. You know, the whole idea here is that we need to change the cost-benefit analysis of Iran to make them think twice about what they're doing on their nuclear program. And so it's a real challenge for all of us to try and figure out how to sign them up to some stringent sanctions if those would even be enough in the first place.
GRIFFIN: There's obviously no easy answer to that question, otherwise I'd ask it and you would tell me what that is. But, really, what could possibly be on the table? We can't, then, launch sanctions against China to get China to launch sanctions against Iran. That sounds nutty.
ALLEN: Well, no, that's true. You know, it's thought that the best sanctions, at least for our purposes, would be on the oil and gas sectors.
Iran imports a lot of refined product, so the thought was perhaps we restrict the inflow into Iran, and that would make them rethink their nuclear program. The sanctions resolution might also try and further restrict their access to international banking, and perhaps take other measures against the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, which is thought to be the heart of the regime.
So there's some ideas out there on the table, and the burden is really on us to try and make the deal with China to get them to sign up to another Security Council resolution.
GRIFFIN: Yes. The other equation here is what the president was talking about, you know, that quantity of product that's as big as an apple that I'm sure al Qaeda or any other terrorist group wants to get its hands on. That brings up the whole black market issue, which brings North Korea in, because North Korea wants quick cash from anybody who can pay.
How do you stop that kind of for-sale nuclear material?
ALLEN: Well, you know, you're right to cite North Korea as a serious threat to the nonproliferation regime. They, of course, exported, or at least helped, build a reactor in Syria a few years ago, which, as you know, is real bombs.
It's a real challenge for us to try and deal with it. The Bush administration tried a variety of different tacts, including the six- party talks. It seems that the Obama administration is trying to get North Korea to come back to the table.
But, again, I think you put your finger on it. It's China.
It's thought that China has got the most leverage over North Korea. So, it's really something that President Obama has got to work on the sidelines in the next few days to try and get the Chinese on board on both of these things that we see as core to our national interests.
GRIFFIN: Michael, let me ask you a question about China. Is China -- do they just not care about terrorism or a terrorist threat hitting China? Is that why they seem to not be a big player in this?
ALLEN: Well, they're a big player because they're on the Security Council, but I think it's definitely true that they just have a different threat perception as we do. It's thought that the main sort of motivation for China is sustaining their economic growth. And so from that perspective, I think they see enhanced trade with Iran as in their interests, and that's what we have to try and do, is -- and that's part of -- hopefully the mission of the summit is to increase sort of the threat perception so that other countries go away with this same sense that this is a serious issue that we have here in the United States.
GRIFFIN: All right. Michael Allen, thanks for joining us. Glad to have you with us.
The president, of course, got some good news out of that summit with Ukraine, Mexico and Canada, but no deal with China.
Well, for the president and his party, there is some good news, and this one is a bit surprising. Results of our latest poll just released seven minutes ago. We'll have it for you when we come back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Well, if you follow this stuff, it's a bit of a shocker today. President Obama and Democrats breathing a little easier right now -- well, maybe.
The reason, our new poll just out today, take a look at this first result. It shows registered voters' choice for Congress, if they were to choose right now, Democrat, 50 percent; Republican, 46 percent.
I don't understand that. Senior Political Analyst Gloria Borger joins us now.
And Gloria, I mean, that's strange. It seems like the Democrats have been on the ropes for months, and all of a sudden, boom.
GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, they're having a hard time. And just in March, Republicans were up in the polls.
So we took sort of a deeper look into these numbers. There are a couple of things that kind of popped out at me.
One is, clearly, this is due in some way, shape or form, Drew, to health care reform, because the groups the Democrats have really gained the most with are women voters. And you know women are the health care monitors in their families, right? Women voters and lower-wage earners. Those are the folks, of course, who would have the most to gain in many ways from health care reform, particularly if they don't have health care.
Now, let me give you a bit caveat here, Drew, which is, take these numbers with a grain of salt, because in 1994, right before the Democrats lost 52 seats --
GRIFFIN: Yes.
BORGER: -- in that election, they were up a little in these generic Democrat-versus-Republican numbers for Congress. So, again, take it with a little grain of salt, but the Democrats are smiling at these.
GRIFFIN: All right. Probably some pepper going on some of these things, too.
Hey, here's question number two. We talked about Republicans. Who's your choice for the nominee in 2012?
This is another crystal ball, let's look way in the future. Here are the results: Huckabee, 24 percent; Mitt Romney, 20; Palin, 15; Gingrich, 14; Paul, 8.
BORGER: Right.
GRIFFIN: That's kind of interesting since it's Romney that just came out and won over the weekend in that Straw Poll. BORGER: You know, it's interesting about Sarah Palin, because we give her an awful lot of exposure, right? Some say it's overexposure, but it looks like that kind of exposure really hasn't made her any more popular, particularly with Republicans.
And Drew, I've got to show you another number, because we couldn't resist, of course, teaming her up with Barack Obama. Seeing how they would do in a head-on-head, and take a look at this.
He beats her pretty handily by 13 points. Now, I might just make sure, this is registered voters. This is not among Republicans. This is registered voters.
So, still, she's got a real deficit with the president. And when we tried to figure out what her problem was, her main problem was with all voters, take a look at this.
The big question: Is Sarah Palin qualified to be president? And look at that, 2-1. When people don't think you're qualified by a more than 2-1 margin, you have a lot of work to do if you want to become president of the United States.
Wouldn't you say?
GRIFFIN: Yes. Well, I think if Tina Fey keeps beating her up, she's never going to be qualified.
But, you know what, Gloria? I've got to tell you, does anybody really think that Sarah Palin is going to run? I don't think she's going to run.
BORGER: Well, you know, there's a split in the party on that. There are a lot of people who believe that, in fact, what Sarah Palin is doing right now is just capitalizing on her celebrity, writing a book, making a lot of money giving speeches, coming out and speaking to the Tea Party groups, gathering a kind of movement on her own.
Whether that would ever crystallize into anything beyond the Sarah Palin, Inc. that we now see --
GRIFFIN: Right.
BORGER: -- is anybody's guess. Some Republicans say she's going to run and other Republicans say no. Establishment Republicans, I would tell you, the kind that are here in Washington, at the Capitol behind me, lots of them behind closed doors are saying they hope she doesn't run.
GRIFFIN: Yes, because, I mean, if she was running and wanted to overcome that terrible poll number that she got, she would be doing things like going to Israel, studying the various problems across the world.
BORGER: Yes. She's got plenty of time to do that. She's got a group of advisers around her, and she's got plenty of time to kind of study up. But if -- but she better get cooking with that if she really does want to run.
But what's interesting about Sarah Palin, though, Drew, is she is as polarizing in her own way as Barack Obama is in his own way. And the people who love her hate Barack Obama, and vice versa. But the Independent voters who are so important -- and those folks determine presidential elections -- they've been turning away from Barack Obama, but they're not turning to Sarah Palin, that's for sure.
GRIFFIN: Yes. All right. Gloria Borger, interesting poll results.
BORGER: Yes.
GRIFFIN: I'm sure we're going to get beat up by some about this poll, but you can read all about it at CNN.com.
BORGER: The numbers are the numbers.
GRIFFIN: How the numbers came together. Thanks, Gloria.
BORGER: Sure.
GRIFFIN: Well, in honor of Earth Day, coming up later this month, find out what one business does with tires when the rubber leaves the road.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: A look at the CNN Center in Atlanta. Come visit us. We'll take you on a tour.
Checking our top stories.
This just in at the nuclear summit in Washington. The U.S. and Russia today signed an agreement to eliminate weapons-grade plutonium from their military programs. The measure, an update to an accord they signed in 2000. The summit concludes later today.
Another developing story, an Israeli counterterrorism unit is warning of a possible militant attack. The warning is directed to Israelis who are in Egypt's Sinai peninsula, urging them to return home because they face an imminent risk of terrorist abduction.
I don't know if you know this, but Sinai is a very popular tourist destination there for both Israelis and Arab tourists, so the Israelis are being told to leave.
In West Virginia, the last of the bodies of 29 men killed in a coal mine explosion have now been recovered. A state mine official says they were removed from deep inside the sprawling Upper Big Branch mine earlier today. Federal and state investigators in West Virginia now plan to determine what exactly caused the explosion.
There are more than 80 percent of Americans living in suburban or urban areas, and that means millions and millions of commuters using gasoline and countless tires. Well, in today's "Green Solutions In Focus," CNN photojournalist Eddie Cortes shows us one Atlanta company turning old tires down a new road, away from the landfill.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEWEY S. GRANTHAM, JR., LIBERTY TIRE RECYCLING: What we do here is we recycle tires. Nothing more, nothing less.
A tire never decomposes. If a tire goes into a landfill, it's there forever.
We're offering an alternative solution to that problem. As a result of us recycling tires, we're able to keep these tires out of landfills and make them into products that are resold on to the market. This particular piece of rubber, just a few minutes ago, was a whole tire.
I'm Dewey Grantham with Liberty Tire Recycling.
We've basically got three products here. The rubber mulch ends up in bags, and you can buy it on the shelf in a variety of colors. And the benefit of using rubber mulch is, basically, it lasts forever.
This is actually the steel belting that was used inside of a tire. That material ends up at a steel mill, who melts it down and reused into metal.
The two-inch TDF product that we make, that's an alternative fuel. It ends up primarily at paper mills, which they'll burn to create energy to run their process.
So what we have here are tires that are good, reusable tires. A lot of these tires are situations where a customer at a retail tire store may have had one bad tire, but instead of just replacing one, they replaced two. The other one was still good.
We'll sort these tires out and not process them, and sell them back into the used tire market. We're keeping tires out of landfill. We're making them into reusable products. At the end of the day we've done a good deed.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: And on Earth Day, CNN photojournalists on the award- winning "In Focus" team will look at the people behind this global environmental movement and the impact they've made on their neighborhoods and beyond.
"Green Solutions In Focus," Saturday, April 24th, 3:00 p.m. Eastern, only right here on CNN.
Well, 70 earthquakes in southern California and northern Mexico If it seems high, it is.
Chad Myers is going to tell you why after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Moved over to the Weather Center now. Chad Myers tracking a lot of rain and a lot of pollen relief for some. For some.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Isn't that -- are you suffering?
GRIFFIN: Yes.
MYERS: Yes?
GRIFFIN: Big time.
MYERS: Well, in New York, Philadelphia, and all the way down into D.C., the rain is coming in. The rain mixes with the pollen. Not every piece of pollen is going to fall out of the sky, but a lot of it is going to end up in the ditches, and that's great. Just let it wash away, let it go all the way down.
Cars in Atlanta, Georgia, are all the same color of chartreuse this day because there's so much pollen in the air. And the pollen lands on the cars, and we all turn yellow. You can imagine what our lungs look like.
GRIFFIN: My eyes are yellow.
MYERS: The pine pollen is big. But, remember, it's not the pollen that you can see that affects you, it's the smaller ones that get to you.
GRIFFIN: All right. We're going to go "Off the Radar."
MYERS: That was on the radar, now we're off.
GRIFFIN: "Off the Radar," because if you live in southern California, you know anybody who lives in California, they have been shaking and shaking and shaking. And it seems like, what, it's the shaking season?
MYERS: Where is Elvis when you need him?
(LAUGHTER)
MYERS: There's a whole lot of shaking going on.
GRIFFIN: Very good. Very good.
MYERS: Anyway, we have had now 70 4.0 earthquakes or better from southern California down into Baja California, Mexico. Why? Because -- you can go to latimes.com and hear the story and all the things -- they believe that there's just a little bit of extra activity, yes.
But we've had that large 7.0 earthquake in Mexicali. That large 7.0 now having a lot of aftershocks. And all those 4.0s, 70 of them, are aftershocks from the main quake.
Now, last year, southern California, Baja California, only had 30 4.0s or greater. We've had 70 already. It's not even Tax Day.
So here's the confusing map. Let me try to explain it to you. Let me show you what happens when you have major quakes and you have major tsunamis. Two hundred and twenty-eight thousand people died from the earth shaking in 2004. 2007, the earth shook, but only 712 died.
And there were big earthquakes. In 2007, there were four earthquakes that were 8.0 to 9.9, four of them. No other year in history in the last 10 years had four earthquakes that big, but yet only 700 people died because they were just in places that people didn't live, right? And we didn't have tsunamis.
And now we go to 2010, and here's the very sad number. Most of that from Haiti -- 223,000 people now estimated lost in Haiti by that one earthquake which was only in t he 7s.
GRIFFIN: Well, let me ask you this question, because I did read the "L.A. Times" article and a couple of other articles. What does it mean? It seems like the history on our studying this is so new that we really don't know what it means.
MYERS: We really don't know what it means. And you just take a look from 6.0 to 9.0, and this is just going to give you a strong quake, 140, 120, 120, 140, 140, 170. That's an average number. Every year, all the way up to 2009, and we've had 55 of those in 2010.
That's not an unusual number. We don't look at 200 and go, wow, we've already had 200 and we're only in April. We're in a pretty normal place. We really are.
The earth shakes, now we pay attention to it. Now there's CNN to report it every single time that it happens.
GRIFFIN: All right. So, continuing with this earth shaking, when we come back we're going to talk about Tax Day.
MYERS: Oh, yes.
GRIFFIN: That ought to shake you up.
MYERS: Hey, I'm done.
GRIFFIN: You may be done.
If you're not done and you owe, stick around. We're going to have some advice. Don't panic. It's not the end of the world, yet.
MYERS: Yet.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Tax Day is Thursday, that means a lot of anxiety across the country as the clock ticks down to that deadline. About 70 percent of Americans, though, are actually entitled to a refund; 30 percent will owe the IRS. That's a lot of people who have to fork over some cash to Uncle Sam. So, what do you do if you've waited until now first to get started, or if you did get started you figured out you have to pay and can't pay it all? You've got questions, we're going to get answers from tax expert and author Roni Deutch.
Roni, let's start with the basic question. If you waited too long, obviously it's not too late to file, but what do you do if you start sitting down tonight at the kitchen table and you get to the bottom and there's that negative number and you don't have it?
RONI DEUTCH, TAX EXPERT: Yes, unfortunately, Drew, there are going to be a lot of people who sit down and look at their tax returns and do not have the financial ability to pay the IRS. Look at the recession, look at the unemployment rate. I have good news for those people.
As you said earlier, do not panic. Rather than panicking, let let's look at the three outstanding programs that are available to taxpayers who owe the IRS and can't afford to pay. You and I have heard of the Offer and Compromise Program, an installment agreement and currently not collectible.
So, again, let's not panic. Let's take a deep breath and know there are some great programs available to all taxpayers who qualify and cannot afford to pay the IRS.
GRIFFIN: So, how do you find those programs? Let's assume I'm sitting at home at the kitchen table, maybe I'm a retiree, I don't have a computer, Internet, www.com whatever the heck. How do I call up the IRS? I wouldn't know where to begin.
DEUTCH: Of course, think about all of the different types of taxpayers that will owe. Here's what they need to do.
Pick up the phone and call 1-800-829-1040, and explain to the IRS exactly what your financial facts are. Specifically, Drew, you've got to explain to the IRS how much money you make, what your expenses are, and, of course, what your asset value is. The IRS will, then, go through their scientific formula and determine, hey, will they accept an offer from you, which basically lets you settle your entire tax debt for less money than what you owe.
Or they'll look at the finances and determine, hey, you can afford to make us an affordable monthly payment for five years, six years, whatever it is.
Or if you're lucky, drew, you'll get put in currently not collectible status where you're not going to have to pay the IRS and they will absolutely leave you alone.
GRIFFIN: Yes. This seems to be an odd year for taxes, because we're getting these statistics coming out that show maybe half of the households aren't going to pay any income tax this year? I mean, could that be true?
DEUTCH: It is more than true. In fact, only 40 percent of all taxpayers actually pay the IRS. To me that seems unbelievable. But then when you look at the IRS and you say, hey, it's an odd year, you bet it's an odd year. We've got revenue that's down by trillions of dollars. We've got a deficit that's suffocating us, and yet not everyone pays their taxes.
So believe me, we've got a tax system that is problematic, and really doesn't help that taxpayer all too much.
GRIFFIN: Yes. If you do get a return, what should you do with that money?
(LAUGHTER)
DEUTCH: First of all, 70 percent of all taxpayers --
GRIFFIN: Get it.
DEUTCH: -- will get a fat refund. And the average refund check is $3,000. Here's what I recommend.
GRIFFIN: Wow.
DEUTCH: First of all, get off your refund check addiction. All you have to do is adjust your W-4, and you could start receiving your money back by $250 each and every month, if you just make that small adjustment. Why in the world are you addicted to that refund check when you're giving the IRS in essence an interest-free loan. We've got to educate people, Drew, about taxation issues so they can ultimately save more money and not live in constant fear of the IRS.
GRIFFIN: All right, Roni, thanks again. And once again, the panic number is 1-800-829-1040, right?
DEUTCH: You bet, that is the panic number. But again, take that deep breath and know that the IRS will absolutely work with you. Just be honest and explain your financial situation and they're going to work something out with you, Drew.
GRIFFIN: All right, Roni Deutch, thanks for joining us a couple days before the big day.
DEUTCH: Yes, thank you so much.
GRIFFIN: A prayer for her parents, Ann Poland, the daughter of its late president and first lady leads the country and paying respects. We're going to go live to Warsaw right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: National tragedy is uniting the people of Poland in mass mourning today. Thousands, thousands of them welcoming their first couple home, three days after President Lech Kaczynski, his wife, and almost 100 others died in a fiery plane crash.
CNN's Jim Clancy is following developments in Warsaw today -- Jim. JIM CLANCY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The grief continues as you noted, Drew. But today, there's a sense of recognition, a recognition that some of the people who helped -- who influenced and shaped the post-communist state of Poland are now gone forever, and that was weighing heavily on them today.
They're still in their thousands coming here to the presidential palace behind me, laying wreaths of flowers, bringing out candles to light in the chill wind that continues to blow here. The flags at half-staff. People filing past the casket now of Maria and Lech Kaczynski, the president of Poland and his wife, both about age 60. People filing past single line -- single file after perhaps waiting four, six hours or more in order to get in there to genuflect, to make the sign of a cross in this deeply catholic country.
But on their minds, as I noted, it's beginning to weigh in really that this loss is permanent, that these people are never coming back. Let's listen to what they had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was extremely devastated. On Saturday morning I was crying with my mom. It was extremely, extremely sad. It is still, but I think today, I feel like it's real.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't concentrate on anything. That's why I just, you know, come here every day, work, think, pray. There's nothing else to do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For me, it will be terrible. And I feel that I that -- that I should leave the country, because now it's not my country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CLANCY: Now, for the first time since World War II we are going to see a polish president laid alongside the heroes of this country, revolutionaries, poets, some of the founding fathers, great military men. It's going to take place in what's called Valville Castle in Krakow, and it is an honor for this president to be laid there. It puts the president alongside some of the country's greatest heroes, certainly some of the people that he idolized in his own life.
The politics, still up in the air in Poland at this hour. The country continues to show that it has matured to the point where it can stand this kind of a test, but there's no doubting right now, Drew, this has been a very painful test indeed.
Back to you.
GRIFFIN: And, Jim, along those lines, let me ask you just one question, because we didn't just lose the president of Poland, there were so many other ministers and government officials on that plane. How -- how is the government coalescing to fill these various voids in just running the country? CLANCY: Well, we know that it's functioning smoothly right now. No one taking advantage of this situation, but no one either right now is talking politics, Drew.
There's all kinds of possibilities here. The president's -- the late president's twin brother, Jaroslav, could come back into this race. There are other people. The current prime minister could announce he's going to run for the presidency. They were big political foes.
It's very much up in the air, but there's also very much a determination by the polish political elite right now that they're not going to be talking politics, at least until after some of these people are laid to rest.
Back to you.
GRIFFIN: Very good, Jim Clancy, live from Warsaw. Thank you, Jim.
Well, the hour's top stories, one more agreement from the Nuclear Security Summit that's winding down in Washington right now. The U.S. and Russia are promising to eliminate, quote, "irreversibly and transparently at least 34 metric tons of plutonium each," each side. Secretary of State Clinton said it's enough for 17,000 nuclear bombs.
"Consumer Reports" telling shoppers don't buy the Lexus GX460 SUV. The magazine rarely gives out such a strong warning, but it says a problem that occurred during routine handling tests could lead to a rollover crash. That's a big blow to the reputation of Toyota, which makes Lexus vehicles.
And a word to the frustrated parent, it seems spanking might cause more problems than it solves, at least according to a study out of Tulane University finding that 3-year-olds who are spanked often are 50 percent more likely to become aggressive by the time they are 5 years old. Not only that, but frequently spanked toddlers appear to be at a higher risk of mental problems and delinquency.
You may have seen the headlines that Conan O'Brien is hosting a new late-night talk show in November on our sister network, TBS. Well, O'Brien's show is going to move George Lopez's show back one hour. This is what they do on these late night shows, and for now Lopez is laughing it off. Chris Rock joined him on "Lopez Tonight" yesterday. Here's what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, TBS/"LOPEZ TONIGHT" MONDAY)
GEORGE LOPEZ, TBS HOST: Conan is coming to TBS.
CHRIS ROCK, COMIDIAN: Conan's coming? Where are you going?
LOPEZ: I'm staying. I'm going to midnight. He's coming at 11:00 and I'm going to midnight.
ROCK: Get the hell out of here. So, you're going to move for the white man, huh?
(LAUGHTER)
LOPEZ: I am. I am. Hey.
ROCK: I hope he appreciates this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: Funny stuff. Probably more tonight when George Lopez joins "LARRY KING LIVE" tonight at 9:00 Eastern right here on CNN.
Well, the economic giant. China's growing impact on you, we're going to tell you how it affects just about every aspect of your life.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Well, it is a huge country with a huge population, China, and it's been looming large over the United States for years. And now more so than ever, especially when it comes to your money and the things you buy.
Here's our Christine Romans in New York.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: To see how China's powerful economy affects you in just about every way, look no further than your dinner plate.
(voice-over): This is Alaska sole, caught and frozen in the Bering Sea, unloaded in Alaska's Dutch Harbor. And from here --
JIM ORR, PRESIDENT, SIGNATURE SEAFOOD: Most of the fish goes to China.
ROMANS: Where Bill Orr, president of Signature Seafood, says his catch is cleaned and filleted cheaper and quicker in Chinese workshops like this, than in the U.S.
ORR: We will sell it to companies around the world, but most of them have the fish sent to China and further processed into fillets or portions, have sauces added or breaded, packaged and sent back to Europe, United States, South America.
ROMANS (on camera): That's right. Chances are the fish you order at a restaurant like this traveled some 14,000 miles.
How is that even possible? Because China's economic miracle of cheap labor and a government subsidized industrial base has changed everything, even the economics on your dinner plate.
(voice-over): U.S. seafood exports to China were just $82 million back in 1996. Today, it's $597 million. How much of that comes back to the U.S. is impossible to know in this new globalized world. From fish to textiles to steel to technology, China's rise is testing American business models. Just ask Google. It searched for a new market in China in 2006, but decided China's way of doing business wasn't for them.
GORDON CHANG, AUTHOR, "THE COMING COLLAPSE OF CHINA": It hoped for a more open China, it didn't happen. Censorship got worse during this period. Chinese government's hacking program got worse. And so Google said, you know, no more.
ROMANS: Moving its Chinese search engine to Hong Kong just last month.
ROBERT KAPP, CHINA TRADE AND BUSINESS CONSULTANT: I think Google's case is a somewhat special case. Most companies in China, auto companies, grain companies, banks, law firms, manufacturers of electronic goods and so forth, do not face the dilemmas that Google in particular faced.
ROMANS: But could the allure of China's potential markets and its cheap manufacturing base be fading? Tough new rules are starting to restrict foreign companies of all kinds, which worries some China watchers.
DAN SLANE, U.S.-CHINA ECONOMIC & SECURITY REVIEW COMMISSION: The situation is changing dramatically, and China is switching over from a free-market economy to a totally government-controlled economy.
ROMANS: And that has Congress howling for tariffs on goods imported from China to help correct what it sees as an unfair advantage.
SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: We are going to give tough medicine. We're going to impose the same penalty on you that will equal the advantage you gain from manipulating the currency if you don't change.
KAPP: If we went out and slapped a 30 percent tariff on Chinese goods because we were going to punish the Chinese, and if it were passed in full on the person on $28,000 a year trying to put T-shirts on his kids, it would cause a lot of damage.
ROMANS: Would Americans be willing to pay more for goods made in China if it means more jobs would stay in America? That in a nutshell is the debate.
For now, Bill Orr says, unless the economics change, he'll keep sending his work to China to keep things competitive.
ORR: Just doesn't seem practical on the face of it to be able to send your product to China to be processed and then back to the United States. But if we needed to do it ashore, we think the cost is probably 20 percent, 25 percent higher.
ROMANS (on camera): For years while jobs were growing, consumers enjoyed the cheaper import prices without much thought to how they were possible. But with nearly 10 percent unemployment, the Obama administration is now pushing back against China's currency policies and its industrial policies that favor Chinese exports, critics say, at the expense of American jobs. Chinese President Hu Jintao says China won't yield to, quote, "external pressure."
Christine Romans, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: Interesting stuff.
Well, some real characters popped by the Pentagon today for a strategy session. The mission involves military kids and one of life's toughest topics. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(VIDEO CLIP, CHILDREN'S TELEVISION WORKSHOP)
GRIFFIN: Always gives you a good feeling to hear that, doesn't it? Well, you know, things are sweet on "Sesame Street" where everything is always A-OK, but a lot of kids learn way too soon that real life isn't quite like that. Many military kids fall into that category.
The people behind "Sesame Street" put together a program awhile back to help kids whose moms or dads are going overseas. Well, the next step in that is an initiative called "When Families Grieve." Some "Sesame Street" puppets joined Pentagon brass today for a sneak preview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELMO, "SESAME STREET" CHARACTER: Well, Elmo and Jesse (INAUDIBLE). Elmo's daddy and Jesse's daddy were brothers.
JESSE, "SESAME STREET" CHARACTER: That's right, but, um, my dad died last year.
ADM. MIKE MULLEN, CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: We know that, Jesse, and we also know that you're here to share that experience, and we very much appreciate your doing that. That will make a big difference for military children who have experienced that as well, as well as other children in America.
JESSE: Yes. Because it wasn't easy for me at first. And sometimes, well, it still isn't, but knowing that I wasn't alone really helped me a lot.
UNIDENTIFIED CHARACTER: Yes.
ELMO: Elmo still misses Uncle Joe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: The "When Families Grieve" initiative formally launches tomorrow night in a primetime PBS special at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
You know, in the 40 years it's been on the air, this is just the latest tough topic that the "Sesame Street" gang has tackled. There was the death of Mr. Hooper and more recently Hurricane Katrina and the September 11th attacks.
Well, Tiger Woods and Ben Roethlisberger, if you're watching out there, I'd like you to listen up. I've got some thoughts in my "X-Y- Z" straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Ali is going to be back tomorrow, so keep that in mind as I give you my "X-Y-Z," as he calls it. I get a chance to vent and today with Ali gone, I'm thinking about the nation's fascination with sports figures.
Yesterday during this show, prosecutors here in Georgia announced there was just not enough evidence to charge Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger with sexual assault. If you don't know the story, the QB was apparently barhopping last month, ran in to some college coeds and allegedly after a bit of drinking one of the coeds said Roethlisberger assaulted here near the bathroom of the bar. That led to a full investigation that ended yesterday, again, with no charges filed, to which the much-relieved quarterback broke his silence and said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEN ROETHLISBERGER, NFL QUARTERBACK, PITTSBURGH STEELERS: I absolutely want to be the leader this team deserves, valued in the community, and a role model to kids.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: All I know about Ben Roethlisberger is this -- he has now twice faced allegations of assaulting women, he can crash a motorcycle without wearing a helmet, and he can throw a football -- sometimes really well, sometimes not so well. A role model for our kids?
Mr. Roethlisberger, as the father of two sons myself, I'd suggest you just concentrate on not getting into compromising positions with women. As for the kid thing, leave it to those of us who take the job of providing role models seriously, which brings me to yet another absurd moment in pro sports.
Lots of you tuned in to see the great comeback of Tiger Woods. I myself wanted to see if this guy could hold his head up when he walked onto the first tee at the Masters this past week. Well, not only did he hold his head high, he got a lot more. Grown people who actually paid lots of money clamoring to get a glimpse, shake a hand and applaud the great comeback.
Really? If you were one of those guys, let me ask you this -- if your father had just cheated on your mother with, oh, I don't know, maybe a dozen women, including a porn star, would you applaud as he walked in the front door coming home from work?
To Tiger Woods, stick to golf.
To Ben Roethlisberger, just throw the football.
To the rest of us, let's really be role models by valuing athletes for what they are good at, a single sport, not for what they aren't.
That's my "X-Y-Z."
Ali's back tomorrow, you'll be glad to know. Now it's time for Rick and "RICK'S LIST" -- Rick.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: That was very well told and very well done. My thanks to you, Drew.
